How do you #hashtag?

So... a dear friend and i invented what we fondly referred to as "Hashtag Fever" when we attached obnoxiously voluminous amounts of hashtags to our letters, texts, and emails to each other. It was always involved us using #hashtagfever

Why do i bring this up you might say? Well, i was thinking about this because i saw Al Fox's blog (which i am now following), and i saw #UseTheInternetForGood  #SpreadTheSpirit  and i loved it! And i just got curious.. How do you hashtag?

For me? I use them to tag things like #UseTheInternetForGood and #SpreadTheSpirit or #HeIsTheGift to follow and trace posts that follow a theme. 

Any who, i hope you all have a very happy New Year! 

Love you all! 

-Ryan

#TryingToBeLikeNephi

How-To Meditate

Lately I’ve had a lot of my friends ask me how to meditate. I’ll be teaching a class very soon teaching mediation, and exploring different types of meditation some common, some not so common! The intent will be to use your discernment to identify a type of meditation that you can incorporate into your life that you’re comfortable with, and that works for you.

That being said, there are a few tips I can offer here to help all of you who want to begin to learn to meditate. One of the critical elements of understanding the common thread in the diverse types of meditation is having an understanding of what I call the thinking mechanism.  The thinking mechanism is merely a part of the mind that generates thoughts. Your mind has the capacity to follow those thoughts generated by the thinking mechanism, but it cannot actually produce thoughts. Think of it, when you are trying to recall someone’s name, or address, or information and you can’t seem to recall it. It’s because your thinking mechanism can’t “find” the information. Your mind is aware of it’s existence, your heart wants it, your brain has the info stored somewhere in it’s neural pathways, however your thinking mechanism can’t get to it! Thus you only have the power to follow thoughts, not generate them.

It has been said that your mind can only follow one thought at a time, so if you choose what thoughts to accept then no other thought can occupy the stage of your mind. This is true for temptation, and it’s also true for meditation! Meditation translation? In one-way or another all meditation techniques will focus your mind on something other than the products of your thinking mechanism. That might mean focusing on light, a sensation, a color, a sound, a phrase, an emotion, a memory, a scripture, or your breathing.

Doing this sends your thinking mechanism into a state of rest like the 15-minute break you get at work, it’s not down-and-out, it’s just giving your mind a breather so it can do it’s job the rest of the waking day calm, and refreshed. Even in sleep your mind does not get this kind of rest! In sleep, dreaming occurs in which the mind is processing, dumping, storing, and retrieving; the thinking mechanism is very active during sleep! Thus, meditation can be as healing as sleep!

Research done by Harvard Medical has shown that engaging in meditation (resting the thinking mechanism) can regrow grey matter in your brain, a feat once thought impossible by scientists! Resting the thinking mechanism is as important to your mental health as rest is to your physical health.

As you begin meditating, don’t let yourself get discouraged if it seems like your thinking mechanism never quits. I have a friend who, after a month of meditating had 3 seconds without a spontaneous thought being generated. What she needed was a different type of meditation that used more than breathing. If when you meditate your thinking mechanism is particularly noisy, the key is to not get upset. Your thinking mechanism is just doing its’ job. It’s like a workaholic who has been asked to take time of work, and ends up in the office anyway. Just acknowledge it, thank it, and go back to whatever it is you’re focusing on!

World-famous yoga teacher Erich Schiffman suggested that there are two phases to meditation, the first is slowing down, and eventually stopping the thinking mechanism, the second is enjoying the mental quiet. He prescribed 10 minutes to slow down, focus, and rest the thinking mechanism, and then 10 minutes to enjoy the stillness. The first time I tried his prescription was amazing! 20 minutes later and I felt like a whole new person! I couldn’t do 20 minutes consistently though, which brings me to my next point, your edge.

The edge is one of the most important elements of yoga. People who don’t know what their edge is either hurt themselves or never experience growth. With too much of a stretch to our mental, emotional, attention, physical, spiritual, or energetic experience we experience pain, which hinders our growth. With too little stretch there is no challenge, and no invitation to open up to greater good.

Erich Schiffmann said: “Somewhere between these two points (too much stretch and too little stretch) is a degree of stretch… called your ‘edge.’ The body’s edge in yoga is the place just before pain, but not pain itself. Pain tells you where the limits of your physical conditioning lie. Edges are marked by pain and define your limits. How far you can fold forward, for example, is limited by your flexibility edge; to go any further hurts and is actually counterproductive. The length of your stay in a pose is determined by your endurance edge. Your interest in a pose is a function of your attention edge.”

