The author interprets and responds to the mystical experiences that have changed her life. She considers how to recognize and respond to the guidance of the Inward Light of Christ and describes varying Quaker views on mysticism and the mystical, touching upon the need to continually test leadings in the silence of Quaker worship and in the arms of Quaker community.

This pamphlet considers how Friends today recognize and respond to the guidance of the cabin word Light of Christ. It describes varying Quaker views on mysticism and the mystical, touching upon the need to continually test leadings in the silence of Quaker worship and in the arms of Quaker community.

2017:
I finished reading this PHP to Pat T. today. Pat suffers from a progressive disease and has diminished eyesight and motor skills at this moment. A long-time Quaker, she views herself as an atheist. Yet, she enjoys exploring topics around spirituality.

I benefited greatly from re-reading this pamphlet, originally read in 2005, Abbott traveled to three Quaker strongholds, the Pacific Northwest, the East Coast, and to Great Britain. There she spoke to and about Quaker mysticism, interviewing various people on how they saw Quaker mysticism. ( )

This pamphlet grew from the author’s search for ways to interpret and respond to the joyful, but none-the-less life shattering, mystical experiences that have changed her life. It considers how Friends today recognize and respond to the guidance of the Inward Light of Christ and describes varying Quaker views on mysticism and the mystical, touching upon the need to continually test leadings in the silence of Quaker worship and in the arms of Quaker community. In the mid-1990s, the author interviewed Friends in the United States and Britain about many aspects of their faith, including their understanding of mysticism. Her writing draws on her own experience and the experience of those whom she interviewed. (notes from the Pendle Hill Bookshop)

This is an extraordinary pamphlet on the Quaker experience of mysticism and spiritual transformation. It is deep and useful. She points out that God's guidance and living out the will of God are the core of Quaker faith, and Friends are clear that mystical "ecstatic" experience is not an end in itself but leads us into a mission in the world. There is a lot of wonderful commentary in here. ( )