TEMPLE BOOK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER TITLE PAGE
1 Understanding the Endowment
2 Background of the Endowment
3 Secrecy of the Endowment
4 The Temple Symbol
5 The Washing and Anointing
6 The Creation
7 The Garden of Eden
8 The Process of the Fall
9 The Law of Obedience and Sacrifice
10 The First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood
11 The Lone and Dreary World
12 The Casting out of Lucifer
13 The Law of the Gospel
14 The Robes of the Holy Priesthood
15 The Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood
16 The Law of Chastity
17 The First Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood
18 The Law of Consecration
19 The Second Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood
20 The Veil of the Temple
21 The Unused Room
INTRODUCTION
This is the first book ever written on the specific meaning of
the endowment. One of the reasons that so little has been taught before
is that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are
instructed not to discuss the temple ceremony outside of the temple.
This request is very understandable. However, there was a time when
taking photographs of the inside of the temple was also strictly
forbidden. When it was discovered that someone had taken pictures and
was going to publish them, the Church leaders went ahead and published
pictures of their own. It would appear that a similar situation is
involved regarding the contents of the endowment. Detailed
descriptions have been published for some years now. Lately, an almost
complete verbatim report has been printed in a book entitled, "The
Mormon Kingdom." It is this source which is quoted throughout these
chapters. Only members of the Church will know how accurate the
transcript is, but there can be little doubt that the general substance
is correct.
Therefore, this book is a discussion of material already
available to the public at large. Many members will be shocked to learn
that their endowment is not really secret. Yet the Church has
proclaimed many times in recent years that the temple endowment is not
secret, but Sacred. It is sacred because it contains some of the
deepest teachings available to man. However, the truths themselves are
actually VERY SECRET because they are hidden by the symbolism through
which they are revealed. The secrecy of the symbols and allegorical
instruction has not been successfully guarded by the Church, but God
has kept the truths very effectively concealed. These deep lessons of
life are hidden from those who are not ready for them and would trample
them under their feet. For this reason, those in authority over the
church are not in a position to discuss these deeper meanings openly
for they cannot possibly speak without exercising the full authority of
their offices. Therefore, since this book is coming from a non-
authoritative source, it is merely information and that is all. The
reader can take it or leave it should be stimulating for any member who
honors the temple to be more diligent in seeking the deeper, inner
meaning. Nothing is less reverent than for a student to be sitting at
the feet of the Master Teacher and not really paying attention.
The temple endowment is difficult for many members of the Church
to understand because it deals symbolically with levels of gospel
teaching that many are not even aware exist. Joseph Smith spoke of
this common deficiency of understanding when he said: "If the Church
knew ALL the commandments, ONE HALF THEY WOULD CONDEMN THROUGH
PREJUDICE AND IGNORANCE."
The word "Commandments" means more than "rules of conduct." It
also includes the MYSTERIES OF GODLINESS. The prophet spoke of the
"prejudice and ignorance" of the "Church". There was so much that he
could have given them but they would not hear. The Savior said about
the same thing to his own disciples at the Last Supper, after teaching
them for three years: "I have yet many things to say unto you, BUT YE
CANNOT BEAR THEM NOW... These things have I spoken unto you in
proverbs, but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in
proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father." (John 16:12 &
25)
Is not this what the Lord is saying to the Saints regarding their
place of higher learning? The instruction in the temple is by proverb
and allegory. He is saying, "I have yet many things to say unto you,
but ye cannot tolerate them now. These things have I shown to you in
symbol, but the time will come when I shall not teach you in allegories
but I shall show you plainly the mysteries
of the Father."
When the Church first moved to Utah, President Brigham Young
looked forward to the day when the Saints would again have a temple.
He saw one of the main ways the Lord was going to teach the people
"plainly" regarding the real meaning of the temple symbolism. He
promised the Saints that just prior to the redemption of Zion there
would be "strangers" coming among the Saints to help them understand
the way of salvation. He spoke of these "strangers" in a sermon
delivered August 15, 1852. His talk is so appropriate that we will
quote it at length as an introduction to this book. His remarks are
listed under four major headings:
1. MAN, HIMSELF, IS THE GREAT MYSTERY:
"The capacity of mankind in attaining to geometrical
knowledge and the fine arts is great. All nations and
people understand more or less of the knowledge pertaining
to the arts and sciences. But when they...undertake to
define their own persons, their own being, and to
understand the propriety and wisdom of their creation… they
are in the dark; there is A VEIL OVER THEM. The veil of
the covering that is over the nations of the earth has
beclouded their understandings, so that they are in thick
darkness. This our experience teaches us--that when any
uninspired person…steps beyond organized nature which is
visible to the natural eyes. There is a mystery THE HIDDEN
MYSTERY--THE DEEP AND UNSEARCHABLE MYSTERY OF CREATION."
(J.of D. Vol. 6p.284)
2. GOD HAS PRESCRIBED NO LIMITATION FOR MAN IN
THIS LIFE
"And what is the sum of the whole of the teachings of
Him…the Supreme of the universe… to his people? Simply
this… "The grand aim of all that I, the Lord, have revealed
is to instruct you to live so that I can come and visit
you, or send my angels, that they can enter into your
habitations, walk and converse with you, and they not be
disgraced. By so doing, YOU SHALL BE MADE PARTAKERS OF ALL
KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM, POWER AND GLORY THAT THE SANCTIFIED
OR GLORIFIED BEINGS ENJOY." And this is, FIRST OF ALL,
what the Lord wished of the people."
3. JUST BEFORE ZION IS ESTABLISHED, STRANGERS
WILL BE TEACHING AMONG THE SAINTS.
"By-and-by Zion will be built up; temples are going
to be reared, and the holy Priesthood is going to take
effect and rule… About the time that the Temples of the
Lord will be built and Zion is established--PRETTY NIGH
THIS TIME, you will see, those who are faithful enough, the
first you know, there will be strangers in your midst,
walking with you, talking with you; they will enter into
your houses and eat and drink with you, go to meeting with
you, and begin to OPEN YOUR MINDS… About the time the
Temples are ready, the strangers will be along and will
converse with you, and will inquire of you, probably, if
you understand the resurrection of the dead." (J.ofD. vol
6p. 294-5)
4. THE STRANGERS WIL UNLOCK THE DOOR OF KNOWLEDGE.
"...they will then open your minds and tell you the
principles of the resurrection of the dead and how to save
your friends…They will expound the Scriptures to you, and
open your minds, and teach you of the resurrection of the
just and the unjust, of the doctrine of salvation: they
will use the keys of the holy Priesthood, and unlock the
door of knowldege, to let you look into the palace of
truth. You will exclaim, "THAT IS ALL PLAIN: WHY DID I NOT
UNDERSTAND IT BEFORE?" (J. of D. vol 6p.295)
These strangers may come from this side of the veil or from the
other side. It appears from the statements by President Young that in
either event, they will come as "ordinary men", unrecognizable from any
stranger one might meet. That is probably why the people will be
startled to learn from a stranger such fundamental but marvelous
understanding. The people will exclaim, "Why did I not understand it
before?"
There is probably nothing in the life of the active Latter-day
Saint which has greater need for increased understanding than the
meaning behind the temple endowment. The author of this book has been
provided by a person who might qualify as such. For a number of
months, this "friend" has explained item by item, room by room, key
upon key of the temple endowment. Although he speaks with authority,
his ideas are not "authoritative"--only interesting. He makes no
claims regarding himself nor is there any intention to imply that
speaks from knowledge rather than speculation.
The purpose in recording this material for general Church reading
is to stimulate members to begin to pay attention and look for
themselves. It is not intended that this book become a foundation for
any new beliefs, because beliefs are just more speculation. The book
may be helpful for the reader to see more clearly what he has been
thinking and doing incorrectly. The heart of the endowment lesson is
in understanding the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evil. Once the personal application of this ancient story "is all
plain", life is an entirely new ball game. The proud basis of all
one's human wisdom evaporates. A new, unexplored life of Liberty in
Christ replaces the old chains of bondage.
One possible reason that the teachings of such a "stranger" may
make things plain to you is that he is a "secret breaker." Jesus was
such a person, as was Isaiah and the Brother of Jared. They all broke
old barriers of silence. Joseph Smith certainly comes in this
category. Since this is the fullness of times, it is true that many
things which have been hidden and kept "secret" since the beginning of
the earth are to be taught openly. Evidently, time is very short. The
temple endowment must begin to "get through" to those who are ready to
listen and learn. However, at best, this book is merely an
introduction. Learning is not a substitute for discovery. Discovery
takes place most rapidly in an environment of an advanced school. This
was why the Prophet Joseph started the School of the Prophets. In a
school the teacher is a catalyst, giving appropriate assignments of
self-discovery, enabling the new bud of higher consciousness to form in
the student.
It is easy to judge and condemn anything which is new and
different, Prejudice means pre-judging. It has never been "safe".
Those who wanted safety more than Life never listened to Enoch, Noah,
Melchizedek, Nephi, Samuel the Lamanite, Christ, or Joseph Smith. He
that believes he "knows" the doctrines of salvation has been judged
already. However, he who is in a state of "not knowing" is as a little
child and possibly may enter into the Kingdom of Heaven--NOW.
It is very necessary that each, searching soul experience for
himself the Initiation of Life which is provided symbolically in the
temple endowment. The endowment is one of the greatest evidences
that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true Church of God. No other
Church in the world has the Initiation of Life which can "demonstrate"
to the individual who and what he is, what he has been doing, what he
can do, and where he is going. Those who believe that they have the
answers to these questions may read these pages and exclaim with
Nicodemus, "HOW CAN THESE THINGS BE?" The answer the Savior gave
Nicodemus is the same testimony which comes with this book.
"We speak that we do know and testify that we have seen and ye
receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things and ye
believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things?"
(John 3:11-12)
Chapter I
UNDERSTANDING THE ENDOWMENT
The temple endowment is recognized by faithful Latter-day Saints
as one of the greatest blessings and privileges God has provided in the
Gospel of Exaltation. As teenagers grow up in the Church. "going to
the temple" is a goal which must be achieved. Converts wait anxiously
for the day they will be worth and able to receive their endowments and
the sealings that follow. Once a member has received his own
endowments, he is encouraged to return frequently to perform this
ordinance for the dead, thus enabling him to continually refresh his
memory of the instructions and covenants. Where temples are available,
attendance is encouraged at least twice a month, and preferably once a
week. Since each endowment requires several hours to complete, there
is adequate time to gain much instruction through contemplating the
magnificent truths being revealed.
It is therefore unfortunate that many members come away from
their first visit to the temple with utter dismay, since the experience
is so different from the imaginary pictures they had built in their
minds. The endowment is such contrast to anything they have ever
experienced in the Church, which always emphasizes simplicity and the
absence of ritual. In the temple they find a very plain but complex
ceremony, including robes and signs, oaths and vows. Some members take
this in stride, having a great experience even at their first visit.
But many must return again and again before their confusion and innate
rebellion subsides into a quiet sweet spirit and heavenly influence so
that they look forward to the temple as a blessed retreat from the
foolishness of the worldly hub-bub outside. However, there are also
many, including some who attend regularly, who merely do their duty,
half walking in their sleep as they go through the forms.
It has been suggested by a number of the general authorities that
most members fail to even begin to understand the endowment. They
have emphasized that the really great truths of the endowment are not
taught directly, but only in the symbolism of the instruction and
ceremony. If this is the case, then most are at the kindergarten
level, for they find little meaning behind the symbolism other than the
few facts explained to them.
This situation is quite easy to understand because our Western
culture, particularly the American culture, is not symbol oriented. We
like things laid right on the line. We do not want people talking in
metaphors, parables, allegories and analogies. We seem to be able to
tolerate symbolism only when we have been given a straight forward
explanation of it, and then we are inclined to conveniently ignore the
fact that there may be many other meanings to the symbol at much deeper
and more significant levels.
In addition to this natural distaste for indirect teaching in our
Western culture, Latter-day Saints have been educated in the Church to
get a clear, fixed understanding of every gospel point. This is called
"gaining knowledge". To "know" something has meant that one knows,
basically all about it. However eternal truth is not that easy to
comprehend through our conditioned minds. Therefore, symbolism has been
useful in teaching truth in the past because the same symbol can teach
many levels of meaning and an infinite variety of lessons. This form
of teaching, used with success anciently, requires a new approach to
learning with which most of us have not been equipped. Symbolic
teaching is code writing and requires that the student have a
familiarity with basic key information. For example, we use the eagle
as a representation of the United States. A wealth of meaning is
communicated in this symbol, but only if one is aware of the unique
characteristics of birds in general and eagles in particular. When
such knowledge is combined with a true understanding of the American
ideals, the eagle can be a marvelous basis for teaching lesson after
lesson about what has made America great and could make it greater.
However, those who despise America can likewise use the eagle to
symbolize all that they feel is evil about this country. They have as
much right to use the tended meaning of a symbol is another disturbing
thing about symbolic teaching to our Western mind, since the definition
is never limited nor exact.
The fact that most people do not like symbolism has never limited
the Master Teacher. Mormons have in their temple the ancient endowment
of Israel, whether they understand it or not. Since it is almost
totally symbolism, it can be understood on many levels and can convey
many distinct approaches to spiritual awakening. A true searcher must
be prepared to forsake the brittle knowledge of shallow levels of
understanding if he is to open his mind to truth as it is understood on
deeper levels. For example, Israel had the law of morality-- "Thou
shall not commit adultery". This mortal law was understood that if a
person committed such an act he was bad and if he did not commit such
an act he was good. Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, brought this
law to the people on a deeper level. He identified the fact that, even
though a man controlled his actions, the lust in his heart was the
manifestation of his adulterous nature. Such a level of understanding
was difficult for the people to accept because their psychological
safety was threatened. Under the old, literal concept, all they had to
worry about was whether they "touched", but with Christ's new
teachings, they had to be concerned with their hidden feelings. Then,
on even a deeper level, we might realize that adultery really means to
adulterate, or mix the impure with the pure. We can see
how a person who prays with selfish intent is adulterating the holy
privilege of prayer--and is counted evil. This may be why a generation
which seeks after signs (which is what greedy prayer is all about) is
called a wicked and adulterous generation. Certainly not all sign
seekers have necessarily committed physical adultery—but they are
classed as adulterers in a fuller meaning of the word. After all,
words are only symbols too.
With these thoughts in mind, one can begin to see that the
magnificent endowment of the temple is a banquet prepared by the Master
Teacher for an endless feast of discovery. Unfortunately, however,
there are those who go to the temple and do not partake at all. Others
pre-occupy themselves with the pleasant distractions of merely
discovering more and more literal things about the symbols, thereby
hardly eating crumbs off the floor. But there are some who may be
learning to understand ever deeper levels, gaining comprehension which
does away with the illusions of the childish things understood at the
level of shallow meaning.
No one can comprehend for another. Just as you can not tell
another person what an apple tastes like, neither can you tell them
what being spiritually awake is like. However, since we are dealing
with the secret code of symbolism in the endowment, it is possible to
give a person some of the keys to the code, and with them, he may begin
to discover such a personal comprehension. For it is only in the
actual experience of being awake that we can know reality. A spiritual
teacher may help us to recognize what is NOT being awake, but the only
way we can know the waking state is to wake up.
Paul, in trying to get the members to become spiritually awake,
was burdened by the fact that many in the Church could only receive a
shallow level of truth described as milk. In his letter to the
Corinthians saints, he said, "I have fed you with milk, and not with
meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither YET NOW ARE YE
ABLE. For ye are yet carnal, for whereas there is among you envying
and strife and divisions, are ye not carnal and walk as men?" (I Cor.
3:2-3) This statement by Paul is amazing to us because he classifies
his marvelous teachings to the Corinthians as milk. Milk is for
infants and there must be a time for us to put off childish things.
Paul criticized those in the church who knew only how to teach milk.
Here are his strong words: "For when for the time ye ought to be
teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first
principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of
milk, and not of strong meat. For EVERYONE THAT USETH MILK IS
UNSKILLFUL IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, FOR HE IS A BABE. But strong
meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason
of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
(Heb. 5:12-14)
So we see that Paul found himself caught between his desire to
give the truth necessary for spiritual growth and the members'
inability to receive it. Jesus met this constant situation by
teaching in allegories called parables. Jesus taught the mysteries of
the kingdom to the people, but only in parables. Therefore those who
were not ready for deeper levels of truth would not be harmed. He
explained this to his disciples when he said, "Unto you it is given to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables,
that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand."
(Luke 8:10)
The disciples learned that after three years of being taught,
they too had not really understood the mysteries of the kingdom, even
though they had been taught in a more direct manner. However, with
their true conversion following the resurrection of Christ and the Day
of Pentecost, they were made partakers of the divine nature or higher
comprehension, thus actually experiencing the truth Christ had been
teaching to them for so long.
Certainly the same difficulty in conveying truth exists today.
Therefore, it is not strange that when one finally goes to the temple
to receive the advanced raining which is given in such a special,
hallowed place, he is taught and instructed in parables. Of course,
like any parable, there is the obvious outer meaning, and so
consequently many go away thinking they have fully understood.
However, more thoughtful students will discern that the outer meaning
of the instruction is basic, elementary material—which might be more
than milk, but certainly not more than cream.