I found it very interesting that there are many different types of edges. If you try one type of meditation and you find that you dislike it, or it isn’t relaxing to you, it may be that this type of meditation is outside of your “edge” and that you ought to try a different type of meditation! I tried and quit many types of yoga before I found a yoga practice that I’m comfortable with. I didn’t realize how many different branches there were! I kept coming back to yoga, and eventually I found out why! I now have a yoga/meditation practice that I enjoy very much! It serves me, and is very satisfying.

So! As you go forth trying guided meditations, yoga classes, singing, visualizations, chanting, or any other type of meditation, just remember to be patient with your thinking mechanism, and to listen to your body for it to tell you when it reaches it’s edge.

For now you can start with this simple meditation taught by Deepak Chopra M.D. that I got from a friend.

1.     Sitting position both feet on the floor, hands on lap palms up:

a.     Just listen to all the sounds around you

2.     Pay attention to your heart:

a.     Think of all the things you’re thankful for

b.     Think of all your blessings

c.      Think of everyone you love, recall and experience of love

3.     Ask yourself a few questions: (don’t answer the questions)

a.     Who am I?

b.     What do I want?

c.      What is my purpose in life?

d.     What makes me happy?

4.     Notice all the sensations in the body: just simple awareness of your body

a.     Your heart beat

b.     Any vibrations that you feel

c.      Your breathing

5.     Be aware of your breathing as it goes in and out:

a.     Take deep breaths and hold for 12 seconds (do this a few times)

b.     Then breathe in and say the word in your head “so”

c.      Then breathe out and say in your head “hmm”

d.     If your mind starts to wander do the breathing again

e.     Do this for about 2 minutes without interruption

6.     Focus your attention on your heart again:

a.     Notice the feelings of your heart beat

b.     Notice the sound of your heart beat

7.     Move your attention into your open hands

a.     See if you can sense your heart beat in your finger tips, as a mild throbbing or as warmth, or as a tingling sensation

8.     Bring your focus back into your heart and relax into your body, take a minute and gently open your eyes

Well, there you have it friends! If you have questions or comments, feel free to comment below. I love comments, and I try to answer all the questions I get. (Sometimes I’m not great at answering questions, so if you feel like your question wasn’t answered, message me, and I’ll try and better answer any questions.)

Honesty: The Key To Rebirth

            Truth is the issue. When we aren’t honest with ourselves, we can’t be honest with God. And if we aren’t honest with God, we can’t receive honesty from him; light cleaveth to light, virtue loveth virtue, truth embraceth truth (DYC 88:40). By being honest with ourselves and with God about where our flesh is in its progression from sensuality to sainthood, we can begin to shatter the illusion of lies that we’ve been living under. When that illusion that we called life begins to crumble in the scorching heat of truth and honesty the only thing left is a new life to live, a new heart, and a new song to sing; when we become completely self-honest in the light of God’s love we are reborn.

            Enzio Busche said “Enlightened by the Spirit of truth, we will then be able to pray for the increased ability to endure truth and not to be made angry by it (see 2 Nephi 28:28). In the depth of such a prayer, we may finally be led to that lonesome place where we suddenly see ourselves naked in all soberness. Gone are all the little lies of self-defense. We see ourselves in our vanities and false hopes for carnal security. We are shocked to see our many deficiencies, our lack of gratitude for the smallest things. We are now at that sacred place that seemingly only a few have courage to enter, because this is that horrible place of unquenchable pain in fire and burning.”

            Two examples from the scriptures that come to my mind are that of King Benjamin, and also Alma the Younger. Benjamin uses honesty as a sword to cut the people down to their core, the honest truth that they are less than the dust of the earth. Alma the younger is cut to the core by honesty and suffers the pains of a damned soul for 3 days! Make no mistakes my brothers and sisters, rebirth is painful, probably as painful as giving birth the natural way. (I’ve never given birth, nor have I yet had the complete rebirth, but from what I’m reading, it’s pretty miserable. Though King Benjamin’s people had a quick labor and Alma the younger had a really long labor, they both had pretty unhappy feelings at the time of their honesty/conversion (see Alma 36:13-16; Mosiah 4:1-2).)

