The following Advice, paraphrased from epistles of the yearly meeting in the late 17th century, expresses the challenge and promise of the spiritual journey of Friends.
Friends are advised to place God, not themselves, in the center of the universe and, in all aspects of inward life and outward activity, to keep themselves open to the healing power of the Spirit of Christ.
— Advices, I
For many Friends, heeding this advice is a lifelong pursuit marked by faithful searching, creative and energizing doubt, as well as the possibility of new awareness and transformation. The centrality of God, the inward experience of the power of the Light, and the integration of inward life and outward activity together define essential aspects of Quakerism.
Active engagement in the process of placing God at the center begins with a deeply felt understanding of the Light Within.
