Page 6 - News and Views Autumn WInter 2024

Healing as part of Quaker Worship Peter Wilson

Perhaps as never before, what the world needs now is healing. Everywhere we look we see sadness,
sickness, tragedy, starvation, homelessness, and conflict. Add to that the damage to the environment,
and it would be impossible to deny that the world does indeed need healing.

Healing is a word often used and misunderstood. It appears far more in our conversation than it perhaps
does within our spiritual consciousness, and as a result can take on a narrow definition of what healing is
really all about. For example, politicians and social leaders often refer to the need to ‘heal the economy,’
but they might well be alarmed at being associated with a ministry of spiritual healing. However, the
point at where secular concerns of healing and the spiritual concepts of healing converge, is in the vision
that people and situations should be balanced and made whole; we act in order to move towards
wholeness and health (in all ways), and who would disagree with that?

Apparently, the Aramaic word for Healing and Wholeness is virtually the same. It’s my belief that the true
purpose of healing is to move towards the Wholeness of body, mind and Spirit. We should perhaps be
more focussed on taking steps along the path towards wholeness rather than fixate onto a particular
pain or ache. We need to remember that God is the Healer, and at best we can only ask to be used as
conduits for His Healing.

We are all blessed with the gift of healing, and before you recoil with surprise, let’s make it clear we are
talking about putting Love into Action, and creating a means of increasing the loving acts of kindness in
our lives, which can impact on others, either directly or through ‘distant healing’, by asking to be used as
channels for God’s Healing. In addition we need to listen to others carefully, as all our hurts and concerns
can only be healed when they are truly heard. Meetings where distant healing groups already exist will
be familiar with the concept of distant healing. Perhaps they should all be renamed as Meetings for
Worship for Healing and Wholeness.

In our Meetings, we pray for people and situations in need of healing and surround them with Light and
Love, using that of God within us to reach out to that of God in others, so that healing may happen for
the highest good. As Friends we do not and should not try to predict outcomes. It could be that for some
folk, healing may be no more than being given the strength to cope with what life throws at them. I
believe there could be a very significant release of corporate spiritual energy if we could all tune in to the
presence of God with clear intentions during all our Meeting for Worship, and have the courage to ‘let go
and let God’, to bring healing to others through our endeavours.

For those not used to the concept of ‘distance healing’, one very useful pattern to adopt is the ‘AIR’
process (Attunement, Intention and Release).

Begin by ‘tuning in to the Presence of God’ (Attunement). Look deep within and focus on ‘that of God
within you’. Be aware of the Presence of God surrounding all of Life within the whole of Creation.

The second stage is Intention. Have the very clear intention in mind of the person or situation in need of
healing. As a channel for healing, let that of God within you reach out to the healing concern. Visually
surround that concern with the Light and the Love of God. Do not seek for a specific outcome. Ask that
the healing given be for the highest good of the person or situation.

6