The QFAS Autumn Conference was held from 10 to 12 November, 2006 at Claridge House. The Conference was led by Ros Smith and the theme was “Living Between Two Worlds”.

The first session, on Friday evening, was about “Developing Awareness”. Ros reminded us of the interconnectedness of all things. All creation is part of a greater Consciousness that we may call by different names such as God, Universal Life Force, Cosmic Energy. Everything is contained in a living Web of Life which is conscious and reactive. What happens in one area affects another.
All matter is composed of energy and we ourselves are made up of many energy levels or “bodies”. The one we usually know best is our physical body, which enables us to operate in the material world. The etheric body is a replica of the physical body, which remains intact even if parts of our physical body are removed. This is why amputees feel sensations in their missing limb. The mental body is the vehicle through which we have thoughts and experience emotions.  Then the para-conscious body is the means through which we can receive intuitive thoughts, flashes of inspiration, and insights. This is the level that mediums use to communicate with discarnates. The causal body holds our own personal blue-print, the life plan which we were sent into the world to fulfil as individuals, the Divine Will for each of us.  When, for various reasons, we find ourselves doing work that is not in accord with our plan, we become more and more dissatisfied until we finally take the plunge and obey the inner voice. Meditation can help us make contact with what is timeless and eternal by bringing us into the Now rather than dwelling on the past or the future. The arts can also be a great help in developing awareness and lifting us away from the material world. There are no hard and fast rules about how we develop awareness and one must find one’s own right way. However, it is important to consider that too much time spent in meditation may be unhelpful and that we need to keep our feet on the ground. A sense of humour is invaluable in enabling us to keep a balance in life.

The second session, on Saturday, was on “Personal Responsibility” (one of the seven principles of Spiritualism).  We are all responsible for the state of our own souls and our own spiritual growth. Such growth involves allowing oneself time and freedom to develop. We need to learn quietness in order to be receptive to new light and inner guidance. This may come naturally to Quakers but is hard for many in modern society to find. It helps to learn to listen, not only to other people, but also to the sounds in nature. Learning breathing techniques can aid our contemplation. Consciousness expands with breathing. Different breathing patterns cause a change in the brain-waves enabling one to control and regulate such processes as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and pain reflexes. We can also develop by studying our dreams, particularly those that seem almost more real than our waking existence and remain strongly in our memory after waking. Such dreams are often gifts from God and give pointers that are offered to us to realise our life purpose.

We then divided into groups to share our own experiences of developing awareness and living between two worlds.  Many of these experiences concerned premonitions involving loved ones and awareness of the presence of those who have passed on.

Our next session as a whole group was entitled “Listening-in” and concerned learning to listen to our inner guidance. We may see the source of this guidance in different ways of, such as God, Holy Spirit, Inner Voice, one’s guardian angel. However we see it, we need to learn to listen in trust. All knowledge that comes from this source is infallible but the trick is to learn to recognise what is genuine and not merely the product of our own ego. There are many disciplines in East and West which are designed to increase awareness of the spiritual dimensions and ultimately lift the soul into the state of Union with the Infinite. Many ordinary people experience rare moments when experiences occur. Characteristics of these experiences include feelings of deep joy and peace, of awe and wonder, a sense of one-ness with everything, and of being suddenly being infused with Light. Those who have such experiences find language inadequate to describe them.  

In the final session we considered angels. Angels are vibrations of energy which we interpret as human. They vibrate on a level beyond the range of human vision but we can sometimes see them when we raise our consciousness sufficiently or are in a relaxed or sleepy state. They appear to us in a form that we can find acceptable. The word ‘angel’ derives from the Greek ‘angelos’ which translates as ‘messenger’ but an angel can be a guide, teacher, messenger, healer and guardian depending on our need. The angelic hierarchy in the Christian tradition was set out  by an anonymous early sixth century Syrian Christian monk  who is referred to as Dionysius the Areopagite.  According to him there are nine orders in 3 groups or Triads. The first Triads, nearest to the Earth consciousness, consists of Angels, Archangels and Principalities (or Princedoms).  The Angels are companions to humans or guardian angels. They can be our guides to awareness. The Archangels, such as Gabriel, Raphael, Michael, and Uriel, have a bridging role linking the higher levels of the celestial hierarchy with the lower levels.  They impart spiritual light to the soul, so that it can realise itself and use its own faculties correctly. The Principalities are the guardian angels of all large groups, from cities and nations to recent human creations such as multi-national corporations.  Above them, in the next Triad, are the Dominions (or Dominations), Powers (or authorities) and the Virtues. The Dominions are the “divine bureaucrats” who govern the activities of all the lower angels and  serve to integrate the spiritual and the material worlds. The role of the Virtues, as their name suggests is to fill those below them with virtue. The Powers are the bearers of the conscience of all of humanity, the keepers of our collective history. They are also the angels of birth and death. The highest Triad, the one nearest to God, receives direct illumination from the Source and transforms the Light in order to transmit it at a level that can be accepted by lower orders in the Universe. It consists of the Thrones, the Cherubim and the Seraphim. The Thrones are often depicted as having many eyes, or as wheels. They look after and guard the planets. One, the Earth Angel, is the guardian of our world. Some might say this Angel has its work cut out! The Cherubim are “streams of wisdom” which pour out illuminations onto those below. The Seraphim are the ‘glowing ones’, the highest order of angels, described in Isaiah’s vision as fiery six-winged beings attendant upon Jehovah. Their essence is pure Love. Dionysius says that they purify those below by ‘firing them to their own heat’ thus dispelling the forces of darkness.

The weekend also included free time on Saturday afternoon for a group walk or general relaxation,  circle dancing on Saturday evening, and, on Sunday morning, Meeting for Worship with the members of Claridge House recognised Meeting.

The Conference was greatly enjoyed and appreciated by those who came. Here are some of the comments on the weekend:

“For me attending the weekend was the start of a journey – a very beautiful one. Thank you for your love and wisdom.”

“Lovely to meet all these like-minded people”

“I really appreciated the weekend – full of laughter, light and joy.”

“I found the course very interesting and learnt things that will help my development of spiritual matters and … particular things that will help me at this present stage in my life.”