            What sparked this was a Sunday School lesson I attended a few weeks ago that’s still sitting with me. We talked about honesty, and Jeremiah, and the new heart and several other things, but what I’m still chewing on was 4 questions that my teacher gave us. He told us the story of being in a class in college and pairing off with another student, and the instructions for the day were basically thus: ask your partner the questions, and then have your partner ask you the questions, and then ask your partner the questions again, and then have him ask you the questions again, and do this over and over until class is over or you’re crying too much to function. You cannot say anything to your partner when you’re asking the questions, you can only ask the question and then sit silently while they answer the question.

            My teacher said that by the 4^th time around he was a crying wreck. Want the questions? Here they are:

1.     What do you want?

2.     Why do you want that?

3.     What have you been willing to do to get that?

4.     What haven’t you been willing to do?

            Pretty simple eh? Well by small and simple things, great things are brought to pass! He said the first time he was pretty superficial, and the next time around he got a little deeper, and the next time it was a little deeper, and eventually he had several breakthroughs and made some really amazing changes.

            Self-honesty in the Light of Christ is the essence of the ancient art of Alchemy. Christ will take the most mundane feelings of our heart, and when examined in the light of truth and honesty, they will transform before our eyes into humility, truth, love, and gratitude. He offers us eternal life, and immortality, but he also offers to turn our ashes to beauty and our worthless offerings to Gold! (Isn’t that awesome?!)

            So how do we get self-honest? Well, there’s several ways! A few are listed in the Book of Mormon! 1) Be taught by an amazing missionary like Ammon, Benjamin, or Nephi (son of Nephi). 2) Get visited by an angel because of your father’s righteousness and prayers on your behalf! (Be warned, this didn’t work for Laman and Lemuel because they couldn’t get self-honest and stay self-honest.) 3) Alma 42:30. 4) Contemplate, ponder, study, pray, and fast about how you can have this type of experience every week during the ordinance of the Sacrament. 5) Ask yourself those 4 questions, or better yet, have someone else ask you those 4 questions and follow those rules! 6) Read Truth Is The Issue by F. Enzio Busche in the October 1993 General Conference, and learn more about truth. 7) The 12-steps of addiction recovery! They’re an amazing resource for personal growth and transformation. If you want a true spiritual rebirth, check those out! They’re amazing. You might need a sponsor to help you understand them, but if you look for one, look for someone who has had the change that you’re looking for. 8) Meditation. A personal favorite of mine! It’s amazing what a little stillness can do for clearing your head, and helping you see things more honestly. 9) Journaling. I teach this to all my students. A piece of paper and pen is the cheapest therapy you’ll ever have. Just start writing down all your thoughts and feelings onto a piece of paper, and just get honest. Anything that pops into your head, or any feelings that you have, write it down! This is a zero-judgment zone. One time I wrote in my journal that I’m afraid of food. No judgment.

            Okay! Well that was a ton of information for you! I hope you find this helpful and that it helps you experience conversion, rebirth, and a new life in Christ.

New Changes In Content

As i've been pondering and praying lately i've realized something. This blog is not for my mind-body studies to be fleshed out and exposed as correlating with the gospel. This is a venue for sharing the truth, pure and undefiled before God, testifying of Christ and His gospel and what i'm learning as i pray for, and seek Eternal Life.

For those of you who were excited by the prospects of me teaching about Yoga, India, The Holy Ghost, Chakras, Meridians, Auras, Scriptures, Prophets, and how they all fit together, i'm sorry, but you're going to be disappointed. I'd be happy to talk about it if you want, but i've seen too many people delve into mind-body/energy medicine and lose the firmness of the Holy Spirit, and lose their path.

My path is to preach the gospel, and that's what i'm going to do! I'm still a big advocate of energy medicine, but i just won't be blogging about it! Sorry!

I'll be leaving up my old mind-body stuff, but the rest of this is going to be dedicated to the finer things testifying of Christ. I'll leave the mind-body stuff to Felice Austin and her blog.

Cheers! And looking forward to sharing scriptural insights, lessons learned, and my testimony of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, the ministry of the Holy Ghost, the divinity of the calling of Joseph Smith, and the divinity of the prophetic mantle held by Thomas Spencer Monson.

India/Yoga Series!

