Monday, May 19, 2014

Poem: What are they without these?

Here is a poem I wrote recently.  The poem expresses gratitude for life's many faceted emotions.  Varying experiences and emotions have given me ammunition to write poetry, that I'm sure I wouldn't have written had I not had these experiences.  Besides poetry there are many blessings I have gained by means of both good and bad experiences in my life.  Thus, are there really 'bad' experiences?

What are they without these?
I thank you life experiences for giving me the inspiration to bring to life through words the thoughts that fill this poem. 
I thank you hate, anger and ingratitude for filling my soul with feelings that pour onto the page an everlasting memory of painted song 
I thank you apathy for teaching me that being void of feeling seems to feel something too and gives a neglectful edge to each dry word yet still expressing. 
I thank you chalous for rubbing against me just enough to bring a strength I didn't know I had that would yield such forc-ed letters upon a backdrop of white. 
I thank you tenderness, sweetness and love, for brimming up inside me like a fully flowing faucet pouring sillily into an overflowing cup.  Eventually it fills and when it is too full it can't help but escape somewhere, and for me it often finds itself with ink, and splotches, scribbles pouring as the dripping edge of the cups rime is flowing over. 
Thank you choice for affording me the vast difference in the lenses which I see the world which can seem to shift and change so rapidly as it were that each new drifting thoughts desire for a home finds itself in my notebook.   
Duly noted.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

That Unseen Sphere

There is an unseen sphere in this world that is very active and alive.  It is a place which is easy to forget about.  It is hidden from our immediate conscience.  It is vast and expansive.  It can be extremely evasive or extremely invasive, depending on how you interact with it.

This sphere is the sphere of souls.  The sphere of spirits.

There are spirits all around us right now, as we speak, which we cannot see. Some are good influences and some are evil.  The new testament affirms this, and alludes to the effect that they do, or rather, can influence us.  This scripture in John also hints that many of these spirits are those lingering here after they have died.
John 4:11 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:  because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 
So consider with me for a moment, if you will, how are the people around you being influenced by these spirits, unknowingly (or perhaps knowingly).  How much do you think spirits interact with us or tell us things that only our spirits are hearing.  When someone makes a rude remark to you, you might pause now to consider if that rude remark was influenced by 5 evil spirits surrounding that person.

The world looks a little different now, doesn't it?

What of you?  What are you thinking and saying that is being told to you, that your soul is picking up and regurgitating back to the world.  I believe that we are far more intellectual than we even comprehend.  Do you think that we solely cognize with our brains, or do you think part of our knowledge is only known with our soul?  How much of what the brain knows is a result of it's acceptance of information taught to it by the soul?  Think of the phrases "listen to your soul"  or "Listen to your heart"?  Why would we have to "listen" if it was only in our brain and not something separate from it?

Let me simplify this.  Imagine two people, in a room, looking at eachother, but silent.  Silent, at least, to the audible ear.   Are they not still conversing?  Can their spirits, inside their, bodies not understand the others and converse, in whatever way spirits do (which apparently is not with words).   What are our spirits saying to each other?

I believe that the spirit inside us cannot lie, but I do believe it can be deceived and thereby darken.  Pulling away from it's creator.  The more deception is in place the further away from light ones spirit lives.  By choice are we becoming brighter or darker each day.  By choice are we connecting with who we really are or going away from every day.

So, if a spirit is deceived is it still speaking truths to other spirits?
It may be deceiving but it will always reflect it's true intention and it cannot hide it's reality, or it's current state.

It takes effort to reach inward to that creature that we really are.  It takes effort to connect ourselves with our own souls, and in my experience the more we do so, the more clearly and accurately we can recognize this 'unseen sphere', and not be deceived by those parts of this sphere which is deceptive.

God gave us His Holy Spirit to guide us:
Doctrine and Covenants 84: 46 "And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world;  and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit."  
 So how important then is this unseen world?  How important are the spirits in us, around us, for us?
I'd say very important.  Most especially important is the Spirit which I just referenced from Doctrine and Covenants.

Listen to this amazing truth, and try and listen with your soul to the soul of the message.

Moroni 10: 5 "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."  

Wow.
All things.
That is allot of things.

So, tapping into that Spirit is the key to all truth!  The question then is, how can we recognize that Spirit?  Well, lets go back to the conversation of the two people who aren't talking with their words (only their souls).  What means do you think helps you to hear that persons soul?  Would walking away from them help?  Probably not, right?  Would playing loud obnoxious music help, or putting a tv show on in the background? No.  A different kind of attention is required, is it not?

I believe that feeling and listening to the spirit is very close to this kind of listening I just described.  The Bible tells us that the spirit is peaceful, full of love, gentle, meek, kind, and faithful.  The scriptures and words of prophets further enlighten us to know that some of us feel the Spirit as a warmth, with others it fills their minds and hearts with light and knowledge

The Light of Christ is the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things.  The Light of Christ influences people for good and prepares them to receive the Holy Ghost.  (found on lds.org)

That causes me to ponder the energy that I feel when I am in a forest, or by a tree.  The tree is a living thing, and if the light of Christ is giving life to all things, then the tree is full of the light of Christ.  That is such a beautiful concept!

Can you not feel that energy?  Next time you are by a tree, close your eyes, breath and focus on the energy or the soul of the tree and what it feels like.  You will know what I am talking about.



This is the spirit, this is of God.  His light and love are in all things which are of Him and that serve him.  The scriptures tell us that even mountains obey God.

Ever worshiping, ever loving, let us be aware of this sphere which God operates in.  Let us open our hearts together to take in and drink deeply from the waters of His Spirit and His Son's atoning sacrifice.  Let us feel together the energy and soul that is Christ's, feel the power of His death for us so that we can live again.  Let us become one with His energy, His light, His way.