Naturalising the Quaker Concept of the ‘Inner Light’

At the end of his book Why? The Purpose of the Universe, the philosopher Philip Goff makes a case for the human need for religion. However, he distinguishes between the more ‘belief-y’ aspects of religion (subscribing to agreed-upon creeds) and the more practical, lived-out aspects (e.g. ritual and community). He acknowledges that many people won’t be attracted to the belief-oriented aspects. After all, you’re not going to convince an atheist to suddenly accept the key supernatural tenets of a religion, nor can an atheist or philosophical naturalist force themselves to say they believe something just because of its purported social and psychological value.

For this reason, Goff draws attention to religious and spiritual movements that a secular person may not feel so alienated from. He offers two examples: Unitarianism and Quakerism. However, Unitarianism is a branch of Christianity, and Quakerism has roots in 17th-century Protestant Christianity (although many Quakers – also known as members of the Religious Society of Friends – say it is no longer a Christian-based religion). Quakerism is considered a spiritual way of life, rather than a set of beliefs; Quakers reject strict religious dogma. Nonetheless, many Quakers identify as Christian, and Quakerism stresses the importance of direct experience of the ‘Spirit of God’, and being guided by this presence.

All this is true, yet Quakerism still accommodates a wide range of beliefs; indeed, nontheist Quakers make up one variety of Quakerism. Nontheist Quakers engage in Quaker practices, and they subscribe to the core ethical principles, values, or virtues of Quakerism (simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship). But as the ‘nontheist’ label reveals, they don’t believe in a transcendent God or Supreme Being, nor do they believe in the soul or the supernatural. Like traditional Quakers, they are interested in manifesting the values of Quakerism (such as being committed to social justice and environmentalism), and they will also attend meetings (a form of worship featuring group silence, often broken when someone feels called to speak, which is known as ‘ministry’). This worship is not quite the same as Buddhist meditation, but the stillness involved can foster feelings of peace and mystical states, such as group unity.

Historically and in modern times, theist Quakers come to meet in silence in order to invite the presence of the Spirit of God, also referred to as ‘inward light’ (the term used by Quakerism’s founder, George Fox), ‘inner light’, ‘Light of God’, ‘Light of Christ’, ‘Christ within’, ‘That of God’, ‘light within’, ‘the Divine’, and ‘the Spirit’. A key teaching of Quakerism is ‘that of God in everyone’: everyone has a divine spark or aspect of the divine within. And this can be directly accessed and experienced, such as in Quaker worship. Quakers strive to see this inner light, that of God, in everyone (this belief underpins Quakers’ commitment to equality, pacifism, and non-violence). Fox, and early Quakers in general, were considered heretical for rejecting religious dogma, hierarchy, and tradition, instead emphasising the authority of people’s own personal experiences. Fox and his followers were called ‘Quakers’ by others after Fox told a judge to quake “before the authority of God”.

The word ‘light’ is often used by both Christians and Quakers as a metaphor for Christ, deriving from Biblical passages like John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Quakers believe that experiencing the light within is a source of strength, courage, wisdom, guidance, and moral direction. But given these connections between Quaker worship and encounters with a seemingly divine presence or feeling, it may seem strange that Goff might recommend Quakerism for secular-minded people. Additionally, the idea of nontheist Quakerism may seem odd given Quakerism’s emphasis on the light within (which clearly has religious and supernatural connotations).

Yet Goff’s emphasis on the benefits of ritual, community, and spiritual practices in religious life stuck with me (I’ve been feeling more disillusioned by the spiritual void left by atheism and aware that I lack a stable community centred around shared values). Some months ago, having recently finished reading Goff’s book, I found myself sitting in Russell Square, listening to music, and people watching. Spontaneously, a mystical-like state started to unfold (I was completely sober, by the way). I felt a shift towards a feeling of peacefulness, a beautiful feeling pervading reality, joyfulness, and everything appearing to be connected into a greater whole – the scene in the park before me seemed to be made up of interconnected parts. Nothing could be separated from anything else; everything bled into one another. The world looked more like a patchwork of interwoven threads.

This shift in consciousness lasted for only five minutes or so, but I was still left in a heightened state. The feeling of peacefulness, clear-headedness, and joy persisted. In that state, I walked onwards to Euston, and then I passed Friends House, which houses the central offices of the British Quakers and acts as a place for Quakers and others to meet, worship, build community, and hold events. The sign outside, explaining Quaker worship and beliefs, resonated with me (particularly in my altered state of mind). So this series of events led me to attend my first Quaker meeting, at my local Quaker Meeting House. During the first meeting, and at a subsequent meeting, I had experiences resembling the one I had in Russell Square.

These were experiences of warmth: a feeling of warmth, light, and compassion seemed to arise from within, which seemed to soften tension, relax me, and encourage a sense of peacefulness. At one meeting, the communal stillness led to a feeling of group unity (in Quaker meetings, the group sits in a circle, and in this meeting, I experienced the group as an unbroken circle). This feeling of unity extended to the wider environment: all melted and meshed together. I also experienced an outside presence that seemed to be smiling, jovial, detachedly aware, and simply witnessing. I could also feel something like the image of Christ, as if behind me, with hands raised in a healing gesture, sending healing to me. Alongside the softening and lightness was a feeling of ecstasy and a loss of self-focus. (I don’t interpret this as a literal meeting with the spirit of Christ, however; I think my awareness of Quakerism’s Christian roots and the expectation – or wish – to have this kind of experience likely influenced it.)