So i'm having this huge Meditation/Yoga/India download. Yoga has always been an interest of mine. (My mom bought me a beautiful water color of turtles doing yoga when she was visiting Maui with my dad! I have such a great mom!) And i'm really loving studying this, and i'm learning a ton! So in the spirit of giving freely, I wanted to share with all of you what i'm learning, so i've decided that i'm just going to write and post what i'm learning! So you're going to see a new tab here pretty soon that will be used to link all my India posts! I'm excited slash super nervous! I've never undertaken something like this before, so it's kind of a stretch for me, but i think it's a good stretch! (Please tell me you see what i did there.)

King Benjamin and Thyroid Problems

When we are dealing with a delicate ecosystem, anything removed or added will affect the entire ecosystem for the good or bad of the system; the human soul (DYC 88:15) is one of those delicate ecosystems. 

People often come to my self-mastery classes and set goals that are radical changes from the lives they currently live. Most of the time they don't stick to the goals, and those who do, don't incorporate them into their lives after they graduate from my classes. The people who get the most benefit from my self-mastery classes are the people who take their goals slowly, and incorporate their goals into daily life gently. 

Most people *want* a radical shift in their lives whether that be dietary, or emotional, or physical, most people are unhappy, and want an immediate change. I personally wanted an immediate personal conversion like Alma the younger, or the people of King Benjamin. Unfortunately God doesn't often work that way because we often can't spiritually afford it. Most of the time we have to grow on the slow path, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. It's the slowest, but often the smartest route, because the changes cement over time, and so if we fall back into a bad habit, we've often come so far, that our failings are what most people consider successes. i.e. "I only prayed once today!" or "I didn't write in my journal on Saturday!"

Here's a video about my friend with a Thyroid problem, and how understanding human life as an ecosystem can help us change our lives less painfully and more gracefully. And if you like it go ahead and share it! :-)

The Family: A Proclamation To The World

In LDS General Conference we were invited to record the first vision in our own voice and listen to it over and over again. We were promised that if we obeyed that invitation, it would enable us to get a testimony of the vision of the prophet Joseph Smith! After studying affirmations, and mantras, i've found that they're most powerful if they are in your own voice, so this invitation was right up my alley! (I actually have a recording of me reading my Patriarchal Blessing, and i'll go on walks, and listen to it. It's very special!)

Photo Cred Amber Shaw Photography

My invitation is for us to take a preemptive move in fighting for, and defending the family. I invite all of you to record yourself reading The Family: A Proclamation To The World, and share it on Facebook, or youtube, and to listen to it! We can eliminate subconscious programming by repeating the words of the prophets, and listening to the words of the prophets over and over, and this document is especially powerful.

And in case anyone wants to know this is how i'm memorizing this big document!

Yoga and the Holy Ghost

I. Love. Yoga.

I've said it before, and i'll say it again! But when yoga started having some powerful effects on changing my spiritual/physical/emotional/mental/energetic systems, i got kind of confused. I was convinced that living the Gospel of Jesus Christ would cleanse and change me faster than yoga would, but i wasn't seeing it!  I had felt the guiding hand of the Lord taking me to yoga, but i knew the guiding hand of the Lord because of my religion. Needless to say i was confused and in a mild faith-crisis.

Today i felt like i got an answer! The answer came as i studied how Kundalini Yoga worked, and some inspiration about how the Holy Ghost cleanses our souls. Here's my video kind of explaining what i leaned! The first one cut out, so i'm not sure i said everything i wanted to say. Please let me know if any of this was confusing!

I tried posting the link, but that was annoying. So instead I just uploaded and posted the entire talk! Behold my friends "Unleashing the Dormant Spirit" by Elder F. Enzio Busche. It's a legendary talk. Please enjoy! If you want the audio, i've got that too! I'd be happy to share! Just email me at likenephiofold@gmail.com and i'll send it over!

 

Angels Among Us

I've been studying the spiritual gift of healing the sick for a while now, and i've seen that it will manifest itself in many different ways. Some people with this gift will become skilled surgeons or physicians, while others will take a more holistic approach to healing.

A few days ago I was crippled by some severe hip pain that seemed to come from nowhere. I could barely move, and was stuck in a chair for several hours! I made a phone call to a gifted friend, (Allie) and after some discussion, my hip pain started to dissolve. While i don't fully understand what she did, i know that she has the gift of healing the sick, and it's manifested itself in a way that most people cannot explain.

