A reminder that registration for these upcoming classes ends TODAY. First classes start tomorrow! Sign up today if you are interested--I am not sure if I will be able to do a second course of online lessons. This may be the only chance to take these classes. Partial scholarships may be available based on need. Please email or comment with any questions.
The most popular class so far has been the Home Healing course. This one will teach basic healing techniques for use in the home and as a basic home business. It will be a prerequisite to more advanced lessons if I ever get to do those!
The other two classes are for energetic self care--the first class is for everyone, and the second class is specifically for betrayed spouses. These classes will give you the tools that you need to clear your own negative emotions, get enough sleep, and scramble residual trauma and stress from past events--as well as destroy triggers of trauma and stress for the future.
If the PayPal links don't work, you can go ahead and send the registration money through PayPal to me at awinegarduzett at gmail dot com (<--except not spelled out. You know the drill).
Multiple classes for the same person get a discount for signing up. If you sign up for the Home Healing Class AND one of the other classes, you can take off 33% of the second class. That would make the Self Care for Stress $50 and the Self Care for Trauma class $34.
Home Healing for Times of Tribulation
This class will cover as many home-healing techniques as I can squish into six weeks. We will go into theta, use our hands for healing, learn to sense energy and energetic disturbances in the human body, master muscle testing, change subconscious beliefs, and more. This class will be the prerequisite for future, more advanced healing courses. The intention is that these skills will be useful in emergency scenarios at home, as well as in other scenarios as the need arises. In the case of economic need, it's the hope that these skills could translate into another source of income or be used as a useful thing to barter.
The class will meet live every Wednesday night at 9 PM EST, starting on November 5 and going to December 10, with video recordings available afterwards for those who can't make it live. This class will involve homework and outside reading I will send you--prepare to work! Don't worry, you will not work too hard! It's gonna be good!
Students will practice on each other, as well--so signing up for this class will lead to opportunities to both heal and be healed.
Energetic Self Care for Victims of Acute and Chronic Stress
This class will teach energetic techniques for combatting everything from insomnia to anxiety to excess worry to physical manifestations of stress and anxiety. This six-week class will meet live every Saturday from 11-12 AM EST, from November 1 to December 6, 2014, and video recordings will be made available afterwards for those who can't make it live.
Learn to combat personal stress and stress-related physical pain with techniques such as:
- Identification of underlying emotions,
- Emotional transformation and release,
- Therapeutic touch for stress release,
- Visualization for stress release,
- Scrambling neuropathways associated with stress,
- Grounding to short-circuit insomnia, and more!
Realize a needed transformation in your life by learning these simple, accessible, effective energetic techniques to short-circuit feelings of stress and put yourself on a new, happier, healthier life path.
Registration: $75
Energetic Self Care and Trauma Release for "Togetherness"
This class is for select people--if you have questions about whether or not you qualify for this class, please reach out.
This class will teach energetic techniques for combatting everything from insomnia to triggers to post-traumatic stress to physical manifestations of stress, anxiety, and trauma. This six-week class will meet live every Saturday from 3-4 PM EST, from November 1 to December 6, 2014, and video recordings will be made available afterwards for those who can't make it live.
Learn and use techniques such as:
- Emotional transformation and release,
- Therapeutic touch for healing,
- Guided visualization for healing,
- Scrambling neuropathways associated with trauma,
- Grounding for insomnia relief,
- Kundalini meditation to clear out residual subconscious trauma, and more!
Realize a needed transformation in your life by learning these simple, accessible, effective energetic techniques to short-circuit feelings of trauma and put yourself on a new, happier, healthier life path.
Registration: $50 (price reduced from $75)
I look forward to working with all of you! Send any questions. :o)
Friday, October 31, 2014
Thursday, October 30, 2014
how people absorb emotions from others
One thing I run into a lot is the absorption of other people's emotions.
I don't just mean in myself, although that does happen, but in my work, it is often the case that a client's unexplained emotions or pains are actually the result of absorbing emotions from other people. Some people are just very prone to doing that.
So I want to talk about why and how this is, and how you can protect yourself. This post is an introduction to emotion absorption.
The mechanics of emotion absorption
We all have dual natures: we are both physical and spiritual beings. Part of our spiritual anatomy involves things called "chakras," the Sanskrit word for "wheels," or "vortexes." The Christian scriptures refer to them as "wheels" and Ezekiel 1 teaches that the spirit is in the wheels.
The vortex-like nature of these wheels make it so things can get kind of sucked into them. If you don't protect yourself, you can end up sucking up all sorts of energy into those wheels. Ideally, we would only absorb energies that would make us better and stronger, but often people don't live their lives in a very conscious state, and so they just allow whatever is there to enter their energy system.
Everything has energy. The music you listen to is made of sound waves--vibrations--and if that musical energy, if that song's energy, is good or bad, it will end up stuck to your energy and affecting you, unless you take steps to stop it. But this doesn't just go for music: it goes for food. Friendships. Hatreds. Technologies. Everything. Everything and everyone has energy and we all give it to and take it from each other.
You could argue that a good chunk of Christian teaching--and most spiritual teachings--is two-fold in message: to only give off the highest possible energy to those around you, and to avoid or prevent negative energy from others or events or actions to penetrate or lodge in you. We learn from the scriptures and the modern prophets to deny ourselves all ungodliness, and to love those that hate us. Since love cancels out negative vibrations, this is a very powerful energetic teaching for human spiritual and physical health.
A short explanation of emotion absorption, though, is that our spirits can siphon off negative (or positive) emotions from each other and store them in ourselves. I believe that mechanically this occurs via a thing called etheric cords--the energetic connections between people. If you have spiritual sight, the gift of discernment of spirits, these are the white-blue or black lines connecting people to each other. The blue ones are two-way and good; the black ones are one-way and bad. The blue ones mean the people give and take each other's energy roughly equally; the black ones mean one person is siphoning off the other person's energies and not replacing them. Not everyone "sees" energy in this way, but that is how I personally see it.
People can have more than one cord to another person. For example, a mother might have two, three, four, or more etheric cords extending from different parts of her energy to her child. Hopefully married people have cords to and from each other's root chakras, and separate cords to and from their heart chakras and chakras in their heads. It's possible to have healthy and unhealthy cords between the same two people.
Conclusion
There is a physical mechanism for the phenomenon of feeling like someone energizes you, or conversely, feeling like someone is sucking you energetically dry. People give and take each other's energy through "etheric cords." Some are energizing and some are the opposite. This is also how people give and absorb emotions to each other.
I don't just mean in myself, although that does happen, but in my work, it is often the case that a client's unexplained emotions or pains are actually the result of absorbing emotions from other people. Some people are just very prone to doing that.
So I want to talk about why and how this is, and how you can protect yourself. This post is an introduction to emotion absorption.
The mechanics of emotion absorption
We all have dual natures: we are both physical and spiritual beings. Part of our spiritual anatomy involves things called "chakras," the Sanskrit word for "wheels," or "vortexes." The Christian scriptures refer to them as "wheels" and Ezekiel 1 teaches that the spirit is in the wheels.
The vortex-like nature of these wheels make it so things can get kind of sucked into them. If you don't protect yourself, you can end up sucking up all sorts of energy into those wheels. Ideally, we would only absorb energies that would make us better and stronger, but often people don't live their lives in a very conscious state, and so they just allow whatever is there to enter their energy system.
