5 Thoughts On Sunday

Sometimes (all the time lately) I have too many blog posts to write, so I have decided to do a whole bunch of short ones at once before they get replaced by new ones and I never get around to it. So here are 5 Things. Some of them are mind blowingly awesome, others might not be, but I had to get them out. (If you have trouble commenting try try again. I don't know what the heck is wrong and why people can't comment sometimes. If you know, please help. Thanks!)

One- I Heard a Good Rumor


Back in June I heard that the Bishops's Storehouse is going GMO free. I haven't heard anything since then, so if anyone can confirm or disprove this rumor, I would be grateful. If you don't know, the Bishop's Storehouse is part of the welfare program of our church, so they give food to the poor in our country and I think it is also the source for food to send overseas.

If you don't know what GMOs are, it stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. Sound tasty, right? It means the food was made or altered in a lab. GMOs are not only linked to infertility, low birth weight, and ALL kinds of other problems, but they deprive a person of vital nutrition. Sure it seems like you are eating healthy, but wait.... it's actually not food. I have read studies to back all this up, but I am a notoriously bad source citer and I'd rather you go do the research and not take my word for it.

The reason I think this is soo cool if it is true is that it means that some out there is reading the Word of Wisdom (which is kind of our LDS code of health) the same way I do and that is that all things that were created by God were ordained for the good and for the use of man. Things made in a lab are not made by God. I have way more I could say on this, but I will refrain. So I hope the rumor is true. Next best would be if they went organic.

Two- The Age of Experience is Getting More Experiential

Back in March I wrote a post explaining some of what the Aquarian Age is all about and how our Prophet and high ranking church leaders totally get it, even if they aren't calling it that. One of the big points is that it is the age of experience. It used to be if you wanted to know something you went to school or a book or to someone smarter than you who had done a lot of school and book learning. Now it's about having the experience yourself, specifically of having the experience of God within you and personal revelation. While this has ALWAYS been our church doctrine, until now we hadn't been living in a word that was friendly to that concept. Now we are. And I just heard another rumor, from a private correspondence, that the Bretheren (church leaders) are doing everything they can recently to encourage members to get their own personal revelation and answers and to live by those answers. Temple presidents have even been recently counseled not to answer any questions about symbolism or meaning in the temple--not even to give their own opinions in private meeting within the temple. We are all to see our own inspiration and divine experiences and manifestations. Sounds like the age of experience. It's time to find out what you believe. Not what "we" believe.

Three - I'm Doing a Podcast

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In April, I said out loud that I wanted to do a podcast. I have no idea why. I don't even listen to podcasts. But I knew I needed to do it. Several months later, Andy Rasmussen, who has taken my meditation class, asked if I wanted to co-host a podcast with him and we're going to do it. Andy has lots of radio experience, so he's taking care of things and all I have to do is show up. It's going to be titled Zion Consciousness: Mormons in the New Age. (Or something like that.) The format may metamorphasize as we grow into it (we may interview people, we may  not), but the general concept is that we will discuss and connect the Mormon idea of Zion with some of the New Age concepts out there. We'd like to give Mormons a vocabulary to bridge the gap between our culturally Western religious experience and the Eastern idea of increasing levels of consciousness.

Andy said it well in an email to me:

"There are so many members of the Church right now that are feeling the stirring and find themselves drawn to new dimensions and experiences of spirituality. - And on the other side, there are many others that are stumbling across "new" (not really) information that they perceive as challenging the foundational LDS stories upon which their faith rests." 
This podcast would be for both groups. It will give the first group permission, without feeling like they doing something wrong, and it will help the second group dispel fear and see that it is the "same God who worketh in all." 

As you see in the thought #2, this is the age of experience, so besides merely discussing these things and showing you how deep and smart we are, our goal is to create or give the audience something that can be applied and experiential. I'm still not exactly sure what that looks like yet, but God will guide the way. I'm excited. It should be up in about a month. Right now we have everything we need, but we'd love to have help with sound editing (simple stuff, adding some intro music and out music, etc and making it sound professional) if anyone out there is interested in that would love doing it. We could do it ourselves, but the thought came to see if anyone wants to be involved. So if you can reliably help + or - one hour/week, please comment or send me a private message. 

Four - The Best Two Years Of Your Life - Huh? 
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Today in church 4 people were asked to talk about their mission experience and what they learned from it. These were all people who had at least 25 years or more between them and that experience. 