As I pondered this experience, i was given an insight: angels are among us.

Angels have divine power at their disposal, and as divine beings having a mortal experience, we too have divine power at our disposal. Perhaps us not living up to this power is what President Uchtdorf meant when he said "We live far below our privileges."

As i pondered this, i was reminded of a a talk that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave several years ago, essentially saying that some angels are in heaven, and some are on earth ministering as mortals.

As i pondered and prayed more, i was reminded of one of my favorite scriptures. "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated- And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (DYC 130:18)

To me this means that if angels from heaven will can come perform miracles, they must obey certain laws in order to perform that miracle. Likewise, if man or woman on earth obeys those same laws, then they can pull down those same blessings!

To end i'll just share two things the Prophet Joseph Smith said. "If the sisters should have faith to heal the sick, let all hold their tongues, and let everything roll on." TPJS (pg.224)

Now, as for me healing over a long distance (she's in Washington D.C.), i encourage you to examine Acts 19:11-12, and ponder if God is not still a God of miracles as he said he was.

Become As Little Children

So, i just saw this adorable little girl (3 years old) get jumped on by a dog! It hurt her, and then she was sad, and hurt, and the first thing she did was go to her mom and hug her and cry. Then after a few seconds she felt just fine and stopped crying! I reflected, "Isn't it interesting that the first thing children do when they have an emotional experience is seek love?"

We count 1-2-3 and then squeeeeeeeze!

Studying PNI has taught me that love heals all the emotions, and converts them into love. It's alchemy at it's finest, and it's Christianity at it's finest. As we become as little children, we recognize and honor our feelings, and then seek love which heals and repairs our feelings.

NO STUFFED FEELINGS!

Living in the love of God, if we turn to it, and live in it, and accept it, we won't have emotions that get stuffed and need to be cleared by meditation, or RET, or yoga, or some other clearing tool. It's the true meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Love one another. If we love one another, we won't get stuck emotions, we won't get stuck in shame, and we won't have pavilions cover us from God.

I Was Born On A Rollercoaster

If you've been to Disneyland, you may recognize this sign. The ride is iconic. You're in the dark the whole time, you can barely see a thing. It bumps, shakes, dives, turns, and rocks you all over the place. The whole time you're (or someone else) screaming your head off, horrified you're going to lose a limb, or fall out, or something drastic. It can be a scary ride for some! Most of the time people get off, and think "WOW THAT WAS SO FUN!" and run back in line to get back on the ride!

My friend Shelby and I went to breakfast and then went on a hike, and we realized that life in mortality is like being born on Space Mountain! It's dark, we don't know when the ride will end, we can't see super far in front of us (unless someone turns on the lights), there's bumps, and jerks, and twists and turns, and flashing lights, and people screaming, and it can be a bit much at times!

Not remembering what we signed up for, and the bumps ahead can be quite distressing! But here's the good news. We can turn on the lights. Well, God can turn on the lights for us, if we ask him to and if we let him.

You see, before we came to mortality, we agreed to certain bumps, jerks, twists and turns! Neal A Maxwell sums up the ideas of our mortal experiences reflecting our decisions as spirits before earth beautifully. (You can read the talk here)

In some ways, our second estate, in relationship to our first estate, is like agreeing in advance to surgery. Then the anesthetic of forgetfulness settles in upon us. Just as doctors do not de-anesthetize a patient in the midst of authorized surgery to ask him again if the surgery should be continued, so, after divine tutoring, we agreed once to come here and to submit ourselves to certain experiences and have no occasion to revoke that decision.

God has a plan for each and every one of us. An individual plan of salvation, and exaltation. He knows the bumps and bruises we're going to take, because he knows us perfectly. He's seen us grow and interact for billions of aeons! To quote Elder Maxwell again

It does no violence even to our frail human logic to observe that there cannot be a grand plan of salvation for all mankind, unless there is also a plan for each individual. The salvational sum will reflect all its parts. Once the believer acknowledges that the past, present, and future are before God simultaneously—even though we do not understand how—then the doctrine of foreordination may be seen somewhat more clearly. For instance, it was necessary for God to know how the economic difficulties and crop failures of the Joseph Smith, Senior, family in New England would move this special family to Cumorah country where the Book of Mormon plates were buried. God's plans could scarcely have so unfolded if—willy-nilly—the Smiths had been born Manchurians and if, meanwhile, the plates had been buried in Belgium!

