Poetic Knowledge: Dendrites and Intercession

I haven’t even finished the chapter but I had so many thoughts I had to get down! Now I feel frozen and unable to articulate all I thought and said aloud in the shower.

Sigh.

I remembered some of what I learned in high school about the brain, in particular, dendrites. I recalled that dendrites are the branch like structures that connect our brain cells. The more we have the more “connected” our brain is. We can grow dendrites by learning.

Then I thought of Shields and how it wasn’t until he worked on a farm that mathematical principles made sense to him. I wondered if doing and learning certain things will grow the dendrite connections in certain ways. I theorized that I could use the scientific method to prove my idea that “the order of poetic knowledge” along with the rhetoric and dialectic degrees of knowledge are elements of a complete knowledge set to make one wise and whole. Those who implement all the order of reasoning will have greater dendrite growth and connections that they would not have if only focusing on one type of reasoning. This is why, the poetic senses Shields used in his farm work allowed him to comprehend the mathematic principles he was taught in school. There was no other way for him.

I also pondered Godly communication and how he likes to use symbol and parable to teach the faithful. In this way the mysteries of God can be revealed to those who are prepared and ready for such knowledge and wisdom while those who are not ready simply hear a story or see a mark – understanding and insight can be gained only if we are prepared.

We need to work and participate in wholesome recreation such as “traditional crafts that endured up to preindustrial, pretechnological times” to cultivate the poetic knowledge attributes within ourselves and those we teach.

As I had these notions fly through my mind I thought about the new (to me) gardening method I’m working on - square foot gardening. This will be a great way to teach arithmetic in a whole knowledge sense verses a textbook and worksheets. This will allow myself and my children to “get” math and math “get us”, among other subjects. I have recently taken an interest in sewing and knitting and although I have not yet taken up knitting (waiting on my ordered supplies) I am sure it will expand my mind in more ways and areas of knowledge then just the craft itself. Surely these things will help us to “relate…facts into ideas.”

This assurance stems from my earlier idea that Godly communication is in symbol and parable and what better way to gain more symbol and parable fare then through beautiful creation and work? The more we allow ourselves and our children to delve into the 4 degrees of knowledge the more complete we will be and the more prepared to receive of the “mysteries of God”. Sadly the trends of our society and public schooling system only endorse one method and, as Taylor pointed out through Verhoeven we will be, “condemned to lifelong mediocrity” unless there is intervention.

I testify to you that we are the intervention! Our teaching our children and learning and growing with each other and them are the intercession!

With all the advantages of our day how much more could we know, have, and be if only most of us would balance these areas of knowledge? What could someone contribute to the good of all if they worked hard in providing for themselves through more means then just employment for the almighty dollar, say a garden and raising some animals too? What if that same person practiced homeopathic medicine, nature studies, a craft or trade, and was well read in a broad range of areas (yet deeply in their chosen topics)? How about if that person was one of Godly principle and virtue, who pondered and served their fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord?

What is our potential really?

What is our children’s potential?

So often I feel that despite all our technological advances and “civilization” we are a world full of back-sliding barbarians.

May we do the following:

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all they work:

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: (Exodus 20:9-10)

And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.

Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;(D & C 88:118-119).

Amen…

P.S. “The renowned brain researcher Dr. Marian Diamond…poetically describes it [dendritic growth]: We began with a nerve cell, which starts in the embryo as just a sort of sphere. It sends its first branch out to overcome ignorance. As it reaches out, it is gathering knowledge and it is becoming creative. Then we become a little more idealistic, generous, and altruistic; but it is our six-sided dendrites which give us wisdom."

Who created the dendrites? I testify it was our Father in Heaven.

…and Amen.