As one enters into this fascinating study of the endowment, he
may find many, many ideas which will be difficult to fathom at first.
Most people's natural tendency, when hearing something new is to see it
as false. However, such feelings merely show that one is being exposed
to concepts which are in conflict with what one has supposes was
reality.
Since this material is being written for church members, you are
encouraged to hold an open mind and experiment with the ideas to see if
they are of any possible value to you in better knowing yourself. One
thing that you may remember is that since people with many levels of
spiritual awakening enter the temple, it must be taught so that it will
not harm those of very shallow minds. At the same time, there must
also be many profound hidden truths in the endowment for those who can
stand more than milk.
The Lord has declared that it is his will that all those who
truly honor Him will be revealed the great mysteries of His kingdom.
These are His promises to those who love Him: "And to them will I
reveal all mysteries, yea, ALL the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from
days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good
pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom ...
For by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make
known unto them the secrets of my will--yea, even those things which
eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of
man." (D&C 76:7-10)
What are mysteries? We might classify them in two categories.
There are the mysteries of curiosity and the mysteries of godliness.
Man is warned about the former and encouraged in the latter. As Paul
prayed for the saints, "To know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God". A
mystery is something which cannot be explained but must be experienced.
A mystery is such only to those who have not yet had the experience.
So the Lord encourages us, "If thou shalt ask (for enlightenment),
thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon
knowledge, and thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things--
that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal".(D&C 42:61)
Since the deeper mysteries of Godliness cannot be explained but
only experienced, we can now see why the high teachings reserved for
the endowment could best be presented in allegorical form.
Chapter 2
BACKGROUND OF THE ENDOWMENT
Prior to the flood, one particular man experienced the fullness
of the mysteries of godliness. He was Enoch. Through his marvelous
example and instruction, a whole city was evidently perfected and
caught up to another state of existence we call Heaven. Following the
flood, Melchizedek did the same thing. Even though he was king of a
very wicked city, Salem, he was able to instruct his people in such a
way that they too were translated. When Moses led the host of Israel
from Egypt, the Lord invited him to establish another holy people. But
Israel was afraid to accept the gift of the promised Zion. When the
people faltered, they were left to wander forty years in the wilderness
and were required to live by a set of demanding rules called the Law of
Moses. With this law they were given a temple. We are given to
understand that the endowment, essentially as it is today, was part of
the higher order of that temple.
When the gospel was restored in these latter-days, the people
were again instructed to establish a holy city called Zion. They were
also to build a temple for the endowment of the people. What is the
endowment? It means to be endowed with the power of God. "Yea, verily
I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a
house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen
with power from on high." (D&C 95:8) The elders were told to tarry
until this "great endowment and blessing" was poured out upon them,
just as Jesus told his disciples to tarry in Jerusalem after his
ascension.
The promises that go with the temple are a key to the real
meaning of a holy building. These are the promises and warning of the
Lord: "And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name
of the Lord, and DO NOT SUFFER ANY UNCLEAN THING to come into it, that
it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it: yea and my presence
shall be there, for I will come into it, and ALL THE PURE IN HEART that
shall come into it shall see God. But if it be defiled I will not come
into it, and my glory shall not be there; for I will not come unto
unholy temples." (D&C 97:15-17)
It was made clear that just as the Day of Pentecost was an
endowment of power, so was it understood that the temple would serve as
a place for such a blessing in this day--to all who entered. But the
blessing was conditional just as the promised Zion was conditional.
Zion was to be the place for the pure in heart and then it would also
be a place of peace and joy. "For the indignation of the Lord is
kindled against their abominations and all their wicked works.
Nevertheless, Zion shall escape if she observe to do all things
whatsoever I shall have commanded her. But if she (Zion) observe not
to do whatsoever I have commanded her, I will visit her according to
all her works, and with sore affliction, with pestilence, with plague,
with sword, with vengeance, with devouring fire. Nevertheless, let it
be read this once to her ears, that I the Lord, have accepted of her
offering; and if she sin no more none of these things shall come upon
her; and I will bless her with blessings, and multiply a multiplicity
of blessings upon her, and upon her generations forever and ever, saith
the Lord your God." (D&C 97:24-28)
Such instructions, the Saints were to discover, were not idle
warnings. Jackson County, then Kirtland, and finally Far West all
felt the devastation of "sore affliction, with pestilence, with
plague, with sword, with vengeance." Even with the tremendous
outpouring of miraculous experiences at the dedication of the Kirtland
Temple, the wickedness which followed almost destroyed the Church.
Half of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles apostatized and Joseph had to
flee for his life to Missouri.
It is easy to blame these tragic experiences upon the devil and
the mobs, but the Lord is not quite that lenient with church history.
He made it clear that he is not mocked and "cannot look upon sin with
the least degree of allowance." The Church had been warned of the
necessity for having a mind single to the glory of God from the very
beginning. In 1831, the Lord put the entire Church under spiritual
restrictions which were not to be removed unless there was full
repentance. "And your minds in times past have been darkened because
of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have
received--which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under
condemnation. AND THIS CONDEMNATION RESTETH UPON THE CHILDREN OF
ZION, EVEN ALL. And they shall remain under this condemnation UNTIL
THEY REPENT and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon ...
that they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father's kingdom;
otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon
the children of Zion." (D&C 84:54-58)
The great suffering and heroic sacrifice in church history
attests to the fulfillment of this prophecy. The Church did not repent
of its vanity and unbelief and therefore did not redeem Zion nor retain
their beautiful temple at Kirtland.
Most Latter-day Saints are hesitant to take this critical view of
their church history for they like to think of themselves as victims of
the mobs and wicked apostates. Be that as it may, the Lord had made it
clear that their own faithfulness would be the creation of a heaven or
a hell. Actually, their situation was not very different from that of
ancient Israel under Moses. The Lord warned his chosen people by giving
them both blessings and curses. They partook of both, even while they
continued to be His chosen people.
After the regrouping of the Saints at Nauvoo, the Lord again
requested a temple to be built. However, as it neared completion,
Joseph began to get the details of a ceremony which would be performed
in the temple, patterned after the ancient ceremony used by Israel when
they were under the lesser Law of Moses. In other words, it appears
that the Saints, while still being under "condemnation" for their
vanity and unbelief, were to be given encouragement and instructions in
the temple as to what to seek for, but not the direct fulfillment of it
as they had been offered in the Kirtland Temple. Veterans of the
Kirtland experience had to be instructed in the new order of things.
The washing of the feet and the sacrament were the only ordinances at
the Kirtland Temple. In the temple at Nauvoo there were to be special
robes, garments, handclasps, signs, penalties, oaths, veils and a drama
that was entirely new.
After the temple was completed and the new endowment administered
to the faithful, the devastations were renewed which drove the Saints
to the West. The Lord's promise of devouring fire was literally
fulfilled when the great, magnificent temple was burned a few short
weeks after its dedication. The promised scourging continued for
another forty years in the Rocky Mountains, where trial after trial was
experienced. When much is asked, much is expected and the scourging of
the Lord is not without purpose.
So with this perspective of the present endowment, we may be able
to better understand why the ritual is ultra-basic in outward
appearance. Yet, the seeker after enlightenment need not be
discouraged for it is just as complete and deep when truly
comprehended--not only in theory, but in fulfillment. The lessons of
the endowment can wake a man up to the mysteries of Godliness—
or it can leave him sleeping peacefully in his ignorance. That is its
purpose.
Chapter 3
SECRECY OF THE ENDOWMENT
You may have already leafed through the following chapters of
this book and found that we deal very specifically with the contents of
the endowment. This may be shocking to many readers because they have
held the assumption that it is forbidden to discuss these things
outside of the temple and that no outsider could know them. It is true
that in the temple you are so instructed and, so far as the tokens,
names, signs and penalties, you promise to keep them secret at the
"peril of your lives". However, this understanding in the temple is
symbolical, he will have "the forms but deny the power thereof".
When non-members are informed that the endowment is "sacred, not
secret" they are told the truth. The reason is that the endowment has
not been secret from the very beginning of its presentation at the
Nauvoo Temple. Over the years many people have talked and some have
published verbatim accounts. For example, The Salt Lake Tribune
published much of the endowment February 12, 1906. The Warsaw Signal,
near Nauvoo published the story of the endowment as early as 1846. Of
the thousands of once faithful Latter-day Saints who have lost their
conviction that their oaths were sacred, many have talked openly. Some
have lectured and published widely. So if you have been living under
the illusion that the endowment is secret, you have been uninformed.
Anyone can obtain practically the full wording of the endowment,
including the washing and annointings, Creation room, Garden of Eden
Room, World Room, and all that is covered in the Terrestrial room, even
the name of the Second token of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which is
only revealed at the veil. Currently, a Salt Lake publishing firm had
copies for sale, along with a great deal of biased material against the
Church.
There is another reason why the signs, tokens and penalties of
the endowment are not secret. They are almost exactly the same as
those used in a number of secret orders. Most members of the Church
have heard the accusation by one of them that Joseph Smith stole their
ritual from them. The standard answer has been that there are
similarities since the signs and tokens come from Solomon's Temple, but
the Church has them in their original form. Most members assume that
the similarity is not great. However, they would be surprised to find
that others are using all four of the grips, all three of the
penalties, and even the five points of fellowship. Their rituals have
also been published so they are not really secret, either.
Most Latter-day Saints seem to be unfamiliar with the fact that
these tokens and penalties are so widely known, but they really should
not be surprised. These symbols are familiar in all parts of the earth
and in ages past. The Egyptians, we are finding, were very familiar
with these things and used them extensively. Explorers who have been
Masons have been amazed to find that primitive tribes in all parts of
the earth have these tokens. So when one takes the covenant of secrecy
literally, he is scarcely up to date. Like Nicodemus, who could not
see how a grown man could be born again, we miss the real point. There
are a number of valuable lessons connected with the signs, tokens and
penalties, which we will discuss later, but the first lesson we can
learn at this point is that there really are NO LITERAL SECRETS in the
present endowments. However, the real lesson might be that there are
many, many important secrets--great, marvelous truths concealed under
the outer meaning of the symbols and allegories. So we might really
say that the endowment is truly secret because most members have never
discovered what it means. As one church authority stated, "the real
meaning is the best kept secret in the Church."
The key to discovering these inner secrets is to always keep in
mind one basic point. The same point applies to all the symbolism used
in the scriptures, including the parables of Christ and the basic
ordinances of the Gospel. This simple point is easy to see once we
recognize that God has only one basic work—to exalt individuals. "Man
is that HE might have joy." "This is My work and My glory, to bring to
pass the immortality and eternal life of MAN." Every lesson, every
principle, every story has really to do with you, as an individual.
The story of the endowment is given to you, for you and only about you.
Each participant is to see himself in every aspect of the endowment.
The Creation story describes a great event. But why is it given in
such detail in the temple? Because it is also a great symbol about
each man, telling him what he is and how he relates to Creation. The
Garden of Eden story is in the temple because the true meaning of the
story is duplicated in the life of every man, unfolding that entire
story found in the scriptures. You certainly did not have to go to the
temple to learn about the creation and the Garden of Eden. So it seems
obvious that there is a very personal message of eternal import
concealed in that marvelous story.
When your begin to look at the whole endowment experience as
describing your own spiritual progression IN THIS LIFE, you will begin
to break through as describing how you will some day enter the
Celestial Kingdom, you are actually being told how you are to
experience living on the Celestial Level of spiritual union with God.
There is also a Telestial Level of living in this life. After the
proper preparation which is taught in symbol in the World room, one
evolves to a higher level corresponding to the Terrestrial, and
finally, evolves to a full existence of living in Light and Truth—IN
THIS LIFE. Everything in the endowment, including the creation story,
is telling you about your life here on earth. After all, the temple is
there for each to receive his higher individual endowment. No one can
receive the power from on High for another. It is all individual.
That is why it must be discovered individually. The insights we will
share in the following chapters will not give you these higher levels
of being, but the information may be helpful to you in seeing more
clearly what it is you must do to attain to these higher levels.
One of the errors many make is the belief that higher spiritual
levels are "bestowed" upon an individual because he has done the right
things. Yet, life teaches us that all forms of maturity, whether
physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, come from BEING rather than
acting. Outwardly, the endowment SEEMS to teach that one will be
exalted by learning and performing a certain way of life. However,
many notice that what is revealed as being required of them is neither
new or advanced. That should tell the true seeker something. Such
instructions as keeping the commandments of the Gospel, not speaking
evil of the Lord's anointed, morality and consecration are all as basic
as any instruction in the Church. "So what else is new?" you might well
ask. Until you see that the endowment is really teaching you a whole
new way to look at yourself, what you are, what you are doing, and
where you are going, you will not discover the truth which will set you
free--now, in this life.
It is in KNOWING THE TRUTH that sets man free--not in learning
the truth and then using it. Self-centered, natural man is always
trying to exalt endowment seems to teach this. This is truth at its
lowest level, for it produces conceit rather than humility; double-
mindedness rather than single-mindedness; anxiety rather than peace.
In other words, the outer meaning of the endowment tells you what you
want to hear, which is what to do, but the inner meaning tells you what
you need to know, which is what to be. This hidden truth is an
entirely different way of looking at oneself, and if you really see
what you are being told, you will find the light as bright as day
compared to the starlight of your previous childish knowledge. You
will exclaim with Paul, "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I
understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I
put away childish things."
Chapter 4
THE TEMPLE SYMBOL
At the entrance of the temple are the words, "Holiness to the
Lord." Holiness means wholeness. That which is incomplete cannot be
holy. The temple is a building dedicated to making the Sons and
Daughters of God whole. that is its purpose and function in their
lives.
All symbols can be understood on four levels of meaning. The
first is physical with the law of force. The second is psychological
with the law of guilt. These are outer or obvious levels and both and
UNDER the LAW. Then there is the inner and less obvious or hidden
meaning that only the earnest seeker can discover when he will. He
must be ready to take off the "old garments for new" or in other words
lay down his childish understanding in preparation for the "hidden
mysteries of Godliness". Then there is the fourth level or inner-most
for he who is regenerated and reborn.
The temple has another meaning with which most of us are
familiar. It is a place of special sanctuary where only the pure may
come and there be given special instructions by messengers of God. It
is kept clean and is beautifully constructed and furnished to show a
deep love and respect for our Father in Heaven. It stands as an ensign
to the nations that God's holy priesthood has again been restored to
the earth so that the great blessings of Enoch, Abraham, and Moses can
be brought to man. Within is the altar upon which the servants of God
can dedicate their total service to the Lord by sacred covenant, where
man and wife can be joined together for eternity, where ordinance work
may be performed uniting the generations of the earth into one great
family.
To see the temple on this outer level of meaning is beautiful and
meaningful, but there is much more to the symbolism of the temple when
observed on deeper levels. By applying the key discussed in the
previous chapter--that everything about the temple has to do with one's
personal, spiritual evolution in this life—we can then see additional
meaning in the symbolism.
Man is told that his body is a temple of the Holy Ghost. By
looking at the temple structure as representative of what one is to be,
he can see many points of comparison between the building and his own
body. The temple is kept physically clean just as you are commanded to
keep your physical bodies clean--inside and out. The temple has a
guard at the door to restrain those who are unworthy thoughts, desires,
and appetites. In the temple are many rooms— each serving a particular
function, just as there are a number of aspects to your being,
comparable with the various rooms. Each person, to be complete, will
have a creative aspect to his life, a garden room for reflection, a
world room for his practical, everyday affairs, a terrestrial room for
study, and a celestial room for high devotion. He may even have a
washing and anointing room where he is able to wash off the burdens of
past failures, starting each day renewed and cleansed. Thus he becomes
a living temple, with the words written on his forehead "Holiness to
the Lord".
With these thoughts in mind, one may also look to a much deeper
level still. Everything created is designed as a symbol by the Lord to
instruct men in the true meaning and reality of deity, for when he
truly knows or comprehends God, he will know what and who he truly is.
As the Lord stated it to Adam: "Behold, ALL things have their
likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me,
both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things
which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and
things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth,
both above and beneath: all things bear record of me." (Moses 6:63)
"Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the
Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all
things; that which quickeneth all things; that which knoweth all
things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice,
and judgment. AND NOW, BEHOLD I SAY UNTO YOU: THIS IS THE PLAN OF
SALVATION UNTO ALL MEN." (Moses 6:61-62)
These profound statements describe both the magnitude of the
endowment and the method by which it teaches. Most anyone who is
familiar with the gospel can read these words and feel that the message
is understood, but at best he probably "sees through a glass darkly".
Each phrase refers to infinite qualities which man can no more
comprehend in his subjective consciousness than a dog can understand
the qualities of human existence. Each statement describes God and is
given for the purpose of contemplation, so let us list them one by one:
It is given to ABIDE IN YOU:
1. The Record of Heaven
2. The Comforter
3. The Peaceable Things of Immortal Glory
4. The Truth of All Things
5. That Which Quickeneth All Things
6. That Which Knoweth All Things
7. All Power--according to:
Wisdom
Mercy
Truth
Justice
Judgment
Providing these attributes and qualities is the PLAN, even the
plan of salvation unto ALL men. The plan is not talking about man in
the eternal sense of the future, but man in the sense of today--NOW.
