Last Update:  November 26, 2006

Index of Shaker Manuscripts

Additional Background Information

Introducing the Early Shakers

What were the beliefs of the people, called Shakers? What underlying power fueled their ingenuity, their invention, their industry, and their amazing influence on people of all cultural and religious backgrounds?

"Shaker Manuscripts On-Line" is an Internet web-site where the original, EARLY Shaker writings are being made available for public access...where these people, who saw themselves as instruments of God, can once again convey their messages and accomplish their outreach to those, who are hungry for answers...to those, who have "ears to hear".

This is a place where the early Shakers can once again share with you what they believed to be the ongoing, inspired transmissions from the fullness of the Godhead.

Here you may be troubled by what you find; here the foundation of your religious life may literally be shaken — as only the early Shakers knew how to do ... but then again, you may be awakened, challenged, inspired, mentored and nurtured by what they have preserved for us... and here you may even find a confirmation of some truths that you have known in your heart of hearts ... all along.

It seems fitting that their works be made freely available to all seekers, according to the way of the early Shakers, — "without money, without price".

As more and more people choose to voluntarily simplify and purify their lives, there has been a tremendous resurgence of interest in the Shaker beliefs. The record of their accomplishments, so carefully preserved by the later Shakers, stands the test of time, and draws us to ponder. Many examples of their 'things' and 'works' remain in the modern world — to be examined by any Seeker who visits one of the historical Shaker communities, or who views the many lovely books written about them by the World. Those books carefully document all the physical evidence, even their music, from their time upon the Earth. Those books may be relatively easy to find.

So much has been written about the Shakers but until now, what the early Shakers actually wrote and published themselves, has been unavailable for individual study. Most of the written materials from the early days of Shaker communities has been preserved on microfilm or archived in museums, private collections, or library vaults, — generally out of the reach of the average Seeker.

So, here is a place where Seekers may have access to these exceptional writings— which were viewed by the early Shakers as direct communications from other realms, inhabited by the Most High God, Holy Mother Wisdom, the Lord Jesus Christ, Mother Ann, many Orders of Angels, the Patriarchs, the Prophets, the Apostles, the Saints, as well as many Sons and Daughters of God from former and latter times, having joined them there, for the ongoing, progressively unfolding, work of the Kingdom of God — the heavenly ZION come among Men, both in this temporal world and in the eternal world.

 

Index of Shaker Manuscripts

~ Revelations and Prophecies from the Early Shakers ~

 

The Divine Book of Holy and Eternal Wisdom – revealing the Word of God out of whose Mouth goeth a Sharp Sword

via Paulina Bates, Instrument, 1841 — over 700 pages as printed by the Shakers, themselves in 1849;  — here presented are excerpts from the original printing containing profound and straight counsel aimed at those who seek answers in these Last Days.

 

A Holy, Sacred and Divine Roll and Book – from the Lord God of Heaven to the Inhabitants of Earth

via Philemon Stewart, Instrument, 1842 — over 450 pages as printed by the Shakers, themselves in 1843; — here presented are excerpts from the original containing some clear statements that cut through the corruption of modern, counterfeit Christianity; also excerpted are passages aimed at modern persons who are engaged in specific fields of endeavor.

 

Revealing Prophecies

via Calvin Green, Instrument, 1840-1842 ; — here presented are prophetic warnings to England, to America and to the moral decline happening among the Early Shakers.

 

The Early Shakers and Jane Lead – Rediscovering the thread between the two...

A probable connection is presented, showing that the earlier revelations of Divine Wisdom which were brought through Jane Lead, may have found receptive hearts among the Early Shakers — here presented is a list of the hand-copied works of 17th century English Mystic, Jane Lead's prophetic writings, that were found among the holdings of the Early Shakers; also included is a transcription of one of these works, on the subject of "The Translated State".

~ Books from the Early Shakers About their Beliefs & Way of Life ~

~ Early Shaker Writings Relating to Self Denial & Sexual Abstinence ~

~ Commentary from the Early Shakers  ~

The Early Shakers

Additional Background Information

At their peak productive, religious time, there were thousands of Shakers living in "order" at the various settlements. They differed from other similar "Plain People" sects of their day [and to the present time], in one main point — the Shakers believed in and rigorously practiced sexual abstinence. That is, they did not engage in any form of sexual gratification or sexual indulgences of any kind.

This practice availed them of tremendous extra energy and focus and resulted in a clarity of mind that was capable of hearing God and seeing heavenly Visions.  When the communications from the Godhead began, those virgin vessels, who were chosen by God to receive and transcribe the messages, were generally excused from their daily chores and set aside, in solitude, for their more important tasks.

Many of the inspired messages were given only for the Shakers and contained much needed reproof and correction among themselves. Other messages were given for all of Mankind — it is of the latter type that you will find on this site. Also to be found here are those manuscripts that the Shakers authored themselves, to satisfy the inquiries of the world, as to what they were about and how they lived.

The few remaining, present day, "official" Shakers reside at the Sabbathday Lake Community in Maine, but even they are very far removed, disconnected and insulated from the beliefs of the early Shakers.  These modern Shakers seem to have aligned themselves with the World, on which they are now dependent for their support.  The enormity of their present chore — to preserve the physical and historical remnants of Shakerism — is cheerfully and diligently accomplished and they are most kind and gracious to all visitors.

However, this work leaves them little time for the study or publication of documents from their spiritual history, and because they, themselves, no longer hold them to be truth, they have no desire to do so.  The written legacy left by the Early Shakers is indeed there — archived in a special, climate-controlled vault, but few modern eyes have ever seen them.  So it has been left to other "unofficial" modern-day Shakers to recover, transcribe, share and pass along to us what the Early Shakers left behind ... and that is the purpose for this web site. 

You are most welcome to explore these documents.  If there is a quickening in your heart, a drawing to what is published here, realize that you are drawn, not just to the ones who once were used to transcribe this material — for they have long passed on — but, dear reader, you are drawn and called to the Source from whence the material originated — and that Source may be trying, once again, to reach us All.

Stewards of this Site: Pass the WORD Services.

 

Printing the Manuscripts:  For step by step instructions, how to possibly deal with printer problems, how to customize page headers/footers, suggestions for those with no computer/printer, and more information about the on-line documents at PasstheWORD ...

Please report any typographical errors to the Page Stewards.  Although many proofings are done before the documents go on-line, we always appreciate fresh eyes and what is revealed through them.  Many thanks and blessings.