The Shaker way is to love God – and not just to say so but to let that love nuance every action – all day. For Brother Wayne, then, the magnetic pull of Shakerism lies in its power to infuse all aspects of life. He has tried to leave behind the dual life, which Ann Lee had seen as dangerous when she implored her followers to 'purify your hearts, ye double-minded'. 'So I think what really speaks to me the most', concluded Brother Wayne, 'is that... we are to be those epistles. You can stand up on a soapbox and preach the gospel all you want. But it is the living it, it is the example of your life that best represents it and really touches the lives of people'.
From God Among the Shakers, by Suzanne Skees
Photo: Garden cleanup at Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village