All creation has been given to demonstrate the possibility of this
total renewal which is offered to every man upon the earth. The
caterpillar becomes a butterfly, the tadpole becomes a frog, a bud
becomes a rose, a seed becomes a tree, sand becomes glass, black boxes
become radio and television. "All things are created and made to bear
record of me”, the Lord says. The greatest of these is man himself.
It is to this divine quality of being that man is called and
ordained to in the Holy Order of God. The Temple stands as a constant
testimony that this is God's will, but few, so very few,
fulfill the call. The Lord chastises the elders for their indolence by
saying: "But behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many who
have been ordained among you, whom I have called, but few of them are
chosen. They who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, in
that they are walking in darkness at noon-day." (D&C 95:5-6)
In other words, the Lord is saying that many who have been
ordained are walking in their sleep, because they have no idea that
they are walking in darkness at noon-day. When man functions from his
basic human motives, he is functioning almost automatically by his
conditioning. When he functions from a divine nature, he has evolved
into a completely different being, a total different level of
consciousness. Until a man evolves from the natural man to the
spiritual or God man, he is "walking in darkness at noon-day".
The major step in the evolution of man is called "the rebirth" in
the scripture--being born again, born of God. Apparently, few members
of the Church in most dispensations have really experienced it. Alma,
speaking of those holding the priesthood in the Church in his day,
cried out to them: "Behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the Church,
have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in
your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your
hearts? ...Have ye walked, keeping yourself blameless before God?…
Behold are you stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not, ye
are not prepared to meet God." (Alma 5:14-28)
Why do so few men develop and become different beings? The
answer is very simple. BECAUSE THEY DO NOT WANT TO BE.
In spite of being told over and over, they do not really know
about it and do not truly understand. If they try at all, it is to be
obedient with the old level of consciousness--the old motives. If a
man does not want to be born of the Spirit, or if he does not want it
strongly enough, and does not make the necessary efforts, he will never
truly develop. There is no injustice in this. Why should man have
what he does not want? If a man were forced to become a different
being when he is satisfied with what he is, then this would be
injustice.
Now we must ask ourselves what a different being means. In the
instructions of the Lord to Adam quoted above, it is explained that in
becoming a different being, man acquires many new qualities and powers
which he does not now possess. But even the most detailed descriptions
of these new powers does not automatically help us to understand how
they appear and where they come from. There is a missing link, The
truth lies in the fact that in order to acquire these qualities and
powers, man must acquire abilities which he believes he already has but
does not have. This is the missing link, and this is the most
important point.
Man tends to imagine that he already possesses, in part at least,
that which he must acquire. The important fact to realize is that MAN
DOES NOT KNOW HIMSELF. He does not know his own limitations and his
own possibilities. In fact, he does not even know to how great an
extent he does not know himself. Thus, even when he has what he thinks
is great sincerity, he is described as walking in darkness at noon-day.
Man has invented many machines and he knows that a complicated
machine needs sometimes years of careful study before it can be
properly used and controlled. But he does not apply this same
understanding to himself. Actually, he is a much more complicated
organism than any machine he has invented. He does not even realize
that as a natural man HE IS A CONDITIONED AUTO-MATIORGANISM.
Man is automatic because he has no independent responses, inside
or outside of himself. He is a conditioned being which is brought into
motion by EXTERNAL INFLUENCES AND EXTERNAL IMPACTS. All his
movements, actions, words, ideas, emotions, moods, and thoughts are
only reactions produced by external influences. By himself, he is just
an automation with a certain store of memories of previous experiences,
and a certain amount of reserve energy.
The scientific world became more aware of man's mechanicalness
through the famous experiments of Pavlov. This great Russian scientist
fed dogs at the same time he rang a bell. After some time, he could
merely ring the bell and the dogs would have saliva form in their
mouths. He refined his experiments in many ways, such as using only
certain tones of the bell to be associated with food, and found that
when those tones were sounded, and only then, would the saliva flow.
Since then, interesting studies have shown that human beings, as
they generally exist upon the earth, function from similar, though far
more complex association stimuli. this is what the average person
refers to when he says, "Something pushed one of my buttons". Man is
learning to see that he operates like a giant, very complex, but also
very mechanical computer.
One can begin to understand that man, as an automatic organism,
CAN DO NOTHING TRULY SPONTANEOUS. But he does not realize this and
ascribes to himself the capacity to do so. This is the first divine
quality that man ascribes to himself. But he is not a "creator". He
is a "reactor", incapable of truly originating anything. Everything
that man thinks he originates really just happens.
Natural man cannot move, think or speak of his own accord. He is
a marionette pulled here and there by invisible strings. If he
understands this, he can learn more about himself, and possibly then
things may begin to change for him. But if he cannot realize and
understand his UTTER CONDITIONING, or if he does not wish to accept it
as a fact, he can learn nothing more about consciousness and things
cannot change, or him in his spiritual unfoldment.
The statement, "walking in darkness" has to do with
unconsciousness. We usually think of consciousness as mind activity,
so when we have mind activity (see, hear, think, etc.), we think we are
conscious. But in a spiritual sense, consciousness means "awareness",
independent from mind activity--first of all, AWARENESS OF HIMSELF,
awareness of WHO HE IS, and further, awareness of what he knows, of
what he does not know, and so on.
To speak in psychological terms, man has the possibility of four
states of consciousness. They are SLEEP, WAKING STATE, SELF-
CONSCIOUSNESS, and OBJECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS.
Although man has the possibility of these four states of
consciousness, he actually lives only in two states: one part of his
life passes in sleep, and the other part in what is called "waking
state", though in reality his waking state differs very little from
sleep.
It is as though man had a four-storied house, including the
basement, but lived only in the basement and the first floor. The
lowest state of consciousness is sleep. This is a purely subjective
and passive state in which man is surrounded by dreams. All his physic
functions work without any direction. There is no logic, no sequence,
no cause, and no result in dreams. Purely subjective pictures, either
reflections or the moment--such as sounds reaching the sleeping man,
sensations coming from body, slight pains, sensations of muscular
tension--fly through the mind, leaving only a very slight trace on the
memory and more often leaving no trace at all.
The second degree of consciousness comes when man awakes. This
second state, the state in which we work, talk, imagine we are
conscious beings, and so forth, we often call waking consciousness or
clear consciousness, but really it should be called "walking sleep" or
"relative consciousness".
It is well to realize that the first state of consciousness,
sleep, does not disappear when man awakes to the second state. Sleep
remains there, with all its dreams and impressions, only on a subdued
level, exactly as the stars and moon become invisible in the glare of
the sun. But they are all there, and they often influence all our
thoughts, feelings, and actions--sometimes even more than the actual
perceptions of the moment. Therefore, although a man is less
subjective in the second state than the first, it cannot be said that
man is awake in this state because he is very strongly influenced by d
reams and really lives more in dreams than in fact. All the
absurdities and all the contradictions of people become explained when
we realize that people LIVE IN SLEEP, do everything in sleep, and do
not know that they ARE ASLEEP. This is why the Gospel teaching demands
that man awake. Christ continually spoke of the people having eyes but
could not see and ears and could not hear. It is in this second state
that even the elders of Israel can walk in sleep—mental darkness--at
noon-day.
The Lord continually calls us to awake because only when a man
realizes that he is asleep is it possible to say that he is on the way
to awakening. He never can awaken without first realizing he
is asleep.
These two states, sleep and waking sleep, are almost entirely the
only two states of consciousness in which the natural man lives. In
addition to these two, there are two states of consciousness possible
for man, but they become accessible to a man only after he sees clearly
what he is doing and his relationship to the Creator. These two higher
states of consciousness are called "self-consciousness" and "objective
consciousness". We will use these terms rather than their spiritual
equivalents because they are more definitive for this phase of the
discussion.
We generally think that we possess self-consciousness, that is,
that we are conscious of ourselves. But in truth, "self-consciousness"
is a state which WE ASCRIBE TO OURSELVES WITHOUT ANY RIGHT. "Objective
consciousness" is a state about which most of us
know nothing.
Self-consciousness is a state in which man becomes objective
towards himself, and objective consciousness is a state in which he
comes into contact with the real or objective world from which he is
now shut off by the senses, dreams, and subjective states of
consciousness.
Since Jesus taught that we were to know Truth and the Truth will
set us free, we can compare these four states to knowing truth.
In the first state of consciousness, sleep, we cannot know
anything of the truth. Even if some real perceptions or feelings come
to us, they become mixed with dreams, and in the state of sleep we
cannot distinguish between dreams and reality.
In the second state of consciousness, waking sleep, we can only
know relative truth, and from this comes the term "relative
consciousness".
In the third state of consciousness, the state of self-
consciousness, we can know the full truth ABOUT OURSELVES.
In the fourth state of consciousness, the state of objective
consciousness, we know the full truth about EVERYTHING; we can study
"things in themselves", "the world as it is". It is then that a man
can truly KNOW God, which is life eternal. It is the result of full
union of the self within through self-consciousness. This is described
in scripture as no longer being double-minded but having an eye
(awareness) single to the glory (creation) of God.
"And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole body shall be
filled with light (consciousness), and there will be no darkness in
you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all
things." (D&C 88:67)
This state in which one "comprehendeth all things" is much
farther from most people than they can imagine at this time and they
might try to understand that even glimpses of objective consciousness
can only come in the fully developed state of self-consciousness. This
is the meaning of the story of the prodigal son who finally "CAME TO
HIMSELF" and thus could then return to his father.
At this point, it must be understood that the first obstacle in
the way of the development of self-consciousness in man is his
conviction that he already possesses self-consciousness. Naturally
a man will not begin the task of becoming self-conscious until he
becomes convinced that the possesses NEITHER self-consciousness NOR all
that is connected with it.
This brings us to the purpose of the temple and the School of the
Prophets which was intended to be associated with it. The
understanding for the development of self-consciousness can be given
only by special schools. Men on the level of relative consciousness
cannot find these methods by themselves and these methods cannot be
described in books or taught in ordinary schools for the very simple
reason that they are different for different people, and there is no
universal method equally applicable to all.
When one views the real task before us--to walk in the light at
noonday, we can appreciate what the Lord offered the saints at
Kirtland. The temple was used as a School of the Prophets to
instruct the people how to be endowed with power from on high—
directly. However, since Kirtland, the Church has been given a less
direct but just as useful a tool in the symbolic endowment of the
present temple. Even the temple building, when understood in its
"innermost meaning" can help one see the four levels of awareness or
consciousness possible to man.
The first level, that of sleep, is symbolized by the basement of
the temple. This is where living people do work solely for the dead
(those asleep). No baptisms for the living are performed in the
baptismal font. The font rests upon twelve oxen, representing beasts
of labor, weighted down with the burdens of the world. The twelve oxen
represent the twelve tribes of Israel who were constantly asleep,
failing to see that their burdensome Law of Moses was but an invitation
to rise to a higher level of consciousness with God. However, the
performing of baptisms for the dead signifies that one does not need to
remain in the basement but can move to the next level which is the
relative consciousness of functional obedience and outer performances.
The second level, that of relative consciousness is symbolized by
the first floor of the temple. This is where man begins to do his
duty. The ways for gaining self-consciousness are not taught here.
Instead, the people are given the ordinance of the washing and
anointing, which in their innermost meaning, instructs them in the need
to awake and see with their eyes and hear with their ears. If they
are faithful to these instructions, they will be ready to begin work on
the next level.
The third level, that of self-consciousness is represented by the
second story of the temple where the whole endowment is presented. On
this level are the keys and symbolic instructions for learning to know
oneself--who and what he is and what he is doing. It is here that he
can discover that he has been in a dream state and living by illusions
which blinded his eyes, allowing him to function only as a machine.
The fourth level, objective consciousness, is symbolized by the
upper floor of the temple, which is the great hall for the solemn
assembly, symbolizing the assemblage of the Church of the Firstborn,
"they into whose hands the Father has given all things—they are they
who are priests and kings, who have received of His fullness, and of
His glory". This is he who knows the truth and the
truth has made free; he who is truly whole.
The major function of the temple as it exist today is performed
on the third level (the second story), where all the instruction of the
endowment is presented. There is no instruction given for the highest
or fourth level, for that is not the task needed at the time. All who
are worthy to enter the temple are ready to receive instructions in the
wonderful gift of self-consciousness which is the real message of the
endowment and source of the power of God.
Chapter 5
THE WASHING AND ANOINTING
The main floor of the temple is where the everyday affairs of the
temple are performed, such as the record keeping, cafeteria, locker
rooms, and dressing rooms. But the primary function of this level is
for the ordinances of washing and anointing of the candidates,
preparatory to their going to the next level for their instruction of
the endowment.
In the language of the symbolic teaching, truth is expressed as
being in three levels. The "stone" represents the outer level of
truth. Water symbolizes the inner level of truth. Oil or wine
signifies the deepest-most level of truth. This is demonstrated in
Christ's first miracle in which he had servants take stone vessels,
fill them with water, and wine was produced. For example, baptizing in
water can be done by a priest but anointing with oil can only be done
by an elder, signifying the higher level of the symbolic substances.
A man's body represents his state of being. The body is referred
to as being filled with darkness or light, describing the relative
level of consciousness. Clothing signifies the level of truth that he
has acquired. White clothing represents pure truth while colors
represent man-made truth. Thus, before man is to be washed and
anointed, he is asked to remove his clothing, signifying, that all of
his pre-conceived opinions which have been so greatly influenced by
misconceptions and conditioning be cast off. He stands naked, stripped
of any claim to wisdom or true perception. (A "shield" of white cloth
is worn for modesty and has no symbolic significance.)
Man's feet are that by which he walks upon the earth and
symbolizes man's basic state of understanding--literally, under-
standing. His shoes represent the knowledge he has acquired to survive
on the earth up to this time. So not only must man remove his
clothing, but even the shoes from off his feet. Moses was commanded to
do the same when approaching the Lord for he was told that he stood on
holy ground--meaning in a place where he was to be taught how to become
whole.
In the Kirtland Temple, the washing of the feet was the only
special ordinance performed in that temple. The meaning of the
ordinance of washing of feet demonstrates man's willingness to forsake
all claim to virtue in his old ideas of reality so that he can receive
the new. Just as Christ said that you cannot put new wine in an old
bottle, so man must not try to take the new truth to
improve his old conditioning.
At the Last Supper, as Jesus prepared his disciples for the
direct endowment of light and power, the only ordinance he used was
that of washing of their feet. He first took off his own garments and
gird himself with a towel. Then he poured water into a stone basin and
began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with the towel which
he had around him. When he came to Peter—which means stones--the
disciple refused by exclaiming, "Lord, dost thou wash my feet?" Jesus
answered, "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know
hereafter."
Peter was not convinced. "Thou shalt never wash my feet."
"If I was thee not," Jesus warned, "thou hast no part with me."
"Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head."
Jesus replied, "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet,
but is clean every whit." (John 13:4-11)
Obviously, the warning that Peter would have no part of Christ
was not because his refusal would hurt Christ's feelings. The ordinance
was symbolical and so was Peter's rejection. Peter could have no part
with Christ if he was not clean from his misconceptions and illusions--
inherent in all natural men. Man cannot cleanse himself because in his
relative consciousness. He cannot distinguish between the imaginary
and the real in himself. Therefore, the natural man lives by self-
deception, called lying.
What is lying?
Lying, as it is understood in ordinary language, means distorting
or in some cases hiding the truth, or what people believe to be the
truth. This lying plays a very important part in life, but there are
much worse forms of lying, when people do not know that they lie. As
we discussed in the previous chapter, man cannot know the truth in his
present state and can only know the truth in the state of objective
consciousness. How then can he lie? There seems to be a contradiction
here, but in reality there is none. We cannot know the truth, but we
pretend that we know, AND THIS IS LYING. Lying fills all of our life.
People pretend that they know all sorts of things; about the future
life, about the universe, about the origin of man, or evolution, about
everything; but in reality they do not really know anything, even
about themselves. And every time they speak about something they do
not know AS THOUGH THEY KNEW IT, THEY LIE. Consequently, the study of
lying becomes of first importance in ceasing to walk in darkness at
noon-day.
Such an understanding of man's true helplessness seems completely
unacceptable to those diligent students in the Church who believe they
"know" so much. Part of this difficulty comes from the careless use of
words, such as "know". When one says that he knows something, he has
made a conclusion, which means he has concluded or ended truly open
investigation. To this extent, he has a closed mind. He now has
something to try to prove and defend, which divides him from those who
disagree. It is only a man who thinks he "knows' who can be bigoted
and conceited.
According to the Doctrine and Covenants, man is saved no faster
than he gains knowledge, but here again, we immediately place our
conditioned and distorted meaning to the word "knowledge". When Jesus
said that to have a knowledge of God was equivalent to having life
eternal, he was giving us an inkling into a much deeper meaning of the
world than one could know who was not truly conscious. The "knowing"
described by Christ would be related more to experience than to
thought.
A major source of one's "knowledge" may come from the scriptures.
We read information revealed there and immediately tend to form
conclusions. Scriptures are mere words and words are images and not
reality. It is impossible for a conditioned, relatively conscious mind
to read scriptures without making a private interpretation. The true
reality can only be seen when the individual evolves to a higher level
of being. This he cannot do until he is stripped of distorted
interpretations. The greatest handicap to such a rebirth, the, is
one's so-called "knowledge" of what he considers to be THE LAW.