Here are some notes I wrote:
  • They were the best 2 years because for 18 years you focused on you and for 2 years you didn't focus on yourself. Like Christ did. 
  • Learned to love the people. 
  • Why can't we just all focus on others, be like Christ, love people in our town NOW and have great years. 
  • They prayed about what to do and where to go that day. What if one did that now. Maybe tomorrow I will put aside my to-do list and say where do you want me to go/do today? I wonder if we'd all get way more done toward mission in life stuff and be way less frustrated. And maybe all the mundane details on to-do list would take care of themselves. This is what I will do tomorrow. 
Five - The Gathering is Now

Remember how we are living in a prophecy? Yeah. It's now. Here is an excerpt from an email I got from Robyn in Idaho. Perhaps this is why I felt the need to teach a retreat in Idaho this month. 
"So the other night an 'emergency' meeting was called for all of the bishoprics, EQ presidents and HPQ leaders in our stake. Basically under the direction of the First Presidency our Area Authority directed all of the stake presidencies in our region to exercise the keys of gathering in their stakes and wards. They were told that this was the time of the last great gathering and that the lowering of the missionary age was also a part of this."
Of course, this is not a super surprise. The church even launched a website about the Hastening. The emphasis is on missionary work and reactivation, but I think that the keys of gathering involve more than that.  And if this hasn't happened in your area yet, maybe it's because certain places are going to be hot spots for certian events sooner than others. The point is, the time to up-level and prepare is now. And as Lani wrote in a recent post, mediation is a great way to prepare for Zion. It give you a straight pipeline to God. What could be more a appropriate guide/protector/friend/light through the Aquarian Age. 

That's all for now. Xo. Sat Nam. Love Comments.

Comments

  1. I'm looking forward to the podcast, and to whatever help or suggestions anyone can offer!
    And btw, my last name has one "s" the first time and two the second :) Rasmussen.

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    1. Oh Dear. When are you going to get one of those easy names...I'll fix it.

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  2. Love this! Had thoughts to share....

    1)The Institute for Responsible Technology has tons of info on GMO's as well as the movie Genetic Roulette. It's a must see, if you haven't seen it already. It supports everything you said about GMO's but backs it up with science and firsthand interviews, and also shows the corruption of the FDA granting the ok for GMOs. (Former Mansanto employees now working for the FDA).
    2) I can't speak across the board, but can say that my mom's Stake in southern UT is now able to order GMO free wheat.
    3)The podcast : Now I see where you were coming from in one of your previous posts. :) Interesting idea. I think that meditation can be a useful tool to help empty the mind of it's garbage (nonstop chatter). By learning to quiet the mind, it could allow for more immediate access to the Spirit.
    4)The Gathering is Now. Yup, I'm seeing that firsthand. Lots of missionaries in our area now. Elders, Sisters, and a Senior Couple. Also, personally feeling an internal push to share the Gospel,in a way I've never felt before.

    Happy Sabbath!

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    1. See I knew some one would post all the necessary sources in the comments. :) Thanks!

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  3. Felice. Thank you for your thoughts, and light and sharing your wonderful research and insight. I have recently connected the dots of many things I believe are happening now. In the "new" missionary program (it isn't new anymore is it?) we were taught to pray about where to go, who we were going to meet, then we were to prepare individual lessons for these people we hadn't even met yet. It was hard. Now I look back on the spiritual growth that has happened since then, i think, of course he needs to teach us that. We need to know how to do that in all we do. It is the next step. It is living personal revelation.

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    1. Living personal revelation is hard at first. But then, when you surrender control. It is awesome, isn't it. So much less to worry about when you trust that God has this. And you are welcome. :) Sat Nam.

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  4. So many things in my life are connecting. First I stumbled onto some "anti" stuff. Blah. But I perserved, solidified my faith and then BAM! All of the sudden I have been finding stuff on Zion and personal revelation and then I found you and BAM it is all being connected in a different way than I ever thought possible. I have never meditated before. I finally tried to do my own version of the anger meditation because I couldn't figure out the words or remember them all. But I don't meditate. But I think I want to. I think you have some incredible insights into many things and some things you say just are connecting and I am having these spiritual feasts and it is pretty awesome. Thank you for being a part of that. I wish I could hug you or something. :)

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    1. Kristin. I wish I could hug you too. Email me if you need help on our journey. And join the FB page to find friends in spirit. Sat nam.

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  5. Love all the thoughts! :)

    I will share my 2 bits about missionary service. My mission was amazing, and I look back with great love, appreciation, and fondness. However I will never call it the best 18 months of my life for fear of telling God and my family that nothing else could ever compare. I've had some amazing experiences since then, and feel it a slap in the face to all involved to call it the best 18 months of my life.

    Just sharing a pet peeve of mine. :)

    God has so much in store for His children, and we can live (as you mentioned) that way every day (the way we lived as missionaries...being directed by God). Dedicate your life to Him, and develop yourself so that all you feel for yourself and others is love and compassion. God is a worker of miracles, and He chooses to use us as His hands because He loves us!

    Every day can be the best day of our lives...Look forward with hope, instead of looking back with longing.

    To God always be the Glory.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. By the way, I was talking about people in general dedicating their life to God, and developing ourselves. It was not "instruction" for you. Lol. Hope that came across clearly!

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