The In-Between Space

30 Days, Quaker Ways: Putting values into practice

I'm a practising Quaker, and the Quaker testimonies are an important part of how I try to live my life. They're often summarised by the acronym SPICES: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship.

These are values I believe in deeply. Yet believing in something and consistently putting it into practice are two different things.

It's surprisingly easy to get caught up in everyday routines, react impatiently to something online, make a convenient decision without thinking through its consequences, or simply forget to give someone our full attention.

I certainly don't always get it right.

That's partly why I've created 30 Days, Quaker Ways: A 30-Day Quaker Experiment, which runs from 1 to 30 November 2026. I wanted to give myself a daily reminder of the values I try to live by, and a reason to examine how well I'm actually doing.

I’d also like to invite others to join me, whether they’re Quakers or simply curious about what these values might mean in everyday life. Quakerism is rooted in faith and spiritual practice, and I believe its values and traditions can also speak meaningfully to people beyond the Quaker community.

What Quakerism has to offer

Look at how we communicate with one another. There's an enormous amount of talking, commenting and reacting, but often precious little listening. Disagreement quickly becomes confrontation, and the pressure to have an immediate opinion about everything leaves little room for reflection or uncertainty.

Meanwhile, we're constantly encouraged to consume more, do more and achieve more, even as many of us struggle to find time for the people and things that matter.

Quaker practice gives us ways to slow some of those reactions down and pay closer attention.

Silence creates space to listen and reflect. Simplicity encourages us to think about what we genuinely need. Equality asks us to recognise the dignity of others, including people whose experiences and opinions differ from our own. The peace testimony challenges us to consider how we respond to conflict, while integrity asks whether our actions are consistent with what we say we believe.

Community reminds us that we're connected to one another, with responsibilities that extend beyond our immediate interests. Stewardship asks us to consider how we care for the world and use its resources.

These ideas aren't exclusive to Quakerism. Friends have, however, spent centuries exploring how to put them into practice, sometimes with considerable courage and at significant personal cost. I think there's something worth learning from that experience.

Thirty days, thirty small experiments

I'll be doing the challenge from 1 to 30 November 2026, sharing my experiences and reflections on Mastodon along the way. You're welcome to join me during November, but the challenge is designed so that anyone can take part at any time. The only difference is that you won't be following along with me in real time.

Each day introduces a small activity inspired by Quaker faith and practice, accompanied by a reflective question, or query, as we call them in the Quaker tradition.

The activities cover six themes:

Some are very simple. Spend five minutes in silence. Take a walk without headphones. Listen to someone without preparing your response.

Others may be more demanding. Examine an assumption you've held for years. Consider the concerns behind someone else's position. Reflect on how your decisions affect other people.

There's also an invitation to experience Quaker meeting for worship, either in person or online.

Each activity offers an opportunity to pay attention to something we might otherwise overlook. For me, the challenge is also about recognising where my own behaviour falls short of the values I profess. I'm expecting a few uncomfortable moments along the way, and that's probably a good thing.

You don't have to be a Quaker to join

The challenge doesn’t ask anyone to adopt Quaker beliefs. It is rooted in Quaker faith and practice, while the activities themselves are open to anyone willing to engage with them seriously.

You might be curious about silence and reflection, interested in nonviolence or social justice, or simply want to examine how your values influence your everyday decisions.

You can complete all thirty days or choose a few, participate privately or share your experiences with others. You can participate privately, share your experiences publicly, or join for just a few days.

How to take part

I've created a free downloadable booklet containing all thirty challenges. Each day has a practical activity, a query for reflection, and space to write down your thoughts.

Download 30 Days, Quaker Ways: The free challenge booklet (PDF)

I'll also be posting the daily challenges on Mastodon throughout November, using the hashtag #30DaysQuakerWays, along with some of my own experiences and reflections.

Kväkarna i Norden (KiN) will help spread the word across the Nordic countries, including posts in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish.

What might we take away from it?

I don’t expect thirty days to transform anyone’s life. It may, however, be long enough to notice some of our patterns more clearly.

Perhaps thirty days of paying closer attention to how we listen, consume, disagree, make decisions and treat one another might make a small difference.

For me, this is an opportunity to reconnect more deliberately with the values at the heart of my Quaker faith. For others, it might be an introduction to ideas and practices they haven't encountered before.

If a few of us emerge from November listening a little more carefully, questioning our assumptions more often, or thinking more seriously about our responsibilities to others, I'd consider that time well spent.

It all starts on Sunday, 1 November.

Download the booklet, follow along on Mastodon, and join the conversation using #30DaysQuakerWays.

#participation #quakerism #reflection #silence