The early days of solar system formation were chaotic! Planetesimals – ranging from a few hundred meters to hundreds of kilometers across – smashed into each other and clumped together to form planets, or flew apart. A planet-sized body apparently hit Earth to become our moon. And some of those early, turbulent motions likely involved material spiraling into our sun as well.
“Rejoice in the consciousness, whereby you experience and in the eternal soul within, whereby you know. The attributes of a god repose within you, and they are yours to command, if you will but call them forth.
“Be kind to your body, which is the vehicle of your pilgrimage and the chariot of your conquest. Keep it in health and strength, that you may enjoy life with vigor. It was not meant that the body should be neglected, and in fact the Law ordains that recompense be made for a neglected body. A body made weak by dissipation and gross from fat-living is an abomination unto the God of Life.
“On Earth, the body is equally as important as the soul. Keep it clean and in good health, that it may fittingly serve the purpose of the soul. The nearest approach that can be made to complete bliss on Earth is to enjoy the blessing of good health.
“If you would reserve health unto yourself, even into the ripeness of old age, avoid the allurements of intemperance and dissipation. These are the bewitchments of the wanton and harlot, and not easily avoided.
“When she spreads her delicacies before you, when her wine sparkles in the cups, when with sweet smiles, she induces you to cast care aside, then the hour of danger is at hand, and therefore, let prudence come to your aid. If you give heed to the sweet words of the temptress, then you are
deceived and betrayed.”
-The Kolbrin Bible (MPR:17:4-8)
It is true that all living beings have consciousness, but the level of consciousness humans have is higher than all other physical beings on earth. We should rejoice in that fact. We should also make every effort to increase our level of consciousness. To a large degree, that is what spiritual development is all about. Do not confuse intelligence with consciousness. Some people are very intelligent, but only average in consciousness. Likewise, some people of average intelligence have high levels of consciousness.
It is true that the attributes of God are within us, but they are found in our dormant spirit, not in the body or mind. We must awaken and develop the spirit in order to activate those attributes.
It is appropriate that the quote refers to the physical body as a vehicle. Many people think their physical body is their true self, but it isn’t. The spirit is the true self, which is why it is so important to awaken and develop the spirit. Still, it is true, as the quote says, that we should do our best to keep our bodies strong and healthy. Nobody can avoid illness and injury entirely, but we should avoid them as much as possible and take the necessary steps to heal when we are ill or injured. Whether that means visiting a doctor or another type of healer is up to the individual, but we should not ignore them. There are many cases of people, some well-known, who ignored sickness or injury and died as a result.
I do not agree that the body is as important as the soul (or spirit), but it is important. We should keep it clean and fit that it can serve God. The idea that it serves the soul makes no sense, but it can serve God. That is, in fact, what God wants us to do while we are stuck in the physical realm.
It is true that it is not easy to avoid temptations and intemperance. In this case, intemperance can mean excessive drinking of alcohol, or eating unhealthy foods. There are many temptations on earth, including sex, greed, and jealousy. We should make every effort to avoid such temptations. When we fail—and we all do occasionally—we shouldn’t give up, but instead ask God to give us the strength to avoid them in the future.
Since the Webb telescope started peering into the early universe in 2022, astronomers have been tantalized by mysterious Little Red Dots that pepper Webb’s images. Now, we might finally know what these dots are.
Researchers have announced that the Little Red Dots are a whole new type of astronomical object. They think these are black hole stars.
The Milky Way absorbed a large dwarf galaxy about 12 billion years ago, pushing the known history of major galactic mergers much farther back in time.
Hubble observations of ancient star clusters revealed a distinct population that could not have formed in either the early Milky Way or the later Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger.
The discovery gives astronomers a new way to reconstruct the Milky Way’s earliest growth and may help separate stars born here from those brought in by vanished galaxies.
“A mean man is one who walks in unmanly ways; he has womanly weaknesses, much magnified, without womanly virtues. He forever seeks faults in the ways of the wise and the good.
“He lacks generosity and compassion; he winnows the dust off his storehouse floor to save a few dirty grains. The heart of a mean man is as the sands of the wilderness, which swallow up all the pleasant flowers that fall and bring forth nothing in return.
“He who rises eagerly to claim praise for a successful undertaking and just as readily casts blame on another when it goes awry, is not only mean, but also a weakling and a hypocrite unto himself.
“None is worse than the mean man who has riches and estate, for he rides heavily on the backs of his servants and waxes fat on the sweat of their brows.
“He is without compassion or feeling, and the ruin of his brother brings him no sorrow. For the increase in his riches, he secretly rejoices in the death of his father; but the mean man, being also hypocritical,
will be loudest in lamentation.”
-The Kolbrin Bible (MPR:14:1-5)
A mean person seeks faults in the ways of the wise. A smart person will try to emulate the wise, but a weak or mean person criticizes instead. As a result, the mean person makes little progress, especially on the spiritual side of life.
The mean person lacks compassion for others. He doesn’t help a neighbor who needs assistance. He does not give to a charity unless he gets publicity for doing so, which means he is feeding his ego rather than being generous. As the quote says, the heart of the mean person is like the sands that swallow up the flowers. Fortunately, this does not stop the flowers from blooming. Of course, this is about allegorical flowers, namely, good people.
Mean people do love to claim praise for any successful undertaking, even if it is of no real significance. On the other hand, such people are quick to put down the accomplishments of others, no matter how great they may be. As the quote says, such a person is a weakling and a hypocrite. Sadly, there are many such people in the world today.
A mean person who has riches today may not ride on the back of his servants, but instead, what we see today is that the wealthy pay workers as little as they can get away with, while they claim most of the profit for themselves.
The mean person does not feel sorrow at the ruin of his brother or sister. Instead, he tried to use it as an opportunity to claim what his brother left behind. This goes not just for actual brothers and sisters, but all of our neighbors.
So do not be a mean person. Show compassion, generosity, and love. That is what god wants all of us to do.
