I just got back from the Powell House retreat center in upstate New York, joining 40-some Quakers from the Brooklyn Friends Meeting. It was a relaxing and spiritually recharging weekend among some very deep souls. I'm fairly new to Brooklyn Meeting, having only started attending a couple of years ago. So going on a weekend…
Category: The Spirit
Quaking and Swinging: Teaching Quakers how to social dance
This weekend I am up in Old Chatham, New York at the Powell House retreat center for the annual retreat of my spiritual community, the Friends Meeting of Brooklyn. Tonight I taught a small group of Quakers the basics of social dance both as a fun activity and to deepen their understanding about the concept…
Dancing from your Center: a spiritual leading
This video is my first attempt at explaining publicly something Quakers call a spiritual "Leading" that was first shared at Brooklyn Meeting last Sunday. I consider it a Leading because it's still working itself out inside of me, and feels like there's a lot more there to be revealed over time. One of the things…
Quaker artist James Turrell’s new hologram show opens September 10
I've been a big fan of the work of Quaker artist James Turrell after seeing him lecture in 2007, and then visiting his "Meeting" installation in 2008. Mr. Turrell has a new show opening on September 10 featuring his large holographic work that looks amazing. From the press release: In this new work James Turrell…
Perpetual Worship in the Ether
How does a Quaker stay centered, living in the Light, as he lives his daily life in this complex and noisy world? It’s a question I struggle with often. During Meeting for Worship, I feel such a strong connection to the Divine, to my fellow Quakers, and to life in general. And yet it only…
Quaker Service erupts into dance party! (video)
Here's a really cute music video that has been flying around the Quaker online community, directed by Ben Schiller featuring Quaker musician Jon Watts. Who says Quakers don't dance? I want to go to THAT Meeting for Worship. That said, I wish the content were a bit more accessible to non-Quakers. Rapping about our internal…
The Digital Quaker: What it means to be a Friend in the Information Society
This morning at Meeting for Worship at the Friends Meeting of Brooklyn, I was thinking about how analog our worship services are. There's almost no modern technology involved at all except for electric lights and maybe an oscillating fan in the summer. There's no amplifier, microphones, television or computer monitors, or other digital technology found…
Thoughts on Four Decades of Being Rik
Today marks my 40th year on this planet. I wish I had some grand epiphany to share at this point in my life. But being a Quaker, I know that revelations don’t necessarily work on a schedule. People have been asking me what it feels like to turn 40. On the one hand, not much…
NYC Bag Protest this Sunday May 17!
My buddy Rafi is helping organize a "NYC Bag Protest" — a super cool public action in New York this Sunday to get rid of plastic bag waste. The all-day event combines inspiring talks by Reverend Billy and No Impact Man, a scary attack by the Plastic Bag Monster, fun creation of reusable fabric bags,…
Balancing spoken messages and silence in Quaker Meeting for Worship
"Unprogrammed" Quaker Meetings for Worship, for those that have never been, can be briefly described as 60 minutes of corporate silent meditation interspersed with occasional spoken "messages" from someone in the congregation. It's the most "crowd-sourced" church service there is. Every Friend has their own personal sense of what is the best balance of spoken…