Let's Talk

Friend Johan Maurer asks how we know or mark our entry into the
spiritual community of Friends.

http://johanpdx.blogspot.com/2008/09/baptism.html

I had a distinct sense of "baptism" myself during MfW about 6 months
ago, but being the diffident sort, didn't say much about it to Friends
at large, though I've mentioned it a few times. This experience was
very "internal" and thus may not have been amenable to any sort of
public recognition. On the other hand, it makes me aware that there
are probably all sorts of interesting things going on with Friends
spiritually that we don't share with one another. Partly this may be
owing to our not having a shared spiritual "language" -- some
Friends in my meeting are uncomfortable with traditional Christian terms
used by early Friends, while the various terms from other traditions are not familiar to us,
at least not collectively. On the other hand, the opportunities I've
had to "speak my condition" to other Friends and to hear of theirs
has been most rewarding.

Another factor may be fear -- these sorts of changes within oneself
seem very intimate and personal -- will others understand or scoff, be
supportive or dismissive?

What if we encouraged each other to talk about our spiritual mileposts
as they occur? Sometimes this might occur more easily in smaller
groups, where a sense of trust and openness may facilitate such
exchanges. How do your meetings address this?