Everything has energy. The music you listen to is made of sound waves--vibrations--and if that musical energy, if that song's energy, is good or bad, it will end up stuck to your energy and affecting you, unless you take steps to stop it. But this doesn't just go for music: it goes for food. Friendships. Hatreds. Technologies. Everything. Everything and everyone has energy and we all give it to and take it from each other.
You could argue that a good chunk of Christian teaching--and most spiritual teachings--is two-fold in message: to only give off the highest possible energy to those around you, and to avoid or prevent negative energy from others or events or actions to penetrate or lodge in you. We learn from the scriptures and the modern prophets to deny ourselves all ungodliness, and to love those that hate us. Since love cancels out negative vibrations, this is a very powerful energetic teaching for human spiritual and physical health.
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| Etheric cords. Image here. |
A short explanation of emotion absorption, though, is that our spirits can siphon off negative (or positive) emotions from each other and store them in ourselves. I believe that mechanically this occurs via a thing called etheric cords--the energetic connections between people. If you have spiritual sight, the gift of discernment of spirits, these are the white-blue or black lines connecting people to each other. The blue ones are two-way and good; the black ones are one-way and bad. The blue ones mean the people give and take each other's energy roughly equally; the black ones mean one person is siphoning off the other person's energies and not replacing them. Not everyone "sees" energy in this way, but that is how I personally see it.
People can have more than one cord to another person. For example, a mother might have two, three, four, or more etheric cords extending from different parts of her energy to her child. Hopefully married people have cords to and from each other's root chakras, and separate cords to and from their heart chakras and chakras in their heads. It's possible to have healthy and unhealthy cords between the same two people.
Conclusion
There is a physical mechanism for the phenomenon of feeling like someone energizes you, or conversely, feeling like someone is sucking you energetically dry. People give and take each other's energy through "etheric cords." Some are energizing and some are the opposite. This is also how people give and absorb emotions to each other.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
rid your stuff of negative energy
A few weeks back a reader emailed me wondering how to get rid of the bad energy surrounding a book she'd gotten used. It was a great question.
Everything in the world is made out of energy. Our belongings all have their own energy fields, just as our bodies do. And even within the body, each organ has its own energy field. Everything has energy.
So sometimes we get objects that just have bad energy to them. You would recognize this as "bad vibes," or just a feeling that something is off. If this feeling is consistent, your object may be carrying some residual bad vibes from its past. Many people don't realize that used items--and even new items--can come previously infected with negative energy.
The easiest way to remove negative energy from something is to pray in faith for the negative energy to be neutralized or removed. The trick to effective prayer is visualization: ask for the negative energy to go, but then visualize or imagine it going. If you can't imagine it going, then just imagine what it would feel like to imagine it going. That can be good enough!
You can muscle test on if you own any items that need associated negative energy cleared. Your subconscious will know the answer to that. And you can muscle test after you pray for the clearing, to be sure it went through.
Other ways to clear things of negative energy are to sprinkle it with baking soda, sea salt or Himalayan salt or other natural salt, sage smudge it or use sage essential oil on it and the area around it, or leave it out in moonlight. Or bury it in a good patch of earth. But using prayer and intention is the easiest way.
Conclusion
Items and objects can carry negative energy. Your subconscious mind recognizes this subtle energy and can respond accurately to its presence through muscle testing. Prayer with visualization can be an effective way to clear negative energy from an object or a space.
Everything in the world is made out of energy. Our belongings all have their own energy fields, just as our bodies do. And even within the body, each organ has its own energy field. Everything has energy.
So sometimes we get objects that just have bad energy to them. You would recognize this as "bad vibes," or just a feeling that something is off. If this feeling is consistent, your object may be carrying some residual bad vibes from its past. Many people don't realize that used items--and even new items--can come previously infected with negative energy.
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| Image here. |
The easiest way to remove negative energy from something is to pray in faith for the negative energy to be neutralized or removed. The trick to effective prayer is visualization: ask for the negative energy to go, but then visualize or imagine it going. If you can't imagine it going, then just imagine what it would feel like to imagine it going. That can be good enough!
You can muscle test on if you own any items that need associated negative energy cleared. Your subconscious will know the answer to that. And you can muscle test after you pray for the clearing, to be sure it went through.
Other ways to clear things of negative energy are to sprinkle it with baking soda, sea salt or Himalayan salt or other natural salt, sage smudge it or use sage essential oil on it and the area around it, or leave it out in moonlight. Or bury it in a good patch of earth. But using prayer and intention is the easiest way.
Conclusion
Items and objects can carry negative energy. Your subconscious mind recognizes this subtle energy and can respond accurately to its presence through muscle testing. Prayer with visualization can be an effective way to clear negative energy from an object or a space.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Preparing for the Shemitah, Jubilee, and Possible Sorrows
I've been blogging a lot about Biblical calendars--the Shemitah we are currently living through, the Jubilee that begins next year, the "half hour" or 21 years of silence following the opening of the seventh seal, and the associated Tribulation. The big question is: if all this stuff is legit--which, who knows, maybe it isn't, but maybe it is--how does one prepare?
So I decided to do a series on preparedness. And I guess this is its introductory post.
The first thing to do is identify what we are preparing for.
What situations can we expect in the coming years and why?
These are the types of situations I would tend to expect:
So I decided to do a series on preparedness. And I guess this is its introductory post.
The first thing to do is identify what we are preparing for.
What situations can we expect in the coming years and why?
These are the types of situations I would tend to expect:
Based on the nature and timing of the Shemitah:
- General economic collapse, leading up to and culminating in a severe collapse on 13 September 2015 (29 Elul on the Biblical calendar)
- Possible associated disaster, either manmade (like the 9/11 terror attacks or the Wall Street collapse on 9/28/08), or natural (no precedence that I can think of off the top of my head, but it feels like a possibility--could involve something like an earthquake or other weather event, or a plague of some sort)
Based on the nature and the timing of the Jubilee:
- Traditionally, the Jubilee marks a second consecutive year of economic disturbance, so you would expect things to be even worse economically from mid-September 2015 to mid-September 2016.
- I personally would not be surprised if the beginning of the Jubilee coincided with the Beginning of Sorrows, because it will begin the last "ten minutes" of the "half hour of silence" mentioned in the book of Revelation, as well as D&C 88:95. These "ten minutes" will last seven years--a third of the overall time involved in the "half hour."
If the Beginning of Sorrows does begin soonish--not that it has to or will, but if it did--these are the kinds of things we would expect:
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| Image here. |
- Plagues: wiping out the world's population significantly.
- Increase in the severity and frequency of natural disasters of all kinds: ones of particular interest might include storms, earthquakes, and tidal waves.
- Societal collapse: it won't feel like Kansas anymore, Toto. Associated violence and general wandering in search of safety and resources.
- Wars and rumors of wars. Possible invasion by foreign troops in addition to local gang violence.
- Famine--partially from natural disasters ruining crops, and partially because it is no longer safe to farm
So the question is, how do we prepare for stuff like that?
I propose that there are a few different areas of necessary preparation:
I'll be examining these different areas of preparation in the coming weeks. We all have a lot to prepare if there ever is an emergency in our lives--whether that emergency is a widespread societal one, or just a personal one like job loss or a death in the family.
Whether or not the coming years hold economic craziness, it is always a good idea to be prepared. This talk from President Gordon B. Hinckley in 2005 is more relevant than ever: if we are prepared we shall not fear. Read the whole talk, but he says:
So to echo the prophet: my point here is not to panic or anything like that. None of the call to prepare is somehow new. Maybe crazy things are coming and maybe not, but in either case, it pays to be prepared.
