The Relevance of Cosmism - Part 12 of 12 - Hearts and Minds
We have all experienced mental stress or discomfort when holding two conflicting thoughts. It occurs in situations where we are presented with facts that contradict our self-image, attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. Once we understand this, we can more easily move past it. We begin to break down the obstacles that keep us from acquiring new knowledge. We call this Cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance is a psychological obstruction. There is a spiritual obstruction as well. This happens when we feel something we think is a confirmation from the spirit, or in other words, personal revelation, but actually isn’t. We mistake emotion as being spiritual knowledge. We use statements like these from the lord as a foundation for defining personal revelation:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things."
"Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?" (D&C 6:22–23)
“Thus saith the still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things” (D&C 85:6).
“I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.
“Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation” (D&C 8:2–3).
Here arises a problem, not with the scripture, but with the interpretation of them. It lies within the meaning of the word "Heart"…
Not the Heart
When something feels (emotionally) good, too many of us jump to the conclusion that it’s from the spirit. Be very careful when you "know" something to be true because the spirit confirmed to your heart it was true. If it cannot also be confirmed through your mind, you don't have a confirmation. Emotions deceive far too often. An emotional confirmation can too easily be deceptive. It is easy for any of us to love something that we know is at some level, destructive.
But the mind
If it's not confirmed in your mind, but gets your intelligence "buzzing" and is virtuous, lovely, and of good report or praiseworthy, then it might or might not be true, but is not a confirmation. It is more likely just a good emotional feeling, and nothing more. God speaks thoughts to your mind, and feelings to your heart. Only after you have put in the effort of reading, researching, and studying to find the answer yourself, does the spirit confirm it in the "heart" of your mind.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?"
How do you speak an emotion to a mind? You don’t.
"Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground."
The "feel-good" churches
Most churches, including the LDS church, backs these feelings up and supports them. In general, the larger part of most of these churches have become "feel good" churches. Instead of being a people of true revelation, prophecy, and confirmation by the spirit, they have been deceived into believing that all things important come through your emotions. This is pretty scary if you think about it. Anybody that supports or teaches this idea is wrong to lead people to believe in this emotional guidance. This is among the most important principles of all, and needs to be taught correctly.
Most of us have become sheeple, waiting on the hierarchy in the church to tell us what is important, condemning us for being compelled in all things. Let’s be self-reliant, especially spiritually.
This is not to disrespect any church or its leaders, however on the doctrine of what the lord means by the word "heart", this one is being taught incorrectly.
Emotionalism
So many of the Christian sects are based on charismatic fervor and emotionalism. The congregation is moved by a slick talking used car salesman that thumps the Bible and whips them up into a frenzy prior to passing the collection plate. The same can be said with a slow talking but emotional "mover".
Personal revelation is something entirely different. God speaks in a spiritual voice that can't be defined in temporal terms. It seems like it’s at a level that by-passes the filters of ego and natural senses, yet experienced in your heart and understood in your mind. You just know. No arguing with the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual vs Corporeal
Most church members think that everything in life has to be on a spiritual or religious level, otherwise it’s just not worth any time or effort. Cosmism, which is the temporal and scientific half of the gospel, and equally as important, is quickly rejected by most when they first encounter it. Their cognitive dissonance kicks in. And most people usually choose emotionalism, over scientific, logical topics.
The Mind will protect false beliefs
Cognitive Dissonance: the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change. In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort experienced by a person who simultaneously holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values.
“Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn't fit in with the core belief.”
The same thing happens when Cosmism is presented to most people.
Where is the heart according to scripture?
Head and Heart
According to the scriptures, the heart is the seat of thought and reason, and not the brain. In other words, thought and reason is where God speaks to a person, not the physical/emotional blood-pumping heart. It is a place where words are spoken and thoughts and ideas pondered and reasoned out. It is the center of reason. It is where thoughts are placed and spoken. It is where words are stored, remembered, or treasured.
The Heart spoken of in the scriptures means "center" (deepest central part) of the mind.
