The mind-body connection and emotions
Thoughts and emotions greatly affect your health. The Bible says “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...” (Prov 23:7); Job said, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” (Job 3:25). Behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts. (Jer 6:19) President Kimball taught: "Every thought that one permits through his mind leaves its trace. Thoughts are things. Our lives are governed a great deal by our thoughts." (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball p 154) Evidently, thoughts becoming things was taught by prophets long before the people quoted on the popular movie "The Secret." The book of Moses teaches us this creation principle, that things are created first spiritually, then temporally. Lectures on Faith 7:3 teaches, “When a man works by faith he works by mental exertion instead of physical force.”
Brent & Wendy C. Top pose a very interesting thought, “Perhaps in discovering the electromagnetic field scientists have merely found a way to detect and measure the real energy of the spirit body and the intelligence or Light of Christ which comprises it.” ( Glimpses Beyond Death’s Door, p254) I believe their supposition has merit since D&C 84:45 teaches “...whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”
It seems to me that science and religion might be talking about the same things, just using different language. Quantum physicists say everything is composed of vibrations that emit frequencies into the universe. Dr. Sari Suttka wrote, “Energy is in-FORM-ation which creates a vibration that manifests into a pattern which emits a signal that can be found somewhere along an electromagnetic spectrum.”
Religious leaders use different words to teach the same principle. David O. McKay taught that we affect others constantly by “radiation.” He said the effect of our words is being broadcast to the world. “There is one responsibility which no man can evade; that responsibility is his personal influence. Man's unconscious influence is the silent, subtle radiation of personality -- the effect of his words and his actions on others. This radiation is tremendous. Every moment of life man is changing, to a degree, the life of the whole world. Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man. He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others. Man cannot evade the responsibility by merely saying that it is an unconscious influence. Man can select the qualities he would permit to be radiated. He can cultivate sweetness, calmness, trust, generosity, truth, justice, loyalty, nobility, and make them vitally active in his character. And by these qualities he will constantly affect the world. This radiation, to which I refer, comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be. Every man by his mere living is radiating either sympathy, sorrow, morbidness, cynicism, or happiness and hope or any one of a hundred other qualities. Life is a state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate; to exist is to be the recipient of radiation.” (David O. McKay, April 1948, emphasis added)
Pres. McKay shared more on how our thoughts vibrate outward and how we are the recipients of other’s vibrational frequencies toward us. “Every man and every person who lives in this world wields an influence whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she really is. Every person is a recipient of radiation. The Savior was conscious of that. Whenever He came into the presence of an individual, He sensed that radiation -- whether it was the woman of Samaria with her past life; whether it was the woman who was to be stoned, or the men who were to stone her; whether it was the statesman, Nicodemus, or one of the lepers. He was conscious of the radiation from the individual. And to a degree so are you, and so am I. It is what we are and what we radiate that affects the people around us. As individuals, we must think nobler thoughts. We must not encourage vile thoughts or low aspirations. We shall radiate them if we do. If we think noble thoughts; if we encourage and cherish noble aspirations, there will be that radiation when we meet people, especially when we associate with them. (David O. McKay, 1964, emphasis added)
“Thought is electrical energy or vibration that quickly enters your brain-servant, and stimulates the creation of matching molecules of emotion- (endorphins or depressants, etc.) The information and emotion molecules relay the positive or negative chemicals along with their connecting thought vibrations, down the nervous system, and direct the nerves and muscles in this intelligent human body. You can feel the vibrations as tingling sensations. This is an amazing discovery in each of us. What you think about becomes the directives for this two-part system to follow! Say what you desire for you to become.” (Carolyn Ringger, anangelstouchstor.com) Elder Packer said, “Remember, Nephi told his rebellious brothers, who had rejected a message from an angel, “Ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words. (see1 Nephi 17:45, Ensign, Apr 2005, 8 ) A related principle is taught by Nephi who said his spoken words were even mightier than his written ones. (2 Nephi 33:1 See also Ether 12:23)
The words we use affect our health. The Old Testament teaches: “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” (Prov 16:24). I believe Jesus taught the principle of the power of our words when he said: “Not that which goeth into a mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” (Matt. 15:11) No wonder we are taught “If ye do not watch yourelves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds... ye must perish.” (Mosiah 4:30) LDS author, Garth Allred wrote a fabulous book which emphasizes the effect of thoughts on health. Traditional medicine has mostly ignored the mind/body connection, but fields such as psychoneuroimmunology are changing that.
Brent & Wendy C. Top pose a very interesting thought, “Perhaps in discovering the electromagnetic field scientists have merely found a way to detect and measure the real energy of the spirit body and the intelligence or Light of Christ which comprises it.” ( Glimpses Beyond Death’s Door, p254) I believe their supposition has merit since D&C 84:45 teaches “...whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”
It seems to me that science and religion might be talking about the same things, just using different language. Quantum physicists say everything is composed of vibrations that emit frequencies into the universe. Dr. Sari Suttka wrote, “Energy is in-FORM-ation which creates a vibration that manifests into a pattern which emits a signal that can be found somewhere along an electromagnetic spectrum.”