To that end, upcoming posts will be covering issues of preparedness on all levels. Time to get our houses in order!
I propose that there are a few different areas of necessary preparation:
- Spiritual: how strong is your faith that God can and will take care of you?
- Emotional: how strong are you emotionally? Could you emotionally handle a collapse of the current order?
- Mental: Do you know the things you'd need to know to survive if a survival situation came up in your life?
- Physical: Is your body physically fit enough to withstand a new level of physical rigor?
- Temporal: Do you have the necessary stuff to get through any potential trials comfortably? This would include things like stored food and water, water filters, cloth diapers, hand-laundering equipment, extra clothing, etc.
I'll be examining these different areas of preparation in the coming weeks. We all have a lot to prepare if there ever is an emergency in our lives--whether that emergency is a widespread societal one, or just a personal one like job loss or a death in the family.
Whether or not the coming years hold economic craziness, it is always a good idea to be prepared. This talk from President Gordon B. Hinckley in 2005 is more relevant than ever: if we are prepared we shall not fear. Read the whole talk, but he says:
Our people for three-quarters of a century have been counseled and encouraged to make such preparation as will assure survival should a calamity come.
We can set aside some water, basic food, medicine, and clothing to keep us warm. We ought to have a little money laid aside in case of a rainy day.
Now what I have said should not occasion a run on the grocery store or anything of that kind. I am saying nothing that has not been said for a very long time.
So to echo the prophet: my point here is not to panic or anything like that. None of the call to prepare is somehow new. Maybe crazy things are coming and maybe not, but in either case, it pays to be prepared.
To that end, upcoming posts will be covering issues of preparedness on all levels. Time to get our houses in order!
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Tao Te Ching: Chapter 7 Commentary
This is part of a series examining the Tao Te Ching from a Christ-centered, LDS perspective.
Chapter 7 of the Tao Te Ching examines the importance of selflessness in achieving steadfastness and other goals.
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| Heaven and Earth. Image here. |
The chapter reads:
Heaven and Earth are everlasting
The reason Heaven and Earth can last forever
Is that they do not exist for themselves
Thus they can last forever
The reason Heaven and Earth can last forever
Is that they do not exist for themselves
Thus they can last forever
Therefore the sages:
Place themselves last but end up in front
Are outside of themselves and yet survive
Is it not due to their selflessness?
That is how they can achieve their own goals
Place themselves last but end up in front
Are outside of themselves and yet survive
Is it not due to their selflessness?
That is how they can achieve their own goals
Selflessness, a Christian virtue
Generally speaking, this is Christian doctrine. Matthew 19:19 explains that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. The Sermon on the Mount really expands on this idea, urging Christians to "go the extra mile" (Matthew 5:41), to give those who sue us for our coat our cloak also (Matthew 5:40), and generally bless those that curse us and do good to those who hate us (Matthew 5:44). What are all these admonitions but a call to stop existing for ourselves, and start existing for others--placing ourselves last?
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| This concept is also widely recognized in the secular world. Image here. |
Who really wants to walk an extra mile with that Roman soldier? Who really wants to give up their cloak after they've already been sued for their coat? Who wants be kind to those who hate them? Right? Anybody? These are not natural reactions. Mastering them requires selflessness and a willingness to "place [ourselves] last." But we know from the Bible that keeping these commandments results in "last[ing] forever" through eternal life, and "acheiv[ing] [our] own goals" of salvation.
Yin, Yang, and a Celestial Marriage
Now I want to note is the reference to Heaven and Earth. In Taoist philosophy, Heaven is yang and Earth is yin (Heaven is infinite, Earth is finite). So this is very much referring to the masculine and feminine aspects. In that way, it can be understood to be offering advice for a solid marriage, if you choose to read it that way. Heaven and Earth--yin and yang, masculine and feminine, male and female, "can last forever," because "they do not exist for themselves." The wise therefore "place themselves last but end up in front," "are outside of themselves and yet survive."
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| Yin and yang. Public domain. |
But this is also Christian doctrine. I say Christian and not just Mormon because it is straight-up right there in the Bible. Here is one succinct scripture about the concept, Ephesians 5:23-25:
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;Christ is Infinite, the masculine aspect, and the church is finite, the feminine aspect; as Christ is yang to the Church, husbands are yang to their wives. Or at least, they are supposed to be.
Yin
Verse 24 commands wives to be "subject" to their husbands "in every thing." Not just some things, but actually everything (see also 1 Corinthians 7:10-14--where it is recommended that wives even stick with their "unbelieving husbands," and 1 Peter 3:1, where wifely "subjection" is said to make disobedient husbands come around to follow the Word). What is this, as a wife, but not existing for yourself? I can speak from experience when I say that subjecting yourself to your husband in all things necessarily means putting yourself last. In my case, I've made a number of sacrifices in order to keep the commandment to "subject" myself to my husband "in every thing."
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| Eve covenanted to obey her husband. |
Yet, as his wife, I've enjoyed miracles as a result. Every time I have put my own self aside in order to keep that commandment, I've ended up being more blessed as a result. For more on this Biblical order, see Colossians 3:18 and Ephesians 5:22, or even just Genesis 3:16 and Moses 4:22 (and go ahead and recall the first covenant in the endowment ceremony). There's more than just that, also. Consider the Proclamation to the World on the Family. If fathers are to "preside," that puts them in the leadership position and the wife in the subordinate position. They are still "equal partners" when living this Biblical edict. Submission is not weakness; actually, it is strength, as the Tao Te Ching explains later. If God's house is a house of order, someone has to be in charge. The Bible explains who that person is supposed to be in a godly marriage.
And as the TTC explains, along with books on Biblical marriage like Fascinating Womanhood, and as personal experience will verify if you attempt it, living this actually does allow "Earth" or the yin aspect, women, to "achieve their own goals" as this chapter of the Tao Te Ching concludes. I can verify with personal experience that when I live this Biblical recommendation (if not commandment), I end up happier in the end.
Yang
On the yang side, men are commanded in the scripture I quoted about (Ephesians 5:25) to love their wives as Christ loved the church--to the point of giving up their lives for them. The Proclamation explains that the role of husband is to "preside," "provide," and "protect." This puts them in the leadership position in the home (a function only made possible by a wife willing to submit to his leadership), as well as in the position of working every day to provide the necessities of life, and in the position of protecting their family from harm. Those are all big jobs and come with a lot of responsibility. They take self-control, just as wifely submission takes self-control on the part of the wife.
Just as it is natural for women to want their own way, and to resist submission, it is natural for men to not want to work all the time, and not want the responsibility of a family. A functional marriage and family relies on both partners putting the other ahead of themselves. When a man puts his wife's needs above his own by providing for her, protecting her, and presiding over her and his family, even if he might rather be viewing pornography or playing video games full time, and when a woman meets her husband's needs by submitting even when he seems wrong or wants to do something she doesn't want to do, they both come out ahead.[Obviously, pray and follow the Spirit with this. And no woman must obey a husband who commands something morally wrong. The Biblical pattern for a family is man and woman, yet we also allow for single parenthood while recognizing that it is not ideal. It is not our job to judge others' situations, but it IS our job to recognize what the scriptures say about the wife's role in marriage, and pray about how the Lord wants us to live that role. Sometimes the Lord wants us to get out of a bad marriage. But sometimes He wants us to follow the Bible instead, even though it is hard. Follow the Spirit.]
