Unity "Of one heart"

  Becoming One


Moses 7:18  Pearl of Great Price

And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

An Amazing Phenomenon Happens to the Heartbeats of Choir Members When They Sing Together

Why are we asked to sing before we do anything else at church? Why is singing  so powerful?  It brings the spirit but it also has the power to unify is and make our hearts as one.  Being one in heart is part of being a Zion people.
This is why I love it when we sing and meditate as a family. It knits our hearts together in love.
Mosiah 18:21
Book of Mormon
And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.
In  the video below  we are all metronomes going through life at our own tempo. With a common foundation of Christ and the Gospel to build on we can synchronize our hearts  or tune them so that we can be unified. Music does this. I am so glad we are commanded to sing the songs of the Gospel.  Elder Oaks reminds us to sing- even if we dont think we are good at it. LINK  When we dont join in song we are loosing out on an opportunity to feel the spirit and have our hearts beat with those who are striving to  live  a Zion life.

Below is a news story on this concept if you want  to read more.

Choir singers not only harmonize their voices, they also synchronize their heartbeats, a study suggests.

Researchers in Sweden monitored the heart rates of singers as they performed a variety of choral works.
They found that as the members sang in unison, their pulses began to speed up and slow down at the same rate.
Writing in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, the scientists believe the synchrony occurs because the singers coordinate their breathing.
Dr Bjorn Vickhoff, from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University in Sweden, said: "The pulse goes down when you exhale and when you inhale it goes up.
"So when you are singing, you are singing on the air when you are exhaling so the heart rate would go down. And between the phrases you have to inhale and the pulse will go up.
"If this is so then heart rate would follow the structure of the song or the phrases, and this is what we measured and this is what we confirmed."
Sing from the heart
The scientists studied 15 choir members as they performed different types of songs.

When you exhale you activate the vagus nerve... that goes form the brain stem to the heart

Dr Bjorn Vickhoff, Gothenburg University

They found that the more structured the work, the more the singers' heart rates increased or decreased together.
Slow chants, for example, produced the most synchrony.
The researchers also found that choral singing had the overall effect of slowing the heart rate.
This, they said, was another effect of the controlled breathing.
Dr Vickhoff explained: "When you exhale you activate the vagus nerve, we think, that goes from the brain stem to the heart. And when that is activated the heart beats slower."
The researchers now want to investigate whether singing could have an impact on our health.
"There have been studies on yoga breathing, which is very close to this, and also on guided breathing and they have seen long-terms effects on blood pressure... and they have seen that you can bring down your blood pressure.
"We speculate that it is possible singing could also be beneficial."



 http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23230411

The Armor Of God Meditation- time with Heavenly Mother

  We are told we need to put our armor on EVERY DAY I find that when I do  it this way I can feel it and I know where it  is weak. It only takes a few min but it is so powerful.

Here is how we do it at our house.

I talk this out for my kids. Now they have done it so much they can  do it on their own. 
Close your eyes and picture yourself in a white bright room. There is a table there with your armor on it. It is complete and made just for you. At the end of the table you see a woman. She is beautiful, and has a bright smile, love radiates from her. THIS IS YOUR HEAVENLY MOTHER. And as all mothers she wants you to be safe and protected and she is here to help you get dressed in your armor.
You can take a moment to greet her and tell her you love her.
Look at the table. It is spread with your armor. Heavenly Mother will tell you were to stand. Then she will walk to the table to help you get your armor on.
First she takes your helmet. She places it on your head, straps it under your chin, and lowers the visor so your face is also protected.
Next she takes your breast and back plate. You can hold the front as she puts on the back plate. It straps over the top of each shoulder. You will then have to raise each arm so she can make tight the straps on each side.  First on your right side , and then on your left.
She goes to the table and grabs a chainmail skirt. She wraps this around your waist and it ties in the back she then tucks it up and under the breast and back plate so there are no gaps.
Next come your leg grieves. She puts them in place and they strap at the upper thigh, above the knee, below the knee, and above the ankle for both legs.
She then goes to the table and gets your shoes. You can hold on to her as you step into each shoe. Once you are in she bends down and synches them for you and makes sure your ankles are covered.
Next hold out your arms and Heavenly Mother will put on your arm grieves. (Every ones armor is different and tailored to them. Your Arm grieves might strap to you similar to your leg grieves or they might be like great big gloves that go from your finger tip up to your shoulders.)
Feel the movement and comfort of your armor. Take time to twist and bend and feel safe and protected, flexible and strong.
Hold your arms out as Heavenly Mother brings you your sword and shield. Pay attention to which hand she puts them in. If your shield is in your dominate hand then today is going to be a day where you must protect and shield yourself and others. If your sword is in your strong hand then today is a day where you need to stand up for the things that are right and fight for Christ and his Gospel.
See if Heavenly Mother has any thing else for you that day that might help you or protect you.
Once you are all dressed give her a hug and tell her thank you. Tell her you love her and that you will try hard to be the kind of person she would want you to be. Listen to anything she has to say to you. And open your eyes.

This process can take any where from 1 min to 10 if you have a deep conversation or ask questions about your armor.
You can visualize this for anyone you are a steward over. Your armor is weakened or comes off completely when you sin, loose your temper, or are not true to the light you have. You can repent and ask God to re install it for you.
You can also muscle test to see if you are missing any pieces of your armor. Or to see if your sword is out... its not a good idea to keep it in the sheath it doesnt do you much good in there.
Everyone armor is different. Mine changes from time to time... I have a Sunday set of Armor that I LOVE. But it is only set out on the table on Sundays. On other people I have seen roman armor, mid evil armor, ninja/oriental armor, and even one little girl has armor that is pink and shinny with glitter all over it. It fits her personality.
This is so important that EACH of my kids have been told In their new years blessings for this year that they need to get up and meditate with mom and put on their armor every day.
Hope it helps.... ON a side note make sure that conversations with Heavenly Mother stay conversations. If you have anything that sound like a prayer make sure and rout it through Heavenly Father. We pray only to Him... but that doesnt mean we cant talk to our Heavenly Mother or have a relationship with her. 

Sat Nam