Inner Light is a concept which many Quakers use to express their faith and beliefs. Each Quaker has a different idea of what they mean by Inner Light, and this also varies internationally between yearly meetings, but the idea is often taken to refer to God’s presence within a person, and to a direct and personal experience of God. Quakers believe that God speaks to everyone, and that in order to hear God’s voice, it helps to be still and actively listen for it.

They believe not only that individuals can be guided by this Inner Light, but that Friends might meet together and receive collective guidance from God by sharing the concerns and leadings that he gives to individuals. In a Friends meeting it is usually called “ministry” when a person shares aloud what the Inner Light is saying to him or her.

It is important to note that many Friends consider this divine guidance distinct both from impulses originating within oneself and from generally agreed-on moral guidelines. In fact, a person can be prompted to say something in meeting that is contrary to what he or she thinks. In other words, Friends do not usually consider the Inner Light the conscience or moral sensibility but something higher and deeper that informs and sometimes corrects these aspects of human nature.

Historically, Friends have been suspicious of formal creeds or religious philosophy that is not grounded in one’s own experience. Instead one must be guided by the Inward Teacher, the Inner Light. This is not, however, a release for Friends to decide and do whatever they want. It is incumbent upon Friends to consider the wisdom of other Friends, as one must listen for the Inner Light of others as well as their own. Friends have various established procedures for collectively discerning and following the Spirit while making decisions.

Friends are not in complete agreement on the importance of the Inner Light in relation to the Bible. Most Friends, especially in the past, have looked to the Bible as a source of wisdom and guidance. Many, if not most of them, have considered the Bible a book inspired by God. But Quakers have generally tended to regard present, personal direction from God more authoritative than the text of the Bible.

Early Quakers did not believe that promptings which were truly from the Spirit within would contradict the Bible. They did, however, believe that to correctly understand the Bible, one needed the Inner Light to clarify it and guide one in applying its teachings to current situations. In the United States in the nineteenth century some Friends concluded that others of their faith were using the concept of the Inner Light to justify unbiblical views. These “Orthodox” Friends held that the Bible was more authoritative than the Inner Light and should be used to test personal leadings. Friends remain formally, but usually respectfully, divided on the matter.

A polymath is a person whose knowledge is not restricted to one subject area. In less formal terms, a polymathic person may simply refer to someone who is very knowledgeable. Most ancient scientists were polymaths by today’s standards.

The term Renaissance man is used to describe a person who is well educated or who excels in a wide variety of subjects or fields. This idea developed in Renaissance Italy from the notion expressed by one of its most accomplished representatives, Leon Battista Alberti that “a man can do all things if he will.” It embodied the basic tenets of Renaissance Humanism which considered man empowered, limitless in his capacities for development, and led to the notion that people should embrace all knowledge and develop their capacities as fully as possible. Thus the gifted men of the Renaissance sought to develop skills in all areas of knowledge, in physical development, in social accomplishments and in the arts.

Since it is considered extremely difficult to genuinely acquire an encyclopaedic knowledge, and even more to be proficient in several fields at the level of an expert, not to mention to achieve excellence or recognition in multiple fields, the word polymath may also be used with a potentially negative connotation as well. Under this connotation, by sacrificing depth for breadth, the polymath becomes a “jack of all trades, master of none”. For many specialists, in the context of today’s hyperspecialization, the ideal of a Renaissance man is judged to be an anachronism, since it is not uncommon that a specialist can barely dominate the accumulated knowledge of more than just one restricted subfield in his whole life, and many renowned experts have been made famous only for dominating different subfields or traditions or for being able to integrate the knowledge of different subfields or traditions.

Today, expertise is often associated with documents, certifications, diplomas, and degrees attributing to such, and a person who seems to have an abundance of these is often perceived as having more education than practical working experience. Autodidactic polymaths often combine didactic education and expertise in multiple fields with autodidactic research and experience to create the Renaissance ideal.

Many fields of interest take years of singleminded devotion to achieve expertise, often requiring starting at an early age. Also, many require cultural familiarity that may be inaccessible to someone not born and raised in that culture. In many such cases, it is realistically possible to achieve only knowledge of theory, without practical experience. For example, on a safari, a jungle native will be a more effective guide than a scientist who may be educated in the theories of jungle survival but did not grow up acquiring his knowledge firsthand.