Religious leaders use different words to teach the same principle. David O. McKay taught that we affect others constantly by “radiation.” He said the effect of our words is being broadcast to the world. “There is one responsibility which no man can evade; that responsibility is his personal influence. Man's unconscious influence is the silent, subtle radiation of personality -- the effect of his words and his actions on others. This radiation is tremendous. Every moment of life man is changing, to a degree, the life of the whole world. Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man. He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others. Man cannot evade the responsibility by merely saying that it is an unconscious influence. Man can select the qualities he would permit to be radiated. He can cultivate sweetness, calmness, trust, generosity, truth, justice, loyalty, nobility, and make them vitally active in his character. And by these qualities he will constantly affect the world. This radiation, to which I refer, comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be. Every man by his mere living is radiating either sympathy, sorrow, morbidness, cynicism, or happiness and hope or any one of a hundred other qualities. Life is a state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate; to exist is to be the recipient of radiation.” (David O. McKay, April 1948, emphasis added)
Pres. McKay shared more on how our thoughts vibrate outward and how we are the recipients of other’s vibrational frequencies toward us. “Every man and every person who lives in this world wields an influence whether for good or for evil. It is not what he says alone; it is not alone what he does. It is what he is. Every man, every person radiates what he or she really is. Every person is a recipient of radiation. The Savior was conscious of that. Whenever He came into the presence of an individual, He sensed that radiation -- whether it was the woman of Samaria with her past life; whether it was the woman who was to be stoned, or the men who were to stone her; whether it was the statesman, Nicodemus, or one of the lepers. He was conscious of the radiation from the individual. And to a degree so are you, and so am I. It is what we are and what we radiate that affects the people around us. As individuals, we must think nobler thoughts. We must not encourage vile thoughts or low aspirations. We shall radiate them if we do. If we think noble thoughts; if we encourage and cherish noble aspirations, there will be that radiation when we meet people, especially when we associate with them. (David O. McKay, 1964, emphasis added)
“Thought is electrical energy or vibration that quickly enters your brain-servant, and stimulates the creation of matching molecules of emotion- (endorphins or depressants, etc.) The information and emotion molecules relay the positive or negative chemicals along with their connecting thought vibrations, down the nervous system, and direct the nerves and muscles in this intelligent human body. You can feel the vibrations as tingling sensations. This is an amazing discovery in each of us. What you think about becomes the directives for this two-part system to follow! Say what you desire for you to become.” (Carolyn Ringger, anangelstouchstor.com) Elder Packer said, “Remember, Nephi told his rebellious brothers, who had rejected a message from an angel, “Ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words. (see1 Nephi 17:45, Ensign, Apr 2005, 8 ) A related principle is taught by Nephi who said his spoken words were even mightier than his written ones. (2 Nephi 33:1 See also Ether 12:23)
The words we use affect our health. The Old Testament teaches: “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” (Prov 16:24). I believe Jesus taught the principle of the power of our words when he said: “Not that which goeth into a mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” (Matt. 15:11) No wonder we are taught “If ye do not watch yourelves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds... ye must perish.” (Mosiah 4:30) LDS author, Garth Allred wrote a fabulous book which emphasizes the effect of thoughts on health. Traditional medicine has mostly ignored the mind/body connection, but fields such as psychoneuroimmunology are changing that.
Does the Bible mention our Energy system?
One’s Energy system has 7 main energy centers known as ‘chakras. ’ The word "chakras" is from Sanskrit meaning " wheels." Each wheel is an Energy center, a spinning vortex located down the center of one’s body. Ezekiel chapter 1 is the most obvious reference. The prophet saw in vision 4 creatures with the likeness of a man having wheels of colored brightness up and down. Ezekiel said "the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels" and "their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps...." Ezekiel said one wheel was like the color of a beryl (a green gem), and above their head it was the color of the terrible crystal and above the firmament over their heads it was the color of a sapphire stone (deep blue.) The color of amber was seen above the loins and from the loins downward "I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about." Those colors seem to match the location and color of the 7 main chakras!
Their appearance and work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. Wherever the spirit was to go, they went. They had dreadfully high rings which were full of eyes. All of that fits with the literature on chakras. Verse 11 has a cross reference to D&C 77:4. "Q. What are we to understand by the eyes and wings, which the beasts had? A. Their eyes are a representation of light and knowledge, that is they are full of knowledge; and their wings are a representation of power, to move, to act, etc."Apparently, the "dreadfully high rings" contained light and knowledge, precisely what one would expect concerning the rings of the complete circuit of energy. D&C 93:29 teaches us that intelligence is the light of truth. D&C 88 teaches that the light of truth shines and that it is the same light that quickens our understandings. Quantum mechanics tells us that at levels well below protons and electrons there is mostly space. And that in that space -what exists? Information. The First Presidency has written, "There is a universally diffused essence which is the light and the life of the world... which proceedeth forth from the presence of God throughout the immensity of space, the light and power of which God bestows in different degrees to ‘them that ask him,’ according to their faith and obedience." (Improvement Era, Mar 1916, 460 quoted by Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Apr 2005, 8)
Those who can see subtle Energy systems also write of a cord connecting our Energy body/physical being to our "Source" in heaven. Eccles.12:6-7 says "Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." In other words, when the silver cord that connects our Energy system from a heavenly place to our physical being is loosed, our spirit returns to God. That fits fine with my belief system.
Some people’s minds seem closed to new ideas, yet the Lord says we are to "be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle... Of things both in heaven, and in the earth, and under the earth. (D&C 88:78-79) I can think of few other subjects to study that purport to be in all 3 of those places other than our complete system of energy. (Some of our Energy centers are located a few feet under our physical feet, or "under the earth.") I feel fine learning about my Energetic body which is above, on and below the earth as long as I stay firmly planted on the rock of Christ which is His gospel. (See D&C 11:24) Orson F. Whitney wrote, "[The gospel] embraces all truth, whether known or unknown, it incorporates all intelligence, both past and prospective. No righteous principle will ever be revealed, no truth can possibly be discovered, either in time or in eternity, that does not in some manner, directly or indirectly, pertain to the gospel of Jesus Christ."