Marginal comments

Comments received from participants at events connected to Spirit of the Margins

Finding meaning in the margins: Woodbrooke Quaker Studies Centre

‘A relaxed, encouraging and supportive leadership style – a challenging and useful programme of activities – diverse and thought provoking.’

‘[Gave me] insights into my own and the human condition; Opportunity for deep sharing with empathetic strangers.’

‘[Helped me] learn what the marginalised have to teach us and how to see things from the margins.’

‘[It was] something different, challenging and nourishing: It was all of them. Good pace, facilitation and venue.’

Wholeness: integrating what is excluded from the centre, Fishbourne Quiet Garden.

‘What touched me about the day was the tone of your voice, the pace  of   the morning’s content – slow, gentle and unhurried;  the balance =  doing/not doing/words/silence/pauses;  the variety of ‘activities’ balanced with ‘inactivity’;  sharing of personal experiences and variety of resources (cards/books/verbal feedback), to illustrate ‘margins’ rather than too much ‘wordy’ information.’
‘A warm and friendly ambience (I was a stranger in the midst); a beautiful setting (church/water meadows/trees/gravestones) and the part that is greater than the whole and can’t really be put into words.  But I felt it.’
‘It all worked for me!’
‘That was truly wonderful…thank you very much. You held us all together very comfortably and the feedback expressed how much you had made people think of their lives in terms of being at the centre, at the margins or in places between. I’m also pleased to see how supportive people are of each other.

Transformation in the margins, Runcton Manor

What a fascinating task you are undertaking! But it is huge!

What insights did you gain?

  • ‘The labels we put on ourselves as to whether we are in the centre of everything or tiptoeing around the margins, aren’t helpful and could be plain wrong! Personally, I saw I do have some power to make changes and need to trust more in God’s tap on the shoulder.
  • ‘An understanding of how Jesus surrounded himself with the marginalised and was crucified as an outsider. It graphically illustrated my understanding of marginalisation and made me more aware of my own ‘marginalising’ tendencies – both of myself and others.

  • ‘The importance of befriending our less pleasant inner voices (which resonates with my understanding of the Shadow in Myers Briggs)…a deeper understanding of the margin as a vital place of growth and potential, mystery and division.

Spirit of the Margins, Meditatio (World Community for Christian Meditation, London).

‘Nourishing…inspiring…tremendous sense of unity…like an Act of Worship…a revelation…paradoxical..warm and welcoming…insightful.’

Spirit of the Margins, House of Prayer, Surrey.

‘I went away ” bothered and blessed” – aware of my capacity for avoidance and gratitude for my blessings and aware I had been in a sacred space too…’

‘Brought to mind lots of marginal times and questioned my sense of centre, which I thankfully have, in order to keep moving in my work.’

‘Thoroughly enjoyed and benefitted from the day and the way it was led.’

Spirit of the Margins, Social Sculpture Festival, Oxford.

‘It  helped me to see the margins in a  positive light.’

‘I found it interesting to reflect on my  journey between the centre and the margins.’

‘It made me appreciate how interesting and intellectually challenging the margins are.’

‘Raised interesting questions about margins.’

‘A lot of what I give myself for self-development is goal-orientated, but this workshop was non-pressured and ‘held’ in a secure way.’

‘The discussion moved from the personal, to the political, to the spiritual…there was a good cross-fertilisation of ideas for me through the jumble!’

‘I really valued having the time and space for exploring this subject. It gave me an opportunity to notice some of the issues which came up for me, and also to hear what was evoked for others. At times there was a wonderful timeless quality to my experiences.’

‘Looking at different models of interaction between the centre and the margins (dynamics between margins and the centre) was interesting.’

Spirit of the Margins, Runcton Manor, West Sussex.

‘…a chance to reflect widely on issues of the soul, and to listen. A lot of self-development is goal-orientated, but this workshop was non-pressured and ‘held’ in a secure way by the group leaders.’

‘It was really good to meet a group of people who are obviously careful explorers of what it means to be spiritual in a Christian context, and I experienced a sense of relief that my personal struggles with faith can also find a home in a long tradition.’

‘an opportunity to notice some of the issues which came up for me, and also to hear what was evoked for others. At times there was a wonderful timeless quality to my experiences.’

‘I valued the possibility to reflect on experiences when I felt on the margins, read about well-known people who influenced and brought change for others as a result of being on the margins or choosing to embrace the cause of those being on the margins.’