However, those supporting the ideal of the Renaissance man today would say that the specialist’s understanding of the interrelation of knowledge from different fields is too narrow and that a synthetic comprehension of different fields is unavailable to him, or, if they embrace the Renaissance ideal even more deeply, that the human development of the specialist is truncated by the narrowness of his view. What is much more common today than the universal approach to knowledge from a single polymath, is the multidisciplinary approach to knowledge which derives from several experts from different fields collaborating together.

Wisdom is an ideal that has been celebrated since antiquity as the knowledge needed to live a good life. What this means exactly depends on the various wisdom schools and traditions claiming to help foster wisdom. In general, these schools have emphasized various combinations of knowledge, understanding, experience, discretion, and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity to apply these qualities well towards finding solutions to problems.

In many traditions, the terms wisdom and intelligence have somewhat overlapping meanings. In others they are arranged hierarchically, with intelligence being necessary but not sufficient for wisdom. Holists believe that wise people sense, work with and align themselves and others to life. In this view, wise people help others appreciate the fundamental interconnectedness of life.

Psychologists have gathered data on commonly held beliefs or folk theories about wisdom. These analyses indicate that although there is an overlap of the implicit theory of wisdom with intelligence, perceptiveness, spirituality and shrewdness, it is evident that wisdom is a distinct term and not a composite of other terms.

A standard philosophical definition says that wisdom consists of making the best use of available knowledge. As with any decision, a wise decision may be made with incomplete information. The technical philosophical term for the opposite of wisdom is folly. In addition to experience there are a variety of other avenues to gaining wisdom. For example, Freethinkers and others believe that wisdom may come from pure reason and perhaps experience, while others believe that it comes from intuition or spirituality.

Two wisdom traditions can be identified in the Renaissance, contemplative and prudential. Contemplative traditions, such as monastic traditions, emphasized meditation on one’s own experience as a pathway to the divine. Augustine was an early and influential figure in the Christian lineage of this tradition. The status of wisdom or prudence as a virtue is recognized in cultural, philosophical and religious sources as the judicious and purposeful application of knowledge that is valued in society.

In his Metaphysics, Aristotle defines wisdom as knowledge of causes, or why things exist in a particular fashion. In Mesopotamian religion and mythology, Enki, also known as Ea, was the God of wisdom and intelligence. Wisdom was achieved by restoring balance.

In Norse mythology, the god Odin hanged himself for nine nights from Yggdrasil, the World Tree that unites all the realms of existence, suffering from hunger and thirst and finally wounding himself with a spear until he gained the knowledge of runes for use in casting powerful magic. He was also able to acquire the mead of poetry from the giants, a drink of which could grant the power of a scholar or poet, for the benefit of gods and mortals alike.

Anansi is one of the most important characters of West African lore. He is a culture hero, who acts on behalf of Nyame, his father and the sky god. He brings rain to stop fires and performs other duties. There are several mentions of Anansi’s children. According to some myths his wife is known as Miss Anansi or Mistress Anansi but most commonly as Aso. He is depicted as a spider, a human, or combinations thereof.

In some beliefs, Anansi is responsible for creating the sun, the stars and the moon, as well as teaching mankind the techniques of agriculture. Another story tells of how Anansi tried to hoard all of the world’s wisdom in a calabash. In the end he realizes the futility of trying to keep all the wisdom to himself, and releases it.

Many Anansi stories deal with him attempting to trick people into allowing him to steal food or money, or something else that could turn a profit, but frequently the tricks ultimately backfire on poor Anansi. One of the few times Anansi himself was tricked was when he tried to fight a tar baby after trying to steal food, but became stuck to it instead. The tar baby tale appears in a variety of ethnic African folklore tales. It is best known from the Brer Rabbit version, found in the Uncle Remus stories.

Most cultures which feature Anansi in folktales also tell the story concerning Anansi becoming the King of All Stories, not just his own. In the original Ashanti version of this story, Anansi approaches Nyame, the Sky God, with the request that he be named King of All Stories. Nyame then tells Anansi that if he can catch The Jaguar With Teeth Like Daggers, The Hornets Who Sting Like Fire, and The Fairy Whom Men Never See, he will be King of Stories. Anansi agrees, despite Nyame’s doubt that he can do it. Anansi then tricks the jaguar, who intends to eat him, into playing a game that allows Anansi to tie him up. He tricks the hornets by pretending that it is raining, and telling them to hide in a calabash. He tricks the fairy with the tar baby trick addressed above. He then takes them to Nyame and becomes King of All Stories.

