Cultivating the inner light and relating it to our times.

Summer Solstice 2025 - Number 108

Editor: Jan Mullen

Website Editor: Karen Zipser

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CONTENTS

Introduction to Summer Solstice 2025: Trusting the Seed

Jan Mullen 

Reflections on the 2025 FCRP Conference

Lauri Holmes

FCRP Potpourri

a collaborative poem by the 2025 conference attendees

Begin Again, Gently

Curtis E. Spence

A Wandering Mind

Dana Gayner

Times Like These

Margot McClellan

The Response

Fern Zeigler

Resisting Violence

Quotation from Rita Nakashima Brock

Introduction

 Summer Solstice: Trusting the Seed

...the Summer Solstice reminds us to turn inward and find the nourishment needed to grow and evolve. It is a time to pause and wait for the energy planted in the Spring to reach full bloom. If the Spring represents action, the Summer represents patience. We must develop trust and confidence in ourselves that what we set in motion previously is correct even if we go through some troubled times.[1]

Our Spring gathering of the Friends Conference on Religion Psychology indeed planted seeds in our hearts and souls.  The seeds have flowered and already bear fruit, as evident in the following creative works gifted to us by the attendees themselves, authors, poets and artists.  May your summer bear fruit, perhaps even bravely if you face adversity.  We look forward to receiving more creative works as we invite submissions about dreams as well as other inspirations.

Jan Mullen, Editor

[1] Jill Wintersteen. The Spiritual Gangster.  Summer Solstice: Honoring the Light Within – Spiritual Gangster

Reflections on the 2025 FCRP Conference

Lauri Holmes

As I look back on the Memorial Day weekend at Pendle Hill, it’s not easy to express the impact of the whole experience on me…and on Tom as well.

I’ve been present when Tom introduced the Parts Work model in Egypt, Jordan and in the US, so I've been part of several audiences for his work. My being present at those presentations has given me a view of the quality of the atmosphere, the support, that an audience gives for his work.

My impression of the group at the conference was that it was, as my grandkids say, “awesome!” It felt that the group as a whole was tuned in, but also that each person was making this journey with their own experience, searching, contributing and being flexible, whether participating in the meditations, laughing with the “goofiness” of some of the dances, exploring courageously in the small groups, being present in the large group.

Two sets of reflections came during and after the weekend which I’ve found to be food for thought and meditation:

Finding the spiritual dimension: the Quaker approach and “Parts Work”

It’s beginning to seem to me that the biggest obstacle to tuning into the spiritual dimension is not necessarily the difficulties that life brings, but the busy-ness of our lives and the constant need to adapt and react to circumstances and challenges which aren’t necessarily “bad” in themselves, but which drown out the connection to the spiritual dimension, whatever that is for each one of us.

It’s become apparent to me that a conscious effort is required to remove ourselves from this busy-ness to give ourselves a space, a quiet space to make it possible to listen for the spirit, however that manifests itself for each of us. This is why the Quaker silence is so essential, and it is, I think, unique to the Quaker tradition. It forms the container, the surrounding, for the activism that the Quaker community is so rightfully revered for.

This connects with the idea of the “Parts.” The parts are what help us (or try to help us) manage these big and small everyday challenges. And here is a place where Parts Work and the spiritual journey do seem to come together. We can meet our parts and relate to them, sometimes in intensive dialog to find out what they are trying to tell us, or sometimes just acknowledging them and their presence (but, as I mentioned, not asking them to “step back” too soon!). This can then be part of, or pave the way for, a meaningful silence where we are freer to be in touch with the spirit.

Parts Work and the Quaker view

Another thought that has occurred to me has to do with the relationship between Parts Work and the Quaker idea of the “Inner Light.” I’ve been sympathetic with the Quaker view of the world and its people for many years, but have never been able to really accept the idea that each person

really has an inner light, since it does not seem to exist in so many of the people in the world, especially those who perform on the world stage.

Dick Schwartz insists that every person has a Self. But that Self is often covered up with layers of protectors, or firefighters, or managers. In some cases, the parts are so thickly attached around the person that the self never emerges or is even remotely there. This is a way of conceptualizing the problem of “evil” or “evil people” and it offers an explanation of why the “inner light” so often seems not to exist because it is veiled with all these parts. It has been for me a meeting of the psychological and the spiritual.

On Pendle Hill

If we come to a place often, we can begin to take it for granted. As a newer visitor to Pendle Hill, I feel anxious to let you who are part of the community there know never to take it for granted. I’ve been to many “spiritual centers” around the world and I’ve never experienced the spiritual resonance that is at Pendle Hill. It is truly a place where the spirit dwells.