By turning to the great physician for the prescription, our bumps and bruises, and broken bones and broken hearts can turn to anchors and pillars of strength and power. As Jesus said “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matt 19:26 ESV)

The Sleeping Giant

So… for the past several years, God has been pointing at, hinting at, nudging me towards, sometimes blaring at me, tugging me, and besmoodgening (I'm following the lead of great men, and making up words) me towards a gift of mine. It's been one i've never really taken the time to develop, but since i've been doing my spiritual work, and cleaning out my closet, it's been coming up more and more.

Well, about a month ago i got some really great direction, ya know, practical "do this" advice, as opposed to the nebulous besmoodgening i was getting. (besmoodgen: /bēsmo͞ojen/ a gentle prod repeated over and over.)

I followed the "to-do" and had a great sense of satisfaction! I can feel myself moving in this really great direction. I'm not ready to unveil what said target is, because in part, i'm not sure exactly where it will take me.

Well! As of today, i started something that i'm really excited about, and i can feel the sleeping giant inside me waking up. He's coming to the surface, and he's going to rock my world. I know i'll be sharing him with my friends, and family, so you'll no doubt see him! Until then, i'll appreciate all your prayers, and well wishes!

Make God Your Best Friend And Your Wildest Dreams Will Come True

You know those touristy places that sell dream catchers, post-cards, snow-globes and bags of polished rocks? Well, when i was a kid, i was obsessed with those polished stones. I loved them! I contemplated getting a gem polisher, and even attempted to have a rock collection. I dreamt of having a huge Amethyst cathedral in my home, and having big crystals all over my house! I didn't know why i liked them, i just knew that i did!

As i grew older i stopped digging for fossils in my backyard, and i stopped trying to find diamonds or amethyst in the gravel around my church building. I realized that to find those stones that i was so thrilled about it took more mental, emotional and physical resources than i, as a 9 year old, had at my disposal.

As i was leaving my mission in the OTM (Oklahoma Tulsa Mission), my mission president told me something i'd never forget. "Get as much education and training in the areas where you have talents, interests, and passions. God has implanted those desires in you, and He will use them to build his kingdom." So i started my journey to returning to myself! (You can read Part 1, or Part 2.)

Well recently, and my recently i mean in the last 3 years, i re-read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, and had an epiphany! I realized that as a child, i had come to earth with innate desires, interests, passions, and skills unique to me, that i brought with me from the Celestial Kingdom. I don't know if major tantrum throwing was one of them, but i did have a desire to help people, and i was drawn in unexplained ways to things quite outside of my family/cultural strata. (For example when i was 9 i insisted that my mom buy me the yoga mat i found at Ross, and then insisted that she buy me the dvd Yoga For Inflexible People, which i used religiously for several months, and then resurrected every time i'd have a yoga kick.)

So, as of the last 3 years, i've been trying to "become as a little child" again. Freely exploring the world around me, enjoying the things i enjoyed as a child, but now equipped with the knowledge of good and evil. As a child, my naiveté led me into some interesting, dark, and downright evil experiences. But that's what life was all about! So now i've been on a mission to recapture the child, while maintaining the wisdom of my 24 years of mistakes and successes.

It's been an awesome road, and i've discovered that i can enjoy my life by starting to live the life i wanted as a kid, right now! I decided that I was going to listen to broadway musicals and take voice lessons instead of forcing myself to enjoy playing the cello and contemplating Saint-Saens, or Elgar! And i've loved it! It's seemed that the entire world has been conspiring for my good.

So here's what i'm really getting to! Today, I just found out that a new friend of mine happens to be a wholesale rock distributor. She sells giant hunks of geological magic to those touristy spots i talked about! And she's selling them to me for wholesale prices! CHA-CHING!

So what I learned is the lesson that Nephi learned, if you make God your best friend, he'll make all your dreams come true! Because in the process of becoming best friends with God, we become purified, and we change, and all that's left is righteous desire! Then, we are blessed as Nephi of old to have all things granted to us according to our desires! (See Helaman 10, and 2 Nephi 4)

Long story short, i'm glad i've decided to make God my best friend. And i think he's glad i decided to do that too! I know he'll be glad if you decide to, and if you have, i know he'll be delighted if you help others do the same! Do you have any stories of this happening? Email them to me at likenephiofold@gmail.com or leaven them in the comments! 

