The Zodiac in LDS Theology

The masterpiece we refer to as the 88th. Section of the Doctrine and Covenants has some interesting connection to what I propose is the Zodiac. I know this makes some LDS folks recoil just a bit, but if we can free our minds and just see truth, truth will pour itself into us. I am not here supporting Astrology or any type of divination by looking at the cosmos. 

“Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms, that ye may understand?” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:46)

Staring in verse 52 a parable is given to us, to help us understand these kingdoms and the people who reside in them.

The complete meaning of this parable is not completely understood by me, but a few points are observable and we can see some hints of the underlying truths. We see in the parable the Lord visits different people of different kingdoms in 12 different hours. This parable may raise more questions than it answers, and that may be it’s purpose.

We read in verse 47:

“Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.”

The above must mean more than what someone could see with a telescope in their backyard. What a person can view from the backyard may whisper at God’s majesty, however, to really see God moving in His majesty a person needs to see this with spiritual eyes like Moses or Abraham did. In modern temples we receive a very short representation of this understanding of that we are to run with and expand, it should expand to where we understand that same thing, via a little different route, that Abraham and Moses received.

Even back to ancient Egypt the idea existed that man, in at least one stage is associated with the 12 part Zodiac, and passed through the Zodiac in his eternal journey. This association of the number 12 with the Tree of Life, and the many variation of the plan of salvation as found among the many peoples of the earth is distinct.

We see in the Sefer Yetzirah that a similar description of kingdoms is connected to the 12 stations of the Zodiac (At least in some versions). The Sepher Yetzirah is a commentary on the creation and the redemption. This commentary uses the Tree of Life as the backdrop for this explanation (like Solomon’s temple), and employs images of ten “Sephiroth” or number and twenty- two letters as the building blocks of creation.

(Ten are the numbers of the ineffable [or intangible] Sephiroth, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven. Learn this wisdom, and be wise in the understanding of it, investigate these numbers, and draw knowledge from them, fix the design in its purity, and pass from it to its Creator seated on his throne.” Sepher Yetzirah 1:4.)

The family used as the prototype of salvation is Israel. When a convert receives the gospel they are grafted into the Tree of Life - the House of Israel. Towards the end of the Book of Genesis we see that God set up the House of Israel to rule and reign on this earth. It is true that Israel has often struggled with it’s own periods of apostasy, yet between such periods it is Israel that has been the custodians of the rites of salvation and sanctification. A primary characteristic of the House of Israel is that it is divided into 12 tribes, the descendants of the 12 son’s of Jacob. But this employing of the number 12 did not start or end with Israel’s children. I would suggest that this usage was calling on a larger imagery less know to modern theologians. This larger imagery is the cosmos with all of it’s “worlds” and the people who inhabit them. The cosmos can be represented in shorthand with the Zodiac. The Zodiac can be thought of as a kind of Hypocephalus.

The visiting of the Lord to each kingdom is the millennial reign of Christ in each respective kingdom. Each earth or world receives it’s reign of Christ in it’s proper time. Joseph Fielding Smith spoke about this:

“During the millennium, the Savior will spend one thousand years here which is one day according to the Lord. In D&C, Section 88, it is written that the Savior will do the same thing in other worlds, visiting each in its turn.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:212.)

So, if this is speaking of other worlds or earths, are we to accept that there are a total of 12 of these earths, of which our earth is one? Abraham and Brigham Young taught us that there are millions of earths. So why the connection to the number 12? I suspect that it is using a related imagery in the macro; the cosmos (crated under the direction of the council of the gods). The next panning in towards the micro is the Tree of Life - the House of Israel (Jacob 5:3) with it’s 12 tribes. Further panning in is the 12 apostles that run the church, the custodians of salvation - the Tree of Life in our day and in the original church.

Just as the apostles have less to do with the actual number 12 than what that number represents, this holds true at each progressive level, micro or macro. We should not get stuck on 12 kingdoms, but embrace the understanding that we are part of a larger plan that includes many worlds, each of which will be visited in their time. This understanding will draw us to investigate the pre-earth life and the plan of all these kingdoms. It is likely this imagery of 12 apostles extends to each of these worlds, and that each world has it’s 12 custodians of salvation (at any given time).

Even keeping in mind my earlier discourses on Revelation 22:2 we see the correspondence between the number 12 and the 12 fruit and the Tree of Life in Revelation 22. A possible, at least partial explanation of the 12 different types of fruit people eat is that the 12 fruit are for the 12 divisions of the cosmos, which is consistent with Doctrine and Covenants section 88. If this is true, the symbol of the Tree of Life in the Book of Revelation is enriched to include a symbol of salvation not only for our world but as a shared source for all the cosmos. If we take that understanding and logically extend it to the rest of our Tree of Life images, all kinds of interesting possibilities begin to show themselves. For example, we could easily hang a Zodiac as a wreath on our Tree of Life.

(Notice that in Rev. 22:2 they eat 12 manner of fruit, one for each month. Months have to do with times or seasons. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:61 “...times, and in its season...” is used to describe the plan.)

Jacob’s Alligory of the Olive Tree does not include or end in the use of the number 12, but it does end in Jacob 6:13 with a reminder that we will meet again before the bar of Christ, which is a millennial setting, which is earth’s (one twelfth) turn for the presence of Christ. A rose by any other name...

In John 15, Jesus spoke to one branch of the 12 tribes, and to the 12 apostles, about the True Vine.

While no cosmic connection is recorded in John, the fact that He was explaining a Tree of Life image to the twelve was more than appropriate.