This is such a huge topic, it will need another post. Or two. Or three. Or a book. But hopefully this covers some of the basics.
To go back to the text of the chapter from a marriage-based perspective: when each partner in marriage decides "not to exist for themselves," they can "last forever." When we "place ourselves last," we "achieve our own goals."
Conclusion
The Tao Te Ching provides a Biblically-sound pattern for marriages that fits with both ancient Christian writings--from as far back as Genesis--and modern LDS teachings, although the concepts are couched differently for each audience.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Tao Te Ching: Chapter 6 Commentary
This is part of a series examining the Tao Te Ching from an LDS, Christ-centered perspective.
Chapter 6 of the Tao Te Ching is short and sweet, and introduces the feminine/yin aspect of the yin-yang. It reads as follows:
Chapter 6 of the Tao Te Ching is short and sweet, and introduces the feminine/yin aspect of the yin-yang. It reads as follows:
The valley spirit, undying
Is called the Mystic Female
The gate of the Mystic Female
Is called the root of Heaven and Earth
It flows continuously, barely perceptible
Utilize it; it is never exhausted
The TTC focuses heavily on yin energy--what it is, its importance, the need to access it.
The feminine energy is called the "valley spirit" because where yang is the mountain, yin is the valley. It is a way of illuminating how this energy differentiates itself from masculine yang energy.
In earlier chapters of the TTC we see that yang energy is about manifestation--doing--while yin energy is about essence--being. This chapter further builds on that idea: yin energy does move, continuously flowing, but is "barely perceptible." However, it is "never exhausted." Indeed, it is the "root of Heaven and Earth," in its way, the beginning of all creation--the Mother of creation.
Connection to Gender in Christianity
Gender roles in Christianity are, well, complicated--at least in the modern age. In the modern age, our culture has made them complicated. Because the gender roles as outlined in the Bible can offend our egalitarian sensibilities.
God's house is a house of order--and order means that heirarchy--and heirarchy means that someone has to lead and someone has to follow. The feminine role is that of follower, that of helpmeet. Where man is the presider, woman is the cooperator. Obviously this concept is pretty revolting to feminist sensibilities of "equality" in every sphere. I personally have had a lot of qualms with the overall concept, before coming to peace with it. I am coming to understand that the only way a house of order can work, is with order. And order means that a leader needs followers. Which means someone has to be the follower, the cooperator.
For the past, oh, two thousand years, many leaders in Christianity have given women a bad name. There's been a lot of ill speaking about women. It can make you sad or even sick to read or even just consider their views, and that's not cool. To the extent that the Bible addresses gender differences, it just makes it clear that women are to be in the subordinate position to men. [NOTE: Voluntary subordination or submission is NOT weakness: it is strength.] There are plenty of scriptures about wifely submission, about keeping quiet and so forth. But there are not many scriptures about the strength of women or the power of femininity.
To me, the Tao Te Ching fills this gap. I believe this is why God basically beat it over my head that I should read it and study it. The text explores the power of the feminine, all while explaining that it is not better than the masculine, but that the two are complementary.
The TTC illuminates a number of feminine, yin qualities, and explains how they are necessary and important. Here, we learn that the feminine essence is always flowing, ever so subtly--and it is never exhausted. When we as women access our feminine energy, we have a limitless source of strength. When we allow that aspect of ourselves to come to the forefront of ourselves, and when we make that part of us the part we use to interact with our loved ones, particularly the husband, we make that limitless strength available to them. This strength relaxes, rejuvenates, and empowers, but in a subtle way. It is what sleep is to the body. Calming, rebuilding, and important--so important life can't exist without it. The human body needs sleep even more than it needs water--both yin things.
Feminine strength exists; it is beautiful and necessary and continuously flowing and subtle and never exhausted. It is up to us as women to figure out how to access this energy and make it the energy we draw from, so we do not exist in the constant state of fatigue that tends to come along with life in our modern world.
Conclusion
Feminine energy is undying, constant, and a source of strength. It is up to us to learn how to use and access this energy.
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| Valley. Image here. |
The feminine energy is called the "valley spirit" because where yang is the mountain, yin is the valley. It is a way of illuminating how this energy differentiates itself from masculine yang energy.
In earlier chapters of the TTC we see that yang energy is about manifestation--doing--while yin energy is about essence--being. This chapter further builds on that idea: yin energy does move, continuously flowing, but is "barely perceptible." However, it is "never exhausted." Indeed, it is the "root of Heaven and Earth," in its way, the beginning of all creation--the Mother of creation.
Connection to Gender in Christianity
Gender roles in Christianity are, well, complicated--at least in the modern age. In the modern age, our culture has made them complicated. Because the gender roles as outlined in the Bible can offend our egalitarian sensibilities.
God's house is a house of order--and order means that heirarchy--and heirarchy means that someone has to lead and someone has to follow. The feminine role is that of follower, that of helpmeet. Where man is the presider, woman is the cooperator. Obviously this concept is pretty revolting to feminist sensibilities of "equality" in every sphere. I personally have had a lot of qualms with the overall concept, before coming to peace with it. I am coming to understand that the only way a house of order can work, is with order. And order means that a leader needs followers. Which means someone has to be the follower, the cooperator.
For the past, oh, two thousand years, many leaders in Christianity have given women a bad name. There's been a lot of ill speaking about women. It can make you sad or even sick to read or even just consider their views, and that's not cool. To the extent that the Bible addresses gender differences, it just makes it clear that women are to be in the subordinate position to men. [NOTE: Voluntary subordination or submission is NOT weakness: it is strength.] There are plenty of scriptures about wifely submission, about keeping quiet and so forth. But there are not many scriptures about the strength of women or the power of femininity.
To me, the Tao Te Ching fills this gap. I believe this is why God basically beat it over my head that I should read it and study it. The text explores the power of the feminine, all while explaining that it is not better than the masculine, but that the two are complementary.
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| Image here. |
Feminine strength exists; it is beautiful and necessary and continuously flowing and subtle and never exhausted. It is up to us as women to figure out how to access this energy and make it the energy we draw from, so we do not exist in the constant state of fatigue that tends to come along with life in our modern world.
Conclusion
Feminine energy is undying, constant, and a source of strength. It is up to us to learn how to use and access this energy.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
The Tribulation: A Trial in Two Parts
Since I've been talking a lot about the Tribulation on here, I wanted to go ahead and explain a few things about the concept, briefly. Enjoy.
What is the Tribulation?
The Tribulation is the period traditionally held to be the 7 years immediately preceding the Second Coming. This is obviously not an LDS site so read with the Spirit and everything, but this site explains the Biblical reasoning for the assumption of a 7-year Tribulation period. It comes down to things like Daniel's prophecy of seventy weeks of years, and the mention in Revelation 11:2 of "42 months," which obviously equals three and a half years--and if 42 months is the middle of the Tribulation, that means the whole period is seven years long.
The event takes its name from Matthew 24:21:
What Happens During the Tribulation?
The Tribulation is the time of the wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences and plagues, and everything else we hear about at church all the time as "signs of the times." Re-read Matthew 24 (and go ahead and compare with JST-Matthew 1, which is an inspired translation of Matthew 24). The Tribulation is also associated with a completion of the Gospel being preached to all the world, the murdering of the prophets in Jerusalem but also the murdering of Saints elsewhere, per the book of Revelation, and other very intense things.