We hope that the intended final blessing, “Salama Beta,” continues to hover over all who were at the conference.

These thoughts came out of the weekend. I am so grateful that we had the opportunity to share in the Friends’ community and the spirit of the journey with you all, and I appreciate having shared these thoughts with you.

In gratitude,

Lauri

Bio of Lauri Holmes, who bravely offered us a glimpse into her own parts during the conference:

"I have walked through many lives, some of them my own.”

I was born and raised in Cincinnati, and graduated from Oberlin college with a B.A. in Sociology, and eventually, an MSW from the University of Michigan. In early days, I was active in the nonviolent direct action group CORE, in the civil rights movement of the 60’s.

In the course of the past decades I’ve been a stepmother, an adoptive mother, a biological mother, a single mother, a mother in a “reconstituted” family….and now, a grandmother.

I moved to Kalamazoo in 1973 to direct the counseling program at Family and Children's Services of the Kalamazoo Area. I introduced the family systems approach to the agency, and that led me to a conference on family therapy where I met Dick Schwartz, who at that time was a nationally known family therapy teacher. He had just discovered that our inner system has many of the same characteristics that he’d found in his work with families.

My husband Tom and I were so taken with Dr. Schwartz's new systemic approach to the individual psyche that Tom trained with him as he was developing the approach now known as IFS. We then trained my counseling staff and many other therapists in the area in the “Parts Work” approach and wrote the book “Parts Work.”

Since retiring from the agency, I’ve served actively as a board member of a hospice, a medical practice serving indigent patients, a lifelong learning program at the local university, and as an advocate for a preserve in Kalamazoo. I’ve also had the privilege of being an observer and participant at times in Tom’s work as it has developed over the years. I count myself as extraordinarily lucky to have had a rewarding career, to be married to a wonderful partner, and to live in a town which has rich culture and people who are dedicated to making things better for everyone living there.

FCRP Potpourri

During the FCRP 2025 weekend, participants were invited to write one word, a couple of words, or a phrase as they were moved by Spirit, Self energy or any parts of themselves. From this invitation through the hearts and minds of participants, these words flowed onto a large poster board placed atop an easel. And from many, we have birthed one collective potpourri poem to help our hearts remember if we were there, and to share one aspect of our collective experience with others who couldn’t be there.

So....to everyone who attended or didn't, from all of the poets who wrote this poem:

FCRP Potpourri

A collaborative poem by the 2025 FCRP conference attendees.

Freedom

Truth

Kindness

Laughing matters.

Humility

Happiness

Heart

Hugeness

Hope

Healing

Here

~ Seven H’s Inspired by Tom Holmes this 2025 FCRP weekend.

Shabbot Shalom

Vibration

Shalama, shalama bayta

Resonance

Asalaam aleikum, walaikum asalaam

Comm-unity

Quan zeon bonsai, quan zeon bo.

Oneness

Songs we sing together continue.

“Schedule heartbreak every day”.

Brave spaces

No pretending

Integration/ integrity.

Parts of you and parts of me

Make us who we want to be.

A part is breaking through–who is s/he?

Ninja protector?

Precious little one?

A team of valuable managers?

It’s all an inside job.

Sometimes, learning can be painful.

And sometimes the loving heart will set us free.

All together we are whole

Fabric woven with One soul.

Be in the world, but not of it.

Seek nothing, just sit.

Center.  Listen.  Trust.

I keep forgetting to listen while

Promising to re-Member always

Scattered stars above

And in our DNA,

We are never alone.

All together we are whole,

Fabric woven with One soul.

So many thoughtful individuals,

each embodying the sacred,

a sense of renewal and connection.

Within me is within you.

Leaving Mother’s womb unwounded;

“All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you”.

Opening my heart to you,

in song, in prayer, in silence.

Begin Again, Gently

Curtis E. Spence

The soul doesn’t rush.

It asks only that we listen,

that we remain open—

to wonder, to suffering,

to the sacred gap between who we are

and who we’re becoming.

Courage whispers.

Clarity steadies.

Community holds.

Begin again.

Not with answers—

but with presence.

I remain deeply grateful for this shared experience (FCRP 2025 conference), even if I didn’t get a chance to connect with everyone. 

I carry forward the intention of helping to build a better, more interconnected world—through interfaith dialogue, creative gatherings, and opportunities to move beyond survival toward thriving, joy, and deeper understanding.