In short, the number 12 is associated with the work of redemption, be that that the keys of the mysteries of each dispensation are held by the 12 apostles, that the work of a separate unit of the church is lead by 12 disciples, that the work of this world is under the 12 that Jesus ordained, or that this world will have it’s part in the 12 part plan of the cosmos. In Solomon’s Temple and most authorized temples we find a baptismal font on the backs of 12 oxen. The abbreviated, but perhaps not the full explanation is that the oxen represent the tribes of Israel. The pattern of the 12 apostle is based upon the earlier imagery of the 12 tribes, which is based upon the cosmic plan of redemption, that can be represented by the Zodiac. Moving into the holy place of Solomon’s Temple we see the Menorah across from the Table of the Shewbread. Upon that table were 12 loaves of bread, these had a connection to the sacrament, which is a renewing of the lower ordinance of baptism, which in the temple is done on the backs of 12 oxen. The post-apocalyptic new Jerusalem is seen by John coming down out of heaven, and it had 12 gates and at each gate was an angel with his name upon him. The name of these angeles are the names of the 12 tribes of Israel (the son’s of Jacob). John’s vision goes on a little further connecting the 12 foundations of the holy city to the 12 apostles. The angel showing these things to John then measures the city, similar to how Ezekiel’s messenger did for Ezekiel. Carrying forth the imagery of the number 12, the city is 12 thousand furlongs (a furlong is 185.2 meters). This is clearly a symbolic measurement, like Ezekiel’s measurements were. Both employed the symbolic number 1,000 which has cosmic implications, as used from earliest times, [1] and right into Jewish and Christian imagery.

That's the way I see it - what say you?

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[1] See the Peril of Great Price, Book of Abraham, Facsimile 2, Explication 4. “Answers to the Hebrew word Raukeeyang, signifying expanse, or the firmament of the heavens; also a numerical figure, in Egyptian signifying one thousand; answering to the measuring of the time of Oliblish, which is equal with Kolob in its revolution and in its measuring of time.”

Tents and Hebrewisms

Never shying away from speculation, I have some observations that I would like to attempt here to tie together.


I have observed that there is a practice found among some older Hebrew writings where a person, but more specifically a prophet, equates a physical journey to his spiritual journey, and more specifically his ascension teaching and initiation. I am not sure that some of the stories as we receive them may not have even been adapted and adjusted to better demonstrate the points of the stories. This practice could be called a "Hebrewism."


In a prior post (click here) I described how Abraham considered going down to Egypt as going into a "deep [spiritual] pit." I described how he made that trip by holding to his "knot of faith" or a line going into the pit with knots that represented his covenants. He was not afraid to go into the pit because he was confident he could escape by pulling himself up grasping the knots. For Abraham this trip was a spiritual journey.


Jacob in his physical journeys stopped by a place called Beth-el and as he slept he dreamed a dream where he saw a ladder ascending up to God (see Gen. 28:12). Among LDS and Jewish thinkers it is understood that the rungs on the ladder represent the covenants, ordinances, or levels of ascension, that can also be applied to each of our lives (or the lack of such covenants). This is a temple/ascension motif (Gen 28:16-19) where Jacob called the place the "house of God" and poured oil upon a stone that created an altar. All true altars have a mystical connection to one of the three altars of the temple. 


Moses meet God on the Mountain. Mountains anciently represented and physically presented ascension. Going back to Abraham we read in the Zohar:

"He [Abram] moved on from there (ha-harah),  to the mountain. There he discovered (har he), Mountain of He. and all those rungs planted there." (The Zohar, Matt vol . II, pg 18 - Lekh Lekha)

Abraham climbed the physical mountain and built an altar, and the Lord added a "he" to Abrams name. The "he" represents the "Shekhinah" or divine presence resulting from covenants - it is a a sign of covenant. See THIS and THIS. Continuing on:


"He [Abraham] spread (ololoh), his tent, spelled with a (he) -spreading a spread, accepting the Kingdom of Heaven with all its linked rungs."(The Zohar, Matt vol . II, pg 18 - Lekh Lekha)

We see a couple concepts intertwined. When Abraham had the sign of the covenant (he) added to his name, he spread his tent. But the "tent" was spelled with a "he" instead of the normal "vav," indicating a tent of covenant or "the tent of Shekhinah."

From the above we see an association with covenants, temples, altars, and tents. A tent can be thought of as a "Tallit Gadol" reminiscent of the temple, with "tzitzit" tied at all four corners. The Zohar continues with Abraham:


"...Abram journeyed, continually journeying towards the Negev ... Continually journeying, rung upon rung until ascending to the South, where he was fittingly bound, ascending to his rung..." (The Zohar, Matt vol . II, pg 18 & 19 - Lekh Lekha)

It is a Hebrewism to connect like this the journey, the tent, the altar, the covenants, the ascension, and the temple. 


My point has to do with 1 Nephi chapter 2. In a prior post I pointed out a few of my observations about 1 Nephi 2:6-9. See my post HERE. The points I tried to make there was that there was a Hebrewism pattern in the text. In 1 Nephi 2:6-9 here is what I see:


- Lehi and his family are on a journey. It is a real journey, but also a journey of ascension.


- They camp by the river. This is an association with other ascension - living water imageries.


- Lehi builds an altar - associating this with covenants, ordinances, and the temple, and the tree of life.


- Also of interest, but not of our present concern is the valley, the sea, and the fountain of all righteousness. 


My point, in 1 Nephi 2:15 which reads:


"And my father dwelt in a tent" 


Which critics have cited as being out of place in the text, and useless. I submit that it is very much in place with the preceding Hebrewisms.