The Tribulation in Two Parts
Now, it's important to note that Biblically, the Tribulation is divided into two parts: the Beginning of Sorrows (see Matthew 24:8) and the Tribulation, as mentioned above in verse 21.
So while the overall seven years is known generally as the Great Tribulation, or the Tribulation, the first three and a half years are the Beginning of Sorrows. The Bible explains:
However, the Joseph Smith Translation is significantly less cut-and-dry on this timeline. In that translation, it seems like all seven years will be essentially made of the same stuff. The separation between the two halves is much less distinct there. But I believe it's good to be aware of both interpretations of the text.
Feeling Scared? Don't.
Christ commands us in Matthew 24:6 to "see that [we] be not troubled." It's our job to have faith! Note Matthew 24:44-46:
Exact Timing
I want to be very clear that no one here is claiming to know any specific dates or anything like that. On this blog, I examine patterns and their implications. I don't pretend to know anything specific. I'm just looking at the scriptures and at history.
Remember JST Matthew 1:38-43 (corresponding to Matthew 24:36-39):
This all goes along with the Parable of the Ten Virgins, as well.
Conclusion
The Tribulation is a thing; scripturally we would appear to be swiftly approaching its beginning; it pays to be diligent in keeping the commandments and building our faith. No one can know the exact timing, but we are commanded to learn the parable of the fig tree and seek out the signs that it is beginning.
What is the Tribulation?
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| A depiction of the judgments during the Tribulation. Image here. |
The Tribulation is the period traditionally held to be the 7 years immediately preceding the Second Coming. This is obviously not an LDS site so read with the Spirit and everything, but this site explains the Biblical reasoning for the assumption of a 7-year Tribulation period. It comes down to things like Daniel's prophecy of seventy weeks of years, and the mention in Revelation 11:2 of "42 months," which obviously equals three and a half years--and if 42 months is the middle of the Tribulation, that means the whole period is seven years long.
The event takes its name from Matthew 24:21:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
What Happens During the Tribulation?
The Tribulation is the time of the wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences and plagues, and everything else we hear about at church all the time as "signs of the times." Re-read Matthew 24 (and go ahead and compare with JST-Matthew 1, which is an inspired translation of Matthew 24). The Tribulation is also associated with a completion of the Gospel being preached to all the world, the murdering of the prophets in Jerusalem but also the murdering of Saints elsewhere, per the book of Revelation, and other very intense things.
The Tribulation in Two Parts
Now, it's important to note that Biblically, the Tribulation is divided into two parts: the Beginning of Sorrows (see Matthew 24:8) and the Tribulation, as mentioned above in verse 21.
So while the overall seven years is known generally as the Great Tribulation, or the Tribulation, the first three and a half years are the Beginning of Sorrows. The Bible explains:
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
The second part is the true Tribulation half of the Tribulation:
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| Jerusalem. Image here. |
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.So if the Tribulation is near, we are truly nearing the first half of it, what non-Mormon Christians refer to as the Beginning of Sorrows. So we could expect an uptick--possibly a sharp, fairly sudden uptick--in worldwide plagues, natural disasters, and famines, possibly corresponding with this year and next, as we transition into the final set of seven years out of the 21 years in the "half hour of silence" described in the scriptures.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judæa flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
However, the Joseph Smith Translation is significantly less cut-and-dry on this timeline. In that translation, it seems like all seven years will be essentially made of the same stuff. The separation between the two halves is much less distinct there. But I believe it's good to be aware of both interpretations of the text.
Feeling Scared? Don't.
Christ commands us in Matthew 24:6 to "see that [we] be not troubled." It's our job to have faith! Note Matthew 24:44-46:
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.If we are keeping the commandments diligently, we will be blessed.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Exact Timing
I want to be very clear that no one here is claiming to know any specific dates or anything like that. On this blog, I examine patterns and their implications. I don't pretend to know anything specific. I'm just looking at the scriptures and at history.
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| Fig tree. Public domain. |
In other words, for people actively scouring the scriptures for clues and searching for the leaves of the fig tree, things will make sense and they will be prepared. For everyone else, life will go on basically as normal until the very end, and they will not realize what is going on until it is too late.
38 Now learn a parable of the fig tree—When its branches are yet tender, and it begins to put forth leaves, you know that summer is nigh at hand;
39 So likewise, mine elect, when they shall see all these things, they shall know that he is near, even at the doors;
40 But of that day, and hour, no one knoweth; no, not the angels of God in heaven, but my Father only.
41 But as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall be also at the coming of the Son of Man;
42 For it shall be with them, as it was in the days which were before the flood; for until the day that Noah entered into the ark they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage;
43 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.
This all goes along with the Parable of the Ten Virgins, as well.
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| The Ten Virgins. |
Conclusion
The Tribulation is a thing; scripturally we would appear to be swiftly approaching its beginning; it pays to be diligent in keeping the commandments and building our faith. No one can know the exact timing, but we are commanded to learn the parable of the fig tree and seek out the signs that it is beginning.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Upcoming Classes Registration
Announcing some upcoming ONLINE classes! The two-week registration period is from now (10/17/14) until 10/31/14. Partial scholarships may be available based on need. Please email or comment with any questions.
Energetic Self Care for Victims of Acute and Chronic Stress
This class will teach energetic techniques for combatting everything from insomnia to anxiety to excess worry to physical manifestations of stress and anxiety. This six-week class will meet live every Saturday from 11-12 AM EST, from November 1 to December 6, 2014, and video recordings will be made available afterwards for those who can't make it live.
Learn to combat personal stress and stress-related physical pain with techniques such as:
- Identification of underlying emotions,
- Emotional transformation and release,
- Therapeutic touch for stress release,
- Visualization for stress release,
- Scrambling neuropathways associated with stress,
- Grounding to short-circuit insomnia, and more!
Realize a needed transformation in your life by learning these simple, accessible, effective energetic techniques to short-circuit feelings of stress and put yourself on a new, happier, healthier life path.
Registration: $75
Energetic Self Care and Trauma Release for "Togetherness"
This class is for select people--if you have questions about whether or not you qualify for this class, please reach out.
This class will teach energetic techniques for combatting everything from insomnia to triggers to post-traumatic stress to physical manifestations of stress, anxiety, and trauma. This six-week class will meet live every Saturday from 3-4 PM EST, from November 1 to December 6, 2014, and video recordings will be made available afterwards for those who can't make it live.
Learn and use techniques such as:
- Emotional transformation and release,
- Therapeutic touch for healing,
- Guided visualization for healing,
- Scrambling neuropathways associated with trauma,
- Grounding for insomnia relief,
- Kundalini meditation to clear out residual subconscious trauma, and more!
Realize a needed transformation in your life by learning these simple, accessible, effective energetic techniques to short-circuit feelings of trauma and put yourself on a new, happier, healthier life path.
Registration: $50 (price reduced from $75)
Home Healing for Times of Tribulation
This class will cover as many home-healing techniques as I can squish into six weeks. We will go into theta, use our hands for healing, learn to sense energy and energetic disturbances in the human body, master muscle testing, change subconscious beliefs, and more. This class will be the prerequisite for future, more advanced healing courses. The intention is that these skills will be useful in emergency scenarios at home, as well as in other scenarios as the need arises. In the case of economic need, it's the hope that these skills could translate into another source of income or be used as a useful thing to barter.
The class will meet live every Wednesday night at 9 PM EST, starting on November 5 and going to December 10, with video recordings available afterwards for those who can't make it live. This class will involve homework and outside reading I will send you--prepare to work! Don't worry, you will not work too hard! It's gonna be good!
