The 2008 Residential Conference was held at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre

in  Birmingham from Friday 4th April to Sunday 6th April.


THE SPEAKERS

Relaxing in the Grounds of Woodbrooke

Brian Gill (Left)  and  Jennifer Kavanagh & John Sheldon (Right)

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“This is my annual fix!” exclaims Beryl, dancingly, laughingly. Many others agree. How did this come together?

“Translating Spirit” was a theme emerging last year after the conference  “Living in Harmony” , with the wish to have an experiential participative weekend at Woodbrooke open to Universalists and others. Experiencing “this is IT” was designed to ground this theme with personal examples, from presenters and participants.

“The Quaker Universalist Group is an informal group within the Quaker movement based on our understanding that spiritual awareness is accessible to everyone of any religion or none, and that no one person and no one faith can claim to have a final revelation or monopoly of truth.

We acknowledge that such awareness may be expressed in many different ways. We delight in this diversity and warmly welcome both Quakers and non-Quakers to join us”.

One different way was expressed by Brian Gill a  transpersonal psychologist and group leader, whose credo “The Psychology of Spirit” is expressed in his article in the Universalist of October 2007; this he amplified and exemplified  for QUG  as “Personal Authenticity”. On Friday Brian spoke of how to get into the flow of spirit, with personal examples of practice. On Sunday, when he had come to know us, Brian led us ,through experience, in simple effective techniques to reinforce our individual awareness, with much emphasis on letting go and welcoming the unexpected.

Jennifer Kavanagh has written of “many different ways” in Quaker encounters across the world during her saga “Call of the Bell Bird”

True to her recent challenge “The World is Our Cloister” she has demonstrated this personally in Quaker Quest activity,Alternatives to Violence, Prison Reform Trust, in Micro Credit and like involvements.  Through “Inside and Out: keeping the Balance” Jennifer opened up to us her personal experiences of moving on, risking, letting go, a “who dares, wins” encouragement.

John Sheldon had us “Experiencing Spirit non Verbally” musically and multi sensually. A former Principal of Woodbrooke, a pioneer in Quaker Arts, Leaveners and musical revolution, he wrote “Friends now acknowledge that we can hear God’s harps being played through the harps of man” Faith and Practice 21.31. John with Anne Park gave us a musical closure to Friday and musical Epilogues. On Saturday John brought us to bodily awareness of all our senses, hearing ,smell, taste, touch, sight, with simple consciousness raising exercises (including  more music).

Such précis do scant justice to our presenters’ material BUT there will be synopses, for members, of all presentations in June’s Universalist. More on the presenters and background to the conference will be posted on the website and some follow up is expected on QUG Yahoo Discussion Group and in the e-Newsletter.

Such a gathering with attendance from 44 U.K.meetings, four Latvian Friends and an Australian gave rich opportunities for meeting and sharing in six base groups, each of which held three sessions.

Opportunities to meet QUG committee members, understand their work and offer contributions were laid on at a “separate tables” AGM . Books and Universalist publications were available together with Bill Walley’s exciting new photographic QUG posters and cards. Users met our Webmaster and Discussion Group Moderator face to face

Saint Francis’ Brother Sun and Sister Snow graced us before breakfast on Sunday,  sparkling  Woodbrooke’s trees and vistas, then stayed with us for the day

Andrew Cowan

26-4-08