I would bet a dollar that the Reformed Egyptian that conveyed the word "tent" contained a modifier that gave a meaning somewhere close to  "a tent of covenant" or "a tent of Shekhinah."  At the very least, the way in which "tent" was used would convey the idea to any readers of Lehi's day, but is not right on the surface in our translation.


That's the way I see it. What think ye? 

Levels of Learning

I have been contemplating last week’s Sunday School Lesson. It was about receiving revelation, and the class started with a quote from the Prophet Joseph Smith:

“This principle ought (in its proper place) to be taught, for God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what he will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them…” (HC 3:379-80.)

In my spiritual journey I have observed with great interest this process of receiving knowledge, and the importance of knowledge. We are taught:

“1st key: Knowledge is the power of salvation. 2nd key: Make your calling and election sure.” (HC 5:403.)

“It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” (D&C 131:6)

So knowledge is associated with salvation, and I would suggest the knowledge we are willing to receive is directly connected to the kingdom we inherit.

“And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions. All beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified. For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things.” (D&C 88:38-40

Knowledge is associated with wisdom and law. What is the knowledge we are required to receive to progress? It is the Wisdom of the temple. This is the key to exaltation. Margaret Barker has pointed out a number of times in her writings that "Wisdom" is associated with an anointing, and the temple. (Barker, Temple Themes in Christian Worship - See the index for "Wisdom")

If we keep the same law as Joseph or the Twelve, the same knowledge will be revealed to us. The same ordinances will be sealed upon us, the same mysteries will show themselves, and we will be crowned with the same kingdom. God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34)

Not keeping the law is what prevents us from acquiring knowledge. We may receive the form, but not receive the law upon our hearts, hence we then lack the Holy Spirit of Promise.

In my personal journey I can look back and see things I did not know, and can usually pinpoint why I did not know them, why I was not “able to bear them.”

I suggest one reason we resist learning is because we defend what we think we know against further truth. For example the bible teaches us that Christ went and preached unto the spirits in prison. (1 Peter 3:19) While that scripture is true, it is really only true on one level. A fuller understanding of that topic is almost contrary to the original understanding:

“But unto the wicked he [Christ] did not go, and among the ungodly and the unrepentant who had defiled themselves while in the flesh, his voice was not raised; Neither did the rebellious who rejected the testimonies and the warnings of the ancient prophets behold his presence, nor look upon his face.” (D&C 138:20 & 21)

Sometimes by clinging to strongly to what we think we know prevents us from understanding things at a deeper level. The Zohar teaches us:

“There was a man who lived in the mountains. He knew nothing about those who lived in the city. He sowed wheat and ate kernels raw. One day he entered the city. They offered him good bread. The man asked “What is this for?”

They replied, “it’s bread, to eat” He ate, and it tasted very good. He asked, “What is it made of?”

They answered, “Wheat.” Later, they offered him thick loaves kneaded with oil. He tasted them, and asked, “And what are these made of?”

They answered, “Wheat.”

Later they offered him royal pastry kneaded with honey and oil. He asked, “And what are these made of?”

They answered, “Wheat.”

He said, “Surely I am the master of all these, since I eat the essence of all of these: wheat!”

Because of that view, he knew nothing of the delights of the world, which were lost on him. So it is with one who grasps the principles but is unaware of all those delectable delights deriving, diverging from that principle.” (Matt, Zohar Vol. 2, pg 176)

My suggestion, let’s clear away our pathology as quickly as we can, and learn what we are able to bear as soon as we can. (Healing)

More Knots

I would like to continue on with the concepts of an earlier couple of posts. In my post Tying The Knot I said:

“Some ancients thought of the plan of salvation as three worlds or kingdoms stacked one above the other. Spanning these three worlds was a rope descending from the highest kingdom bringing connection to the lower worlds. Each of the three worlds is tied to the rope by a knot, and the knot is fastened with a nail (Vav). The temple is a knot symbolizing the connecting place between the worlds. Each level of temple worship has an altar which represents the Vav or nail in that world.” and

“The knot alludes to covenants. When people are married, the have tied the knot, they have made promises that bind them. In the case of the temple the knot or covenant is made binding by the nail or Vav, which represents the atonement.”

Now there is in reality no physical rope hanging from the heavens that is fastened to the altar in each kingdom of glory by a nail, nor is it physically tied by a knot. These typify some “other thing” that actually does span these kingdoms and fastens a connection between the worlds. This “other thing” is symbolized by knots and nails.

The symbolic use of knots and nails clearly trace back to the temple. Adaptations of these symbols have permeated Jewish culture and to lesser degrees Mediterranean and Western cultures. Usage of these symbols appear to be authorized by God in some cases. They may be cultural uses accepted by deity, or even inappropriate applications of earlier teachings. Where the excesses being is beyond the scope of this post.

In a theological macrocosm the rope of the heavens (Tree of Life - Vine) is tied to the altar of each kingdom of glory by the nail (vav). In a microcosm each justified person is tied to the rope of the heavens symbolized by his belly button. This belly button connection is the source of all life, including the resurrection (As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. John 15:4). Recently Bryce Haymond over at Temple Study did a series of fantastic posts about the Egyptian “ankh” also known as the symbol of life (and knot of Isis). Haymond quotes Nibley discussing the possible origins of the ankh describing it as a “...knotted cord, [it] was a naval sting.” and further saying that the word “...ankh also means “oath,” the idea being, as Jan Bergman suggests, that one swears by one’s life, so that if the oath is broken, so likewise ‘the cord of life’ - the umbilical cord - is broken. (Hugh Nibley, The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri, Deseret Book,Page 454)"

So in the ankh we see an association of knots and covenants, and in this case they are fastened to the individual by the knot. Another nuance of the ankh is the tie of family relation. This is an allusion of tying families together, by this “other thing.”

