The inspiration for this article came from an observation I made today during an Elders quorum lesson on prayer. We read the following portion of the sermon from Amulek in Alma 34: 17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren,…

These four words—“Receive the Holy Ghost”—are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction—an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon.

Consider that the tree of life and temple ascension are at their deepest levels tied to birth concepts and actually symbolize the placenta (tree or link between mother and child) and the umbilical cord (iron rod and covenants made by…