Jacob describes this dilemma in the Book of Mormon when he
explains that those who have no law have no condemnation—which means
limitations. Then he adds, "But woe unto him that has the law given,
yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that
transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for
awful is his state." ( 2 Nephi 9:27) As Paul points out in such
vividness throughout the Epistle to the Romans, there is none that does
not transgress the commandments for it only takes the breaking of one
law to be a transgressor. We will also learn more of the meaning of
this later in the endowment. So the learned students of the scriptures
claim that they know when they cannot know. As Jacob says, "When they
are learned (in the scriptures) they think they are wise, and they
hearken not unto the counsel of God (they see with their own
understanding and not that of God), for they set it aside, SUPPOSING
THEY KNOW OF THEMSELVES, wherefore their wisdom is foolishness and it
profiteth them not. And THEY SHALL PERISH. But to be learned is good
if THEY HEARKEN UNTO THE COUNSELS OF GOD” (which is objective
consciousness). (2 Nephi (9:28-29)
One little example of how the scriptures can mean the very
opposite of what they seem is the concept of eternal damnation. The
words "eternal damnation" seem self-evident to mean that
damnation is without end. But a revelation is the Doctrine and
Covenants explains that there is a very different meaning:
"Wherefore, I will explain unto you this mystery,...for behold, the
mystery of godliness, how great it is! For, behold, I am endless, and
the punishment which is given from my hand is endless punishment, for
Endless is my name, Wherefore, Eternal punishment is God's punishment."
(D&C 19:8-11)
So eternal punishment does not really mean punishment forever.
Why then does the Lord use such a phrase, "eternal damnation"? It
might be said, as Jesus did about his own use of parables, because "it
is not given for them to understand". As the Lord explains, "It is
written eternal damnation; wherefore it is more express than other
scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men,
altogether for my name's glory". (D&C 19:7)
Conditioned man wants to "know" just exactly how things are, and
feels uncomfortable if ideas are vague. But the first step to
awakening comes when he begins to see that, all in all, he really does
not know anything. Every experience, idea, instruction and scripture
is filtered through his images and preconceived opinions. To discover
this is the beginning of consciousness. When he is willing to shed his
clothing and his shoes, he is ready to be washed clean from the blood
and sins of this generation.
Conditioned man conceives of sin as miss-deeds. Sin comes from
the Greek, meaning "missing the point". In other words, when we do not
see clearly because of our misconceptions, we miss the point or sin.
All of man's miss-deeds stem from the fact that he does not see
accurately, objectively. For example, since he does not know what he
is, he sees much in life as a threat--either to cause pain or
discomfort physically, mentally or emotionally. This misconception
causes anxiety, fear and anger--the source of greed, jealousy, hate and
so many other destructive traits. It is through man's destructive
emotions that his hands are stained with the blood, meaning the wasting
of spiritual life forces of himself and those around him. The
spiritual man becomes clean, which means he sees clearly, and therefore
is free of all the misconceptions of the race. He is washed in the
"blood" or spiritual life of Christ.
It is not our purpose at this time to give all the symbolic
possibilities of the washing and anointings, but what will be presented
can serve as a stimulus to become more awake. Read all
the words carefully:
"Brother (Sister)_________, having authority, I wash you
preparatory to your receiving your anointings that you MAY BECOME clean
from the blood and sins of this generation. I wash your head, that
your brain and your intellect may be clear and active; your ears, that
you may hear the word of the Lord; your eyes, that you may see clearly;
your nose that you may smell; your lips, that you may never speak
guile; ;your neck, that it may bear up your head properly; your
shoulders, that they may bear the burdens that shall be placed thereon;
;your back, that there may be marrow in the bones and in the spine;
your breast, that it may be the receptacle of pure and virtuous
principles; your vitals and bowels, that they may be healthy and strong
and perform their proper functions; your arms and hands, that they may
be strong and wield the sword of justice in defense of truth and
virtue; your loins, that you may be fruitful and multiply and replenish
the earth, that you may have joy in your posterity; your legs and feet,
that you may run and not be weary, and walk and not faint."
As we look at the words spoken in the ordinance of the washing
and anointing, we find mentioned the major parts and functions of the
body. There are seven elements regarding the blessing of the head and
twelve elements regarding the blessing of the body. Here they are:
1. Brain 1. Shoulders
2. Intellect (Mind) 2. Back
3. Ears 3. Marrow of the bones
4. Eyes 4. Spine
5. Nose 5. Breast
6. Lips 6. Vitals (Heart, Lungs, etc.)
7. Neck 7. Bowels
8. Arms
9. Hands
10. Loins (Reproductive organs)
11. Legs
12. Feet
The outer or literal meaning of the blessing indicates a promise
of physical and mental health. However, if that were the real meaning,
then those who went to the temple would enjoy far, far greater health
than those who have not been. This is not the case. Sickly people go
to the temple and usually remain as they were before. So if that is
the purpose, and it is certainly possible that such is the outer
purpose, then the saints lack the faith to make it a reality, just as
most seem to lack the faith to seek and discover the hidden meaning of
the whole endowment.
The basic inner purpose of the washing is to see the symbolical
representation of the many different ways of is to become self-
conscious. Each part of the body is a symbol of how to
function in truth. The feet have already been discussed. Ears and
eyes are frequently used in scripture. Bowels, for example, signify
that man takes in information, digests and absorbs that which is truth
and discharges that which has no value--he does not keep it all.
Both the numbers seven and twelve are numbers which represent
wholeness. The two sets of numbers indicate that there are two
distinct aspects to man: the greatest and the least, the king and the
servant, the one and the all. These are represented by the head and
the body. The head, with its seven aspects, invite the initiate to
take charge of his own spiritual consciousness--to be the "head" of his
dominion. In a sense, it means individual completeness, for nothing
can be complete without a head, for it would soon die. When man fails
to function creatively, spontaneously, he lives in death or sleep and
functions as a machine.
To wash is to take away pollution. Each of these seven aspects
of dominion or kingship are polluted in man through his misconceptions
and illusions. Instead of accepting responsibility for his state of
being and experiencing freely the stimuli of life, he constantly seeks
to escape responsibility by looking upon himself as a victim. The life
of a machine is the life of a servant or peasant. He is in the temple
to be anointed. To be anointed, following the washing, is the same as
being appointed—to be kings and priests. A king is the one in charge,
and a priest is the one who sees clearly.
The brain, which is the organ, and the intellect, which is the
mind, are washed that they may see clearly and be active. The ears
are washed that they may no longer be deaf to the word--which is light
and intelligence--of the Lord. The eyes are washed that they may see
clearly the difference between illusion and what really is. The nose
is washed that it may smell--or sense--the reality of every stimuli.
Each of the five senses are really touch--the eyes touch the light
waves, the ears touch the vibrations in the air, the tongue touches the
chemicals it tastes, and the nose touches the contents of the air. So
the gift of smell symbolizes one's ability to truly sense the
throbbing, vital, dynamic environment in which each is to take
dominion. The lips are washed that they may never speak guile. Guile
is to declare incorrectly the true nature of ourselves and the creation
around us. The neck, which is the connection between the head and the
body, is washed that it may be free from the misconception which allows
the head to sag in abdication of the power of sovereignty or becomes
"stiff" with its conditioned rigidity to new light and knowledge.
The body is represented by twelve aspects. Twelve is the number
representing corporate or corporal wholeness--wholeness of the body,
the corpus. Thus Christ had twelve disciples--representing the
wholeness of his teachings and his body, the Church. Jacob had twelve
sons and founded a whole nation. Ishmael also had twelve sons and
founded the Arab nation.
The shoulders are washed from all the complaining and blaming
which usually accompanies the burdens of life. Burdens are really
challenges and therefore, opportunities. Without challenges, there
would be no growth. It is interesting that in the entire washing
process, each aspect is washed that it MAY function. However, when the
burdens that will rest on the shoulders are mentioned, the word is
SHALL, for there is no life possible without challenges. That is why
the back is washed, also, for it too carries the burdens of life,
which enables the bones and spine to have marrow. The blood cells of
the body are produced in the marrow. The bones which hold the body
together and also provide the life sustaining blood shows man that the
true life of any group or corpus is in the light of truth and the
absence of error. Thus, the individual can be a king at the head yet
also a servant in the group, for all are united by the pure and
virtuous principles, symbolized by the breast.
After the washing has been confirmed, the candidate is asked to
sit and receive the anointing of pure olive oil. As explained
previously, oil is a higher level of truth than water, but water is
preparatory. The elements of the blessing are the same as the washing,
except for the beautiful introduction.
"Brother (Sister)________, having authority, I pour this holy
anointing oil upon your head and anoint you preparatory to your
becoming a king (queen) and a priest (priestess) unto the Most High
God, hereafter to rule and reign in the House of Israel forever. I
anoint your head that your brain..."
The House of Israel, consisting of twelve tribes, symbolizes the
whole body of Christ, in which only those who are new creatures--God-
men--can partake. This is called the Church of the
Firstborn.
Following the confirmation of the anointing, the candidate is
then led to the next compartment where he is dressed at this time.
However, the symbolic sequence requires that this be understood in
relation to the Garden of Eden event, so the garment and the new name
will be discussed at that time. At this symbolic stage of man's
rebirth, he has been washed and "called" or anointed, but has not yet
been instructed, so in reality he would still consider himself stripped
of all the old and not yet clothed with the new. The symbolic clothing
will not begin until after he understands the fall in the Garden of
Eden.
Chapter 6
THE CREATION
"All things have their likeness and all things are created and
made to bear record of me." The story of creation is the story of God,
in likeness or similitude of man, as well. Thus, it might be
said, to know God is to truly know oneself.
It is interesting, therefore, that as the initiate to the school
of higher awareness, after having been washed clean of all
misconceptions, comes to the instruction floor of the temple, he walks
into the room dealing with creation. However, on the literal level of
understanding, he is given only the basic, familiar story of the first
chapter of Genesis. Although most is familiar, there are some
significant differences which we will deal with later.
Keep in mind that the one major key to deciphering the endowment
is that everything is talking to Adam about Adam--or in other words, to
you about you. If you listen to the story of the creation literally,
then you are hearing only a very simplified and condensed description
of how the earth and the life on it was formed. However, if you see it
on the inner, personal level, you will find that you are being taught
regarding the creation of your own, individual earth, which is the
body.
At this moment, as you read, you are seeing through two organs in
your head which were created in total darkness yet can only respond to
light. You are breathing with lungs which were created under water,
yet can only breathe air. You are digesting food with organs which
were formed but never used at all until after your birth. You are
hearing sounds with ears that were formed in the subdued watery silence
of the womb. You are thinking with a brain that is so fantastically
complex that all the giant computers in the world put together cannot
even start to produce the work being done by the three pounds of
protoplasm inside your skull. You have a heart that is in the process
of pumping enough blood during one day to fill a railroad tank car.
You have a temperature control system which maintains the body at a
constant temperature. You have glands working this very minute,
producing exotic chemicals that science is still trying to unravel--
each with the power to do the right thing to the right part when the
need arises.
This is your EARTH which has been created for YOU. It is
inviolate, for only you can dwell therein. It was all formed from a
single, fertilized cell which in the beginning was without form and
void. Darkness was upon the face of the deep until the ovum was joined
by the tiny spermatozoon, then there was the light of life--a new
being. In the womb there was nothing but water, until space or
firmament was formed in the midst of the waters. Into the watery
cradle there began to form the body of "dry land." As the marvelous
and varied organs began to take shape, symbolized by the creative
periods of plant life, animal life and finally man, the tiny child
became equipped with all the beautiful and amazing components of a god-
being.
Man thinks of his body as being a very small creation living on a
very large planet. However, if he could see himself as an ant would
see him, his relative height would be as high as a 100 story
skyscraper. If he could see himself in comparison to a microbe on the
ants head, man's body is as large as the earth. But an understanding
of his real magnitude becomes apparent when he compares himself to an
atom, for then man is as large to the atom as the entire galaxy is to
us. In fact, man is exactly half the size between an atom and our
Milky Way (in orders of magnitude), which is 100,000 light years in
diameter.
Through the ages man has theorized about whether the body was a
blessing or a curse. Many religions have looked upon the body as a
bondage. Even though a member of the Church has the benefits of the
gospel teaching, he may have absorbed some of the attitude that the
body is a burden to the spirit and that he will be better off in the
spirit world. So the next time you visit the Creation Room, listen to
the account as a very personal message and a new flood of light will
fill your mind as you comprehend what has only been alluded to in part.
Now that we have discussed the inner, personalized meaning of the
creation story, let us explore a few of the truths being symbolized on
a deeper, inner-most meaning.
The portrayal in the Creation Room has some very significant
differences from the creation story taught in any of the other
versions, including the Book of Abraham and the Inspired Translation.
Not only are the sequence of the creative events different, but there
are also three personages involved--Elohim, Jehovah and Michael. Let
us review the words as they are reported
in "The Mormon Kingdom":
"Brethren and Sisters, as you sit here, you will hear the voices
of three persons who represent Elohim, Jehovah and Michael. Elohim
will command Jehovah and Michael to go down and organize a world. You
will be told of the six creative periods. They will also tell of the
organization of man in their own likeness and image, male and female.
However, man will not be seen until after he becomes mortal.
Now, kindly give your attention.
THE CREATION--FIRST DAY
ELOHIM: Jehovah, Michael. See yonder is matter unorganized. Go
ye down and organize it inot a world like unto the other worlds that we
have heretofore organized. When you have finished, call your labors
the First Day and bring me word.
JEHOVAH: We will go down.
MICHAEL: We will go down.
JEHOVAH: Michael, see, here is matter unorganized we will organize
it into a world like unto the other worlds that we have heretofore
formed, we will call our labors the First Day and return and report
MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the First Day,
Jehovah.
JEHOVAH: Elohim, we have been down as thou hast commanded and have
organized a world like unto the other worlds that we have heretofore
formed and we have called our labors the First Day.
SECOND DAY
ELOHIM: It is well Jehovah, Michael, go down again. Divide the
light from the darkness, call the light day and the darkness night.
Cause the lights in the firmament to appear. The greater light to rule
the day and the lesser light to rule the night. Cause the stars also
to appear, to give the light to the earth the same as with other worlds
we have heretofore formed. When you have done this call your labors
the third day, and return and report.
JEHOVAH: We will go down.
MICHAEL: We will go down.
JEHOVAH: Michael, we will divide the light from the darkness. We
will call the light day, and the darkness night. We will cause the
lights in the firmament to appear. The greater light to rule the day
and the lesser light to rule the night. We will cause the stars also
to appear, to give light to the earth, the same as with other worlds we
have heretofore formed. We will call our labors the Third Day, and
return and report.
MICHAEL: We will return and report our labors of the Third Day,
Jehovah.
(Elohim, Jehovah and Michael continue with the work of the creative
periods of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Days.)
CREATION OF ADAM AND EVE
ELOHIM: Jehovah, see, the earth which we have formed, there is no
man to till and take care of it. We will form man in our own likness
and image.
JEHAVAH: We will do so, Elohim.
ELOHIM: Brethren and Sisters, this is Michael, who helped form the
earth. When he awakes from a sleep which we have caused to come upon
him he will be known as Adam and having forgotten everything, will
become as a little child.
Adam, awake!
Jehovah, is it good for man to be alone?
JEHOVAH: It in not good for man to be alone, Elohim.
ELOHIM: We will cause a deep sleep to come upon this man whom we
have formed and make him a woman to be a companion and a helpmeet for
him.
Brethren, close your eyes as if you were asleep. All the brethren
will please arise.
Adam, awake, see the woman which we have formed to be a companion
and an helpmeet for you. What will you call her?
ADAM: Eve.
ELOHIM: Why will you call her Eve?
ADAM: Because she is the Mother of all living.
ELOHIM: That is right, Adam. She is the Mother of all living.
We will plant a garden eastward in Eden, and there we will put the
man whom we have formed, Jehovah, introduce Adam into the Garden.
JEHOVAH: It will be done, Elohim.
ELOHIM: The brethren will now follow Adam and the sisters will
follow Eve, and we will introduce you into the Garden.
Let us remember, as we look for the deeper, symbolic meaning,
that regardless of its historical significance, this account is given
as a parable, that the mysteries of Godliness may be learned from the
analogies. Parables are like child-talk. What appears on a literal
level is only a mere likeness of what is the real message. To better
understand, the reader should ask himself if he
is ready to see entirely new and deeper relationships. In other words,
is he ready to stop deceiving himself about what he really "knows".
Only with the open mind of not knowing can a person
discover the simple but dynamic concepts the Father is able to let man
discover about himself and what he is.
We have a tendency, when contemplating our bodies, to think that
some agency or intelligence quite apart from ourselves manufactured
this intricate machine. We tend to divide all
creation, including ourselves, into the unequal duality of creator and
creature, spirit and matter, ruler and subject, ego and organism. As
we read the creation story related above, on its literal level, it
carries such a dual understanding. However, we are being shown
something much different from that. According to later instructions in
the temple, the creation is the work of a "Council of the Gods".