The idea of wrapping mummies appears to be an application of the symbol of knots. But, with regards to the wrapping mummies, it appears to also be connected to the final embrace by the gods. Which is thought of as the culmination of all initiation. When an initiate is embraced by the gods, he is thereafter identified with them, it is a family embrace. This embrace is the final act of the atoning, the lost child has become one with his family again.

“Rich meaning is found in study of the word atonement in the Semitic languages of Old Testament times. In Hebrew, the basic word for atonement is kaphar … Closely related is the Aramaic and Arabic word kafat, meaning ‘a close embrace’—no doubt related to the Egyptian ritual embrace. References to that embrace are evident in the Book of Mormon. One states that ‘the Lord hath redeemed my soul . . .; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.’… Another proffers the glorious hope of our being ‘clasped in the arms of Jesus …’ I weep for joy when I contemplate the significance of it all. To be redeemed is to be atoned—received in the close embrace of God, with an expression not only of His forgiveness, but of our oneness of heart and mind.” (Perfection Pending, and Other Favorite Discourses, Elder Russell M. Nelson, Deseret Book)

Mummies are wrapped in knotted linnen. Some Jews wear, and are eventually buried in an undergarment with four corners (tallit katan. See Haymond’s post HERE), at the corners are specially tied knots called “Tzitzit.” You may recall Jesus condemned ancient Jews for enlarging the fringes of their garments. What they were doing was showing off the tokens of their covenants. Some Jews also wear a larger garment as an occasional outer garment called a “Tallit Gadol” which is a prayer shaw, if large enough it can be used to cover the canopy for marriage. It also has Tzitit or knots on the corners. These Tallits appear to be a symbol like the panther skins worn by Egyptian priests.

Some Jews wear leather straps called “Tefillin.” One on the head to hold a box containing the verses of scripture, with a knot tied afresh daily. There is also a Tefillin tied onto the arm and hand.The knots are tied to form Hebrew letters (Dalet, Shin, Yod). On the hand the traps are arranged to form the letter Shin (resembling a “W” bringing to mind El Shaddai).

Again, Bryce Haymond recently did two good posts on related topics. He discussed a Jewish practice of tying the hands of a bride and grom (Handfasting). I suspect this practice arose when the children of Israel did not have access to have their hands fastened together, and to the altar with a vav, they made a likeness with a knot. He also posted about crowns (HERE). He discussed how strings or ribbons are used to secure the crowns. It is clear that where the string is tied depicts the glory (degree) of the crown.

““…[T]he crown of sanctification… is added (the round linen cap was to act as a cushion for a metal crown during a long ceremony). Later the cap alone would suffice, since it showed that the owner was qualified to wear the ‘crown of justification.” (Hugh Nibley, Don E. Norton, Temple and Cosmos, Deseret Book, Pg#55)

“The culmination of all initiation is coronation… every individual person may experience his own coronation… [t]here is a fusion of personalities in the coronation situation, he who assumes the crown being identified with whoever else wears it.” (Hugh Nibley, The Message of The Joseph Smith Papyri, Deseret Book, Pg. 353)

This family identification Nibley is referring to can also be called “sealing,” which is associated with the ideas of nails and knots. Most of modern Christendom sees salvation as individual thing, but we see it as a family affair.

When we kneel upon any of the three altar of the temple, one for each glory represented therein, our covenants need to be tied there in the knot that binds the heavenly rope to that kingdom. This is done by that “other thing,” the atonement. The knot is the covenant of creation and redemption made before in the pre mortal life.

“Whatever the blessed Holy One does is intended to revolve revolutions to fulfill the covenant of existence” (The Zohar, Matt,Vol 3, pg. 200, Mi-Qets)

Abraham’s Knot of Faith

A while back a wrote a post titled “Tying The Knot.” In that post I wrote:

“Some ancients thought of the plan of salvation as three worlds or kingdoms stacked one above the other. Spanning these three worlds was a rope descending from the highest kingdom bringing connection to the lower worlds. Each of the three worlds is tied to the rope by a knot, and the knot is fastened with a nail (Vav). The temple is a knot symbolizing the connecting place between the worlds. Each level of temple worship has an altar which represents the Vav or nail in that world”

The Zohar is a medieval attempt to pass on the oral teachings of the Jews in story form. It teaches about Abraham preparing to go down into Egypt, a sinful place. Abraham was fearful that it was like a spiritual pit from which he would not be able to escape. We read:

“So Abraham cleaved to faith when he went down to Egypt and when he went to the land of the Philistines. This can be compared to a person who was about to descend into a deep pit. He was afraid he would not be able to come back up. What did he do? He tied a length of rope above the pit, saying ‘since I have tied this knot, now I can enter.’ Similarly, when Abraham was about to go down to Egypt, he first tied a knot of faith, so he would have something to grasp; then he descended. Likewise when he entered the land of the Philistines.” (The Zohar, Matt vol. 2, pg 165, Va-Yera)

Abraham feared for his spiritual welfare. As a lifeline, he clung to the “knot of faith” that he created. What was that knot? It was his covenant, his endowment, inheritance, or the promise of deification.

We see in the Book of Abraham that that is exactly what happened. When Abraham left Ur, God appeared to him and:

- Gave Abraham the priesthood.
- Blessed him with eternal seed.
- Gave him land.

