Silent Worship
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Silent Worship
Silent Worship is an unprogrammed Connection Technique practiced in the Quaker tradition, in which participants gather in expectant waiting, laying aside worldly distractions in order to hear God's "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:12) and access the Divine presence within and among them.[1]
Concept Map
Key Concepts
- Connected Consciousness
- Connection Algorithm
- Connection Axes
- Connection Blockage
- Connection Coach
- Connection Enhancements
- Connection Experience
- Connection Framework
- Connection Manual
- Connection Obstacle
- Connection Outcome
- Connection Pathology
- Connection Practice
- Connection Therapist
- Connection Therapy
- Healing and Connection Journal
- Initiation
- Inner Connection
- No-Violence Rule
- Outer Connection
- Reconnection
List of Connection Techniques
- Affirmation
- Affirmation of Connection
- Autogenic Training
- Biofeedback
- Bornless Ritual
- Breathing
- Caloric Reduction
- Cocooning
- Connection Visualization
- Dance
- Deprivation
- Detachment
- Dhikr
- Drumming
- Fasting
- Flow Control
- Flow Filtration
- Graduation Invocation
- Holotropic Breathwork
- Hypnotism
- Hypoventilation
- Intent
- Intent to Connect
- Japam
- Mantra
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Musical Audition
- Mysticism of the Historical Event
- Poetry
- Power Quest
- Receptive Seeking
- Relaxation
- Sensory Deprivation
- Silent Worship
- Spirit Canoe
- The Method of the Lamp
- The Way of the Hollow Bone
- Thought Control
- Vajra Breath
- Vision Quest
- Visualization
- Writing
- Zazen
Syncretic Terms
Related LP Terms
Non-LP Related Terms
Notes
In unprogrammed Quaker worship, participants take the Psalmist's advice literally: "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Friends meet in plain, unadorned rooms because, in such places, they are less distracted from hearing that still small voice. There are no pulpits, because all present minister to each other; benches face each other because all are equal before God. There are no prearranged prayers, readings, sermons, hymns, or musical orchestrations, because participants wait for divine leadings (guidance and direction) and power.
Silent Worship is not an empty silence but an active and expectant one. Each person pays attention to what they are feeling, learning, or being led to understand. During worship, a message may come to an individual — for personal reflection, for sharing on another occasion, or as a leading to stand and speak in vocal ministry. Spoken messages come from the heart and are prompted by the Spirit; following a message, the group returns to the silence to examine themselves in the Light of that message. Meeting for worship ends when one Friend, designated in advance, shakes hands with his or her neighbors.
The practice rests on the Quaker realization that "there is that of God in everyone." Related values include: life is sacred; God's inward presence is experienced universally; revelation is continuous; simplicity, integrity, community, and diversity are essential in the search for truth.
Practitioners report the practice as centering — a way to lay aside the narrative voice of the mind, make space for the Divine, and feel deeply connected to one another and to the sacred.
Citation and Legal
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Footnotes
- ↑ Holliday, Marsha D. "Silent Worship and Quaker Values." Friends General Conference, 2000. https://www.fgcquaker.org/2000/06/01/silent-worship-and-quaker-values/