Sound & Sense: A Mini-Retreat on Embodied Quakerism

An exploration of early Quaker body-based practices with Katy Hawkins – includes a sunset viewing of James Turrell’s Skyspace at Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting, with live crystal singing bowl sound bath. 

This experiential workshop offers a taste of early forms of Quaker embodied practice that have long been suppressed within its tradition, but are beginning to re-emerge in contemporary contexts. Together, we will explore how our unique bodies want to open to greater liberty of Spirit in connecting to the Divine. 

Through individual, paired, and group practices, participants will experiment with embodied ways of preparing for worship, listening for guidance, offering spiritual nurture, and faithfully sharing messages. The afternoon will lay the groundwork for exploring the body-based practices of early Friends, not just in worship but also through hands-on healing, collective discernment among “Spiritual Companions,” and delivering messages through sound.  

Together we will experience the 50-minute sunset Skyspace opening, accompanied by a live crystal singing bowl sound bath. Greet the Light is a mesmerizing installation designed by Quaker light artist James Turrell, which challenges our perception of light, color, and space with cove lighting timed to correlate to the changing colors of the sky, perceived through an aperture in the ceiling. The workshop will conclude with a closing circle in which participants can share their longings for how to deepen this work, especially at the Easter themed retreat at Pendle Hill, “Becoming New.” 

This event is offered in collaboration with The Center for Centering, a community of seekers gathering to explore Quaker spirituality through body-based practices. No prior experience with Quakerism or somatic practice is needed—only curiosity, openness, and a willingness to listen deeply to the wisdom of the body. Come explore what it is to encounter the sacred from the inside out.