Page 7 - summer edition2 2023

However, the Higher Authority had not been consulted and when it was, I was condemned to a lifetime’s
disappointment. Yes, Dante’s inferno was nothing compared to the misery I was condemned to by the
Higher Authority.

I should perhaps take the time to explain, just in case you, dear reader should inappropriately come to
the conclusion that the Higher Authority was my partner, or the collective force of my children. That was
not the case, in fact it was my motor insurer that put the kybosh on my dreams. They just said “Who?
You? No way Jose”. And so that was that. The end of my dreams.

But then I got to thinking; perhaps it wasn’t a bad result. The Higher Authority had three considerations:
(i) a holistic balance (ii) the safety of others, (iii) my welfare and safety. I am not sure which order his
priorities would have put those considerations in, but they all have a strong degree of validity.

And then I got to thinking some more: Was this little adventure of mine something that Advices and
Queries number 7 should have prepared me for? Are you open to new light, from whatever source it
may come?

The answer is “Yes”, but I have come to it a bit late in the day. It now seems to me that whatever one’s
convictions, however strongly one feels about things, it is wise to consult the Higher Authority in the first
instance, not the last. If one does, one is likely to get advice (i) a holistic balance (ii) the safety of others,
(iii) my welfare and safety.

In consulting the Higher Authority, I am minded that the purpose of consultation is to get feedback and
guidance that may well comprise (i) a holistic balance (ii) the safety of others, (iii) my welfare and safety
and not necessarily a confirmation that what I want to do is what I should do.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Quiet time Peter Neall

I was drawn into Quakers by the silence.

The opportunity to sit in community with no distracting noise gradually became a special part of my
week. When I travelled I sought ‘quiet meetings'

When I retired I was somehow smart enough to include into my daily planning a short period of what I
call ‘Quaker Time’, in which I simply wait in silence for a while, refusing distractions. The notion has
been copied by some of my friends, both Quaker and non Quaker, and occasionally we hold an
impromptu Zoom silence together.

It is a special part of each day, sometimes the highlight.

There are no special instructions or aspirations, just to be still. It is a blessing beyond price.

Peter is an Attender, Swanage Meeting

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