Skip to main content

Natural Laws and The Laws of Thought

Our world is a world of order.  It may not always seem that way, what with all those pesky humans creating such chaos, but the natural world is a world of order.  There are certain things that can absolutely be depended upon.

Take gravity, for example.  Gravity is a natural law.  It is part of the order of this world.  Gravity is the force that draws us to the earth.  If an object of weight is dropped from a high location, it doesn't just float in mid-air, it falls to the earth.  Every. Single. Time. You can count on it.

But what if you don't like gravity?  Or what if someone doesn't know about gravity?  Do either of those situations make a person exempt from it?  Of course not.  It is a natural law that affects every single person on the earth, all the time, whether they know about it, or like it, or not.

BUT.  Birds can fly.  For centuries, humans watched birds in flight and desired the ability to fly. Leonardo DaVinci was fascinated with flight, and created a flying machine, but it was not workable with just human power.  It was 1903 before the Wright Brothers conducted the first successful test of a flying machine that was human-powered and -controlled.  Does the fact that birds--and now humans--can fly mean that the law of gravity is no longer valid?  Was that somehow an untrue belief?


The reality is that birds are still subject to gravity.  When they are not in flight, they aren't floating off into space, after all.  But there are other--additional--natural laws at work.  Birds fly in accordance with natural laws, including gravity.  As scientists experimented and tried to fly, they began to learn about other natural laws that made flight--human flight--possible.  They were not defying or working against gravity, they were working WITH the natural laws to achieve something that had previously seemed impossible. They discovered that with the correct understanding, the impossible was not impossible at all.

(As you watch this video clip from the 1965 television production of Cinderella, consider how "impossible" our modern special effects were back then!)

So, what do natural laws have to do with our thoughts?  As it turns out, a lot more than you might think.  What you think has the power to enslave you, or to set you free.

To really achieve great things, your thoughts and actions must be in accordance with natural law, which is also God's Law. Today many people believe that there are no absolutes, but the scriptures tell us differently.  In the Book of Mormon, Second Nephi we read:
And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away.
And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon. (2 Nephi 2:13-14).
 As a tower is built, there is a structure that assists them--a network of scaffolding that allows the builders to access the highest points and complete the construction.  Likewise, laws provide the structure by which we can elevate ourselves as we live in accordance with them.  When we don't understand or believe a natural law, we limit ourselves, we become slaves to our natural man, and we become superstitious, grasping at unreasonable and untrue explanations for why things happen to us.  Conversely, when we understand natural law, we are happier, we set the stage for achievement and growth, and we are able to truly become free.

There are a series of natural laws that govern thought.  To learn more about a particular law of thought, click on the links below.  The material in the links also includes suggestions for helping children understand the concepts, and may be helpful if you are interested in teaching your children about these principles.

The Law of Perpetual Transmutation
The Law of Relativity
The Law of Vibration
The Law of Polarity
The Law of Cause and Effect
The Law of Rhythm
The Law of Gestation
A Rare Kind of Faith


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Battle Raging for Our Minds

I had some amazing insights today that I wanted to quickly write. So this post is a bit hurried and not as polished as I usually like, but posting it will help me remember. And if you happen to read it, I hope you gain something from it as well. From my scripture journal: Amazing insights today! I read Alma chapter 47 and into chapter 48 today, and discovered something I had not seen before. Chapter 47 details how Amalikiah becomes king of the Lamanites. Specifically, I learned from the part about how he tricks Lehonti into giving him a position as second in command of the Lamanite armies, and then poisons Lehonti. We talk over and over about how Amalikiah lures Lehonti away from his stronghold and his fixed determination not to join with the rest of the Lamanite armies and fight the Nephites. And all those things are true. But like so many stories in the BOM, it has a counterpart. Lehonti’s fixed determination wasn’t enough. If he had such a fixed determination to not join w

Get Behind Me, Shoulder Devil

My kiddos are huge Studio C fans.  Our Monday night Family Home Evening schedule is pretty strict, to make sure that we are all ready to watch Studio C at 8:00.  It's fun, clean humor, which I really appreciate.  Recently, though, it had more than just a humorous application for my family. One of my daughters has a particularly difficult time controlling her temper.  She is extremely sensitive, and very spiritually mature, but get her in a bad mood and none of that matters.  I try to calm her to the point that she can make better decisions, but when she is mad, she seems determined to stay that way.  She expresses a desire to not feel so out of control (when she is in a contrite state of mind), but how to help her with that has been somewhat of a mystery to me and my husband as we try to love and teach her.  Finally, my husband expressed that perhaps she is more than just sensitive to THE Spirit, maybe she is sensitive to all manner of spirits. I had had the same thought.  Th

A New Beginning

A couple of months ago I was preparing a Relief Society lesson on developing talents. As part of my preparation, I went to the Personal Progress manual, which was recently revised and updated, to see what it said about my lesson topic. It spoke of "reaching your divine potential," which is the greatest desire of my heart. But, alas, I never completed my Personal Progress. I was always active in church and in the Young Women program, but I never caught the vision as a teen of the blessing and benefit of Personal Progress. I had other things to do and focused on those things instead. Fast forward a few (okay, many) years, and now I wish I had put forth the effort to complete it. But more than that, I want the spiritual benefit of Personal Progress NOW, at this point in my life. I want to enjoy the structure of the program as I set and pursue goals. I want to learn more about my divine purpose and potential. I want to strengthen my testimony of Jesus Christ.