These blessings are described in Abraham chapter 2. Chapters 3 through 5 are excerpts of Abraham's teaching of creation that correspond to their temple covenants. These covenants and blessings are the “knot” that Abraham held to in a troubled time.

When we feel ourselves descending into a spiritual pit, do we hold to our knot, our covenants, our temple inherence? We need to reach up, take ahold of our knot, and pull ourselves up, from time to time.

Joseph Smith in the Zohar?

The Zohar is a medieval book, which I think is largely successful in capturing and preserving the thought and teachings of ancient Israel. It put into story form much of the oral teachings of the Jews.

In the Zohar there is a teaching that describes the seven thousand years of man upon the earth, the milleniums. The Zohar ascribes a letter to each of the milleniums (which may have significance beyond what we are discussing here), the letter “vav” is associated with the sixth millenium. The letter “vav” is the sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It then gives us what amounts to a prophesy:

"Every sixty years of that sixth millenium, he is invigorated, scaling its rungs. In the six hundreth year of the sixth, springs of wisdom will open above, springs of wisdom below, and the world will prepare to enter the seventh..." [1]

The Zohar scholar, Daniel Matt, calculated this time for us in his commentary as corresponding to the year 1839. [2] We could talk about the happenings of 1839 and the 121st. section of the Doctrine and Covenants, but I think I would take a little larger view, and allow for an allusion to the period of the restoration generally.

I don’t know the ultimate origin of this “prophesy,” but it does seem to point to the time that the heavens opened, wisdom, or revelation was poured out upon man (Joseph Smith in particular), and that this was being done in préparation of the seventh period know as “The Millenium.”

Many angels visited Joseph Smith, including Moroni. For a period Moroni visited Joseph each year and instructed him:

“... and [Joseph Smith] received instruction and intelligence from him [Moroni] at each of our interviews, respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in what manner his kingdom was to be conducted in the last days.” [3]

This was part of the “preparing to enter” the final millenium the Zohar teaches about.
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[1] The Zohar, Daniel Matt. Vol. 2, pg. 180, Va-Yera
[2] The Zohar, Daniel Matt. Vol. 2, pg. 180, Va-Yera, Matt's note #501, "Corresponding to 1839/40 C.E.."
[3] PGP, Joseph Smith History.

Angels Who Stand As Sentinels

President Brigham Young taught us that the temple is where we learn about eternity, and where we prepare to pass certain angels that are standing gard. What we don’t always get is that they are guarding against us, not for us. When The Father had a flaming sword (& Cherubim) placed in the Garden of Eden it was to stop Adam from returning unchecked. Symbolically is was teaching that all of mankind (ha-adam) can only pass when we are ready (sanctified). We often think of angels guarding us, but in this process they are guarding the way back, so we don’t attempt to enter glories what are not yet ready to inherit.

"Your endowment is to receive all those ordinances in the House of the Lord, which are necessary for you after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the Holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell." (Brigham Young, J. D. 2:31.)

The Zohar is preoccupied with idea of gates we enter when we are ready, and at each gate is an armed guard. Egyptian initiation imagery is also loaded with example of stations (like rungs of a ladder) that the deceased must pass through to gain his full inheritance. Truth and fidelity are the initiates defenses against these destroying angels.

In Egyptian imagery, those who have not had fidelity to their covenants (“key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the Holy Priesthood”) in the mortal world, are slashed, cut, or otherwise destroyed if they try to pass. Perhaps this is the origin of the Tyler of Masonry?

Prof. Hugh Nibley discussed the Book of Breathings, and the Book of the Dead.

Here is an excerpt:

“it is permitted to wonder whether khrw-paw (faces-of-fire) with its Hebrew plural ending -im might be the source of the mysterious word Cherubim of the Bible. Or is the root the Egyptian Cherep, "to have control over," as in the long Book of Breathings: "Thrice welcome! say the Cherebneset-priests," i.e., "those who are in charge of the throne," they being the guardians of the gate (T 32, I, 22, O.M.R.O., 31:56)? Apophis is confronted by the Keepers of the Pylons standing with swords in their hands before a gate from which flames shoot forth, and is repelled by both sword and flame (Bremner-Rhind, 30:11-15). No one else can enter the place as yet either, excepting Re, since to enter it is to breathe the air of eternal life (Gr. Tb., 48-49), and man is not yet ready to live forever in his sins. The Jewish doctors, at least, made such a discrimination, telling us that when Adam was driven out of the place of delights, "the Watchers were placed there so that none could enter unless they had been first purified by the hand of the Cherubim" (B. Gorion, Sagen d. Juden, I, 118). From the earliest times, then, fire and the sword or the flaming sword prevent the serpent from returning to the garden. The serpent must remain in outer darkness (L. Kakosy, ZA, 97:104-105), being himself the mystery of non-being, the negation of all that is (E. Hornung, Ein.u. Viel., pp. 171-72). The Pistis Sophia gives the same explanation for the flaming sword: The time will come, it says, when the sword will be removed for Adam and he may reach forth his hand and partake of the fruit of the tree of life. But the serpent may never do so; in the end the flaming sword was for his benefit.” [Prof. Hugh Nibley, Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri, Part IV, The Garden Story]

Ancient temple initiations contained feathers of truth (Ma’at), swords of judgement, and angels guarding the way. Today we have an abbreviated version of what was Adam's ascension, which is our inheritance (endowment). Traces of a longer version, a deeper teaching, and fuller laws, give us hints of the path back. This is why the endowment can only truly be understood by revelation. The profane waste their time trying to understand it, only by revelation can we “get it.”

 “Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.” [D&C 84:20]

“If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” [D&C 42:60

Back Yard Professor - Kerry Shirts

Hey everyone, the long lost Kerry Shirts is back posting at the BackyardProfeesor.com (LINK).