"Then Abraham fell upon his face... and said in his heart"
"Hearken ye to these words... Treasure these things in your hearts."
"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things... (ye shall) ponder it in your hearts."
“But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, what reason ye in your hearts?”
The ancient "Heart"
"Kardia", used in the New Testament, is the Greek term for "Heart".
Kardia = heart, mind, character, inner self, intention, will, or center.
The ancients, including the philosopher Aristotle, as well as the Egyptians thought the heart, not the brain, was the location of intelligence and the seat of thought.
The modern "Heart"
When we read this in section 8 of the Doctrine & Covenant, we see no sign of emotions. The heart when considered within the larger scriptural and historical context is the perfect place to tell someone something.
"Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground."
Strive for Spiritual Confirmation
Ask, Seek, and Knock: Spend the time and effort to Read-Study-Research the material and put the pieces together to build a full picture.
Have Faith: Plant the seeds of Faith on a subject or theory, line upon line, help it grow into a perfect knowledge of truth of that subject through your research and works. Don’t just continue believing, Test it. Prove it. Know.
God will whisper to the heart of your mind in a still small voice what is and is not truth.
A Summary of why Cosmism is so important
So there you have 12 good reasons Cosmism is so relevant to mankind.
See the world through a Cosmism paradigm.
Cosmism contains many of the missing pieces of the standard of truth that Joseph Smith attempted to establish, and that we are still establishing today. It is a language of symbolism and imagery that existed in the creation of almost all religions and myths from the beginning of time. Cosmism shows us that we are much more alike than different because our traditions and rituals originate from the same source. It is the overlap and the bridge between many different disciplines. Science and religion can complement each other once again.
Cosmism opens a vast new world of both science and spirituality that creates an exciting new zeal for both. Seeing through an Electric Universe paradigm adds volumes of information and answers to so many questions that have laid dormant since Nikola Tesla, and some since Joseph Smith.
The holoscience (whole and complete science that includes the electric universe theory) of Cosmism is beginning to have an impact on our understanding of biology. Biology is electric. This will drastically change the way we study and use biology in medicine, food, and our quality of life. This holoscience is changing the way we understand Earth's weather as well as on other planets.
That the omnipotent, omnipresent energy of the universe is electric in nature and not gravitational changes everything about our understanding of the universe. And this is only one of many theories from the thunderbolts project that are beginning to break up and replace the old outdated theories of mainstream science that have failed to be proven for as long as a century now.
The principle of knowledge is the principle of salvation. This principle can be comprehended by the faithful and diligent; and everyone that does not obtain knowledge sufficient to be saved will be condemned. Knowledge saves a man; and in the world of spirits no man can be exalted but by knowledge (Joseph Smith, T.P.J.S., pp. 297, 357). The very purpose of our existence is that we prove ourselves as stewards over knowledge. Cosmism cannot be excluded.
Knowledge is also the key to many other things. To leave vital knowledge out of your internal library is to unknowingly reject the blessings or rewards that knowledge is predicated upon. The mind is a powerful thing. Vast amounts of knowledge are completely ignored when we refuse to recognize mankind’s collective amnesia throughout history, and the cognitive dissonance we're experiencing now.
Knowing where we came from and who we are is vital to our well-being. Having an incorrect version of history negatively effects every aspect of our lives. Cosmism adds a whole other layer to history - the correct history of our Earth and our solar system. This has shaped and reshaped the history of mankind time and time again, and will again in the future. Scares have been left all over Earth, Mars, Venus, and other planets and moons revealing a very different history than what we've been force-fed. Another reminder of this drastically different history is the massive megaliths and temples erected around the world. They are filled with symbols and meaning that tells an extraordinary story of mankind and his Earth. But perhaps most important of all is the meaningful significance found in our temple symbolism and the endowment rituals, which are chock full of information.