Warm regards,

Curtis Spence

A Wandering Mind 

Dana Gayner

I created this drawing while at the 2025 Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology at Pendle Hill, Wallingford, Pa.  Our guest speaker was Tom Holmes, who spoke on the topic of Internal Family Systems. 

When I am listening to people speak, I often draw.  Not only does it keep me more alert, it also is an opportunity for me to listen within for guidance from my creative muse."    I'll put a line down, and then "listen"  for the next line.  Entering into the creative realm, I drop any preconceived ideas and allow the lines to go where they are needed.  Occasionally, my conscious mind will interfere and I'll put down lines that don't really belong to the drawing.  This practice teaches me to open up to the Divine within.  I believe this is  how artistic people make their imagery, whether it is through words, music, paint, or other mediums.   Practicing this method of drawing strengthens my tie to the Divine, and reminds me that I need to keep the lines of communication continuously open.  It's far too easy to forget that we are also divine beings and can access the higher realms whenever we need assistance.  Daily life can be a huge distraction, but it is during times of difficulty that we most need to listen within.  

Dana first attended FCRP in 2001 and has attended ever since, has served on the Planning Committee, and has done art workshops for both FCRP and WFCRP.    In 1980, she joined Salem Meeting which is celebrating its 350th anniversary this year.  Dana studied at the Philadelphia College of Art and after giving birth to two girls, she taught art at an elementary school for 28 years.  Although watercolor is her favorite medium she also makes jewelry and hand-made books.   She says retirement in 2015 may have closed one door, but opened many others.

Times Like These

Margot McClellan

I know that

there have been times like these.

When the world seemed

to be ripping apart at its seams

and the underbelly rose up

to swallow all that had been good.

I am certain that

there have been other times,

like these.

When people did not believe that

things were happening as they were

and there was a price for their blindness and complacency.

I am sure there have been other times like these.

When people were coaxed into fear

and turned on each other

unable to steel themselves

against an enemy real.

We are told that

there have been times like these.

When the strong, fortunate, and conniving survived

and the good and weak were trodden under.

And people had to make a choice

between whom they might have been and

who they would have to be.

Yes, I know there have been times like these.

But now, I have found myself in one.

And I wonder how things will go.

And how much suffering will occur.

And into what harsh and ungenerous land

we will all be cast.

The silent witness watches

As all unfolds.

Absent fear, anger, malice or worry.

Watching,

as the sun rises

and the sun sets.

Oceans roar and waves subside.

Birds chirp and seasons change.

And the heart continues

to beat.

After practicing psychotherapy for most of my adult life, I have begun to step into a

different chapter. My new and slower pace has given me the opportunity to reconnect

with myself and to write poetry. The poetry I write expresses my underlying belief that

the sacred is everywhere. I have been a witness to the light we each carry within us. I

am sustained by my belief in the power of this light, at times a mere ember, to transform

darkness.

Margot Weiss McClellan

The Response

Fern Ziegler

I have written poetry for years.  This is the first poem that I wrote in a new writers group that formed after last year's FCRP conference, with folks that I met there.  The prompt was to write a reaction to the poem, "Call Me By My True Name" by Thich Nhat Hanh.  You may have to find that poem[1] and read it, in order to understand my reaction.

The Response

Fern Zeigler

I thought that I would read the poem again

after you read it so beautifully

but I could not

The painful parts

too painful

I know this suffering exists

but I fear that I will fall into a hot soup of it

never to return

never to laugh again

I have that capacity

I cry at TV commercials

I choose happiness

when it appears

like a bird at the feeder

Or I create it

as I paint

and think of nothing else

but the light, shadow and shape

of the form before me

the mix of color on the pallet

the application on the canvas

I was afraid

when you set the timer

and the expectation

was to write

But here I am

a font of words

a font of feelings

a font of fears

and the joy is expression

I am grateful

that I have the luxury

to express pain and suffering

while others are in the grip of the vice

Thank you God and Universe

for my pain is nothing

in comparison.

Fern Zeigler works as a therapist and lives in Lafayette Hill, PA. She has been a regular attender at Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting and truly loves it there.

[1] Thay’s Poetry / Please Call Me by My True Names (song & poem) | Plum Village

Resisting Violence

Quotation from Rita Nakashima Brock

“We can resist and redress violence by acting for justice and by being present: present to one another, present to beauty, present to the fire at the heart of things, the spirit that gives breath to life.”

Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker, Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and the Search for What Saves Us. 10.