Students will practice on each other, as well--so signing up for this class will lead to opportunities to both heal and be healed.
I look forward to working with all of you! Send any questions. :o)
Energetic Self Care for Victims of Acute and Chronic Stress
This class will teach energetic techniques for combatting everything from insomnia to anxiety to excess worry to physical manifestations of stress and anxiety. This six-week class will meet live every Saturday from 11-12 AM EST, from November 1 to December 6, 2014, and video recordings will be made available afterwards for those who can't make it live.
Learn to combat personal stress and stress-related physical pain with techniques such as:
- Identification of underlying emotions,
- Emotional transformation and release,
- Therapeutic touch for stress release,
- Visualization for stress release,
- Scrambling neuropathways associated with stress,
- Grounding to short-circuit insomnia, and more!
Realize a needed transformation in your life by learning these simple, accessible, effective energetic techniques to short-circuit feelings of stress and put yourself on a new, happier, healthier life path.
Registration: $75
Energetic Self Care and Trauma Release for "Togetherness"
This class is for select people--if you have questions about whether or not you qualify for this class, please reach out.
This class will teach energetic techniques for combatting everything from insomnia to triggers to post-traumatic stress to physical manifestations of stress, anxiety, and trauma. This six-week class will meet live every Saturday from 3-4 PM EST, from November 1 to December 6, 2014, and video recordings will be made available afterwards for those who can't make it live.
Learn and use techniques such as:
- Emotional transformation and release,
- Therapeutic touch for healing,
- Guided visualization for healing,
- Scrambling neuropathways associated with trauma,
- Grounding for insomnia relief,
- Kundalini meditation to clear out residual subconscious trauma, and more!
Realize a needed transformation in your life by learning these simple, accessible, effective energetic techniques to short-circuit feelings of trauma and put yourself on a new, happier, healthier life path.
Registration: $50 (price reduced from $75)
Home Healing for Times of Tribulation
This class will cover as many home-healing techniques as I can squish into six weeks. We will go into theta, use our hands for healing, learn to sense energy and energetic disturbances in the human body, master muscle testing, change subconscious beliefs, and more. This class will be the prerequisite for future, more advanced healing courses. The intention is that these skills will be useful in emergency scenarios at home, as well as in other scenarios as the need arises. In the case of economic need, it's the hope that these skills could translate into another source of income or be used as a useful thing to barter.
The class will meet live every Wednesday night at 9 PM EST, starting on November 5 and going to December 10, with video recordings available afterwards for those who can't make it live. This class will involve homework and outside reading I will send you--prepare to work! Don't worry, you will not work too hard! It's gonna be good!
Students will practice on each other, as well--so signing up for this class will lead to opportunities to both heal and be healed.
I look forward to working with all of you! Send any questions. :o)
the Shemitah and the Stock Market
I've blogged about the Shemitah before: the Biblical "land's Sabbath." Every seven years, the land was supposed to lie entirely fallow, and all the Jews were commanded to spend the year living off food storage and studying the scriptures. Economically, this year-long Sabbath looked like a depression. No food production, people living off what they already had. At the end of the Shemitah, on 29 Elul (the last day of the Biblical year, falling in mid-to-late September), all the economic slates were wiped clean: all debts and all credits erased. For the Jews, this was a commandment (it's in Leviticus, and I have all the scriptural links in the link above), and when they violated it they got punished with devastation for as many years as they had neglected their Shemitah observance. In modern days, Shemitah observance is not considered a commandment, but history indicates that it does constitute a time of judgment.
According to my research about the Shemitah, one would expect that shortly after Rosh Hashana in the Shemitah year, economic failure would begin. The severity would correspond with a judgment on the land. This economic pattern fits into the oft-noted and completely not-understood phenomenon of stock market failure in the month of October. This article mentions this phenomenon at the bottom.
This Shemitah, arguably the final Shemitah in the "half hour of silence" prior to the events listed in D&C 88:95, began on 25 September 2014--the day Thomas Duncan checked himself into the hospital with Ebola and was turned away.
On October 6 and 7, we had General Conference, which I thought focused heavily on spiritual preparation and being prepared to follow the prophet no matter what. I was also pleasantly surprised about the talk mentioning the importance of physical health and focusing on a healthy diet and regular exercise.
On October 8 we had a Biblical blood moon tetrad blood moon, along with a simultaneous Draconid meteor shower--symbolically indicating severe troubles ahead for the House of Israel (the lunar eclipse symbolizes enemy forces "eclipsing" Israel and the Draconids represent the unleashing of Satanic forces).
At about this same time, the Supreme Court essentially legalized gay marriage everywhere, by refusing to hear state appeals about the issue.
Daily we are hearing of new ebola cases popping up in the US and Europe, with various organizations claiming that we could hit 10,000 new cases per week in December.
And to top it all off, the stock market has been falling and falling. Examine (my emphasis):
Super fun!! Looks like we are right on track to follow in the footsteps of a really intense time. The Shemitah corresponding to this graph went from Gregorian 1930-1931. The timeline back then looked like this:
Timeline paraphrased from The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future!.
Basically, all of this is what we would expect if we looked at and compared Biblical and secular history.
The big difference is that if we really are in the "half hour of silence," and that half hour, or 21 years, really began in 2000, that would put this year as the final Shemitah prior to the Tribulation. If we thought the Great Depression was bad, I submit that theoretically the economic turbulence immediately preceding the Tribulation would be substantially more... turbulent.
Things so far as looking exactly as one would expect a mere two weeks into what may be the final Shemitah. We should not be surprised by further economic collapse. Hopefully it doesn't happen, but if it does, it will be well within the realm of what one would expect based on history and the Biblical calendars.
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| Honey and applies: traditional Rosh Hashanah fare. Image here. |
This Shemitah, arguably the final Shemitah in the "half hour of silence" prior to the events listed in D&C 88:95, began on 25 September 2014--the day Thomas Duncan checked himself into the hospital with Ebola and was turned away.
On October 6 and 7, we had General Conference, which I thought focused heavily on spiritual preparation and being prepared to follow the prophet no matter what. I was also pleasantly surprised about the talk mentioning the importance of physical health and focusing on a healthy diet and regular exercise.
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| General conference. See LDS.org. |
On October 8 we had a Biblical blood moon tetrad blood moon, along with a simultaneous Draconid meteor shower--symbolically indicating severe troubles ahead for the House of Israel (the lunar eclipse symbolizes enemy forces "eclipsing" Israel and the Draconids represent the unleashing of Satanic forces).
At about this same time, the Supreme Court essentially legalized gay marriage everywhere, by refusing to hear state appeals about the issue.
Daily we are hearing of new ebola cases popping up in the US and Europe, with various organizations claiming that we could hit 10,000 new cases per week in December.