Prophecy is another subject we seem to keep getting wrong. Happily, one need not be a prophet and receive visions to understand the language used by the prophets. All that is necessary is an understanding of the origins of their metaphors and imagery in cosmic apparitions that arose in Earth’s ancient skies. That applies to the Book of Abraham and the enigmatic Egyptian facsimiles as well. One you've learned how, then reading this symbolism and imagery is much like reading a book. And like our struggle with prophecy, we unnecessarily struggle with our own personal relationship with God and the spirit. We simply need to find the key to receiving personal revelation of a correct knowledge of the truth. This key is a combination of effort and of listening deep within our mind.
Testing your religion
Cosmology use to be an important ingredient in religion, in fact it used to be the whole show in ancient times. With the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith, as well as the hard work of researchers and scientists of the Electric Universe theory, we now have the tools necessary to build a more complete understanding of these different disciplines. We can test weather a religion is true or not. We can test weather a scientific theory is true or not. And we can paint a more accurate picture of the history of the Solar system, the Earth and its inhabitants, our ancestors. Understanding their beliefs and philosophies through the lens of Cosmism guides us in a much more effective direction.
Knowing God
Cosmism provides a much deeper understanding of God's attributes, his policies, and the ways and means of his creations. A knowledge of God is incomplete without the cosmic elements. They describe the "scientific" processes in which God uses the forces of the Universe to bring about his eternal plan.
"I advised all to search deeper and deeper into the mysteries of
Godliness". (Joseph Smith, History of the Church 6:363.)
"Thy mind, O man! If thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost heavens.” No shortcuts or easy lessons here! Note well that the Prophet makes no distinction between things of the spirit and things of the intellect."
Additionally, these are expansive topics that can be hard to get your mind around. It takes time and effort to absorb them and assimilate them into your worldview. They range from astronomy to prophecy, from geology to gospel doctrine, from science to religion.
If you have an inquiring mind and a thirst for truth, I recommend this material to you. Come, join us in a voyage of discovery and expansive vistas of knowledge.
My personal comments:
I love the huge amount of research Anthony E. Larson has put together. His research has drastically changed my testimony and my conviction of the restored gospel for the better. I was giving up on all of it until I found his work. I've read it all, been to many of his seminars, and watched all his videos multiple times. I have created multiple videos and images for him and his work, and became a good friend in the process. The one-on-one conversations I've had with him in person and over the internet are some of my favorite memories. He truly knew every detail of Cosmism inside and out. I tried to finish these 12 articles before he passed away so he could read them and missed him by only a month. I really wanted him to read them and let me know what to change to make them better.
For 40 years he was frustrated that so few would listen to him. I feel that pain as well. His books at first sold really well. He said that once the church asked people to stop buying "end-of-the-world" "doomsday" books, the sales on his books began to drop as well. I personally think the bigger reason his books dropped in sales was because it was at the time the internet started getting really big and people have become more and more lazy wanting only to watch a video or listen to audio. No one likes to read anymore. I gave away 15 sets of his books to people I thought would read them. Only two of those people that I know of actually read them.
There is no doubt that this work can be extremely helpful in multiple different disciplines. Helpful to both church members and to scientific researchers alike. The thunderbolts project with David Talbott's and Wal Thornhill's research is a quantum leap in science. Anthony loved these men and the many men that work with them. He said multiple times that as strange as it sounds, the research done by the thunderbolts project is vital to your salvation. I agree. He met with, or spoke with David Talbott on multiple occasions. Mr. Talbott even borrowed some of Anthony's music for some of the thunderbolt videos that Anthony wrote himself. Anthony loved the Cosmism works of Velekovsky and Hugh Nibley as well.
Links to Anthony Larson’s as well as the thunderbolts project's materials:
Videos – http://youtube.com/user/toeknee1943/
Websites – http://mormonprophecy.com/
http://www.holoscience.com/wp/
Blog – http://mormonprophecy.blogspot.com/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/keystomormonprophecy
Scribd – http://www.scribd.com/anthonyelarson
My website (still in its infancy, under construction) – www.cosmicaxis.net