“The Nephite people, taking then, by their highest sentiments, banished from their midst all resentment that came from the evil one, beginning with sorrow and rancor, then anguish and fear, anger and covetousness, lasciviousness, and many others derived from Satan; and whenever an adverse feeling to the Heavenly gifts was identified, a record was made of it for the purpose of being worked out at Church meetings in general, for the purpose of being replaced by the noble sentiments derived from the greater Gift, coming from the name of our God, one at a time, until he strife between the brethren ceased to exist, and there were no more quarrels among the Nephite people… Therefore, it became necessary to keep a record of those who have the desire in their hearts to fulfill this Law, and after, to be individually analyzed in relation to the spiritual state and faith of each one to the promises of God and the building of Zion.” Acts of the Three Nephites (A3N) 8:1, 11a
As I read this scripture, my comment here is that I know that with God all things are possible. The United order will not succeed, as have so many attempts have failed. This is due to the necessary revelation regarding the spiritual psychology that is not clear or understood. The personal psychology of every individual needs to be evaluated, not just in men but also in women and in families, for the issues regarding the individuals and families to be resolved.
I don’t see how this can be done in a prayer meeting or testimony meeting before the congregation. In many cases it will require in-depth psycho and self- analysis, working through the psychological hooks and traumas that are buried in the identity body as well as the mental body, and obviously the emotional body. The emotional body is the one most people are well acquainted with. The other two are not so much. The least of them is the identity body, which is the highest level of the physical realm that resides in the unseen material planes.
A New Time
Because this has not been something that mankind has been aware of as a physical aspect of who we are, until this day and time when there’s more understanding, there has been little focus and emphasis on the mental well-being of people. There are those that are gifted with Spiritual Psychology, as is Pia Mellody, the author of “The Intimacy Factor.” Pia Mellody explains through what she personally experienced in her life experience, and understanding the workings of it beyond what most medical professionals that work in the area of psychology and psychiatry have yet to understand. Therefore, the professionals are unable to truly identify and deal with a problem, addiction, mental illness or patterns in the human psyche.
Soon we will start seeing these tools revealed as they and other equipment are being developed. Once available we will be able to measure and evaluate properly and then will things actually begin to change. There are computers now existing that can discover illnesses and energy patterns that reveal disease diagnose and realign and heal illnesses available by many different names, one termed “bio-feedback.” These fall under the category of Quantum computers.
Self Assessment
Looking at the beam in one’s own eye is the hardest thing for most people to do willingly (Matthew 7:1-5). I have noticed recently upon browsing the bookshelves on Amazon, there are many books now being written reviewing the psychology of the mind and the emotions, even though the identity body is not identified outright at this time. It has been revealed in studying the Kabbalah of Jewish Mysticism these unseen aspects of the self a play. There are things that are identified in these unseen Realms that actually reside in those planes. But they have not yet been identified as part of the physical body the same way as are the chakras.
With study of the Kabbalah, I see much better how this resolution in regards to the scripture verses referenced in the Sealed Book of Mormon (SBoM) at the beginning of this post is what will connect the two together scripturally. And, I see how the Kabbalah will be instrumental for the people of the Restoration to use in this manner, as an interactive group study. I have participated in such a group and witnessed amazing things unfold in resolving one’s psychology without having to submit to psychoanalysis.
Shared Experiences
To add an anecdotal example to reinforce my explanation here, a few months ago I was visited by a sister in the Restoration I had recently met and made an immediate connection with her. She came over with her husband. As we got acquainted, we were sharing spiritual experiences back and forth. She shared with me a profound and deeply moving testimony of how the Lord healed her emotional trauma and her addiction to nicotine and totally changed her life.
Then, as I was sharing my testimony, something I said triggered her emotions and she became very upset. So upset that she literally bolted out of the door pulling her husband with her. Even though I have tried to ask her forgiveness when I have on occasion run into her, she turns away from me to avoid making contact. Even though she was healed of some aspects of her psychology, there are more layers to be uncovered that may not show up till later on.
A Process
Likewise, for most individuals it will be a process. An Individual’s habits and patterns from life experiences become so ingrained that the person is totally unaware of these triggers acting and the effects on their relationships and their worldview. This is what causes suffering in a person’s life. Unfortunately these patterns become generational and are passed down as “generational curses” to the children (Exodus 34:4-10).
My perspective here is the newly released “Sealed Book” gives us more insight as it reveals a way and hope for the Saints of the Restoration to answer the call to “bring forth Zion.” This can be accelerated by using this ancient text as a tool for discovering and bringing new light to understanding the scriptures overall and the Sealed Book of Mormon specifically. When I understood the message of Kabbalah and began to read the scriptures with this new lens, from a different way of reading scripture than I had previously, I felt a different spirit engage with me as the story became alive and leapt off the page.