And to top it all off, the stock market has been falling and falling. Examine (my emphasis):
Is Ebola going to cause another of the massive October stock market crashes that Wall Street is famous for? At one point on Wednesday, the Dow was down a staggering 460 points. It ultimately closed down just 173 points, but this was the fifth day in a row that the Dow has declined. And of course Ebola is one of the primary things that is being blamed for this stunning stock market drop. Since September 19th, we have seen the S&P 500 fall about 7 percent and the Nasdaq fall nearly 10 percent. The VIX (the most important measure of volatility on Wall Street) shot up an astounding 22 percent on Wednesday. So many of the ominous signs for the markets that I wrote about on Tuesday are now even worse. If a handful of Ebola cases in the United States can cause this much panic in the financial world, what would a full-blown pandemic look like?Now check out this super fun graph depicting the parallel between 1929 (hint: the drop that began the Great Depression) and today:
Super fun!! Looks like we are right on track to follow in the footsteps of a really intense time. The Shemitah corresponding to this graph went from Gregorian 1930-1931. The timeline back then looked like this:
1929: Black Monday, giant stock market crash
Early 1930: stock levels went back up a bit, see graph above
June 1930: passage of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, linked to collapse of global trade
September 1930: Shemitah began
Late 1930: general economic deterioration
April 1931, "the year that made the Great Depression Great": deflationary spiral beginsSeptember 19, 1931: British Empire discarded the gold standard, triggering worldwide panic and the largest monthly percentage drop in stock market history--within days of the financially climactic Shemitah year's end
Timeline paraphrased from The Mystery of the Shemitah: The 3,000-Year-Old Mystery That Holds the Secret of America's Future, the World's Future, and Your Future!
.Basically, all of this is what we would expect if we looked at and compared Biblical and secular history.
The big difference is that if we really are in the "half hour of silence," and that half hour, or 21 years, really began in 2000, that would put this year as the final Shemitah prior to the Tribulation. If we thought the Great Depression was bad, I submit that theoretically the economic turbulence immediately preceding the Tribulation would be substantially more... turbulent.
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.- Jesus, Matthew 24:21Conclusion
Things so far as looking exactly as one would expect a mere two weeks into what may be the final Shemitah. We should not be surprised by further economic collapse. Hopefully it doesn't happen, but if it does, it will be well within the realm of what one would expect based on history and the Biblical calendars.
a half hour of silence in the heavens
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. -Revelation 8:1Hopefully we've all read the Bible by now and recognize this verse. There has been a lot of talk throughout history about the opening of the seventh seal, but we are among the lucky few who have lived to see it. This claim is based on scriptural evidence.
Note about this essay: This is not to make any fancy claims about exact dates or the exact nature of coming events. It is just to point out some scriptural and calendrical evidence for the scriptures and collaborate it with recent General Conference talks. My goal here is to inspire preparedness--which, I have blogged before, has been considered "urgent" for many, many, many years now. Even in the New Testament, Saints were counseled to treat their spiritual preparedness with urgency, even though the Second Coming was clearly not for some time (as we have yet to experience it ourselves, two millennia later). Hopefully we all approach our spiritual and material preparedness with the urgency recommended in the scriptures and by the prophets, regardless of upcoming events and how soon or far away they may be.
Upcoming: some evidence that the seventh seal has already been opened, per the beginning of the seventh thousand years as explained in the scriptures; an exploration of the calculation of the "half hour" of silence; how this fits with and supports the concept of the Christ coming at the Meridian of Time; the relation of the Seventh Seal to the Shemitah and upcoming Jubilee; and implications.
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| Seven seals. Image here. |
The Seventh Seal: Timing, and the Half Hour
Poking around on the Internet today I found a link to Cleon Skousen's analysis of the time leading up to the Second Coming.
The whole article is worth a read, but here is a "brief" excerpt (brief compared to the rest of the essay, anyway!) Bolding is mine, and I cut out a giant paragraph that is worth reading but not necessarily as part of this post:
JOHN BEGINS DESCRIBING MODERN TIMES AFTER THE OPENING OF THE SEVENTH SEAL
Now John is ready to transfer his attention from the five chapters outlining the preparations in heaven for the Second Coming and concentrate on the unfolding of these events on earth. All of these events are controlled by the factor of “time.” He therefore defines the period in which these events will occur. John says:“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” 15This immediately raises four highly significant questions. For example:#1. According to OUR calendar, when will the seventh seal be opened, and the half-hour of silence begins in heaven?Until 1582 A.D. our calendar was not at all accurate, but Pope Gregory employed a group of mathematicians and astronomers to restructure the calendar. They set up the new calendar so that it was in perfect harmony or calibration with the sun. To make it completely accurate they had to add one day every four years and that is how we got our “leap year.”But even with all that restructuring, how are we certain that it is completely accurate? The best answer to that question is in the Doctrine and Covenants. On two occasions the Lord used the Gregorian calendar in such a way that it seemed to clearly imply his approval of it.In Section 20 the Lord said he wanted the Church established on the sixth day of April because it would be “one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh.” 16In the very next section we are told the Church was set up by Joseph Smith under the guidance of the Holy Ghost and then it says:“Which church was organized and established in the year of your Lord eighteen hundred and thirty, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April.” 17So if our calendar is accurate and apparently approved by the Lord, there is no question about the date of the opening of the seventh seal and the half hour of silence in heaven. It will commence in the year 2000 AD .#2. Why is there suddenly “silence in heaven” when the SEVENTH seal is opened?Apparently there is a great deal of furious activity in heaven right up to the time the seventh seal is opened. The Priesthood of this dispensation are required to work at a tremendous pace to get ready for the Second Coming. This was explained to Wilford Woodruff the last time he was allowed to see Joseph Smith in the spirit world.
[...]
So, to recap:Joseph Smith made it plain to Wilford Woodruff that the Priesthood of this dispensation are working under a fantastic deadline to teach everyone who has died without the gospel since the apostolic times. This task has to be completed by the time of ‘the opening of the seventh seal when the hosts of heaven will have a new task connected with the final preparation and cleansing of the earth for the Second Coming.#3. DO WE KNOW WHEN THE HALF HOUR OF SILENCE ENDS?From a modern revelation we learn when the half hour of silence ends. Here is what the Lord says:“And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour, and IMMEDIATELY after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, AND THE FACE OF THE LORD SHALL BE UNVEILED; and the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.” 19Obviously we are talking about the Second Coming. So this tells us when the half hour of silence ends. It is just before the Second Coming.#4. CAN WE calculate THE ACTUAL DURATION OF TH HOUR OF SILENCE?Since we know the half hour of silence begins at 2,000 A.D. when the seventh seal is opened and since we know from a modern revelation that the half hour of silence ends with the Second Coming, can we calculate in terms of years the length of time which will elapse between these two monumental events? In other words, can we determine about how long the half hour of silence lasts?One of the apostles felt that such a calculation was possible. Here is the way Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggested it could be done. After talking about the half hour of silence, he says:“If the time here mentioned is ‘ Lord’s time’ in which one day is a thousand years, the haft hour would be some twenty-one of our years.”Elder McConkie reached this conclusion based on the following scriptures:“A day with the Lord after his manner of reckoning, it being 1000 years according to the time appointed to that [ whereon thou standest."And again:"But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that ONE DAY is with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS, and a thousand years as one day."The next step was to divide 1,000 years by 24 to determine what an hour would be according to God’s time. It turned out to be 41.66 years or just under 42 years. This means that a half hour of God’s time would be ? 7 years or nearly 21 years. This would clearly suggest that this is the duration of the half hour of silence in heaven and the period of time when the angels undertake the calamitous preparation of the earth for the Savior’s second coming.
The scriptures indicate that the Gregorian calendar is an accurate count from the time of the Savior's birth. This would put the opening of the seventh seal from Revelations in the year 2000 AD, Gregorian. Here is a site with explanations from the scriptures and the prophets about why that is. But here's a good scriptural recap, D&C 77:12 (my bolding):
Angel sounding trumpet. Public domain.