I have also felt something like the ‘light within’, as described in Quakerism, in other states: meditation, breathwork, the psychedelic experience, during the psychedelic afterglow period, in nature, and other times spontaneously. As someone who leans towards atheism and naturalism (since I have not felt there are convincing reasons to embrace theism and supernaturalism, and often find reasons to doubt them), the experience of the inner light raises difficult questions. If the experience carries a sense of divinity, holiness, and healing, how can I make sense of this, if not in religious or supernatural terms? What does it mean to experience inner light, which might carry Christ-like qualities, from a naturalistic point of view? If one sees this experience as the result of suggestibility, expectation, wishfulness, and altered brain activity – rather than accessing ‘that of God’ within – does this not diminish or invalidate the experience?

I explored the concept of ‘secular ecstasy’ in a previous blog post, and this is the subject of the new book I’m working on – how to naturalise various aspects of mystical experiences. This includes feelings of a divine presence. And I believe the Quaker concept of the ‘inner light’ – which is one way of thinking about and experiencing the sense of the divine, the holy, and the sacred – can be naturalised too. This can help nontheist (or atheist) Quakers meaningfully experience and make sense of ‘inner light’ experiences. After all, even if nontheist Quakers don’t subscribe to other Quakers’ beliefs in the Spirit of God and Christ, this doesn’t mean they will be prevented from experiencing something like a warm and healing light. Naturalising the inner light may feel important to many nontheist Quakers who don’t want to dismiss or trivialise the mystical states they enter into during Quaker meetings.

First, one could refer to human nature – and perspectives from evolutionary psychology – to help shed light on the ability and propensity of humans to experience the presence of spirits and gods. Alongside this may be theories on the benefits that these experiences may confer, on an individual and collective level. Moreover, one could appreciate these potential benefits without having to interpret these altered states in a literal sense, that is, as encounters with externally existing spirits and gods. Such an interpretation can carry over into the Quaker concept of the light within. One can view the experience of inner light, warmth, radiance, shining, or glowing as a natural experience – felt as ‘spiritual’ without being supernatural.

One can also interpret the light within in terms of positive emotions, which are entirely naturalistic. In Quakerism, this light is experienced as – and often associated with – feelings of joy, love, and compassion. Thus, an atheist or naturalist Quaker might seek out this experience, and value it, for its potential to enhance virtue and fulfilment in life. The experience of the inner light may encourage greater compassion and kindness towards oneself and others. I am also open to considering the experience of light and warmth, which can carry a sense of direction and authority, as Christ-like. I don’t have to accept the key tenets of Christianity – that Christ was the literal son of God, God incarnate, born of a virgin, that he died for our sins and rose from the dead – in order to appreciate what kind of person Christ encapsulates. ‘Christ consciousness’, or the attitude of universal compassion and benevolence, can be valued without the adoption of supernatural beliefs. This is a worthy attitude to aim for and develop.

Nonetheless, it may still seem strange that one can have a sense of ‘light’ during Quaker worship. From a naturalistic perspective, what exactly is this light? What creates the feeling or vision of light shining from within or without? And why is this light felt to be holy and therapeutic? I don’t know if there are specific neural correlates and evolutionary factors behind these light-filled, or light-themed, experiences. However, psychologically and symbolically, humans have long associated light with goodness, so in a sense, it’s not surprising to find this deeply embedded association manifest during altered states.

From a Jungian perspective, one can think of altered states as experiences in which archetypes (deeply embedded and meaningful patterns) emerge into consciousness. One such archetype, or universal motif, could be that of light. Combine this motif with pre-existing associations and intentions (i.e. to access a healing light or presence during Quaker worship), and it is not surprising that one could have a light-centred experience. Jung’s theory of archetypes is subject to criticism, but this perspective does at least help clarify how meaningful cultural symbols can become themes or visions in altered states of consciousness. Alternatively, ‘inner light’ could be used in a metaphorical sense – commonly used because of how powerful light is as a symbol – to encapsulate the kinds of experiences, emotions, and virtues one is accessing during Quaker worship. So ‘light’ may not be literally experienced, but it can feel like the most appropriate term.

Thus, atheists and naturalists may want to view the inner light of Quakerism in psychological, therapeutic, symbolic, and spiritual terms, without feeling that these interpretations require any supernatural beliefs. Indeed, I don’t think they do. The ‘spiritual’ way in which atheists and naturalists experience the inner light is related to the fact that this is a spiritual or mystical experience, involving reduced self-focus, joyfulness, sacredness, insight, a healing dyadic encounter, and unity. This kind of experience can encourage one to move beyond the narrow confines of the ego and lead a more virtuous, meaningful, and purposeful life. It is an experience that vivifies the world. These are some of the key features of naturalistic spirituality. 

The idea of nontheistic, or naturalistic, Quakerism is still very much new to me. So I’m still actively exploring and thinking about what this way of interpreting Quakerism looks like. But I appreciate how Quakers put an emphasis on direct experience, open-mindedness, and plurality. It is up to Quakers to decide what the inner light means to them. There is nothing antithetical to Quakerism in viewing this direct experience as a form of inner compassion and wisdom, rather than the literal spirit of Christ. What seems most important to me is the kind of attitude and life that the inner light encourages – perhaps metaphysical questions are secondary (albeit still interesting and important to discuss).