Jehovah, though a distinct personality from Elohim, is also in
possession of the fullness of the Father. We tend to equate the
relationship between God and His children to earthly parents and their
children, which is not accurate. God and His Son are one. They are
much more than one in "purpose", which is to describe their oneness on
a childish level. THEY IS actually ONE GOD. This is stated flatly in
the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants (2 Nephi 31:21,
20:28) But how are they one God? Because they possess, and therefore
are, the same Infinite Spirit, which is the living spiritual substance
which fills all space and of which all things are made. Most Latter-
day Saints are not prepared for such a concept for they tend to make
the Godhead into little more than three super humans. But in doing so
they create a God in man's own image rather than man in God's image.
Since man has no idea of WHAT HE IS, being unconscious, he has little
comprehension of what it means to be made in the IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF
GOD.
However, members of the Church could really be better prepared.
Several sections of the Doctrine and Covenants deal with the infinite
and eternal nature of God. Sections 88 and 93 both
give the key to the deeper interpretations of the creation story. God
is described as follows:
"He (God) comprehendeth all things and all things are before him,
and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in
all things, and is through all things, and is round
about all things; and all things are by him, and OF HIM, even GOD,
forever and ever."
How is this so? It is accomplished by the possession of the
Infinite Spirit--called the Light of Christ.
"This is the Light of Christ...the light which shineth, which
giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is
the same light that quickeneth your understanding; which light
proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of
space--the light which IS IN ALL THINGS, WHICH GIVETH LIFE TO ALL
THINGS, WHICH IS THE LAW BY WHICH ALL THINGS ARE GOVERNED, EVEN THE
POWER OF GOD..." (D&C 88:7-13)
It is in this way that we can see that the Father is an infinite
being and the Son is an infinite being--but they are the one Infinite
Being--since it is the same Infinite Spirit which they are. Even while
Jesus was mortal on the earth, he stated: "Believest thou not that I am
in the Father, and the Father in me?" (John 14:10)
Once a person has begun to grasp the significance of this concept
of "One God, but many God beings", he is then prepared to see what is
being taught in the Creation Room story. The message is that Michael
is also a co-creator with Christ. We are given to understand that he
was also a God-being as was his elder brother, Jehovah. It was because
of his co-possession and union with the Infinite Spirit that he could
function with Jehovah in creation. Jehovah was a partaker of the
fullness of the Father, and so was Michael. Notice that Jehovah says,
"...other worlds that WE have heretofore formed."
Now we are ready for the rest of the real message. Michael is
Adam in the story, and Adam is you! So you are not the creator and the
created, for the created is the creator. As the scriptures say "Ye are
Gods." (John 10:34) As we are also told regarding each of us in the
Doctrine and Covenants, "Ye were also in the beginning with the Father;
that which is SPIRIT, even the Spirit of truth." (D&C 93:23) In other
words, we, too, were the Spirit.
In a very real sense, God is saying to us. "Thou art I, myself."
Jesus was revealing to us that what was true of him was also true of
us. To deny it in ourselves is to deny it in him, for he is our
brother and the Father of one is the Father of the other. That is why
Jesus proclaimed, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on
me (what I am), the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works
than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."
Latter-day Saints, believing in pre-existence, tend to equate the
pre-mortal life of the spirit with life under the Fall as it is known
on the earth. Yet practically nothing has been revealed in the
scriptures regarding the form of existence. Imagination is the basis
of most "knowledge" of conditions in the pre-life. It is evident that
most people's concepts of what the "I" was like before birth have left
out this great lesson--that man's "self" is of the Infinite Spirit,
which is God.
Now we can ask--in what way are we of God--as the Creator as well
as the Created? To explain this, we are going to draw a picture of man
by using a "V", which is a Sign of the Compass that is revealed at the
veil of the temple and is worn over the heart on the garment. Later we
will also be using the Sign of the Square, which is closely associated
with it. The Masons also use both the Sign of the Compass and the
Square in their Masonic Symbol: ^ + L
The compass does not refer to the magnetic compass but to the
architect's compass all of us used in geometry to draw perfect circles.
We are told that the compass symbolizes that ALL TRUTH IS CIRCUMSCRIBED
INTO ONE GREAT WHOLE. When the compass is drawn right side up, as used
in Masonry, the opening is aimed downward, circumscribing all the
truths of creations. When it is reversed, with the open end up, as it
is used on the veil and garment, it refers to circumscribing all
the truths of heaven. When both signs of the compass are used
and interwoven, as in the Star of David, they represent the union
of knowledge of heaven and of earth, or the creation of a fully
enlightened, conscious man; one who comprehends that he is both the
creator and the created.
We will draw a picture of man out of the "V", using three
divisions in the "V". Each of the three personages in the creation
story fulfill a particular aspect of creation, just as there are
three aspects in man.
1. INFINITE INTELLIGENCE:
Infinite light and truth, as is represented and possessed
by Elohim, is the aspect of man which makes all functions in man exist-
-including seeing, thinking, feeling, digeesting, etc. The fetus formed
from a single cell is the work of the same All Intelligence which holds
the galaxies and kingdoms in balance. This aspect is at the top of the
"V" for it has no limit and no individuality. Intelligence, being
infinite, exists in all creatures.
2. THE REPORTER:
Jehovah represents the individual Awareness of man which
reports to Elohim. Awareness is created to be the combination of (1)
the Intelligence of Elohim and (2) the physical/spiritual earth of
Michael. This is what Christ was when he came to the earth. In its
perfect function, the reporter or mediator aspect of man allows all
wisdom to flow from the higher, reporting accurately the instructions
from above, and in return, reports back accurately that which is
observed. When Jesus came to the earth, he said, "I speak not of
myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." (John
14:10) Christ, a fully conscious man, functioned with an all-knowing
Awareness and served as a true reporter to the Father within, that
aspect of himself which is Infinite
Intelligence.
3. THE SENSES:
The third aspect of man is represented by Michael who assists
in forming the earth and then becomes the inhabitant of that earth.
The physical body, represented by Michael, is also a reporter because
it senses and reports to the mediator or true reporter, the Awareness.
PICTURE OF TRUNE MAN
Symbolic Representation
\Infinite Intelligence / ELOHIM
\ /
\------------------/
\ Reporter /
\ or / JEHOVAH
\ Awareness /
\----------/
\ Senses /
\of the/ MICHAEL
\Body/
\ /
\/
With the picture of man as he was created to be, we can see WHAT
we are. When we say, "I AM", if we were fully conscious of what we
are, we would realize that we represent, as did Jesus, the fullness of
the Godhead. The name that God used when speaking to Moses was "I AM".
When man, claiming to be a being separate and apart from the Infinite
Intelligence or Spirit, says, "I am this or that", he is taking upon
himself the nature of a separate, self-contained and even self-created
being. This demonstrates man's unbelief and egotism and is true
blasphemy. Man is no more a separate entity than his finger is a total
being. Such it means when we are told not to take God's name in vain
or without truth.
When we come to the Garden of Eden story, we will see how our
true identity was lost to our consciousness and HOW we fell. The rest
of the endowment will teach how this knowledge is to be regained, or in
other words, how to wake up. In the creation story we see that in
God's wisdom man is put to sleep and when he awakes, he does not know
truly what he is except that he is called "Adam". Each of us comes
into life with the same loss of awareness. But as we grow in true
self-consciousness, we will no longer think of ourselves as having been
created by some agency and intelligence quite apart and separate, but
we will identify with our whole being. Our Awareness function becomes
the Christ function, the pure reporter. As total Awareness, we see
truth, which "is a knowledge of things as they are, and as they were,
and as they are to come". (D&C 93:24) We do not add or subtract, which
would be to judge and interpret, according to the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil, for "whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit
of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning". (D&C 93:25)
To live aware of such truth would be what we have called
"objective consciousness", the higher state of being. In this state,
man's Awareness functions as Christ does in the creation story. When
the Awareness in man functions in the "Way of Christ", it has taken
upon itself the name of or nature of Christ. Let us re-read the above
quotation from the ninety-third section, which is a description of what
each of us is and how we are of that Spirit of Truth, even as Christ.
"Ye (each of us) were also in the beginning (of our creation)
with the Father; that (aspect of us) which is Spirit, even the Spirit
of truth; and the truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they
were, and as they are to come; and whatsoever is more or less than this
is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning.
The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit of truth, and John bore
record of me, saying: He receive a fullness of truth, yea, even of all
truth." (D&C 93:23-27)
However, being unconscious of our total union with all things, we
separate our ego (our Awareness) even from the body. We speak of "my
body" or "my head", indicating that the "I" is not these parts, but
possesses them. We have learned to identify ourselves exclusively with
that part of the brain which functions as a sort of radar of scanning
apparatus and which is the apparent center of conscious attention and
voluntary action. Although this center feels responsible for
deliberate thinking, walking, talking, and handling, it knows nest to
nothing of HOW it manages to accomplish these actions. Furthermore, it
experiences all the so-called involuntary functions of the body as
events which simply happen to it. Thus the Awareness feels driven and
passive with respect to such functions as strong emotions, circulation
of the blood, and secretion of adrenalin.
Thus we see that the self-awareness we know, the rational ego, is
truly an Awareness in a state of "waking sleep". The mind is in
darkness at noon-day. Even the brain is immeasurably more omniscient
than the conscious mind for it coordinates simultaneously more
variables, more rhythms and patterns of bodily behavior than the "I",
as ego, could possibly comprehend in a hundred years of study. When we
restrict the definition of "myself" to the process of conscious
attention, we feel more like victims rather than creators. When we
begin to see; as a "leap of faith", that the whole, infinitely
miraculous body is the definition of "myself", we can begin to accept
responsibility for all that it is and does. It is then that we can
begin to see the symbolic meaning in the creation story--that man is a
trinity of Infinite Intelligence, individual Awareness and physical
body. As such, he is to have dominion over ALL things.
Let us now use the compass to inscribe a circle called the Living
Cycle. When a living being functions in the light of truth, he sees
that life is a gift rather than a threat. Only very seldom will
something truly threaten his physical survival. When it does, he is
prepared to deal with it according to its seriousness. He functions in
a living cycle as shown below:
1. TRUE AWARENESS OR PERCEPTION
---->
. .
/ \
4. SELF-ORIGINATING ( LIVING ) 2. TRUE FEELING
ACTION \ CYCLE /
. .
<-----
3. PHYSICAL RESPONSE
THE LIVING CYCLE
(1) A holy (whole) being, having a mind which is clear, sees
accurately what is about him each moment. Next (2) his inner sense
responds to the particular situations correctly with true feeling and
then (3) the body mobilizes the correct amount of energy, if any is
required, to properly deal with the situation at hand, through (4) the
required action. There are no misconceptions giving rise to false
feelings of emergency and unnecessary mobilization of energy which the
body cannot properly use and, therefore, must adapt through an
incorrect function for the situation. This we will discuss later as the
Vicious Cycle which eventually leads to sickness and death. One living
by true perception is not subject to the conditioning around him nor to
bias and judgment. His actions are, therefore, self-originating rather
than reactive. Having no limitations, he experiences the endowment of
the power of God.
Now we are ready to deal with the last chapter of the creation
story in the temple. Michael, the Arch-angel, is put to "sleep". When
he awakes, he is addressed as Adam. He is cut off from the knowledge
of who he is but not from his direct communication with the other
members of the creative trinity. He is then put into a very deep sleep
and awakened to find Eve. All of this is describing the state that
each of us, men and women, went through as we began our human life in
the womb--our Garden of Eden. Adam represents that aspect of our being
which is spiritual, while Eve represents that aspect of our being which
is physical. Eve (the body) is to be the helpmeet to Adam (the
Awareness), and Adam is to perform in the nature and name of Christ.
Adam and Eve, which is each of us, having been going through a
marvelous creation, reach that stage of awareness in the womb where
life begins to be sensed and recorded in the process of being an
individual. But "man" is placed into a deep sleep whereby he does not
know that he, besides being the created, is also the creator.
Chapter 7
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
The story of the Garden of Eden is the key, underlying allegory
for all the wisdom and understanding of consciousness. When truly
comprehended, there is no need for further enlightenment through
teaching, for the one, primary lesson of life has been understood. It
is the story of the beginning of the life of every human being, how his
inheritance was lost and squandered and how it is to be regained. The
enlightenment of the endowment is intended to be an anointing of light,
which is understanding. When an individual truly receives the
anointing, he is fully aware of self and the objective reality. John
spoke of the anointing of light received by some in his day:
"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you,
and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing
teacheth you of all things, and IS TRUTH, and is NO LIE, and even so it
hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (John 2:27)
In the Garden is both the story of the Tree of Life and the story
of the Tree of Death. There is both God and Lucifer. We are partakers
of Lucifer and death only because we accepted a lie as truth and have
not yet caught on. Each of us once possessed a place where we were
without pain or sorrow, joy or happiness. There was nothing but
innocent peace for there were no threats, thus no fears. Where was
this? It was in our first awareness of being a living organism which
was in the womb. A child sleeps in the womb, but the mind functions
and sensing takes place, recording memory of subliminal awareness.
This "paradise" comes to an abrupt end at the time of birth, when life
forces come crashing in on the shocked Awareness and a struggle to
survive replaces the calm repose. During the birth process, the mind
is extremely active and completes the mental gymnastics being
symbolized in the story of man's fall from the Garden of Eden. Because
of the infantile mental equipment, fundamental reactions or "decisions"
are made upon which all following mental activity is based. These
decisions were inaccurate, being false interpretations and
misconceptions of what was taking place. In our original reactions-
decision effort, we suddenly saw the event as a threat. We very
understandingly missed the point--which is the meaning of sin--and is
the true original sin that each of us commits at birth. Once a decision
is made, with feeling, it becomes the basis of all attitude and action
from then on--unless it is recognized and altered. To discover these
decisions will be our purpose in going back to our very own beginning
through the symbolism of the Garden of Eden story.
The tiny fetus must reach the later state of development in the
womb before the mind begins to function in awareness. This Awareness,
or consciousness of "self", has no idea of his oneness with the "Self"
of the Infinite Spirit. The "self", spelled with a small "s", is a new
identity. He is no longer aware that he is Michael, the Archangel, of
the Gods. This new identity is called Adam, a spiritual Awareness who
does not know who he is, but he does sense Life which is unfolding its
miracle of creation.
Adam was put into a "deep sleep" and a woman was made for him and
of him. This means that Adam, the spirit Awareness, becomes aware of
Eve, the physical senses. In other words, the "self" becomes aware of
the sensation of the body as an extension of self. Adam is the spirit
and Eve represents the body. Although Adam is only one person, he
comes out of his deep sleep thinking he is two people. Each of us has
that part of us which we feel is "I" and another part which is "me".
For example, "I" want to do everything right, but "me" just won't do
what "I" want. We think there is something about us which, although
apart of us, yet is not fully subject to us.
The ladies should be pleased to find that the Garden story is not
trying to blame women for all earthly trials. Eve is a part of each
person--whether male or female.
All participants in the Temple, whether male or female, are to
look at Adam and Eve kneeling at the altar and see themselves.
"A couple will now come to the altar. Brethren and Sisters, this
couple at the altar represent all of you as if at the altar..."
Man (Adam and Eve) is not really two but one, since God has
joined them together. But since Adam had been put into a deep sleep,
he is unconscious--even in the fetus--of his being one. He thinks he is
two--"I" and "me" or me and my body. However, as we saw in the picture
of man, the physical body is one of the three aspects of man.
PICTURE OF MAN
\Infinite Intelligence / Life or Spirit Eloheim/Jehovah
\ /
\------------------/
\ Individual /
\ / "I" Adam
\ Awareness /
\----------/
\Physical/
\ / "Me" Eve
\Body/
\ /
\/
Man would like to escape responsibility for his "lower nature" by
saying it belongs to him but is not him. This abdication of authority
and responsibility allows the senses to dominate the intellect. In
other words, Eve brings about Adam's fall.
After the appearance of Eve in the life of Adam, Elohim plants a
"garden eastward in Eden" and placed man there. Eastward means the
source of light. The Garden of Eden represents man's perfect place in
life--where there is life without death. However, since there is no
stress, neither is there any spiritual growth. There was wisdom in man
being placed where Lucifer could get to him and where there was a tree
of death to trap him. The fall serves an essential purpose, yet it was
accomplished through the deception by Lucifer and misconception by
Adam-Eve. Since the Tree of life is in the Garden, each of us must
discover how to return and partake of its fruit to gain immortality and
eternal life. We can not do this in our sins--misconceptions--so it is
essential to understand where we got off the track so that we can
properly repent and turn about.
As we deal with the particulars of the Garden story, remember
that every part of the story is about you and your life.
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
ELOHIM: Adam, see this garden which we have planted for you. Of
every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of
knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it. Nevertheless,
thou mayest choose for thyself. But remember that I forbid it, for in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Now be
fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and have joy in your
posterity. Now remember this commandment and go to dress this garden
and keep it. We will go away, but we will return and give you further
instructions.
ADAM: Let your minds be calm. We shall be visited soon.
LUCIFER: Well, Adam, you have a new world.
ADAM: A new world?
LUCIFER: Yes, a new world, patterned after the old one where we
used to live.
ADAM: I know nothing of any other world.
LUCIFER: Oh, I see, your eyes are not yet opened. You must eat
some of the fruit of that tree. Adam, here is some of the fruit of
that tree. It will make you wise.
