A
group of French religious refugees, known as the Camisards, brought
a renewed sense of mysticism to the scattered English dissenting sects
from 1707 onward. They and their converts toured, gave lectures and
brought a new enthusiasm to small groups of seekers up and down the
country. One group of Quakers who were enthused by these French prophets
was based at Bolton-le-moors 12 miles north of Manchester. Lead by Jane
and James Wardley this small group used the techniques of Quaker meetings,
but their `silent meditation' was interrupted by 'Mother' Jane's passionate
revelations; walking up and down trembling she would declaim the word
of God. Because of their dancing and crying out in strange tongues,
they were known as the Shaking Quakers.
Engraving
of Ring Dance,Niskeyuna Shaker Community USA
Attracted
to the group was a blacksmith's daughter from Toad Lane (now Todd St)
in Manchester. Already known for disrupting church services and disturbing
the peace, Ann Standerin a short, stout twenty-two year old would in
the ten years from 1758 go from being a lowly member of the Wardleys
congregation to Mistress-Messiah and Prophetess of the Sect. The catalyst
for this transformation was her marriage to John Lee and subsequent
loss of four children. Ann saw the deaths of her children as a series
of judgements on her. She reacted with guilt, shame, and an aversion
to sex. Avoiding her bed `as if it had been made of embers' night after
night she walked the floor in her stocking feet afraid to sleep lest
she `awake in hell'. This suffering went on, she denied her self food
& drink - that her soul `might hunger for nothing but God.' Her
health deteriorated until she became so weak that she had to be fed
and supported by others. Finally when she had cleansed herself of the
`last remains of human depravity' she experienced a spiritual rebirth.
From this point she would rise to lead the sect being known to her followers
as the `Bride of the Lamb', `Mother Ann' or 'Ann the Word'. Under Ann's
leadership the group grew, holding tumultuous meetings that went on
throughout the night. Tales of the strange worship, with shakings, tongue-speaking,
and dark prophecies disturbed the neighbourhood. They were accused of
fanaticism, heresy, even witchcraft. Ann's condemnation of lust and
criticism of the established church for condoning marriage brought her
into conflict with the authorities and she suffered numerous arrests.
Eventually an accommodation was reached whereby the 'shakers' were left
alone so long as they didn't disturb the Sabbath.
In 1772
Ann received a vision from God in which she was told that "a place
had been prepared" for them in America. A small band of nine believers
emigrated to America in1774 and founded the United Society of Believers
in Christ's Second Appearing. They lived in New York until they could
raise enough money to buy a tract of wilderness for themselves in Western
New York State, which they called Niskeyuna. Here they built the first
Shaker community in America. In numerous visions Mother Ann formulated
a basic philosophy for the group - in one vision it was explained to
her that sex was the root of all sin, and that to truly serve God, one
must be celibate. She came to believe that God was bisexual because
both man and woman were made in his image, and that this was duplicated
throughout nature. Every living thing, animal or vegetable, had both
a male and female component. She herself was seen to be the female component
of Christ's spirit representing the second appearance of Christ on earth.
This lead to the belief that all people were equal regardless of sex
or race. Although men and women in the communities had separate spheres
of activity and responsibilities there was a fundamental spiritual and
physical equality, an equality which was extended to non-Christians
and black and native americans who joined the communities. Following
Ann Lee's death, the leadership would pass to both men and women. Other
tenets of belief were that they must regularly confess their sins, they
must separate themselves from the outside world and that they must live
communally. These beliefs would eventually become sets of written rules
by which they would guide their lives. The Shakers would go on to become
the most successful communal sect in America establishing18 communities.
By 1850, they would number almost 4,000 members and over their 200 year
history it is estimated that 20,000 Americans spent at least some of
their life as Shakers.
Engraving
of Shirley Shaker Community USA
Today
they have become almost better known for their simple designs for houses
and furniture than their spiritual practices which included not only
elaborate rituals and dances, but prophetic trances, spirit contact,
native American chants and the laughing gift. In the `laughing gift'
worshippers held their sides and reeled in their chairs till they became
exhausted. Spirit birds brought spirit (ie: Invisible) musical instruments
and chosen members would march around playing spirit music.
In the mid-19th century using sales techniques usually thought of as
modern, such as the mail-order catalogues and showrooms, the Shakers
began to sell their furniture in quantity setting up a factory at the
Mount Lebanon community. In 1927 a Shaker rocking chair found its way
to Denmark, where it caught the eye of one of the most important figures
in the Scandinavian modern movement, architect Kaare Klint (1888-1954).
When the Danish Co-operative Wholesale Society began to make well designed,
attractive, affordable furniture its designers would draw on Shaker
examples for inspiration. Scandinavia began exporting its mass-produced
furniture to the rest of Europe and the USA in quantity in the 1950s
and the style has gained enormous & continuing popularity, most
notably through the IKEA chainstores. The Modern movement mantra 'form
follows function' would appear to be an echo of the Shakers from almost
a century before -
"All beauty that has no foundation in use, soon grows distasteful
and needs continuous replacement with something new."
In 1871
FW Evans, the ex-Owenite elder from the Mount Lebanon community, made
a speaking tour of England where as well as making a number of converts
he set up a recruiting office in London under the name of The Progressive
Literary & Spiritual Institution. He was of the opinion that `there
are many people in England prepared to enter the Order, and a revival
of spiritual life is all that is necessary to inaugurate Shaker Communism
on British soil
Historians
have extolled Shaker virtues, their lack of vice, co-operative communities,
inventiveness, superb craftsmanship, and self-reliance. But a somewhat
different story has started to unfold as archaeologists have begun to
excavate Shaker rubbish dumps they have found
"widespread evidence for violations of the Shakers' own... laws."
'Contraband' found includes: countless beer, whiskey, wine, and perfume
bottles; tobacco pipes; pig bones (pork was taboo); and gaudy material
items. These items would appear to come from later periods when it appears
from their garbage at least that it is hard to tell the Shakers apart
from the mass of middle class America.
In 1999
there remained one Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake with only 10
members. Mother Ann, before her death, had a vision that the Shakers
would be renewed once they had dropped to five members. The last of
the Shakers are awaiting the renewal and continuing to live their utopian
lives according to the visions that Ann Lee received over 225 years
ago.