And he has started a commentary on the Zohar, which should really be good.

Tying The Knot

Jacob saw the plan of ascension, one kingdom to another, as a ladder. Moses experienced it in the form of a mountain. Some ancients thought of the plan of salvation as three worlds or kingdoms stacked one above the other. Spanning these three worlds was a rope descending from the highest kingdom bringing connection to the lower worlds. Each of the three worlds is tied to the rope by a knot, and the knot is fastened with a nail (Vav). The temple is a knot symbolizing the connecting place between the worlds. Each level of temple worship has an altar which represents the Vav or nail in that world.
 
“The temple is thus thought of as the ‘bond of heaven and earth,’ as the ‘navel of the earth,’ and as the ‘pillar of the earth,’ that is, the central axis around which the world revolves. The temple represents ‘the Pole of the heavens, around which all heavenly motions revolve, the knot that ties earth and heaven together, the seat of universal dominion.’” [1 or LINK]

The rope is the center line of the temple, or the path to Lehi’s tree, or the straight and narrow path.  The knot alludes to covenants. When people are married, the have tied the knot, they have made promises that bind them. In the case of the temple the knot or covenant is made binding by the nail or Vav, which represents the atonement.

“We stand in the middle position. This earth is the Old English middan-(g)eard, the middle-earth. The markas & scheckecirc; u er .s ti of the Babylonians means the knot that ties heaven to earth, the knot that ties all horizontal distances together (cf. fig. 37H, p. 151), and all up and down, the meeting point of the heavens and the earth. It is the middle point at which the worlds above and the worlds below join. This scale model of the universe is the temple. Of course, the word for temple in Latin, templum, means the same thing as template” [2 or LINK]

Sometimes this connection between the higher and lower worlds is a rope, trunk of a tree, vine, ladder, river, or even a spinal column. It is always the same template, showing the way back to God.
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[1] Prof. Hugh Nibley, What Is a Temple? Chapter 8.

[2] Temple and Cosmos: Beyond This Ignorant Present, Hugh Nibley, Don E. Norton, Deseret Book, The Meaning of the Temple.

Also see: Water, Air, & Fire

Fasting

Fasting can give us insight into spirituality. Again, we know that there are three degrees of glory, and a kingdom of darkness, these make up the final estates of men.
 
This life is a mortal, temporal, physical, and telestial life. Earth is a telestial life. Within this temporal life there may also be degrees of reality, or levels of consciousness that we are able to experience. A dog has a physical and temporal existence. Dogs share our mortal world with us. Now dogs do not have the problems of agency and accountability, but they share the problems of this world, which includes eating. They also seek love, comfort, security, entertainment, and procreation. These are all things that belong to this world. But, most men do not experience this telestial existence the same as a dog, even those who only live a telestial law experience some finer things. These finer things are a result of the intelligence that the person uses. Intelligence is the glory of God. (D&C 93:36)
 
When we act in a more intelligent way, we live in a higher degree of glory, which may only be within the telestial kingdom, or can be in a higher kingdom.
 
As we have discussed, we will all be resurrected into a body that is built to function in the glory we ultimately receive. And the glory we receive is a result of the law we are willing to live.

Since in this life we are stuck in a telestial body and are subject to the physical laws of a telestial dimension, we must pay attention to the cares and concerns of this world. We must eat, we seek love, comfort, security, entertainment and procreation, and this is all part of the plan.
 
When we seek guidance, help, or answers from God, we should understand we are seeking answers that are above this telestial world. We don’t need a telestial instruction of how to procreate; man and beast have always been able to figure this out. When a person who wishes to be a follower of righteousness seeks a mate, and takes that issue to the Lord, he is seeking intelligence that is above the telestial level. The seeker’s heart will determine which degree of intelligence he desires.
 
Speaking on the levels in the commandments to men, God said:
 
“Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal ; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created. Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandments, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual ; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual.” (D&C 29:34 & 35)
 
While God’s commands are of a Celestial nature, they are given in a language that we can grasp.
 
“Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.” (D&C 1:24)
 
This is a continual dumbing-down of things with the plan that eventually we might catch-on.
 
God does not give us telestial or temporal commandments. God’s desire is to bring about the exaltation of man(Moses 1:39), and He does not do that by giving telestial commands and instructions. These higher instructions may be carried out in the telestial existence (because that is where we are), but the commands are according to higher laws designed to elevate.
 
And when we keep the law of a higher kingdom, we have effectively entered that kingdom; we just have not changed dimensions yet (that will happen in the resurrection).
 
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways , saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9, see Psalm 94:11)
 
So, why do we fast? Because we are in telestial, mortal bodies and forced to concern ourselves with the cares of this world. But when we deprive our bodies of our basic temporal needs, food and water, our souls begin to struggle for survival. Instinctively, our soul (the body part) knows that unless something changes the end is coming. This should cause our soul (the spirit part) to seek and to stretch.
 
When we subdue the body by refraining from serving the temporal desires and needs, we temporarily force away from the forefront our temporal needs, which requires our soul to seek answers from above. This is faith, causing sanctification.
 
“The choice is given, whether we live in the physical world as animals, or whether we use what earth offers us as a means of living in the spiritual world that will lead us back to the presence of God.” ( David O. McKay, Teaching of Presidents of the Church, David O. McKay. LDS Church, pg. 15.)
 
