Sunday April 18, 1:15 – 3:00 PM

There will likely be a second meeting in this series

Sunday May 2, at about the same time

I (Richard Fuller) am announcing these times now so that people can plan for them, even though the details have yet to be worked out.

Earlier EWL events have been warmly received. I have learned from them, and am changing things to reflect those lessons.

Basically, we will cover the same ground as in the earlier meetings. Almost everything I have to offer on the topic can be found in the earlier posts: EWL-1, EWL-2 and EWL-3. As we get closer to the meeting date I will re-cast this material as I see it applying to this pair of meetings.

More on the April 18 meeting

That’s potluck Sunday. If you come to 11:00 worship, you are encouraged either to eat at potluck or to bring a brown bag lunch and eat in the conference room. We will get the meeting underway when people are done eating, not before 1:15, but perhaps a little later, depending on how slow the potluck line is.

This meeting is open to all friends in all Quaker meetings in the area.

If you think you might come to the April 18 meeting, it would help me to know what background you have with EWL, and what most interests you, for 4/18 and 5/2. I have created a little poll at Doodle.com that I would like you to take, so I have a better sense of the needs and interests you-all will be bringing.

If you also think you might like to be part of an ongoing EWL group, I would like to know in advance, as I am trying to develop a scheduling process that will work better than the one we used in the last round. I’m trying a poll at Doodle.com. Click here to go to the poll and fill in your availability. No commitment, just availability.

Or, please send times during the week when you would be available for a regular monthly meeting to Richard.Osbo.Fuller[at]gmail[dot]com. If you don’t have access to the internet, please write days and times you are regularly available on a piece of paper and give it to me or mail it to me.

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We’re not interested in forcing interactions, but we thought we might be able to encourage familiarity by publishing newsletter articles about each of the First Day School classes.

With photos, of course.

But taking photos is a sensitive topic for some folks, including me, Richard Fuller, the photographer-to-be. This article is one of several steps First Day School Committee will be taking to alert the community that we want to be photographing the kids in the FDS classrooms and publishing them in the newsletter.

If you have concerns about this, either generally or in particular for your child, please speak to me, or one of the other members of the FDS Committee, Kiara Buchannan, Marybeth Neal, Ellen Seagren or Elizabeth Barnard.

We expect to proceed slowly with this, looking for your feedback. At first we will get permission of all involved parents whose child appears in a photo before publishing it. We will be using only first names for identification for the children. As time goes on, if the community seems relaxed about this, and as we identify the parents who have particular concerns, we too may relax a bit. For instance, it would be nice to use last names, so readers could connect some of the pictured children with their parents.

Please, if you have concerns about our use of photos of our children, please get in touch with us.

And get ready for some interesting articles about what’s happening in other parts of the building during 11AM worship!

• View the most recent preparation packet
• Submit agenda item for next MWB. (choose “business agenda item” as recipient)
• About MWB

If you have questions about EWL groups, see my earlier explanations, EWL-1 & EWL-2.

Next…

Matching up more people and groups

I (Richard Fuller) am acting as a clearing house for getting people into groups.

There is a group looking for more people to meet at

• Thursday 7PM one night a month. Which week each month has not yet been settled.

There are individuals looking for opportunities to be part of a group that meets on:

• Monday evening
• Tuesday evening
• Thursday, very early evening
• Saturday
• Sunday, early afternoon or in the evening

If you see a match here, please get in touch with me at richard.osbo.fuller[at]gmail.com and I’ll connect you with the persons behind the times.

Getting your group functioning smoothly

(The March 1 session is designed to offer help with these efforts.)

1. For your regular meetings, you’ll want a location free of distraction.

• A private home?
• TCFM’s “New Classroom,”
  or one of the classrooms in the old building,
  or the Grotto?

2. Your group needs to decide on what format your meetings will have.

In Britain, Lois interviewed Bronwen, who had been part of an EWL group that has met monthly for 10 years. She described that group’s format.
The group begins by doing a check-in (5 minutes each) sharing what has happened in their lives since they met last.
They follow the steps on the recorded meditation which take about ½ hour.
They each separate (go into different rooms or the garden) and reflect for about 20 minutes on what has occurred for them during the previous half hour.
They regather and share for 5 minutes each what has emerged for them, or they can choose to pass.  The process takes about two hours.
They have tea together after the meeting.

Bronwen said the following expectations & understandings keep the group purpose clear and distinguish it from a therapy or support group.

Expectations/Understandings:

• There needs to be a selection process for group membership
• People are encouraged to try 4-6 meetings before deciding whether they want to continue
• When people have made a commitment, the group is closed.  If someone leaves, the group decides whether to replace that person.
• After the session, people should plan the next session
• Groups of 5-7 people are optimal (otherwise the meeting would take too long)
• Group members do not question or comment what others have said; they can ask for clarification if they don’t understand what has been said
• Personal boundaries need to be clear
• People should not expect revelations – sometimes ideas, images might emerge days after the session (not every understanding is in the form of words)
• Rex Ambler focuses on concerns “What are your concerns?”  However, in Bronwen’s group they focus on whatever emerges as important, significant – could be joyous
• No one is in the lead
• The Light shows you what to understand and what to take action on; it will not show more than you can deal with

A group that is forming will benefit from discussing what format, expectations & understandings seems right for them. Which of these from Bronwen’s group do you want to adopt? Modify? What would your group add?

