Date Posted:23:04:29 01/27/02 Sun Author: Anonymous Subject: Discernment and Mysticism
"Discernment, mutual accountability, and testing are distinctive aspects of Quaker mysticism. Another Friend reminds us firmly that "numinous experience is very seductive, but like cake on Sundays, it is not a good diet. It is the gloss, it is the shine, but without it one can still lead a life of holy intimacy with God with every cell of our body. It is NOT a sign of holiness."
"The presence of God is most often in the still, small voice, the quiet leadings which are easily overlooked in the throes of daily life. Dan Seeger noted that "God comes to us in everyday struggles and disciplines. These are more reliable than the peak experiences which are only discerned afterwards. A British Friend stated that "stillness is at the heart of peace work, social justice, etc., not the heights of mystical experience."
"The experience of the Spirit can be gentle. It may come in a sense of God's power and mystery as we hike in the mountains, or the glory in a sunset, or the perfect beauty of dew forming on a rose. All of us know this. We often know God's guidance in the "still, small, voice," in the gentle nudges in our hearts, or in the seemingly fortuitous phone call. Many gentle guides appear along our path if we will stop to notice them."
