One of the most fundamental aims of my kind of Quakerism is having a pure intention: living our lives in a way that feels right and (usually) makes sense.
In Quakerism, we call that a “leading” – sort of like a calling, it is an action that feels right, an act of love, an act in alignment with our whole self, an act of pure meaning.
In my tradition, we have a practice we call a clearness committee. When I moved to Montreal, I was scared. I had a strong urge to go but I knew no one and had no plan. I asked for a clearness committee because I wanted to purify my intention.
So I called the elders of my Quaker Meeting, the people I trust and respect the most – the people whose opinions shake me to my core – and we sat in silence for a bit. The tradition is that in a clearness committee, they just ask questions – no advice, no stories. They asked why I was moving to Montreal, what I expected, what I was concerned about.
But it wasn’t working. I wasn’t feeling better. Then I said, forget the tradition: I think I just need to hear stories. I asked them to tell me about times when they had taken a leap. The stories poured forth – of quitting a secure job to study mushrooms, of moving across the country on a whim – and as these stories washed my ears and my heart, I knew Montreal would be my new home.
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Learn more about David and how you can connect with the Quaker tradition at McGill on our Multifaith Volunteer page.
