The Law of Perpetual Transmutation

"The only thing that is constant is change." ~Heraclitus

The Law of Perpetual Transmutation states that all things are in a constant state of change.  Perpetual means ongoing; transmutation means change.  All things are constantly changing into or out of form.

For instance, every person living on the earth started as a couple of cells.  As soon as those two cells were joined, the changes began.  Rapidly.  Constantly.  Until a fully-formed human baby was ready to be born. But that was not the end of the changing.  Babies grow.  Not as fast as they grew in their mothers' wombs, but very quickly, usually doubling their birth weight by the time they are 5 months old.  Children continue to grow and develop until they reach the prime of adulthood, at which point they start to show signs of aging.  The process of coming into full form is over, and the process of going out of form has begun.

As human beings come into or go out of form, there are some stages that we can identify that are associated with each:

Coming into form:

• All the changes involved in fetal development; the forming of body parts
• Birth
• Growth spurts
• Learning to crawl, walk, eat, talk, etc.

Going out of form:

• Wrinkles
• Get shorter
• Health problems/degenerative disease
• Pain
• Loss of vision, hearing
• Memory loss

The most important part of coming into form is the part that cannot be seen.  According to the example above, that would be the part that happens before a baby experiences birth.  Without the part that happens before birth, there would be no baby at all.  Understanding the "invisible" part of perpetual transmutation is the key to harnessing its power in our lives.

Scripture: Moses 3:5, 7

"And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air;

 And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually were they created and made according to my word." (emphasis added)

Principle: All things were created spiritually before they were created physically.

What is a spiritual creation?

All things were created with unseen material (an idea or a plan) before they were created with seen, tangible material.

Let's use a house as an example.  Before a house is created with tangible bricks and boards, it is first created spiritually, as an idea.  The first expression of that idea is likely a blueprint.  While the blueprint is made with tangible materials (paper, pencil), it is not a house.  It is a stage in the process of creating the house--part of the spiritual creation.  It is a representation of the actual home that is not yet in existence.

Spiritual creation is the process by which an idea is moved through the planning and creating phases until it is fully formed.  It is the process of turning an idea into, for instance, a house.  A general listing of the steps of the creation process for a house might include:

• ideas about room placement and features
• creating sketches of the house
• drafting a plan complete with precise measurements
• the purchasing of land and materials
• construction of the physical structure
• painting
• decorating
• finishing work
• landscaping

Not every idea moves through the entire process.  Many ideas become fully developed, but many others are abandoned, and the full manifestation of that goal is never realized.

The water cycle gives us clues as to how the whole process works.

Water Cycle Review:
Water is present in the atmosphere all around us as vapor.  Vapor condenses to become a cloud, and when the cloud is heavy with water, precipitation takes place.  Precipitation turns to ice, ice melts back to water, the water evaporates into the atmosphere, and the cycle is ready to begin again.

The key to taking a molecule of water vapor all the way through the process is the existence of proper conditions.  If the conditions are not right at any stage, then the next stage won't develop.  But neither does the water molecule stay at one stage, waiting for the right conditions.  If the conditions are not moving that water molecule to the final result (ice), then they are moving it back to a state of water vapor.  Nothing stays the same; everything is moving into or going out of form.

Not every water molecule makes it through every stage of the water cycle.  Not every raindrop turns to ice.  Clouds full of precipitation sometimes dissipate before they rain.  Even rain sometimes evaporates before it hits the ground.  At any stage of the cycle, the process can reverse, and the water molecule, instead of moving into physical, solid form, can return to water vapor.

Just like a molecule of water, ideas require the proper conditions to take them from the idea stage (like water vapor), to the tangible fulfillment of a goal (like ice).  If the proper conditions are not present for the idea to come into form, then it moves out of form.  What are the proper conditions?  They are cultivated in the mind.

When an idea is held in the mind, the physical circumstances align themselves to bring that idea into fruition, into physical existence.  Though obstacles may exist, as long as the idea is nurtured in the proper mental environment, it is moving into physical form.  If the idea is abandoned, however, either through apathy or discouragement, then the creation process is halted and the idea never achieves it's full physical form.

The proper mental environment includes desire for the idea, belief that the idea is possible, and the belief that circumstances are aligning to bring the idea into existence.  Even when obstacles present themselves, these beliefs must be firm in the mind in order for the idea to reach fruition.

For Kids:

Story: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton
The Little House tells the story of a house that was built with love, and which then starts to decay as the city grows up all around her.  But before she completely moves out of form, someone finds her and fixes her up.

Activity: Create a Water Cycle
Kids can create a their own model of the water cycle and watch how the process works.

Supplies:

• Large bowl
• A cup or smaller bowl (to fit in the large one)
• Plastic wrap to completely cover the large bowl
• Water

Instructions:

Place the small bowl or cup into the larger bowl.  Pour water carefully into the larger bowl, making sure not to get any into the smaller bowl (also make sure that you don't pour too much water in.  You want the smaller bowl to be firm on the bottom of the larger bowl.  Don't let it float around!).  Cover the larger bowl with plastic wrap.  Move the bowl to a warm or sunny location.  After a while, you'll notice tiny drops of water vapor collecting on the inside of the plastic wrap.  A while later, you'll notice the drops getting larger (this works best in the shade).  Eventually, you'll notice water in the smaller bowl, where there had been no water.  The condensed water on the plastic wrap has "precipitated" to bring water to a place where it did not exist before.

Activity: Create a Vision Board
A vision board is one way of keeping the proper mental environment for your idea or goal.  It serves as a constant reminder of what you want.  Create one by drawing pictures, cutting pictures from magazines, or writing statements about the goals you want to accomplish.  Put it in a location where you will see it frequently.  By the bed is often preferred, because you can spend a few minutes focusing on your goals before bed and before getting up.  Also, be sure if you use words or phrases that you focus on exactly what you want, not on what you don't want.  For example, a goal statement of "I don't want to feel tired any more" has the opposite intended effect--because you keep seeing the word tired!  Instead use words like "energized," "alert" or "well-rested."