We all have a mortal telestial body. But where our spirits live is according to our hearts and desires. Our spirits climb the rungs of eternity while our bodies reside in mortality.  Having our body in the telestial kingdom and our heart and spirit in another kingdom, is a cause of conflict. It can be a struggle between the flesh and the spirit (Romans 8:4&5). We are enticed between two influences. 246
 
By fasting we put our lower self into submission, and our spirit is then freer to seek from the hidden glories. Not only do we deprive ourselves from food and water, we should avoid all temporal pleasures while fasting. It is contrary to the purposes of fasting to visit a carnival, or to engage in other recreational pursuits. Paul taught the saints not to withhold sexual intercourse from a spouse except for fasting:
 
“ Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.” (1 Corinthians 7:5)
 
When we seek commands and instructions from God, we are seeking revelation. Without personal revelation we will never obtain the required sanctification necessary for a celestial resurrection.
 
We all have two natures. We have our telestial (or temporal) nature, because we live in this world. We also all have another nature, which is the law that we keep, corresponding to one of the degrees of glory. Now for most, they have both a temporal physical body, and only keep a telestial law, and therefore have a telestial spiritual nature. Others have a telestial body/nature and keep a terrestrial spiritual law. When this terrestrial person puts aside the temporal body by fasting, they quickly begin to see, understand, and receive in the terrestrial realm. For them the stretching comes in trying to achieve living a celestial law, by receiving celestial instructions.
 
One, whose spiritual self is celestial, seeks light and knowledge from the celestial realm during the fast.
 
A person living the law of any given kingdom of glory who is new or uncomfortable there must struggle to receive at that degree. Another that has rested at that rung for a while can move there more quickly.  Yet, resting at any given rung is not the goal, it’s just part of the process.
 
When we climb the rungs, we become progressively more like God. Through this sanctification process our minds imitate the mind of God, we become more godly. The more godly we are the more our prayers will be for godly things, and lower things will seem base, crude, and course. If we have the mind of God, and seek righteous things, and our hearts and hands are clean, how can He deny us our prayers?
 
Asking for the right things, and accepting answers with full purpose of heart enables us to ask and receive. Fasting is an important part of the process.
 
The problem is most of us do not fully have the mind of God and we seek lower, selfish, carnal, and devilish things. Our hearts and hands may not be clean.
 
As we fast we push to new and higher rungs. We become more and more like God, from grace to grace. At some point, if we climb far enough in this world, God will no longer withhold anything for which we pray, because we know the mind and will of God and seek only righteousness.
 
We learn from the Zohar:
 
“The blessed Holy One focuses only on the soul [spirit], not the body; for soul resembles soul, while the body is incapable of uniting above – even though the body’s image abides in supernal mystery. “
“Come and see: when the blessed Holy One delights in a person’s soul, deriving pleasure from her, He strikes the body so that his soul can dominate. For as long as soul corresponds with body, soul cannot prevail; but once the body is broken, soul becomes dominant.” (The Zohar, Matt, vol. II, pg. 277.)
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This post is modified from the chapter on Fating in Mormon Mysticism: LINK.

Notaricon - Emet - Truth

One of the Hebrew literary tools that exist is "Notaricon." It is sometimes used to form, or understand words, the letters in a word work as an acronym.

The word in Hebrew for truth is אמת (Reading from right to left) which is known as “emet .” “Emet“ is written with three letters, the first א (Aleph), and middle מ (Mem) , and last ת (Tav) in the Hebrew alphabetical order. "The Rabbinical tradition is that these letters refer to the concept of past, present, and future.” [1] In other words, the word “truth” is made up of the letters placed at the beginning of the Hebrew alphabet, the middle of the alphabet, and the end of the alphabet. The placement of the letters in the alphabet represents the letters' meanings of past, present and future, which aligns nicely with Doctrine and Covenants 93:24:

"And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come…”

The Greek letters Alpha (first letter of the alphabet), and Omega (last letter of the alphabet), is a name for Christ (the beginning and the end), or truth. Two posts back we discussed the Tetragrammaton, which has a meaning deciphered through Notaricon.[2]

Those who are familiar with the “learning of the Jews,” as was Nephi, see a lot going on in scriptural text. You can read a sentence and understand it’s meaning, on one level, then learn gospel principles from the words themselves on another level. Certainly there are hidden treasures of knowledge for us here.

“In notarikon letters of words are interpreted as abbreviations of whole sentences, and letters are varied or interchanged according to certain systematic rules” [3]

Here is what Wikipedia says about Notaricon: [LINK]

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[1] Joe Sampson, Written by the Finger of God, Wellspring, pg. #29.
[2] “…I [Jesus] am the Spirit of truth…” Doctrine and Covenants 93:26 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. … I Jesus…” Revelation 22:13-16.
[3] John M. Lundquist, Stephen D. Ricks, By Study and Also by Faith, vol. 1, #18 Deseret Book.

Tetragrammaton

The word “Jehovah” is a complicated word. In ancient Hebrew you would not pronounce it, but would substitute the word “Adoni,” or “Lord” in English (sharing similar vowel points in Hebrew).

In Hebrew the name YHVH is known as the Tetragrammaton. The flow between Hebrew and English, as it has to do with the word YHVH is a little hard at first. There is no “J” in Hebrew, a “Yod” is the first letter (in Hebrew reading right to left) in the Tetragrammaton, and symbolizes creation. And since “J” was not known in any language until the 14th century, an “I” was sometimes used to approximate the Yod. So you have to be a little fluid in this study.

JAH … These are component letters of the name “Jehovah” or YH, or YHVH (יהוה), or Lord of Hosts. This is the name of the pre-earth Jesus. The attached illustration shows the name of Jehovah in different truncated forms.

