It is by reading that I exorcise my demons
Editors Note: I originally wrote this back in 2016 on another blog. I decided to re-publish and update it after seeing the recent Church Policies and Guidelines. I read a lengthy post on Facebook about how “energy healing” is from Satan and that it is probably the mark of the beast – ok, it doesn’t […]
Read more "Energy Healing is Satanic! … or something"It is no secret that meditation can reduce stress, pain, depression, and more. It is also no secret that meditation also can make changes to our brain! These changes include: Enlarges the prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is responsible for rational decision-making. Studies have shown that meditation increases grey matter (brain cells) in this region. Shrinks the amygdala. The […]
Read more "To meditate, or not to meditate: that is the question!"It isn’t quite December, yet I find myself thinking about 2021. I feel that quite a few individuals are looking ahead to 2021 due to the insanity that has been 2020. Looking ahead and looking at my bookshelf, I realized that I had squandered so much time this year; there were so many books I […]
Read more "Reading Goal 2021"Recollection “Are you praying, Elder?” asked Elder Ward. “Hmmm? Oh. Yes. I am!” he responded. Truthfully, he hadn’t been. He had been captured a daydream, in which he was somewhere else. He had been thinking not of home, but of a future life. Besides, to pray to God is not to hear from God, and […]
Read more "Dreams, Recollections, and Reality"*Previously published on 08/28/2016 – updated/edited today. I should say: I do not believe in the Atonement, capital-A, as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints™. I do not believe in an Atonement where Jesus, God’s favorite and perfect son, is sent to earth to pay for a debt he did not […]
Read more "I Do Not Believe In The Atonement"There is a common idiom in the English language: resign oneself to (something). The individual accepts what one must do, undertake, or endure. It is a type of acceptance of fate, or what one knows must come next. I look from my third story apartment across the way. I see three young men, each wearing […]
Read more "Resignation"On August 1st, I married my sweetheart. It was lovely! I have also picked up a short story (novel?) that I started to write back in High School. It has been fascinating to see how it has changed over the last sixteen years. It has evolved, grown, and come into its own. I’m hoping to […]
Read more "What’s going on?"Between two trees, I stretch my altar. Beneath the sky, I send my praise. This place, this beauty, this temple, Amid the trees and song of a stream, Unites mind and body; a joyful reunion.
Read more "A Holy Temple"I wrote this post in April of 2014 for a different blog. It remains one of my favorite pieces of writing. From time to time, I go back, read it, and make minor adjustments. Today, I felt it was appropriate to make adjustments and transfer it to this blog. I hope you enjoy it as […]
Read more "April will come — she will"I have been struggling to find what to write, or even if I should write, regarding the death – murder – of George Floyd. I realized that what I want to write isn’t about solutions, about the problems, or about the heartache I feel. No. Instead, I will write about the calm amid the storm. […]
Read more "Calm amid the storm"