Be patterns : reflections on words of George Fox

Gallery's pamphlet will be valuable to many Friends and seekers, for it offers a concise and explicit statement of the spiritual transformation that is a goal of Quaker life, and very importantly, how to do it. He arrives at the first part by a thoughtful and thorough exploration of George Fox's

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much-quoted passage, from his 1656 letter from Launceston Gaol, "Be patterns, be examples... wherever you come; that your life and conduct many preach among all sorts of people, and to them. Then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in every one; whereby in them ye may be a blessing... etc." He understands from this that Fox was describing the results of a rich spiritual transformation. (And he is careful to disclaim scholarly authority, saying that this is his own particular understanding of Fox.) He then explores beautifully what Fox said about the nature of that transformation. But how to make this spiritual transformation happen in your own life? Gallery notes that Fox in the passage above gives no explicit indication of how to become the pattern. Fox and early Friends taught that you turn inward and wait in the Inward Light, and the Inward Teacher will teach you all you need to know. Apparently early Friends knew how to do this, but Gallery expresses that he needs explicit instruction. Neither Fox nor the Faith and Practice give any explicit instructions. No "Turning to the Inward Light: Step One, Step Two, etc." As he says, "I haven't really known how to do it... Do you just sit in silence and see what happens?" In this secular age, his experience of bafflement is surely where most of us start. As many have commented, modern Friends have been poor at educating about what to do in silent meeting for worship and times of individual retirement. Gallery has found that the guided meditation in the work of Rex Ambler, a contemporary British Friend and scholar of Quakerism, is the helpful guide that he needs. It has explicit steps, that Ambler believes reflect the practice of early Friends. Clearly other Friends find it helpful as well, since it is now widely used in the Experiment with LIght practice around the world. It gives steps to show the Quaker process of opening to the Light, allowing the Inward Light to show us our shortcomings and then help us to overcome them. Gallery offers a variation on the steps laid out by Ambler. Instead of posing a question, he suggests holding in mind the ideal qualities of the spiritual transformation, and allowing the Light to show you what is holding you back. Gallery has found this variant effective in his own meditations. It seems like an option in the basic process that may be useful for many. However, it may well help those using this to read Rex Ambler's work for a full explanation of the process. See Ambler, Light to Live By (Quaker Books, 2002). Gallery makes explicit that Quakerism has both a vision of spiritual transformation and a basic process to follow. In this pamphlet we have both insight and practical advice that can help us along the path.

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