Cellular Memory Storage

Today i woke up to being taught about cells, memory, molecules, light, and computers. I felt impressed to share, so i hope and pray to God that this comes out the way he intended it, and that i get out of the way.

Cells carry memories just like computers! Cells are programmed with light that has been embedded with a message, just like a computer chip is programmed with an encoded signal. The phrase from the 2008 LDS General Conference "Today scientists even describe light as a 'carrier' or 'messenger'" was going through my mind the whole time i was downloading this information. (You can find that talk here.)

Our bodies as divine instruments animated by spirits, i.e. beings of light, have the capacity to encode light with a message, and send that light to a molecule. (Candace Pert PhD calls these molecules the "Molecules of Emotion") That molecule then becomes like the computer chip, embedded with memories, or emotions, or visual flashes, all transmitted through light.

We've moved far beyond binary as "off and on". With light as information transfer, or fiber optics, we can change the quality, color, or brightness, and use that as a code for transferring information. Our bodies, as gifts from the highest and holiest God, are greater than anything we can develop.

It is my hope that you will pray about, and embrace cellular memories. What this information means to me is that God is light, God is truth, and our bodies need to be sanctified by God's light, and we get that because of Christ's Atonement. There is not one molecule of our bodies that needs to hang on to bitterness, or resentment. If we come unto God, every fiber (cell, or molecule) of our being can and will be cleansed by Him who is light, the light of the world.

As always, comments are encouraged and appreciated! Have you had an experience with cellular memory?

Also, if you'd like more information about cellular memory, you can read Molecules of Emotion by Candace Pert PhD. For more information about light as a form of information transfer take a look at DYC 88, the talk i mentioned earlier, or this TED Talk.

Morse Code And Meditation

Consider this picture as you read the following story.

There once was a former army morse code operator who was looking for a job. One day while looking in the paper for a job, he saw an ad "Morse Code Operator wanted, for appointment call…." He quickly picked up his phone, and called and made an appointment. He was told to come in at a relatively early hour in the morning in a few days.

The day arrived and the operator hopeful walked into the office, dressed in his best suit and tie, and walked up to the secretary. "I'm here for the interview for morse code operator!" he proudly said. The secretary looked up, smiled, and asked him to "take a seat with the others." Puzzled he turns around and sees 3 men men sitting in chairs, dressed in a suit and tie.

As he takes his seat he asks the men how long they've been sitting there. The first man has been waiting for 45 minutes and was reading the paper, the second man had been waiting for 30 minutes and was reviewing his interview notes, the third man had been waiting for 15 minutes, and was nervously sitting there. As our friend took his seat he decided to calm himself down, and clear his mind.

After a few minutes he stepped up to the secretaries desk and asked for a paper and pen. The other men glanced up, and then resumed their respective activities. A few minutes later our friend stood up and marched into the office of the interviewer. The manager stood up, and asked him what he was doing in his office. Our friend showed him his notes, and the man shook his hand and said "congratulations, you've got the job."

When the hiring manager stepped outside his office to announce that the other perspective employees could go home, they were upset and asked why they weren't hired! They had never gotten their interview!

Calmly the hiring manager said, "The entire time you've been sitting out here a message has been broadcast via morse-code: 'If you can hear this, come into my office, you've got the job.' All of you had equal opportunities to translate, all of you had the training, and the skills, but not one of you took the time to be still and listen. Therefore, none of you got the job. You're all dismissed."

This story illustrates a very powerful truth: if we don't listen for the still small voice, we won't hear it. When Christ comes we'll be among those who "never knew [him]." The injunction to "Be still and know that I am God" is a commandment. (And it's not just in the Old Testament! It's a commandment in the Doctrine and Covenants as well.)

I'm sure there are numerous reasons why this is, first off, the world is going to get CRAZY, and if we don't anchor ourselves into him, then we'll won't survive the storm. The second is more subtle i think, by becoming still, we allow ourselves to really surrender everything to the Savior, and let him make changes in us for our benefit.