12 Q. What are we to understand by the sounding of the trumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?A. We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and judge all things, and shall redeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the preparing of the way before the time of his coming.
Basically, ancient and modern scripture agree that man is allotted 7,000 years on the earth. The opening of the seventh seal corresponds to the beginning of the last thousand years. The world gets a "half hour of silence," according to Revelation, and then Christ returns, the world burns, and the Millennium for real begins. Since the year Christ was born in was 1830 years prior to the restoration of the Gospel in 1830 AD Gregorian, and He was born at the Meridian of Time (the 4,000th year out of the 7,000 total), that would put the beginning of the seventh thousand years in 2000 AD: Y2K.
Per the scriptures, the ending of the world didn't happen then, with the opening of the seventh seal; rather, we began the half hour of silence predicted in the book of Revelation.
How does this fit with the Meridian of Time?
This is slightly tangential, but I want to throw it in here in case anyone is as confused as I once was. One thing that always bothered me was that if that whole 7000 year thing was accurate, and Christ came at year 4000, then why--?? How does that work if He was supposed to come at the Meridian of Time?
John Pratt has an article about that, kind of--it doesn't address the Meridian of Time according to the whole history of humankind, but it does address the issue of the Meridian of Time according to the Enoch and Hebrew calendars. Examine:
The Enoch calendar. Image here.
Christ born at Meridian of Grand Year. Following the same pattern shows that 6 Apr 1 BC fell in the year called 14 ADAR 2. The Feast of Esther begins on the day 14 Adar, or, in years with the thirteenth month, on 14 Adar2. So the proposed year of the Savior's birth also fell in a "holy year" of the Grand Year, corresponding to the Feast of Esther.
Moreover, that particular Grand Year comprised 385 years. The Feast of Esther that year fell in the 193rd year of the Grand Year, which is precisely the middle year of the 385 years. So the birth year of Christ occurred at the meridian of a Grand Year, which was also a "holy year."
One final point: the name Esther means "A star," so the birth year of Christ was the year of the "Feast of A Star." That seems appropriate, in light of the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem, which heralded his coming. If that was planned, then even Esther's very name was inspired.
Christ born at Meridian of Jubilee Year. The year beginning in Sep., 2 BC was a SUNDAY, the first year of the sabbatical cycle. In fact, it was also a Jubilee year which is always a SUNDAY, occuring every 49 years.[5] The jubilee year was to be announced with the blowing of the trumpet on the Day of Atonement (in September/October) (Lev. 25:9-10). If Christ was born during the night preceding 6 Apr 1 BC, as all of my calculations indicate, then he was born exactly on the meridian day of that Jubilee year, which was also the day of Passover. That is, from 10 Tishri to 15 Nisan is half a solar year. A normal Hebrew year is ten days short of a solar year, to the 5 extra days from the 10th to the 15th is exactly what is required to separate the two days by half a solar year. Thus, the meridian of time is precise down to the very day, not just the year.
Anyway, it's awesome, but not super relevant--another article of his, I believe, points out that although the halfway point of 7,000 years would be 3,500, it would be rounded up to the nearest day to be the meridian. 3,500 rounded up is 4,000. Hence Christ's birthday as the Meridian of Time, even though it is not technically at the exact halfway midpoint of time.
So we really are looking at exactly 2,000 years from Christ's birth for the opening of the seventh seal--not 3,500 years.
OKAY.
What Happens in the Half-Hour of Silence?
What does this half hour of silence mean? What is supposed to happen in it?
Revelation Chapters 8-12 are dedicated to this very thing. In Chapter 8 we see hail and natural disasters, Wormwood making the waters bitter, the water of the sea becoming blood. In Chapter 9 we see terror visiting men: "And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them" (verse 6). In Chapter 11 we learn of the prophets who will be slaughtered in Jerusalem. And so on. Basically there is a lot of stuff that is going to happen during this half hour--or, as Bruce R. McConkie calculated, 21 years--that immediately precedes the Second Coming, as explained in D&C 88:95-96:
95 And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled;
96 And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.
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| Seven angels. Except in real life they are male. Image. |
If there are seven years of Tribulation immediately prior to the Second Coming; if there are 21 total years between the opening of the seventh seal and the Second Coming; if the seventh seal has been opened as the scriptures indicate in the year 2000, AD; that would put us just on the cusp of beginning the Tribulation.
Relation to the Shemitah and Jubilee
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| Image here. |
Twenty-one years happens to fit exactly 3 Shemitahs. We just began the third Shemitah year since 2000, on September 25, 2014. And it just so happens that the Jubilee begins on September 14, 2015. According to my research, this will be the 70th Jubilee since the Exodus and the 120th Jubilee since Creation. Examine this research on the relationship between the Jubilee cycles, Biblical prophecy, and the House of Israel. This Jubilee would, theoretically, signal the beginning of the final seven years--or "week of years"--preceding the unveiling of the Lord's face. In other words, we are on the cusp of the beginning of the Tribulation, the seven final, turbulent years preceding the end. It would begin right after 13 September 2015, the final, collapsing day of 29 Elul that corresponds to 9/11 and 9/28/08 (the date of the largest Wall Street collapse in history). Mid-September of 2015 starts the figurative Sunday of the final week of our half hour of silence immediately preceding what Protestants would call the Rapture.
This final week of years--seven years--is what other Christians call the Tribulation, as I explained above.
Conclusion and Implications
This is all based on scriptural evidence. That is not to claim great claims of accuracy or truth; but it is to say that this is not completely unfounded speculation. The Biblical calendar backs it up, and teachings in the Old and New Testaments as well as the Doctrine and Covenants back it up. According to the scriptures the seventh seal's opening corresponded with the year 2000, and right now we are almost 2/3 done with the silence during the half hour. This is scriptural. It isn't to name dates or claim anything about exact timing of the Second Coming or exact events or anything like that; exact dates and predictions are not the point. The point is that the scriptures said to be on the lookout for the half hour of silence, they told us when they would be, and told us how to recognize them. From what I can tell, we are in that half-hour now and times of tribulation are rapidly approaching.
The major implications for me:
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| Image here. |
- Spiritual preparedness for others: we have a responsibility to do our part in the Hastening of the Work. It's our job to warn our neighbors and to reach out to them in love. This is also spiritual preparation for ourselves, as we exercise our faith in reaching out even though it can be scary.
- Material preparedness: my research has indicated that in the case of a widespread economic collapse as one might infer from a Shemitah-Jubilee link and a coming Tribulation, money will be less important than food, water, and other material essentials. If you were quarantined to your home for weeks due to plagues, would you have the necessaries you need to survive? If you had no electricity or clean water available, would you be able to meet your needs and the needs of your family? Would you be spiritually prepared to share with others, too?
- Physical preparedness: Is your body ready for some upcoming trials? In Conference this year, we were expressly counseled to get in good physical shape and health (as a way of increasing our spiritual confidence, no less!). AH I LOVE THAT TALK.
Again: This is not to make any fancy claims about exact dates or the exact nature of coming events. It is only to point out that the scriptures likely indicate that tough times are coming. I'm just passing it on. And for anyone wondering why this would not be explicitly addressed in General Conference, I did blog about that before. The prophets have been warning us, even explicitly, about this time for all of time. To echo their call for urgency in preparation is not alarmist. Since a person can die at any time and end their mortal probation, even if the Tribulation is not right around the corner, spiritual preparation is still of utmost urgency and importance. It is never bad to be scripturally aware and wisely prepared.
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