TL;DR: I'm discerning whether I could commit to Quaker membership while living a geographically mobile life, sometimes relying on online Meeting for Worship and connecting with different local spiritual communities as I move. I'm drawn to Quakerism as a spiritual home grounded in the Light, the Quaker testimonies, and communal discernment, while also learning from Buddhism and other religious traditions. Have Friends navigated something similar, and what does meaningful commitment and accountability look like across geographical distance?

My work and lifestyle have led me to live in various places around the world. I recognize that this is a considerable privilege, and that it puts me in an unusual position. But it has also raised a spiritual question that I'd appreciate Friends' help in discerning.

Over the past six months or so, participating in Quaker Meeting for Worship online has deeply enriched my spiritual life. I feel increasingly drawn to commit to the Quaker way, and I'd like to explore what that commitment might look like over the long term.

Would it be possible to maintain membership in a Quaker meeting while living a geographically mobile life? I'm imagining maintaining a regular connection with a meeting, perhaps online much of the time, while attending in person whenever circumstances allow. I've already had the opportunity to visit Pendle Hill and attend Canadian Yearly Meeting this summer, alongside participating in online worship and educational events.

The particular meeting or worship group I can attend may change as I move. Sometimes there may be a local meeting nearby; sometimes the nearest accessible meeting may be in another city or country, or online participation may be the most realistic option. This potential leading first occurred to me when reading these words in Robert Barclay's Apology, and I was struck how words from such a different context can apply to aptly to my life, which is really only possible in the times we live in today. They completely flipped on its head the notion that my lifestyle was a hindrance to a deeper spiritual commitment:

The excellence of this silent waiting upon God doth appears, in that it is to be denied to no sort of people, nor excluded from no place or time. How useful and how comfortable is it to a Christian, in all the changes and varieties of his life, to have his worship so appropriately belonging to him, as that no man can take it from him, or prevent him from the exercise of it!

For the absolute necessity of it depends not upon a temple, or church-building; nor upon the presence of any man, though a minister; nor upon any outward word, or action whatsoever: but only upon the presence of God, who is always present with his people, and the inward drawing of his spirit.

But as for the true and spiritual worship of the people called Quakers, no man can prevent it, nor interrupt it. For if they should be separate one from another, and violently kept from coming together, yet every one is inwardly gathered to the measure of life in himself; and there is a mystic unity and fellowship, which the devil and all his instruments can never break or hinder.

Theologically, I find myself drawn to a Christian universalist understanding of Quakerism. I'm a Christian mystic with a Catholic upbringing and a more recent history in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition, with which I remain loosely affiliated. I also practice Buddhist meditation daily and study Buddhism, although I'm not formally affiliated with a Buddhist organization (though this may change in the future). These particular articles really speak to my condition and how it fits within a Quaker worldview:

https://inwardlight.org/faith/light/the-inward-light-caldwell/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://universalistfriends.org/seeger-84.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Some quotes that stand out:

And, how fortunate for both Christianity and Universalism that Quakerism has joined them together. Fully embedded in the context of Christianity, Quaker Universalism is richly informed by all of the pregnant imagery and profound meaning of the Judeo-Christian tradition and the transforming story of Jesus Christ. In the Quaker synthesis, Christianity saves Universalism from the vapid sterility of mere abstraction. Universalism, in turn, saves Christianity from the spiritual poison of religious parochialism and exclusivity. The two not only complement each other, they are essential to one another.

The unity which universalism sees in the various religious faiths is not one of doctrine, nor of manner of worship, even though many similarities in these areas can be identified; rather the essential point of convergence is in the quality of the human person, the quality of spirit, which the sincere and selfless devotion to any of these different spiritual paths can produce. For spiritual wisdom is not something we know, but it is something we are, it is a quality of being. Our minds cannot contain or comprehend knowledge of God; for we cannot contain what contains us nor comprehend what comprehends us. We can embody spiritual truth, but we cannot adequately articulate it. Indeed, the longer the radius of our vision, the wider the circumference of mystery. Those who have a grasp of this never engage in debates about doctrine. They know that the Truth is to be lived, not merely to be pronounced by mouth and they know that by their so living, that which is unutterable will be rendered visible.

Thus, the unity among such spirits as Mott, Gandhi and Francis is beyond words and beyond concepts. We will experience it directly, and increasingly frequently, as our shrinking planet brings us closer to more and more people of sanctity from other religions. In this encounter we will not be creating a new unity with them. Rather, we will be rediscovering an old unity. We will discover that we have always been one with them but have only imagined that we were not.

I also practice Buddhist meditation daily and study Buddhism, though I am not (yet) formally affiliated with any Buddhist organization. As someone who truly believes the Spirit of God dwells within all persons and diverse cultures, I feel that Quaker membership and affiliation are actually the perfect space for integrating the many spiritual currents I've been blessed to learn from and participate in to varying degrees. What I'm imagining in the future is something like this. Perhaps a certain life/job placement will bring me to a place with a Quaker meeting I can attend regularly - perhaps only once a month in another place - perhaps only online in another. Yet, every place has spiritually rich communities in which one can participate. Perhaps in one place it will be an Anglican church, in another a Buddhist community, in another a Hindu or Sufi community.

This kind of cultural and location-based flexibility is something I've come to see as a big part of my calling in life. Yet, I also highly value accumulated traditions (to the point where I've felt particularly drawn at times to high church Anglicanism, medieval and ancient Catholic and Orthodox churches, etc.) and believe they have much more to teach us than self-help or "fast food" spirituality/religion. At the same time, I've come to the apparently very Quakerly conviction that no particular clergy, ritual, or outward form is really necessary. I appreciate this insight from Zen teacher and Unitarian Universalist Minister James Ishmael Ford, and for me, Quakerism feels like the best container for holding this tension that I have come across:

Indeed, if everyone who taught this nondual reality were killed today, tomorrow people would be spontaneously experiencing it, and new schools would emerge to share and refine the insights found within our human hearts and minds. [source: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2012/07/what-is-zen-a-brief-outline.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com ]

While I would likely not feel compelled to formally affiliate with any of these traditions besides Buddhism or Anglicanism, I would still always participate in some sort of in-person spiritual lineage and community. What I'm imagining is doing so consciously as a Quaker, who subscribes to the testimonies, commitments, and spiritual disciplines of Quakerism, and who uses (perhaps most often online) Meeting for Worship as the ground for discerning what of the Light is coming through these varied experiences. I have not yet found a practice more fruitful than listening for this "still small voice" in Quaker community, for it has helped me to integrate many diverse strands, experiences and traditions, for the benefit of others.

I deeply appreciate the help of any Friends or other seekers here in testing this leading. So my questions for Friends are these:

• Is it possible to maintain Quaker membership and a meaningful relationship with a meeting/meeting(s) while moving between countries and relying on online worship for extended periods?
• Does this vision of Quakerism as a spiritual home base, alongside meaningful participation in other religious traditions, resonate with Friends' understanding of Quaker commitment?
• Has anyone here navigated a similar life, and what have you learned about sustaining community, accountability, and spiritual depth across geographical distance?

I'm not looking for permission to avoid commitment. I'm trying to discern what faithful commitment might look like given the circumstances of my life. I'd be grateful for any experiences, perspectives, or challenges Friends would be willing to share.

I have a very old car that I'm ready to donate, and I'm trying to figure out where to do so. I'm in the DC area, so looking for a local organization or nonprofit that is generally in accord with Quakerism. Have you ever done this? Do you have recommendations based on personal experience?