The "Yod" symbolizes creation, The "heh" is what was added to Abram's name when he received the covenant, and the "Vav" represents reconciliation, mediation, tying down, sealing, the nail, or Tiferet.

The is a topic touched upon in the Book of Creation, the Zohar, and the Bible.

Draw to Ourselves

We can see in scripture that people prepare themselves to approach God or to do thing they are called to do. Moses was told to remove his shoes. People kneel in preparation for prayer. People fast, and so on. We do this to draw to ourselves holy power, or holiness, to be purified.

Regarding those who wish to be holy the Zohar says:

“Therefore when a man wishes to be purified, he receives help from above, and the help of his Master encircles and protects him. He is then called 'holy'.”

You could say that by a person’s preparation he or she arouses the influences or powers of heaven.

The Zohar teaches about people who wish to do witchcraft and sorcery. It teaches us that “Whoever is drawn here [practicing witchcraft] becomes defiled.”

But more than that, evil practitioners do evil in order to defile themselves in preparation of spells and other such activities.

“If a man wishes to be defiled, several groups of lights of Klipot are waiting for him. They all hover about and around him. They defile him, so he is called unholy. They go before him and proclaim, Unholy, unholy, as it is written: "And shall cry, 'Unclean, unclean'" (Vayikra 17:45). They are all connected to the primordial serpent and are hidden in the deeds of the people of the world.”

And,

“Moreover, one should be impure to cast a spell. One has to draw upon oneself that side of the unholy spirit.”

I wonder if we “draw upon” ourselves holiness, or impurity, by the small things we say and do?

When confronted with a problem, do we say a little prayer, or do we say a little curse (ie “oh XXXX”)? Which one prepared us to meet the challenge?

Jesus said we would be judged by even our idle words.

Some ancient Jews would add an oath to saying yes and no, but Jesus taught them not to do that.

Do we need to add heck (or worse) to “yes,” or “no?”

I think this is a part of holiness, and is a big problem in the lives of some, and a smaller problem is the lives of other.

[All of the Zohar references above are found HERE or The Zohar, Matt, Vol II, pg. 216]

I'll Take Some Bread Please!

For Latter-Day Saint the benefit of books like the Zohar is not so much that there is some new doctrine to be learned, it’s more that of gaining an added perspective on already established LDS doctrines. Take the following for example:

***************

“There was a man who lived in the mountains. He knew nothing about those who lived in the city. He sowed wheat and ate kernels raw. One day he entered the city. They offered him good bread. The man asked “What is this for?”

They replied, “it’s bread, to eat” He ate, and it tasted very good. He asked, “What is it made of?”

They answered, “Wheat.” Later, they offered him thick loaves kneaded with oil. He tasted them, and asked, “And what are these made of?”

They answered, “Wheat.”

Later they offered him royal pastry kneaded with honey and oil. He asked, “And what are these made of?”

They answered, “Wheat.”

He said, “Surely I am the master of all these, since I eat the essence of all of these: wheat!”

Because of that view, he knew nothing of the delights of the world, which were lost on him. So it is with one who grasps the principles but is unaware of all those delectable delights deriving, diverging from that principle.” [1]

***************

Break this down and it is pure LDS doctrine.

It says that things can be learned on four different levels.

These levels of understanding correspond to the four levels of man (three of glory, one without glory).

A stone exists on one level, it is hard and solid. On another level we can also understand that it is made of atoms mysteriously held together by a force. Then we can understand it is mostly just space with spinning particles within the atoms. Then we can understand that it only exists as strings from another dimension that vibrate to bring it into our existence.

The Doctrine and Covenants dovetails nicely here:

“All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.” D&C93:30]

I am planning some posts that will build upon this idea. I think it is important to understand things on every level we can grasp.

[1] The Zohar, Volume One, Daniel Matt, Stanford University Press, PgXXV (introduction) (quoting: Zohar Vol. 2, pg 176, a-b).

The Zohar

Nephi said that he made his “record in the language of …[his] father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians.”[1]

What did he mean by the learning of the Jews? If we understood this Jewish knowledge would it enrich our understanding of the Book of Mormon and the gospel generally?

For example, the discovery of chiasmus (a Jewish learning) in the Book of Mormon has greatly increased our understanding of the text and has proven to be one of our best apologetic tools for defending the faith.[2]

There are levels upon levels in the Book of Mormon that go unnoticed by the casual reader. There are symbols, figures of speech, and concepts being deployed that could add depth if we can see them.

I would submit that a most valuable tool that a modern day Mormon can have in understanding the “learning of the Jews” is the Zohar.

The word Zohar means Splendor or Radiance. First published by Moses de Leon (13th. century), and is purported (with many differing views) to be the work of a second century rabbi named Simeon ben Yohai. Most authorities believe De Leon to be the actual author. The Zohar is comprised of a group of books, originally written in Aramaic and medieval Hebrew.

The Zohar is given in story form, mostly of groups of Rabbis walking from place to place, meeting interesting people. The conversations are the lessons. It is a fascinating and wonderful book. If you take the Doctrine and Covenants admonition seriously to seek out the best books,[3] you should seek out the Zohar.

The backdrop for the Zohar is the Tree of Life, just like Genesis and 1 Nephi.

I suggest Daniel C. Matt’s translation, 3 volume set, found here at Amazon.

ADDITION - HERE ARE A COUPLE ON-LINE LINKS FOR THE ZOHAR: [ZOHAR.COM and [LAITMAN]

[1] 1 Nephi 1:2
[2] Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins, Chapter 7, Noel B. Reynolds, Deseret Book.
[3] Doctrine and Covenants 109:7,14; 88:118