ADAM: I will not partake of it.
LUCIFER: Oh, you will not! Well, we shall see! Eve, here is some
of the fruit of that tree, it will make you wise. It is delicious to
the taste and very desirable.
EVE: Who are you?
LUCIFER: I am your brother.
EVE: You, my brother, and come here to tempt me to disobey Father?
LUCIFER: Ye shall not surely die but shall be as the gods; ye
shall know good from evil, virtue from vice, light from darkness,
health from sickness, pleasure from pain. And thus your eyes shall be
opened and you will have knowledge.
EVE: Is there no other way.
LUCIFER: There is no other way.
EVE: Then I will partake.
LUCIFER: That is right. Now go and get Adam to partake.
EVE: Adam, here is some of the fruit of that tree; it is delicious
to the taste and very desirable.
ADAM: Eve, do you know what fruit that is? I shall not partake.
Do you know that Father commanded us not to eat of the fruit of that
tree?
EVE: Do you intend to obey all of Father's commandments?
ADAM: Yes, all of them.
EVE: Do you not recollect that Father commanded us to be fruitful
and multiply and replenish the earth? Now I have partaken of the
forbidden fruit, and shall be cast out, while you will be
left a lone man in the Garden of Eden.
ADAM: Eve, I see that it must be so. I will partake that man
might be.
LUCIFER: Yes, that is right.
EVE: I know thee now. Thou are Lucifer, who was cast out of
Father's presence for rebellion.
LUCIFER: Oh, I see you are beginning to get your eyes open.
ADAM: What apron is that you are wearing?
LUCIFER: This is an emblem of my power and priesthoods.
ADAM: Priesthoods?
LUCIFER: Yes, priesthoods.
The Garden of Eden was a place of many trees. Trees means
experiences. The environment God created for man could not harm him in
any way. He had been given dominion over it. That is why he was told
that he could freely eat of every tree of the garden. Every tree is
all of them. Yet, this fails to coincide with the next statement that
there was one tree of which he was not to partake. Could he partake of
all the trees or couldn't he? The answer to this is that the Tree of
Knowledge was not an actually created tree at all, but was an imaginary
tree induced by the desire to partake of the knowledge of things
experienced as to whether they were good or bad.
Every experience--all that God has provided--is for the
development of man. However, man can turn away from his true
nourishment to try adding an experience of his own creation. In the
Garden there was nothing to fear, nothing to harm, but if man does not
trust Life and wants to be extra safe, he starts looking at everything
with a question as to whether it is a threat or not. This is partaking
of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam was told that if he
partook of this tree, he would be cut off from the Tree of Life and
die.
"Nevertheless", as Elohim declares, "thou mayst choose for
thyself. but remember that I forbid it, for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Now be fruitful and multiply and
replenish the earth, and have joy in your posterity."
To "be fruitful and multipy and replenish the earth" does not
refer, when understood symbolically, to having children. Adam was to
RE-plenish the earth. Even literally, there had been no population on
the earth before. Additional population would not replenish it.
However, the earth here is our body, mind and spirit. Each day it is
worn out and used up a little. It needs to be replenished. If this
were done completely each day, there would be no aging or death. So as
long as Adam refrained from the de-energizing conflict of the Tree of
Knowledge, he would be fruitful and multiply through a continual
evolution as a God-man. This would enable him to have joy in his
posterity. Posterity means something different from descendants. The
adult I am today is the offspring of the child I was yesterday, for the
child is no longer here. My posterity is what I am each day, day after
day. Therefore, Adam is commanded to dress and keep the garden. God
would leave Adam, but would return and give him more instructions.
The garden is the experiences of Life to my being. Life is a
gift and we are invited to enjoy the gift by dressing and keeping it.
God does not keep peeking over our shoulder as we go about our work,
but leaves us to discover for ourselves what the garden is like. This
paradise was created and still exists today. We can properly tend the
garden only when we keep our attention to what is really there,
realizing that we are in Life, of Life and are Life. If we turn our
attention to the imaginary protector of "life", which we interpret as
our psychological safety, then we lose Life.
When man becomes a judge of what is good and bad, he will see
nothing but threats all around him. Even those things which are
pleasant and comfortable are threats, because there is the possibility
that they may be lost. Thinking in "good and bad" categories trains
the mind to think in opposite--in other words, to judge everything.
For example, a person tastes some lemonade. He reports, "It is
sour!" Sour is the opposite of sweet. Is it really sour or is it
sweet? Actually, is there such a thing? Lemonade may be sweet or sour
only in comparison to something else. If we compare it to straight
lemon, it would be sweet. If we compare it to candy, it would be sour-
-yet the lemonade is the same in both insttances. So it is just what it
is! The only thing taste tells a person is to describe how it tastes
TO HIM. That would be a fact. But if he tries to tell us what IT IS,
he is giving us only opinion and not fact.
The same is true of hot and cold, fast and slow, big and small,
heavy and light. These all claim to be opposites but they do not
really exist as facts--only opinions or judgments. The same is true of
good and evil. What is really good? We may be able to tell someone
what seems good to us, and that would be a description of our feelings,
but when we say what IT IS, we claim a KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL WHICH
DOES NOT EXIST IN FACT. It is an illusion and is not one of the real
trees given for us to dress and keep. There are differences but not
opposites.
Was it good for Lucifer to lie to Eve? Was it good for God to
put Lucifer in the Garden with Adam and Eve? Was it good for Eve to
disobey and then Adam to disobey because she disobeyed? If you try to
answer these questions accurately you would need to know all the
results of all the other alternatives which no one can know. How many
times have we seen people make what we thought was a mistake, and
because of it, gain much which was truly helpful to them. Have we not
learned more from our disappointments than we have when we got our way.
The Fall, itself, which was brought about by many things which we would
judge to be bad, we judge in totality as being good. Can and if so,
are they really bad? The answer to the question is that there is not
such KNOWLEDGE.
Coming back to the story, we find that after Elohim and Jehovah
leave Adam, Lucifer enters the picture. What part of man's earth does
Lucifer represent? Lucifer is called the Accuser, for he is always
looking to blame, trying to find a "cause" upon which he can lay blame
for the "effect". The purpose of looking for "cause and effect" is to
blame. In reality, nothing is a cause except that it too would be an
effect of some other cause. He cannot see that all things are in
relationship, so if anything is to blame, everything is. The Lucifer
part of man comes into being because of the senses which feel comfort
and pain as opposites, thus getting the intellect to think in opposites
of good and evil, looking for blame. Thus, Lucifer is that part of the
"self" which is the blamer filled with fear, anxiety and distrust
called unbelief.
Lucifer's first statement is, "Well, Adam, you have a new world".
This is an attempt to try to compare one thing with another, "what is"
with "what was", which is another way to think in opposites.
Adam responds, bewildered, "A new world? I know nothing of any
other world." In other words, "I do not know anything about opposites.
I only know what is here." To Lucifer, this condition of Adam is very
unsatisfactory and even dangerous. He gives Adam a suggestion that he
must become a judge of good and evil so that his eyes will be opened.
He promises, "It will make you wise." As always, the blamer lies for
it will not make Adam wise but will only make him blind.
Adam, the divine spirit in man, refuses to accept the delusion.
Lucifer is not through, for he turns to Eve, which is the sense, or
what we would call the flesh. This victory of Lucifer takes place in
each of our lives during the process of being born. Until birth, the
security of the womb leaves the mind with ease to rest sublimely in the
arms of Life without dealing with opposites. However, when the body is
subjected to the upheaval, pain, and shock of the birth process, the
blaming aspect of consciousness--Lucifer--is able to obtain a partaker
of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The senses had previously experienced the comfort of the womb.
Through the new experience of pain and discomfort, the senses are
tempted to no longer "blindly" trust the Father, but to analyze the
situation and try to get back the previous non-disturbed state. Thus,
that which gives or may give comfort and pleasure is judged as "good"
and that which gives or may give pain and discomfort is judged as
"bad".
Lucifer implores Eve to "get smart" which he assures her will
make her feel great--delicious to the taste and very desirable. Eve
wants to be sure she is getting the right promptings, so she asks for
Lucifers identification. He replies that he is her own brother. Not
only is he her brother, but even the first born. The first born
because he is the first impulse of the flesh to gain pleasure and
escape pain. Thus he is called the Prince or Son of the Morning.
However, Eve recalls that she is under direction to leave such
judging alone, for the price of living to gain comfort and escape pain
is death. Lucifer claims that such ridiculous information is a lie for
then she would be like the gods. He assures her that she would have
the priceless treasure of knowledge, knowing good from evil, virtue
from vice, light from darkness, health from sickness, and pleasure from
pain. But he did not tell her that this knowledge would be false,
containing the greatest lie, for she will no longer be able to enjoy
and dress the garden, comprehending what really is, for she will be
constantly burdened with judging everything in it to determine whether
it will make her comfortable or give her pain. She will not replenish
the earth but will deplenish it.
When Eve asked Lucifer, "Is there no other way?", she was really
saying, "Is there no other way to gain pleasure and escape pain--to
become wise and be safe, always?"
His answer, "There is no other way", should be completed to read,
"There is no other way to die, to disintegrate, to deplenish oneself."
In essence she answered, "Then I will partake so that I may gain
pleasure and escape pain on all levels." Comfort and pain is at first
experienced by an infant only on the physical level, then also on the
mental level of needing attention and escaping being ignored or
rejected, and finally on the emotional level as well, which is to be
approved and not to be disapproved. Of course, Lucifer answers, "That
is right."
When Eve partook, she entered a new existence of struggle between
the world of what ought to be. "What IS" is the world of God where
nothing is a threat and life moves on freely. "WHAT OUGHT TO BE" is
the world of the devil, where the senses dominate one's life,
continually, trying to escape the sense of pain and disappointment and
to gain the non-disturbed state.
Eve goes to Adam--the flesh tempts the spirit--saying, "Here is
some of the fruit of that tree; it is delicious to the taste and very
desirable." What she is really saying is, "Adam, it feels like I am so
smart to judge everything as a threat because it makes me so important-
-I have so much to be wise about."
Adam rebukes Eve, insisting that the higher wisdom of God
commanded them not to partake of such knowledge. However, Eve resorts
to some brilliant logic, tempting him. Logic which man so highly
prizes, is really a tool of the devil. Logic is to win an argument for
the senses. We use the logic that if something is pleasurable--at
least eventually--it is good and if it is painful it is bad. She tells
him that if he does not break this commandment he will not be able to
fulfill another commandment. Already she is judging, very logically,
as to which commandment is greater. She is assuming that God will not
provide Adam with a workable answer to the new situation. She insists
that Adam should think things out and disobey.
Here logic demanded that "all" is opposite to "part". Adam could
only sigh and pronounce the old alibi. "The spirit is willing but the
flesh is weak". Thus, he is lulled to sleep, hypnotized by the logic
of suggestion, based upon the belief that if something is logical it
must be true.
Adam replies, "I see that it must be so. I will partake that man
might be". Thus, assured by logic, he has been given a justification.
As soon as one thinks in opposites, he will begin to justify, for
"knowing" what is bad does not prevent one from doing that which is
judged as bad.
Lucifer exclaims, "Yes, that is right!" Yes, the senses are now
being served instead of being used as servants.
If Lucifer's advice had really been right, then Adam and Eve
would certainly be very happy at this point--especially Eve, since she
had gotten her way. But suddenly Eve exclaims: "I know thee now! Thou
art Lucifer, who was cast out of Father's presence for rebellion."
With her knowledge of good and evil, she suddenly senses the agonizing
fact that she is in partnership with a rebellious enemy of God. Even
in the sense of elation at being a judge, there is another sense which
tells us that our judging of evil is evil. There is no rest--no end to
the turmoil and conflict.
The Kingdom of Heaven is peace and joy, neither of which exists
for the soul in conflict. Lucifer saw everything as opposites and
therefore could not conceive of good winning over evil except by force.
He wanted to out-god God. Heaven is the oneness of all reality. Hell
is seeing the same reality in a state of conflict. Lucifer ended up by
creating the very thing he saw, which was war. Only to Lucifer was
there a war in Heaven. To the Kingdom of Peace, Lucifer ceased to
exist on that level.
Lucifer finds comfort in company for only by mutual agreement can
illusion be accepted for reality. He joyfully replies to Eve, "Oh, I
see you are beginning to get your eyes open." In other words, he is
saying, "You are beginning to see it my way." We might add...by trying
to gain pleasure and escape pain.
Adam, having just been informed by Eve that this advisor was
Lucifer, makes an inquiry. "What apron is that you are wearing?"
"This is an emblem of my Power and priesthood." An apron is a
form of clothing, which means a person's understanding. Priesthoods
means all kinds of authority. When a person eats form the Tree of
Judgment, he falls under the dictation and control of the demands of
the senses. Lucifer wore an emblem of this as a black apron. Black
represents control. White represents liberty. Lucifer wants to do
"good" as he sees it, but he wants to do it by compulsion. However, he
can use that compulsion only upon those who freely walk into his
kingdom.
The same lesson is taught in a account regarding the temptation
of Jesus. Lucifer appealed to Christ's sense of need for nourishment,
recognition and importance.
1. If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made
bread.
2. If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is
written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee.
3. Sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of
them, and saith, "All these things will I give thee, if thou
wilt fall down and worship me."
The senses offer us every reward if we sill live for them. Jesus
refused and commanded, "Get thee behind me, Satan." The senses are to
walk behind, not in front. They are to be servants, not masters.
Satan rules the world because everything done in the world is to serve
the demands of the senses to gain comfort and escape pain on all
levels.
All the institutions, organizations and systems of the world are
formed to gratify the senses as the supreme GOOD. This is the original
sin which brought about and retains the fall of man. We
cannot serve God and mammon--the senses.
"For all that is in the world, the lust (desire) of the flesh,
the lust (desire) of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world.
"And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that
doeth the will of God ABIDETH FOREVER" (I John 2:16-17)
Chapter 8
THE PROCESS OF THE FALL
The latter portion of the Garden of Eden story describes the
process by which the fall takes place in the life of man. After Adam
has accepted the illusion of good and evil, he is again visited by the
Lord:
ELOHIM: Jehovah, let us go down and see the man Adam in the Garden
of Eden.
JEHOVAH: We will go down, Elohim.
ADAM: I hear someone coming.
LUCIFER: See, you are naked. Take some fig leaves and make you
aprons. Father will see your nakedness. Quick, hide.
ADAM: Brethren and Sisters, put on your aprons.
ELOHIM: Adam! Adam! Adam, where art thou?
ADAM: I heard thy voice and I hid myself because I was naked.
ELOHIM: Who told thee that thou was naked? Hast thou eaten of the
tree where I commanded thee thou shouldest not partake?
ADAM: the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the
tree and I did eat.
ELOHIM: Eve, what is this that thou hast done?
EVE: The serpent beguiled me and I did eat.
ELOHIM: Lucifer! Lucifer, what hast thou been doing here?
LUCIFER: Oh, the same thing that has been done in other worlds.
ELOHIM: And what is that?
LUCIFER: I gave them some of the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
ELOHIM: Lucifer, because thou hast done this thou shalt be cursed
above all the beasts of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go and
dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
LUCIFER: If thou curseth me for doing the same thing that has bee
done in other worlds I will take the spirits that follow me and they
shall possess the bodies thou createst for Adam and Eve.
ELOHIM: I will put enmity between thee and the seed of the women,
thou mayst have power to bruise his heel, but he shall have power to
crush thy head. Depart.
Eve, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of Satan and hast
eaten of the fruit whereof I commanded thee thou shouldst not eat, I
will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception: in sorrow shalt
thou bring forth children. Nevertheless thou mayst be saved in child-
bearing. Thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over
thee.
Adam, because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and
hast eaten of the fruit of the tree, cursed is the ground for thy sake.
In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. In the sweat
of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground from
whence thou wast taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return.
Jehovah, let cherubim with a flaming sword be placed to guard the
way of the tree of life, lest Adam put forth his hand and partake of
the tree of life and live forever in his sins.
JEHOVAH: It shall be done Elohim. Let cherubim and a flaming
sword be placed to guard the way of the tree of life and live forever
in his sins. It is done, Elohim.
Thus man loses his Garden of Eden existence and is prepared for
the lone and dreary world. this is a symbolic description of how each
person responds to the physical birth process and to the new
environment outside of the womb. His inner mind establishes a basic
fear of Life and an urge to be given back his "right" relationship--
that lost paradise of a warm, soft, quiet, floating sensation where
there were no threats. Since he has a memory of the non-disturbed
state, his senses demand the right to possess it again. However,
unknown to our new, little man, there were no threats. Since he has a
memory of the non-disturbed state, his senses demand the right to
possess it again. However, unknown to our new, little man, there is no
womb or non-disturbed state out here in this bright, new world.
Therefore, this search for a permanent satisfaction of his senses is an
illusion like looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
The search will, in itself, guarantee the disturbed state of anxiety.
The song "The Impossible Dream", is an appropriate theme for fallen
man.
The portion of the endowment recorded above describes seven steps
which makes the fall complete. First there are three fallacies
accepted by man in his attempt to defend himself. The next three are
the consequences of living by the knowledge of good evil. Finally, the
last step is the coup de grace--"the stroke of mortal grace".