Anansi the Spider narrated stories from African folklore on the PBS series Sesame Street. He was voiced by Ossie Davis. These cartoon segments were introduced by Sonia Manzano who plays Maria on the show. Children’s singer Raffi wrote and recorded the song Anansi for his 1978 Corner Grocery Store album. The song describes Anansi as a spider and a man. It tells a story about Anansi being lazy yet clever, using flattery to trick some crows into shaking loose ripe mangos from his mango tree for Anansi to enjoy without having to pick them himself.

The Count of St. Germain has been variously described as an adventurer, charlatan, inventor, alchemist, pianist, violinist and amateur composer, but is best known as a recurring figure in the stories of several strands of occultism, particularly those connected to Theosophy, where he is also referred to as the Master Rakoczi and credited with near god-like powers and longevity. 

Guy Ballard, founder of the I AM Activity, claimed that he met Saint Germain on Mount Shasta in California in August of 1930, and that this initiated his training and experiences with other ascended masters in various parts of the world.

A book titled The Great Secret, Count St. Germain by Dr. Raymond Bernard purports that St. Germain was actually Francis Bacon by birth, and later authored the complete plays attributed to Shakespeare. He also contends, as does the Saint Germain Foundation in Chicago, IL., that Francis Bacon was the child of Queen Elizabeth and Lord Dudley but that it was kept quiet. Francis was raised by the Bacon family, yet throughout the Shakespeare Plays, there are numerous hints that he knows of his true birth as revealed in the plays itself, the numerous explicit hints in the text, as well as the cipher code he employed.

Saint Germain is the central figure in the Saint Germain Series of Books published by the Saint Germain Press. The first two volumes, Unveiled Mysteries and The Magic Presence, written by Godfre Ray King, describe Saint Germain as an Ascended Master who is assisting humanity and the Earth. Godfre Ray King is the pen-name for Guy Warren Ballard. In these first two books, he discusses his personal experiences with Saint Germain and reveals many teachings that are in harmony with Theosophy. 

C. W. Leadbeater claimed to have met him in Rome in 1926 and gave a physical description of him as having brown eyes, olive colored skin, and a pointed beard. Leadbeater said that Saint Germain showed him a robe that had been previously owned by a Roman Emperor and told him that one of his residences was a castle in Transylvania. According to Leadbeater, when performing magical rituals in his castle in Transylvania, Saint Germain wore a suit of golden chain mail once belonging to a Roman Emperor over which is worn “a magnificent cloak of purple with a clasp of a seven pointed star in diamond and amethyst”.

Theosophists consider him to be a Mahatma, Master or Adept. Helena Blavatsky said he was one of her Masters of Wisdom and hinted at secret documents. Some esoteric groups credit him with inspiring the Founding Fathers to draft the United States Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, as well as providing the design of the Great Seal of the United States.

Alice A. Bailey’s book The Externalization of the Hierarchy gives the most information about his reputed role as a spiritual Master. His title is said to be the Lord of Civilization and his task is the establishment of a new civilization. He is said to telepathically influence people who are seen by him and as being instrumental in bringing about the Age of Aquarius. Bailey stated that sometime after AD 2025, Master Jesus, Saint Germain, Kuthumi, and the others in the spiritual hierarchy would descend from the spiritual worlds and interact in visible tangible bodies on the Earth in ashrams surrounded by their disciples.

A power animal, is a shamanic concept that has entered the English language from anthropology, ethnography and sociology. In the traditional world view, everything is alive and carries with it an inherent virtue, power and wisdom. 

According to shamanic understanding, we each have a number of power animals, for they are patterns of natural abilities and potentials that are inherent within us. A principal power animal is one that has prominence.

Power animals are endemic to shamanic practice. They are the helping or ministering spirits or familiars which add to the power of an individual and are essential for success in any venture undertaken. Stated another way, power animals represent our strengths, our qualities of character, and our power.

In the shamanic worldview, it is commonly held that everyone has power animals. They are animal spirits which reside with each individual adding to their power and protecting them from illness, functioning in a fashion or manner attributed within the Christian tradition to a guardian spirit. The power animal may also lend its ward or charge the wisdom or attributes of its kind. For example, a hawk power animal may provide its charge with attributes of the hawk such as enhanced vision.

Nicholas Noble Wolf provides the definition that a power animal is an aspect of self that is represented by an animal. The aspects of that animal apsect can be empowered and encouraged such that it assists you in your life. A power animal is not a separate spiritual being.

A power animal is an energy pattern, or energy system, that appears in animal form and possesses sensation and the power of voluntary movement to carry out its inherent ability to perform the specific work it characterizes. A power animal is the very energy pattern of an ability or abilities that the animal form characterizes.