3. I think the biggest challenge may be getting a satisfactory set-up with the meditation prompts.

(I have some suggestions, but I don’t have a standard solution that will work for everybody.)

First Principle: It is good to have a recording.

(You can have a group member keep track of the time and read the prompts at the right intervals, but to focus on doing this means that person can’t really open themselves up to the meditation. At least most people can’t.)

Questions related to a recording.

• Will you use a cassette tape?
• Or some sort of digital file that gets played on:
  A CD player?
  A computer?
  A MP3 music player?

The choices around a recording interact a little with the location you choose to meet in. If you meet in a home, it makes sense to rely on whatever sound system is available there. If you meet at the meetinghouse, you’ll need something portable you can bring.

Your group will need to decide on the length and wording of the meditation they want to use.

(See “technical notes about recordings,” below, if you want to hear more of my suggestions.)

For the EWL launch meetings I’m using a mp3 sound track recorded by Eric Ambler that lasts just under 20 minutes, which I bought from QuakerBooks.org.

On the Charlie Blackfield website there are free, down-loadable mp3 recordings that run from 30 minutes to 40 minutes long.

Technical notes about recordings

For people with cassette recorders,

probably the easiest thing is to make a recording in your voice, using one of the following sets of prompts.

Short Form of the EWL Meditation prompts based on Rex Ambler’s original

1. Relax body and mind.  Start by making yourself perfectly comfortable and consciously release the tension in each part of your body.  Then relax your mind.  Let yourself become wholly receptive.
2. In this receptive state of mind, let the real concerns of your life emerge.  Ask yourself, ‘What is really going on in my life?’ but do not try to answer the question.  Let the answer come.
3. Now focus on one issue that presents itself.  Keep a little distance, so that you can see it clearly.  Let the light show you what is happening.  Ask yourself, ‘What is really going on here?’  Let the answer come.  It may be a phrase or an image that comes, showing you what’s happening.
4. Now ask yourself, ‘Why is it like that?’  Don’t try to explain it.  Just wait in the light and let the answer come.
5. When the answer comes, welcome it.  If it is the truth, you will recognize it immediately, even if it seems painful or difficult.  Trust the light.  Submit to it.  It will then begin to heal you.
6. As you accept what is being revealed to you, you will begin to feel different.  Accepting the truth about yourself is like making peace.  Your body may respond quite noticeably to this change.  This is the beginning of changes that the light may bring about.  It can show you new possibilities for your life.
   (But if none of this happens on this occasion, do not worry.  Notice how far you have got this time and pick it up again another time.)
7. When you feel ready, open your eyes, stretch and bring the process to an end.

Brief Experiment with Light Prompts

1. Relax your body and mind.
2. In this receptive state of mind, let the real concerns of your life emerge.
3. Now focus on one issue that presents itself.  Ask yourself ‘What is really going on here?’  Let the answer come.
4. Now ask yourself ‘Why is it like that?’
5. When the answer comes, welcome it.
6. As soon as you accept what is being revealed to you, you will begin to feel different.  It’s like making peace.
7. When you feel ready, open your eyes, stretch your limbs, and bring the meditation to an end.

(There are other prompts for meditations printed in PDF format on the http://www.charlieblackfield.com/light/medits.htm website. You can choose one or modify one to your liking, and then record it in your own voice, tailoring the silences to the total length of time you want it to be. )

What I NOW know about digital recordings

I have recently learned that there is a difference between regular music (and other audio) Compact Disks that have been around for years and some newer recordings called “MP3″ which may be recorded on the same kind of silver disk, but need a newer kind of CD player. Just in the last few hours I have learned enough that I can now make both kinds with my computer.
Only the newer CD players are able to play the CDs that have MP3s burned onto them, in addition to the “regular audio CDs”. If a CD player can play MP3s, it will likely say so somewhere on the player. If your CD player doesn’t say that, it probably won’t play any of the MP3 EWL meditations mentioned above. Ask me about making you a “regular audio CD,” if you don’t have the background and equipment to make one yourself, from the above-named recordings.

• Standing committee clerks and members most recent year’s slate)
• Agendas for business meeting

A password is required. Please contact jamestr@gmail.com, identifying your connection to the meeting, to contact the site coordinator for the password or if you have any questions or difficulties.

During her presentation and after, I have received much interest and good advice about the upcoming three sessions, outlined below.

General thoughts about the 3 launch sessions

I have two audiences I’m presenting to: Observers and Engagers.
Observers are friends who want to learn more about what Experiment With Light is, but probably don’t want to be in an Experiment With Light Group.
Engagers think they want to be in a 5-8 person group that meets regularly for several months, working with the EWL process. They may know some of the people they would like to have in their group and may feel nearly ready to go. At the other extreme, there may be some folks who are pessimistic about finding group members who can meet at a time that is good for them. In either case, Engagers think that they might like to be part of a group, if things work out.