1. THE FALLACY OF NAKEDNESS
After Adam has eaten the fruit, the Lord comes to visit him as he
had promised. Adam is terrified and his partner, Lucifer, is quick
with a suggestion. He says, "See you are naked!" Adam agrees and
experiences his first threat--even by He who is his true Father and
friend, Elohim, Himself. Elohim is the Fullness of Life and since
Adam now thinks in the opposites of good and evil, all of Life is a
threat. Lucifer, the desires of the senses, tells Adam that he is in
jeopardy because he is naked. Nakedness means that one has no
understanding. When one tries to have a knowledge of good and evil, he
always feels inadequate. He never quite understands what is the
"right" thing to do. When Adam was free to partake of ALL the trees of
the Garden, he was never naked for he was clothed in the foliage of the
trees. In other words, when life experiences are not judged as good or
bad but partaken of responsibly, there is total understanding. Life is
the teacher—for everything is created as a likeness to bear record and
man is filled with "the record of heaven", "the peaceable things of
immortal glory."
2. THE FALLACY OF HIDING
Lucifer said, "Take some fig leaves and make you aprons. Father
will see your nakedness. Quick, hide!" Adam is taught by his senses
to deal with his first threat in this world of his own Creation -- a
world of opposites--by trying to hide. There are two ways to hide.
One is to cover up and the other is to run for cover. The apron
symbolizes man's attempt to cover up by putting on a mask. With the
apron, Adam would not LOOK naked, which of course, had very little
truth in it. Notice that the apron was made of fig leaves. Of all the
leaves of the forest, none wilt so fast as fig leaves and must
therefore be continually replaced. Man tries to cover this inner fear
of ignorance by acting wise, confident and courageous. He gradually
becomes skilled in the act of outer deception, called the acting game.
The senses convince him that as long as he ACTS right, he IS right. Of
course, there is nothing "wrong" with acting, as long as one is
conscious of what he is doing. So there is nothing "wrong" in using an
apron, of course. Thus, in the temple, regardless of how much white
clothing one is dressed in, the green apron is still worn. Green
symbolizes mortal life. White symbolizes spiritual life. Keeping the
apron throughout the endowment symbolizes that even when man becomes
wakened--clothed in the robes of whole understanding--he is still free
to wear the green apron of acting for appearance sake. However, for
those who are not conscious, the apron is a very inadequate means of
covering one's nakedness. As the fig leaves wilt quickly and must be
replaced, so the acting game is a never ending task of trying to look
"right". For this reason, Adam runs to hide, trying to pretend he is
not there at all.
3. THE FALLACY OF BLAME
When Adam was challenged, he blamed Eve. When Eve was
challenged, she blamed Lucifer. When Lucifer was challenged, he blamed
nature. In other words, when man faces the threat of Life, the
intellect blames the senses ("I" blames "me"), the senses blame desire,
and desire is just doing what is natural. From the cradle to the
grave, Adam's belief that he can accurately decide what is right and
wrong requires that he must always look for excuses for himself by
blaming and justifying. so man finds life a continual struggle.
However, while man sees everything as a threat, what is Life doing?
While Adam and Eve stood read in the face, and probably most every
place else, as well, the Father was having a great experience of
introducing Adam into THE WAY of discovery. Everything was working
perfectly, as it always does for God, since Life does not see each of
these things as good or bad, but sees them in relationships. As Elohim
describes the three consequences (curses which result from their
disobedience). He sees how each of these hardships will relate to
Adam's eventual rebirth. Could He be sad? God has eternal joy because
everything, every moment, is perfect for what is required in the
evolving process of His eternal creations. Those who become children
of God walk in this light of understanding which removes all darkness
at noon-day. They do not always laugh, of course, nor do they find
everything pleasant and without some pain, perhaps, but since they do
not eat off of the imaginary tree of good and evil, they no longer live
by the erroneous purpose of being non-disturbed. Their purpose might
be to have joy in what is --each eternal moment.
These three fallacies of (1) nakedness, (2) hiding and (3) blame
have a single objective in common, which is to be fee from
responsibility. The word responsible is better understood when it is
taken apart--response-ability. A person is responsible because he is
able to respond. In one way, man ceases to be responsible after
learning to think in opposites, learning to find "cause" on which he
can blame "effect", because he then mechanically places blame--
MECHANICALLY, AUTOMATICALLY. A machine just happens. He is no longer
able to respond except in a fixed way. Each person, if he will look at
his own thinking, can discover this for himself. He will see that once
he blames, he is bound. This constant entanglement is called the
“chains of hell".
However, Life is continually calling, "Adam! Adam! Adam! Where
art thou?" That is the question of all ages. Every moment you live,
that question is being put to you. Where are you? Are you in the
world of gratifying the senses, always seeing life as a threat, serving
its priesthoods? Or are you serving Spirit by reporting the sensations
of the senses in some form of understanding other than a threat?
When you respond to Life's challenge with shame for your
nakedness or lack of understanding, you are continually being asked,
"Who told thee that thou wast naked? Have you bowed down to the
senses, to worship and gratify them? They are designed to be your
reporters so that you can properly report to Life regarding your true
circumstances. You will then find that Life's experiences are a Garden
of Eden which you have the privilege to “dress and keep".
4. THE DEGRADATION OF LUCIFER
Lucifer clamed that he was only doing what had been done in other
worlds. The senses are always doing what has been done in all the
lower animal world, seeing every challenge as a threat and responding
with flight or fight. The lower worlds live by violence, tooth for
tooth, and eye for eye. Lucifer claimed innocence since all he had
done was to get Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of knowledge. In other
words, the "Desires of the senses" had taught the intellect to think in
opposites via the senses. Therefore, Adam no longer had the original
purpose of dressing the garden and replenishing the earth, but now had
the purpose of gratifying the senses to gain pleasure and escape pain.
Lucifer was cursed above all the beasts of the field. Upon his
belly he shall crawl and dust he shall eat all the days of his life.
The senses will not have any true awareness but only sensation. Pain
will not be just an experience, it will be an attack. Pleasure will
not be full joy, for it will carry a residue of anxiety, for the
pleasurable can only be temporary. There will always be the inner
concern about how long will it last. The senses become automatic
responses and will not be able to choose. They must take what comes to
them.
Lucifer, in turn, made a threat that he would take the spirits
that followed him and possess the bodies of Adam and Eve. The mental
functions which follow the senses are in the subconscious
mind. The intellect becomes dominated or possessed by these decisions
of the subconscious, mechanical mind. Instead of reporting what the
senses experience accurately, these mechanical centers judge with
fearful, infantile decisions. These decisions gradually develop
individual response patters, taking upon themselves individual
identities.
Therefore when Lucifer threatened that he would take the spirits
which followed him and possess the bodies of Adam and Eve, the threat
was carried out. A decision in the mind can become a complete
subconscious center of awareness just as much as the whole mind is one
center of Awareness. Each center is aware as a "self", each claiming
to be the whole "self". Each "self" claims the given name of the
individual. These sub-selves are spirits or life entities which
follow Lucifer--the desire of the senses. Most of us have seven
primary, mechanical decisions or "selves" which are symbolized by the
seven demons which possessed Mary Magdalene and seven hills upon which
the great and abominable church is built. So this great threat of
Lucifer in the Garden of Eden WAS CARRIED OUT. Man is possessed by
spirits of HELL (conflict), spirits of the subconscious, each who claim
it is the Almighty Judge.
Lucifer was told that God would put enmity between him and the
seed of woman so that although he might have power to bruise his heel,
the seed of woman would have power to crush the serpents head. This
was to acknowledge that the desire of the senses would have power to
make a great deal of pain in the mind and body. However, God was going
to put enmity or dissatisfaction in the relationship so that a spark of
understanding would enable the intellect, in time, to discover that
life is not a threat but a challenge and that the senses merely reveal
to man the challenge. This awakening of man will crush the serpent's
head, killing his awful power to reign havoc on the earth (body),
enabling the senses to become servants in the temple of Awareness.
5. THE DEGRADATION OF EVE
Because Eve had listened to the voice of Satan and had eaten the
forbidden fruit, Life would multiply her sorrows. Even her natural
function of bringing forth children would be done in sorrow.
Eve, as the senses, functions as the automatic portion of the
mind, called the subconscious. This is where one has a "sense" of
things. Our senses include much more than the five senses. There are
many more physical sensations, such as the sense of motion, what is up
and down, pressure, fatigue, dizziness, temperature and so forth.
There are also many sensations which are not physical, such as the
sense of being approved or disapproved, safety or danger, peace or
anxiety. There are over two hundred distinct senses or "feelings".
They exist even though the conscious mind may not be directly aware of
them. We think with our conscious mind and sense or feel with our
subconscious mind, usually referred to in the scriptures as the heart.
Adam represents the mind and Eve the heart. The senses create centers
of awareness or need centers. These are the children of Eve, the
children of the heart. This is the "seed of women" which the spirits
which follow Lucifer possess by making them creatures of desire. When
the heart senses things incorrectly, by feeling in opposites, it is
filled with darkness for it will sense danger even when there is no
danger. These false feelings of emergency create the urgency or sense
of need, which is the basis of greed, anger, hate, fear, and all the
sorrow of man. Eve is told, "Nevertheless, thou mayest be saved in
child bearing." Only because of inner conflict will man possibly
despair of being the judge and the judged.
Next Eve is told that her desire should be to serve her husband
and that he is to rule over her. When the intellect is ruled by the
emotions, both mind and heart remain chained by desire rising from the
hidden motives of the subconscious mind. When emotions are subject to
the intellect, then wisdom discovers an independence from the bondage
of need. However, the intellect can only take charge when it is
willing to do so, for just as a wife will rule her husband if he does
not take charge, the emotions will rule the Awareness unless it takes
charge.
6. THE DEGRADATION OF ADAM
Adam is told that because he gave heed to the voice of his wife
and ate the fruit of the tree, the ground would be cursed for his sake.
In sorrow he would eat of it all the days of his life. In the sweat of
his face he was to eat bread until he returns to the ground from which
he was taken. For dust he was and unto dust shall he return.
Man tries to control his environment so that it will produce the
desired stimuli to him and his family. However, the environment for
man has been made by design--not only in the hostilities of nature, but
in man's interpersonal relationships with man. In sorrow and despair
he tries, time after time, to build utopias of ideal organizations and
civilizations. He tries to create a heavenly state and then fights
about who is going to run it. He gets married to have the peace of
perfect union and fights to keep his independence. He struggles to
gain possessions and then is possessed by them instead.
The real Adam is Michael and is not dust at all. However, the
Adam who is a partaker of the fruit of knowledge, thereby subject to
the dictation of his senses, is DUST. That Adam of dust will and must
be destroyed. It is dust that lead the blind into the ditch, which is
physical death. Jesus said, "For whosoever will save his life (of the
senses) shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life, for my sake
(the sake of perfect awareness), the same shall save it." (Luke 9:23)
The only conscious life we have known in our conditioning is the life
of opposites, trying desperately to please the senses. The process of
discovering of what this life consists is the beginning of self-
consciousness and a new life. If it is recognized that one's life has
been dust, the memories of misunderstood experiences can be washed
clean. This is symbolized in the "baptizing for the dead: in himself.
Man is only to do work for HIS OWN ancestors. Then and only then can
the earthly marriage of the "Adam and Eve", which is unto death do they
part, become an eternal, celestial marriage.
7. THE COUP DE GRACE
Elohim speaks to Jehovah, instructing him to put cherubim with a
flaming sword to guard the Tree of Life. This was to be done to
prevent Adam from putting forth his hand and partaking of the Tree of
Life which would enable him to live forever in his sins. Jehovah speaks
the words and it is done.
Cherubim is one of the levels of angels--which are messengers of
God. His function is to wield a flaming sword so that it turns every
way. The messenger is placed in the east to guard the way, for the
only way into the garden is from the east, the source of light. Only
by understanding can one enter the garden for there is no other "way".
The Tree of Life is like a great treasure which a man found and
went and sold all that he had in order to acquire it. Or the Tree of
Life is like the pearl of great price in which a man sold all his
smaller pearls to buy the one priceless gem. In other words, the Tree
of Life is the same symbol as the term the Kingdom of Heaven, which
Christ spoke so much about. No one can have this great gift unless he
forsakes all else. What does that mean? "All else" refers to one's
possessions. A man treasures the possession of his knowledge of good
and evil, right and wrong more than all else. Only when these are
forsaken and he ceases to carry the burden of judgment can he pass
under the flaming sword to the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life IS. It
cannot be earned, it cannot be prepared for. Man was given it first of
all, but he took another tree in its place.
The Tree of Life is the promise given to Adam: "It is given
to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter, the peaceable
things of immortal glory, the truth of all things; that which
quickeneth all things; which maketh alive all things; that which
knoweth all things and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy,
truth, justice and judgement." (Moses 6:61)
If a person could have the fruit of this tree while he was still
living by the desires of his senses, he would be what Lucifer tried to
get Christ to be. It is, of course, impossible to mix the
two, but nothing would be more tragic if it could. So the simple
reality is that when the Tree of Knowledge IS NOT, the Tree of Life IS!
When illusion is removed, truth is.
The protective barrier which keeps the intellect outside of the
Garden of Eden is within the mind, just as the Kingdom of Heaven is
within man, for man is a function of the Infinite Spirit. His
Awareness, which depends upon the Spirit for its light, is cut off
from having direct access to its glory, power and intelligence in the
body and takes upon itself the position of Almighty Judge of whom and
what is right or wrong. As the Awareness or intellect functions from
such gross misconceptions, it is necessary for man to remain cut off
from the Tree of Life within.
\ Infinite Spirit / Tree of Life
\ /
\------------------/
\ /
\ / Barrier—Cherubim and a
\ Awareness / Flaming Sword
\----------/
\Physical/
\ / Tree of Knowledge
\Body/
\ /
\/
THE PICTURE OF MAN
In the picture of man as illustrated above, it is plain to see
that the Record of Heaven does abide in man, but man does not see it
now or have union with it in his fallen state. Many people try to use
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil or they can let the whole burden
of judgment drop and the "way" is open. As in digging for a buried
treasure, the only task is to remove the dirt. Then the treasure IS
THERE. Man wants to create the treasure out of the dirt and this
cannot be. Thus, the cherubim and flaming word placed in man to block
the way is his Coup de grace--the Father's stroke of mortal grace,
which seals his death, either of his burdens or his life.
Is it not plain to see why candidates for consciousness are taken
back to the kindergarten and given their first lesson all over again?
How clearly this wonderful allegory of the Garden of Eden teaches the
mysteries of Godliness.
Chapter 9
THE LAW OF OBEDIENCE AND SACRIFICE
In the latter portion of the Garden of Eden presentation, Adam
and Eve are provided with simple coats of animal skins to cover their
nakedness and then put under the covenant of obedience and sacrifice.
Up until this point, the audience has quietly and passively listened.
As in the days when Jesus taught in parables to the multitudes, the
candidates have been given the hidden keys of knowledge if they have
ears to hear and eyes to see.
Although all were dressed in the holy garment during the washing
and anointing, the members should realize that they have been
symbolically naked and without understanding, having discarded all
preconceived opinions and worldly knowledge. In this state of
teachableness, they were informed that they are like Michael, who is,
in himself, a trinity, containing the fullness of the Godhead. Having
been put to sleep, each has thought he was Adam and Eve as mere
creatures of dust. They see that God created them to have dominion
over all things, but only if they did not partake of the Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil. They have been shown in what way they did
partake, the severe consequences of this disobedience, and are now
prepared to receive their first clothing of understanding, symbolized
by the garment of the Holy Priesthood.
Elohim speaks to Jehovah and says, "Jehovah, inasmuch as Adam and
Eve have discovered their nakedness, make coats of skins for them.”
Jehovah answers, "It shall be done, Elohim. Brethren and
Sisters, the garment that was placed upon you in the washing room was
to cover your nakedness and represents the coat of skins spoken of.
Anciently it was made of skins. With this garment you received your
new name. It is done, Elohim."
The words used with the garment in the washing room might well be
allowed to pass through the mind at this time.
"I place this garment upon you which you must wear throughout
your life. It represents the garment given to Adam when he was found
naked in the Garden of Eden, and is called the Garment of the Holy
Priesthood. Inasmuch as you do not defile it, but are true and
faithful to your covenants, it will be a shield and a protection to you
against the power of the destroyer until you have finished your work on
the earth. With this garment, I give you a new name, which you should
always remember, and which you must keep sacred, and never reveal
except at a certain place that will be shown you hereafter. The name
is __________."
What is the meaning of the garment? Literally, it is taken by
many Latter-day Saints to be a physical and spiritual shield against
temptation, accident or premature death. If this were its meaning, it
would be a good luck charm, such as a St. Christopher Medal. However,
its meaning is symbolical of man's first level of true understanding.
Adam's first garment was not made by him but was given to him
after being prepared by the Lord. It was made of animal skins, which
represents nature's level of understanding which enables living things
to survive. As each individual comes into the world, naked or exposed
to the frightening new challenge of existence, the infant is given an
inner wisdom for physical survival. Animals are equipped by instinct
with the understanding to respond to danger by flight or fight. Man is
not a being of instinct by intellect. He at first feels his nakedness,
but is soon provided an inner conning to deal with physical threats.