John 10:27 says "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (NIV) Matthew 7:22-23 says something quite chilling. "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in they name done many wonderful works? And I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Did you notice how often they said that they did a wonderful work "in thy name"? What is the only church that has Jesus Christ's name on it? I've seen plenty of Baptists, and Methodists, and sects of Christianity, but I'm only aware of one church that bears the name of Jesus Christ: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 

Many of members of the LDS Church believe that because they're called, (or got the job interview appointment, and were well qualified, as was the case in the story above), that they'll be chosen. Unfortunately it doesn't work like that! "...Many are called, but few are chosen." as the scriptures declare. The problem? "Their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world…." The solution? Spend time in stillness, and give your heart a chance to let go of the things of this world.

What will happen if you do? The scriptures will open up to you in a way that they've never done before. The words of the prophets will make more sense, and you'll feel an increase of peace in times of difficulty. Your ability to regulate your emotions will be enhanced, and you'll be more calm in times of relative chaos. Also, one of my favorite blessings, all things will begin to be revealed to you. 2 Nephi 27: 11 says of the last days, "And all things shall be revealed unto the children of men which ever have been among the children of men, and which ever will be even unto the ends of the earth." Some people think this will happen in General Conference, but it won't. General Conference has to be the standard to the world, the ensign, the constant unchanging message and invitation to all the peoples of the world. No, this says it will be revealed to the "children of men" not just the prophets or apostles, or yogis, or sages, or mystics.  It will be direct, straight to us, from God to man.

The twelve steps teach it, Oprah suggests it, the prophets have commanded it, and the warnings for not doing it are unmistakably clear! Meditate. Take time each day to be still: still your body, mind, spirit and emotions. (Don't still your heart-beat otherwise you'll die, and I don't want that on my head.) And if you don't know how to do this, ask God to teach you! (That's how i had to learn) If you do this with the pray of knowing God, i promise that you'll get that! I have come to know and love God better through my daily time in stillness. I've become a better disciple of Christ. Love reigns in my home, and in my heart, and when i step out of bounds, i recognize it, and quickly hop back on the path of love, and devotion. It might not make you perfect overnight, but it will certainly transform and change you life!  As always, i love comments, so feel free to share your thoughts! 

It is my hope to meet you as we travel the road of happy destiny (hopefully you'll be meditating),

until then, happy meditating, and have a wonderful life!

Free To Choose

During my mission i was really puzzled by the commandment to "humble yourself…." I was familiar with the process of being humbled by the Lord through his glory, or through affliction, or threats of afflictions. But the idea of choosing to be humble confused me. I didn't know how to choose that!

In the midst of my emotional turmoil the spirit took me to Alma 42:30. It's a gem of a scripture, and reading Alma 39-42 in order to get the full context of Corianton's spiritual state. It also happens to be the formula for humbling ourselves before God.

It reads, "O my son, I desire that ye should deny the justice of God no more. Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do you let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility."

Did you catch that? The justice of God + the mercy of God exercising their full range in the human heart will = humbling her/him to the dust. The scripture points to one other thing, and i'll get there in a moment. When i was on my mission, i only saw justice and mercy, because that's what i needed at the time.

I used to think of this as a pendulum! (again, we're ignoring that third part for a just moment)

It's perfect! If i bank too much on the mercy's of God, i will be denying Justice, and excuse myself in my sins. If i lean too much on God's justice, i'll never be able to accept the Atonement as ransom for my sins. Humility is in-between justice and mercy. Okay, here's the third part, (10 points if you can guess it) love. That is, the Love of God.

Eliza R. Snow penned it beautifully in her hymn How Great The Wisdom And The Love, "How great, how glorious, how complete redemptions grand design, where Justice, Love, and Mercy meet in harmony divine!" (Hymns, 195)

I like to think that these three have to come together, because in love we find a love for God, and for ourselves and our fellow men and women. But this change must come about because of a love for God, which only comes as a result of feeling God's love! (1 John 4:19)

This all sparked through my mind tonight because i was contemplating affirmations. I decided that I was going to wake-up early, pray, and then spend 10 minutes in total silence, letting go of everything, then spend 10 minutes putting in healthy food for my brain via affirmations. (This is actually part of a bigger plan, but that's a post for another day!)

I was looking at a blog post the other day from one of the blogs i follow and Kylie, the blogger, put up a bunch of affirmations (that i'm assuming came from a really awesome scripture study) that started with "I am free to choose…" and it'd list two things she can choose, where she can really only choose one of the two i.e. "I am free to choose liberty and eternal life, or captivity and death."

So, i guess i liked them because they reminded me that I am free to choose humility, or self justification, or self deprecation. And that's a really great feeling.