February 15 is for Observers. Engagers are also encouraged to come. The focus is on:

• What is Experiment With Light?
• Where did it come from?
• What do these people do in the EWL groups?
• How might I become part of such a group?

I will try very hard to end by 8:30. This will allow time for Observers to discuss what has happened informally and it will be an opportunity for Engagers and potential Engagers seek each other out and to have preliminary conversations.

February 22 is for Engagers. Observers are welcome. The focus of the evening activities is to make it as comfortable as possible for Engagers and potential Engagers to

1. Find a group of people who can meet when they can meet.
2. “Try the process on for size” with this potential group, to see how they feel when they are in the middle of it.

March 1 is for Engagers. I do not expect to present any new material or offer any new experiences. The evening will focus on supporting groups that have formed and are launching, and also individuals and groups that still need more people or more something else, before they are ready to go.
I won’t have much idea of my March 1 plans until the end of the Feb. 22 session, and a lot will not be decided until March 1, when we see who shows up, and what they need.

Experiences in a EWL group will touch tender places, as do many spiritual experiences. I think people are likely to have their best experiences if the group is fairly compatible, and feels safe to each participant. Therefore I encourage people to seek out friends with whom they would like to share the experience, and to personally encourage them. I hope Engagers will come to the Launch Meetings with half a mind of who they want to be in a group with, as well as an openness to people they don’t know who seem to be on their wavelength.

More sessions in March or April

Several people have already expressed regret at not being able to make the these first sessions. While I’m not promising anything until the end of this series, I’m inclined to offer the series again this spring, on weekend afternoons.

(EWL groups are welcome to form outside of this process. This is not like the NYM spiritual-nurture process, where there was an oversight body that kept track of things. Once a group of people decides they want to do EWL together they just do it, as they see fit. The Launch Meetings are designed to get them off to a good start, but that’s it.)

Monday Feb. 15 Meeting: Orientation

7PM at TCFM.

1.    Welcome, Handouts.
2.    Short Intro lecture.
3.    Q&A
4.    Short-form EWL exercise, 30 minutes, including a little time at the end for making notes. No small groups sharing.
5.    Anticipate second session.
6.    Close by 8:30, or not long after,
allowing time to mingle, discuss, and find kindred souls.

Monday Feb 22:  Form-up of tentative groups and a meditation session with optional sharing.

7PM at TCFM.

1. Brief Intro.
2. Participants will have a chance to see who is available at times they are available.
3. Based on this experience, we will settle into “try-it-on-for-size-groups” to do the EWL excercise.
4. Exercise:  Same as 4 above, but this time followed by optional sharing in the small groups, five minutes each.
5. Anticipate the third session.
6. Close around 8:30.

Monday March 1: Follow-up & Support Session

7PM at TCFM.

• Established groups looking for another member or two, or just wanting another practice session before launching on their own.
• Folks still looking to get into a group
• Time for provisionally-formed groups to
  • Settle on how many sessions they want to meet for, before doing an evaluation.
  • Each group might review the Friargate group’s suggested guidelines and reach consensus on what specific guidelines their group will use.
  • Agree on a time, place and convener for their meeting.
  • Get sound recordings or other materials they may not have been able to obtain on their own.

More Resources

Free resources available at:

http://www.charlieblackfield.com/light/

There are lots of audio downloads, including several versions of the meditations. And talks by Rex Ambler, like  Early Friends and the Light, an introductory talk by Rex, given at a residential workshop in Oxfordshire:

There are also  .PDF files, with printed versions of the meditations.

Available from Quaker Books Philadelphia:

Downloadable audio and text

Experiment With Light Mp3s

A Set Of 9 Audio Files And 3 Text Files In .pdf Format

BY REX AMBLER, RE-MASTERED BY MADISON MONTHLY MEETING
These are the remastered Mp3 audio files, prepared by Madison Monthly Meeting, of Rex Ambler’s ‘Experiment with Light’ process lectures and meditations. Ambler examines early Friends experiences of the Light and then describes a practice for modern Friends that can help them access the Light to transform themselves and, then, to look more outwardly. “The discipline of light as practiced by early Friends is a practical discipline which opens up the truth about ourselves and the world and transforms our relationship with them.” Audio files include a lecture by Rex Ambler on the process and five meditations for individuals and groups. An outline for a 4-session course included. Mp3 download.

Books

Rex Ambler: Light to live by – an exploration in Quaker spirituality

A brief introduction to the Experiment with Light, originally presented in German as the 2001 Cary Lecture.

Truth of the Heart: an anthology of George Fox

edited by Rex Ambler

John Lampen (ed.): Seeing, Hearing, Knowing – reflections on Experiment with Light

A recent book built around personal stories of spiritual search and discovery arising from the practice. It is intended for those who use Experiment with Light or wish to know more about it. First published in 2008.

The books are also available from www.QuakerBooks.org and other places.
Some may also be available as audio books from the British website Talking Friends.

Richard Fuller