MIDWEEK Apr. 26: Maureen Lanan | Meditating with Noise in the Background
About this MIDWEEK practice
When we come to meeting for worship, there could be vocal ministry or silence, internal quietude or discussion. In every case, it's up to us to choose what to pay attention to and why. How we distinguish messages amidst noise using only our bodies, emotions, thoughts and attitudes will be tested by trying to meditate while a short recorded talk is playing in the background. Can we concentrate 99% of our attention on our meditation object and 1% on the words? In this MIDWEEK program, we will ask (through communal practice) what happens as we try doing this together.
Maureen Lanan is a Friend based in the Boston area and an attendee of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting. She loves structural investigation, which requires taking things apart to see how they are put together. This love started as a kid exploring the woods in northern Delaware, then grew into a career in analytical chemistry, where she took expensive instruments apart to hopefully assemble them better. This led to her spiritual experiments with meditation and Quakers.
What is MIDWEEK?
In the Quaker tradition of Midweek (Wednesday) worship, Beacon Hill Friends House brings you MIDWEEK: Experiments in Faithfulness. This is a weekly, one-hour, facilitated spiritual practice with Quaker flavor and an experimental ethos. Each week, a guest facilitator engages us in a unique spiritual practice that is meaningful to them, and that we can bring into our own lives.
MIDWEEK is always free and open to the public. If you'd like to support this program, you can make a donation here.
Attending events in-person at BHFH
All MIDWEEK practices going forward are offered on Zoom and in-person at Beacon Hill Friends House. If you choose to attend in our space, YOU MUST REGISTER BEFOREHAND and please read this information:
Covid policies: All in-person attendees are required to be up-to-date on vaccination against COVID-19 and to wear a mask while inside. We ask for proof of vaccination upon entering the building. Masks will be available for those who forget them.
Getting to BHFH: Use the address "8 Chestnut St., Boston, MA, 02108" for navigation. We recommend taking public transit to get here: We are a short walk from every transit line in Boston. If you choose to drive in, paid street parking is available on Charles Street (and on Beacon Street before 6 pm). We also have parking passes available for $9 to the Boston Common Garage.
Event accessibility (covid policies are below): Beacon Hill Friends House is working on making our historic space accessible to everyone.
Automated Closed Captions will be available for all participants (on Zoom and in-person).
Physical space: This event will take place in our Parlor, which does not have a ground-level entrance. Our primary entrance is up a flight of stairs. If you would like to attend this event but need it to be held in a different space, please indicate so on your registration. On the basement level, we have a single-user, all-gender bathroom with wall-mounted handrails and ample space for chairs and/or aides. We are not a scent-free space but tend to be low-scent.
