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It explores how love and truth, inner contemplation, silence, and community-based social action sustain life in union with spirit, including discernment, gifts, intentional connection, and the role of place, space, and the physical world. 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Their work, driven by concern for social justice, included detailed observations and recommendations for reform.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What themes are explored in Part 1 of the lecture?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Part 1 focuses on reflection and spiritual experience, how history and social context influence faith, and the movement between darkness and light. 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spirit.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},447494,1790937952,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":44,"category_name":45,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},962085564807,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","# Seeking union with spirit:Experiences of spiritual journeys\n\nFIONA GARDNER  \nTHE JAMES BACKHOUSE LECTURES  \nAnn Zubrick  \nPresiding Clerk  \nJuly 2020  \nThis is one of a series of annual lectures which began in 1964 whenAustralia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends wasfirst estabished.  \nThe lecture is named after James Backhouse,who travelled withhiscompanion George Washington Walker throughout the Australiancolonies from 1832 to 1838.  \nBackhouse and Walker were English Quakers who came to Australiawith a particular concern for social justice.Having connections tosocial reform movements in the early colonies as well as in Britain,Backhouse and Walker planned to record their observations andmake recommendations for positive change where needed.  \nDetailed observations were made of all the prisons and institutionsvisited by Backhouse and Walker.Their reports,submitted to localas well as British authorities,made recommendations for legislativereform.Many of the changes they initiated resulted in improvementsto the health and wellbeing of convicts,Aboriginal people and thegeneral population.  \nA naturalist and a botanist,James Backhouse is remembered also forhis detailed accounts of native vegetation which were later published.  \nJames Backhouse was welcomed by isolated communities andFriends throughout the colonies.He shared with all his concernfor social justice and encouraged others in their faith.A number ofQuaker meetings began as a result of his visit.  \nAustralian Friends hope that these lectures,which reflect theexperiences and ongoing concerns of Friends,may offer fresh insightand be a source of inspiration.  \nAs a result of the current COVID19 epidemic,the 2020 Backhouselecture Seeking Union vith Spirit:Experiences of Spiritual Journeysby Fiona Gardner,a Member of Victoria Regional Meeting,waspresented online to a wide audience on 6th July 2020.  \nTHE JAMES BACKHOUSE LECTURES  \n2002 To DoJustly,and to Love Mercy:Learningfrom Quaker Service,Mark Deasey2003 Respecting the Rights of Children and Young People:A Neu Perspective on QuakerFaith and Practice,Helen Bayes  \n2004 Growing Fruitful Friendship:A Garden Walk,Ute Caspers2005 Peace is a Struggle,David Johnson  \n2006 One Heart and a Wrong Spirit:The Religious Society of Friends and ColonialRacism,Polly OWalker  \n2007 Support for Our True Selves:Nurturing the Space Where Leadings Flow,Jenny Spinks2008 Faith,Hope and Doubt in Times of Uncertainty:Combining the Realms of Scientificand Spiritual Inquiry,George Ellis  \n2009 The Quaking Meeting:Transforming Our Selves,Our Meetings and the More than-human World,Helen Gould  \n2010 Finding our voice:Our truth,community and journey as Australian Young Friends,Australian Young Friends  \n2011A demanding and uncertain adventure:Exploration of a concern for Earthrestoration and how we must live to pass on to our children,Rosemary Morrow2012 From the inside out:Observations on Quaker work at the United Nations,DavidAtwood  \n2013AQuaker astronomer reflects:Can a scientist also be religious?Jocelyn Bell Burnell2014 Our life is love,and peace,and tenderness':Bringing children into the centre ofQuaker life and worship,Tracy Bourne  \n2015\"This ue can do:Quaker faith in action through the Alternatives to Violence ProjectSally Herzfeld  \n2016 Everyday prophets,Margery Post Abbott  \n2017 Refections on the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum in the context of twoAboriginal life stories,David Carline and Cheryl Buchanan  \n2018An Encounter betzueen Quaker Mysticism and Taoismin Everyday Life,Cho-Nyon Kim2019Animatingfreedom:Accompanying Indigenous struggles for self-determination,JasonMacLeod  \nTHE JAMES BACKHOUSE LECTURE  \n# Seeking union with spirit:Experiences of spiritual journeys\n\nFiona Gardner  \n◎2020 Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)in AustraliaPO Box 4035 Carlingford North NSW2118secretary@quakersaustralia.infoquakersaustralia.org.au  \nISBN 978-1922332-23-3(PB);ISBN 978-1922332-24-0(eBk)  \nThe moral rights of the","cbCaiqxUPfvxFGG1","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqxUPfvxFGG1","pdf",3122946,56,"English","## Introduction\n## Lecture outline\n## Part 1: Experiencing the spiritual journey\n## Part 2: What helps with living life in union with spirit?\n## Endnotes\n## About the author","[{\"question\":\"Who are James Backhouse and George Washington Walker, and why are they referenced?\",\"answer\":\"The lecture is named after James Backhouse, who travelled with George Washington Walker across Australian colonies from 1832 to 1838. Their work, driven by concern for social justice, included detailed observations and recommendations for reform.\"},{\"question\":\"What themes are explored in Part 1 of the lecture?\",\"answer\":\"Part 1 focuses on reflection and spiritual experience, how history and social context influence faith, and the movement between darkness and light. It also addresses love and truth and the relationship between inner contemplation and community or social action.\"},{\"question\":\"What practices support living life in union with spirit in Part 2?\",\"answer\":\"Part 2 highlights the power of silence, the significance of place and space, personal qualities, recognizing and using gifts, active discernment, and being intentional through connection with spirit.\"}]","Seeking union with spirit - Experiences of spiritual journeys | PDF",1790720879,141]