Every man leaves the Garden of Eden dressed with this natural,
inner understanding, provided by Life. However, this garment is not to
be defiled. If it is kept pure which means if it is used only in
truth, it will be a protection against the power of the destroyer. To
fight or run is an appropriate response to an actual physical threat.
The garment or understanding is defiled when it is used to respond to
psychological threats, which are only imaginary dangers to the ego.
When man does that, he alerts the body to respond to an emergency which
is not real but only an illusion, so the body has nothing it can fight
with or run from. The body becomes burdened and toxic from surplus
mobilized energy and starts to be destroyed by tension and adaptation,
called dis-ease. His misapplied understanding of physical survival now
becomes a curse, bringing about premature death. Instead of being in
the Living Cycle, he is in the Vicious Cycle.
SEES MOST THINGS AS A THREAT
THROUGH MISCONCEPTIONS
---->
. .
/ \
BODY MUST ADAPT TO ( VICIOUS ) HAS EMOTIONAL REACTION
SURPLUS TOXINS BY \ CYCLE / OF FALSE FEELINGS OF
UNUSUAL CELLULAR ACTIVITY . . EMERGENCY
OR UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR --<---
BODY MOBILIZES ENERGY
TO FIGHT OR RUN
The garment is underclothing since it represents one's first
basic understanding of how to see the creation in which we live.
To better understand the ways man defiles his basic understanding
for survival, one must see how he has developed his inner sense of good
and evil. As shown on the following diagram, he gradually develops
four basic urges or senses of right and wrong. Since the desires are to
gain the pleasurable and escape the uncomfortable, they are called the
Four Dual Basic Desires. They develop as urges, not as thoughts;
therefore, they are primarily below the conscious level.
When a child is first born, his basic decision to be non-
disturbed functions only on the physical level. He wants what is
comfortable and to escape that which is painful. After a few months
the child's conscious mind develops more awareness. He begins to
experience a new form of comfort and pain--on the mental level. He
feels that it is comfortable to get attention and it is painful to be
ignored. By the age of twelve to eighteen months, the child begins to
experience pain on a third level, having to do with emotional feelings.
He finds that approval is comfortable and disapproval is painful.
After a few more years, the child begins to experience comfort and pain
on a transcendental level when he finds that he must be needed and be
important. It is painful to feel inferiority.
FOUR DUAL BASIC DESIRES OF GOOD AND EVIL
LEVEL IMPORTANT TO GAIN IMPORTANT TO ESCAPE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Physical Comfort and Pleasure <---> Pain and Discomfort
Mental Attention <---> Being Ignored
Emotional Approval <---> Disapproval
Transcendental To be needed or <---> Inferiority
to be important
In this way we see that the primary, master decision made at
birth, which is that the purpose of living is to regain the non-
disturbed state, becomes divided into eight desires or urges. Every
individual places his own degree of importance on each. An extrovert
tends to place more importance on gaining attention, approval and a
sense of being needed. Introverts have the greatest need to escape the
feelings of disapproval and inferiority, even to the extent of being
ignored. Whatever formula of emphases the individual develops in his
inner mind, he struggles to get and keep the "good" and escape the
"bad". Since no one can have a full quota of any of these eight
desires all the time, there is a deep, inner feeling of anxiety most of
the time. These deep desires keep demanding, "I am entitled to have
these ideal sensations satisfied." This is the Lucifer aspect of our
being. The Adam or the logical mind of man usually recognizes,
intellectually, that total satisfaction is not possible, but his inner
sense is not conscious nor logical. Therefore, since he is continually
trying to gratify the senses, the natural man is called "sensual".
From the very beginning, the infant feels the nakedness of having
a purpose for living which cannot be fulfilled. In other words, he has
a problem. Problems call for solutions. How to gain comfort and
escape pain on all levels is the constant inner question of his
turbulent mind. As the baby tries one thing and then another, he make
decisions about what is the "right" way. These decisions become basic
mental patterns which exist on the sensing level and may only be
vaguely recognized in the conscious mind. Since Eve represents the
senses, these are the children of Eve. They are represented by Cain
and Able and their brothers and sisters. These are the seed of woman
who became possessed with the spirits which followed Lucifer. The
spirits are the four dual desires of the senses. In this way, the
"natural man is an enemy to God (Light and truth), and has been from
the fall of Adam, and will be forever and ever, unless he yields to the
enticings of the Holy Spirit." (Mosiah 3:19)
The Holy Spirit is the light of consciousness. Being awake
begins with casting out sleep or ignorance of oneself. Therefore, man
must become acquainted with the many decisions which are the children
conceived in his frantic effort to find the non-disturbed state.
Adam and Eve had great hopes for their first child, who was Cain.
His psychological name is "I Want My Way". This is the first decision
on how to be non-disturbed, which says, "It is important to have my
way, now, and I can get it if I complain." Little infants learn within
hours that this is the way to try to gain comfort and escape pain. The
emotion that energizes this decision is anger and self-pity. The
results, of course, are not the total not-disturbed state; so Eve has
another child, Able. His real name is "I Must Please Them." When a
child is around eighteen months, he begins to get scolded and paddled
for always trying to have his own way, which finally produces a
discovery that if he is going to be "happy", he must please mother and
father.
When the Able side of the child gets his offering accepted, Cain
becomes so angry that he kills Able. Parents observe that the
"pleaser" side usually takes several tries to really get established.
So Eve must replace Able with Seth. Cain gets sent to the Land of Nod
with a curse upon him. Most human beings have developed the Cain and
Seth sides to their nature. Both sides are possessed with the desire
to please the sense (Lucifer) and are therefore unsuccessful in finding
the Garden of Eden state.
In the scriptures we are told that Adam and Eve had many
children. They were the kindred of Cain or Seth, but in the end,
almost all of them head to be destroyed in the great Flood, symbolizing
the cleansing of the earth. This is the meaning of the Law of
Sacrifice. Therefore, in the Garden of Eden Room, the first covenants
will be those of obedience and sacrifice. Before we discuss them let
us see how the seed of woman functions by looking at the picture of man
in his fallen state.
THE PICTURE OF FALLEN MAN
SEVEN BASIC SENSES OF RIGHT AND WRONG
B-guilt and fear side A-anger & self-pity side
\ infinite intelligence /
\ or spirit of truth /
\----------------------------------/
\ concious awareness 7 /
\. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . / 7. I am important
\ unconcious /
5. It is important \ 5 awareness 6 / 6. It is important
that I be different \ / that he, she, it,
4. It is important to\ 4 B . A 2 / they be different.
do and believe as I am \ . / 2. It is important to
told by my authorities \ . / stick up for my rights
\ . / because I know what is
3. It is important that \ 3 . / right
I please them \ . 1 / 1. It is important to have
\----------/ my way now, and I can get
\physical/ it if I complain
\ /
\body/
\ /
\/
THE MASTER DECISION THE PURPOSE OF LIVING IS TO BE NON-DISTURBED
In the above diagram, we see what man has become and why he is in
rebellion to the Light of truth. We recalled that the Awareness was to
serve in the function of Christ, as a reporter or interpreter between
the lower and higher aspects. The Christ function does this without
judging any person, thing or situation as "good" or "bad". However,
having partaking of the Tree of Knowledge, the Awareness now has become
"wise" and judges all things by its master decision of good and evil as
they relate to pleasure and pain. Awareness reports erroneous
judgments to Intelligence, which carries out bodily function according
to the "prayers" of the Awareness.
The first "how to" decision is, "I must have my way and I can get
it if I complain". The infant soon adds a companion decision No. 2,
which is, "It is important to stick up for my rights because I know
what is right." These two decisions work very well for a baby, but as
he becomes a child, the parents try to get a third decision into the
machinery--No. 3, "It is important to please them." Along with this is
its companion decision, No. 4, "It is important to do and believe what
I am told by my authorities." A child soon learns that if he believes
what others tell him, he will be less disturbed. Most of our original
beliefs are gained for this reason because we have a need to be secure
and accepted as part of the group. "How To" decisions three and four
are in opposition to one and two and form different personalities in
conflict with each other.
Instead of calling these two sides Cain and Seth, we will refer
to them as the "A" and "B" sides. A is the infant mind and the B is
the child mind. A is energized by anger and self pity. B is motivated
by guilt, fear, and resentment. The A and B sides of one's mind will
almost always have two feelings about everything. One A and one B.
Both sides demand to be recognized. The conscious portion of the
Awareness tries to keep peace in the household by giving one the nod
and then the other. The Awareness, only relatively conscious, becomes
the chooser, the judge, and what
is called the ego.
There is nothing right or wrong about any of these decisions. It
is just that when we make them important, they are destructive. It is
fine to have our own way--as long as we are not miserable if we cannot
have it. It is fine to please others, as long as we are not all torn
up when we fail to please. However, none of these solutions give the
total non-disturbed state, so there is no true inner peace. Therefore,
the youngster--usually at about 7 or 8, makes another decision, No. 5,
"I would be all right if I were just different!" In other words, if he
were just better looking, or stronger, or smarter, or the champion,
etc., then he would be non-disturbed. This does not give the ideal
sensation permanently either, so around the age of 11 or 12, the child
finds another solution, No. 6. "I would be all right if they were
different!" He senses that they, it, she, him, or something else is
the cause of his being disturbed and if they would change, he knows he
would be all right then. By this time, the ego is so busy trying to
keep the mind together that it signs, "Oh, am I important!" This is
decision No.7.
These seven children of Eve evolve into real, separate
personalities and can sometimes become so well developed that any one
of them will take over the total being for a time, until it is
dethroned by another, who reigns for a while. Since they are possessed
by the desire of the senses to gain comfort and escape pain, each
develops the four dual basic urges of "good and evil"—on the physical,
mental, emotional and transcendental levels. Each of the seven
children can be named, such as the Complainer, Pleaser, and Blamer.
If they all spoke at once, they would declare, "Our name is Legion."
Every individual is not single "I" but many "I's". It is for this
reason that the natural man cannot "self-improve" his way to
perfection, since the "Self-Reformer" is merely one of the "I's"
judging another "I". Invariably, the "I" that is doing the criticizing
is more of the problem because it is the judger, claiming to know, for
sure, "good from evil."
Because each of us has the infant mind of A and the child mind of
B, we are double-minded. In the New Testament, James warns the church
members by saying, "A double minded man is unstable in all his
ways...purify your hearts, ye double minded." The heart, where we have
the conflicting inner urges, can never be pure until the misconceptions
are not longer the inner guide of conscience for the mind.
The temple endowment is designed to instruct the sincere student
in the proper order of enlightenment whereby he can have "an eye single
to the glory of God." Therefore, the Garden of Eden story is followed
by giving all present, as Adam and Eve, the covenant of obedience and
sacrifice.
ELOHIM: Eve, because thou wast the first to partake of the
forbidden fruit, if you will covenant that you will keep the law of
your husband, etc...Adam, if you will covenant that you will obey the
law of Elohim, we will give unto you the law of obedience and sacrifice
and we will provide a Savior for you that you may come back into our
presence, and with us partake of eternal life and exaltation.
EVE: Adam, I now covenant that from this time forth I will obey
your law and keep your commandments.
ADAM: Elohim, I now covenant that from this time forth I will obey
your law and keep your commandments.
ELOHIM: It is well, Adam.
Jehovah, inasmuch as Adam and Eve have discovered their
nakedness, make coast of skins for them.
JEHOVAH: It shall be done, Elohim.
Brethren and Sisters, the garment that was placed upon you in
the washing room was to cover your nakedness and represents the coat of
skins spoken of. Anciently it was made of skins. With this garment
you received your new name.
It is done, Elohim.
ELOHIM: We will now put the sisters under covenant to obey the law
of their husbands. Sisters, arise, raise your right hand to the
square. Each of you do covenant and promise that you will obey the law
of your husband and abide by his council in righteousness. Each of you
bow your head and say yes.
SISTER: Yes.
ELOHIM: That will do. Brethren, arise.
You and each of you do covenant and promise that you will
obey the law of God and keep His commandments. Each of you bow your
head and say yes.
BRETHREN: Yes.
ELOHIM: That will do.
Eve, representing the senses, is to be subject to Adam, the
intellect or Awareness. The Awareness, in turn is to be subject to
Infinite Intelligence or the Light of truth within. It will be noticed
that Eve has made a conditional covenant. So long as Adam is conscious
of what he is doing, being obedient to the Law of God, then the senses
are to serve him. However, if he does not obey God, then the senses
are not required to obey. Eve, the senses, always keeps her agreement.
She will serve if he obeys, for it is Adam, the intellect, that has
been given dominion.
Adam is given a covenant to obey the Law of God and keep the
commandments. If this is to be taken literally, as it generally is,
then is there one person who has ever gone to the temple who is not in
jeopardy? Have any kept this covenant to keep ALL the commandments ALL
the time? For example, who has loved God with ALL his heart, who has
been stripped of pride, who is humble like a little child? However,
since each person is to see himself as Adam, then he could see what
commandments Adam has received up to this time. His commandments are
very simple. He is commanded to dress and keep the Garden, to be
fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth, and to refrain from
partaking of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In other words,
Adam has covenanted to remain conscious, seeing that he is free to tend
and partake of all the trees of the garden, and report the information
received from the senses regarding the environment as challenges and
opportunities rather than threats. These a conscious man can do. But
when one's intellect is controlled by the desires of the senses, he is
in a state where he wants God to tell him everything which is required
to guarantee the preeminent non-disturbed state. So man gets hundreds
of "commandments". No man has ever kept all of the rules he has got
the Lord to give him to keep him "safe".
Adam is given a new name. What is the meaning of having a new
name? It was a custom anciently that when a person became responsible,
he was renamed. Name implies nature. The name of Christ is the nature
of Christ. This is really the new name or nature that all must
receive.
The particular name given to one in the temple is neither secret
nor of any specific significance. Every person going through a booth
on the same day receives the same new name, so all know each other's
"secret" name. The names are picked by the temple staff at random and
recorded by dates so a person can re-learn the name if he later forgets
it. Its meaning is entirely symbolic, implying that a new life has
begun. Once an individual has discovered what he is and what he has
been doing, he can begin to function non-mechanically; therefore, being
truly response-able. The new name is secret because only he can know
that he is a conscious, responsible human being.
The next step in the Garden Room is to provide Adam with the Law
of Sacrifice:
ELOHIM: When Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden be built an
altar and offered sacrifices, and after many days an angel of the Lord
appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the
Lord? and Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
And then the angel spake saying: This thing is a similitude of the
Sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace
and truth. Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of
the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son
forevermore. The posterity of Adam down to Moses and from Moses to
Jesus Christ offered up the first fruits of the field and firstlings of
the flock, which continued unto the death of Jesus Christ, which ended
sacrifice by the shedding of blood.
A couple will now come to the altar. Brethren and Sisters, this
couple at the altar represent all of you as if at the altar, and you
must remember that you are under the same obligations that they will
be. We are instructed to give unto you the law of sacrifice as
contained in the Old and New Testaments, which is that you do sacrifice
all that you have, including your own lives, if necessary, for the
building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
All arise. Each of you bring your right arm to the square. You
and each of you do covenant and promise before God, Angels, and these
witnesses at this altar that you will keep the law of
sacrifice as contained in the Old and New Testaments, which has been
explained to you. Each of you bow your head and say yes.
BRETHREN & SISTERS: yes.
ELOHIM: That will do.
Adam is provided the Law of Sacrifice. Animal and human
sacrifices have no redeeming affect, in and of themselves, of course.
They are symbolical and unless their spiritual equivalent is
comprehended, the sacrifice is in vain.
As soon as Adam left the Garden, he was instructed to offer up
sacrifices of the first fruits. The first fruits of the Tree of
Knowledge is the primary master decision regarding the purpose of life.
This is all one has lived for. Until person becomes truly self-
conscious, living by "what is" rather than by what "ought to be", every
motive is to regain the non-disturbed state of the womb. Even man's
desire for Heaven is his hope that he will be given, at least, the non-
disturbed state. Doing good, helping others, missionary teaching and
doing church work are all motivated, primarily, for a good feeling--to
please the senses, and that is the mammon or forbidden fruit.
Every yearning we have, including every prayer, comes from these
desires of our inner senses or the heart. James warned the Saints of
his day, "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may
consume it upon your pleasures", which is lust. (James 4:3) It is in
this way that men walk in darkness at noon-day.
A wise, old prayer might be considered at this point. It
emphasizes the intent of the heart rather than the words of the mouth.
If I serve thee to gain Heaven,
deny it to me.
If I serve thee to escape Hell,
cast me in.
The desire to save one's life is the desire to save one's life of
desire. Little does the unconscious man realize he is forsaking the
pearl of great price for its cheap imitations. But when he does awake,
he gladly places his life of desire upon the altar where it is consumed
by the cleansing fire of the Light of truth.
As Adam was given the meaning of his symbolic sacrifices, he was
also taught about the redemption of the Savior. While man lives to
serve his senses, he may do great harm upon the earth. When he awakens
and sees the true purpose of living, he shudders at the wreckage left
behind. To free man from his regret, a Savior has been provided to pay
the full measure, so the slate is clear and clean. Thus, man is truly
free from the acts of sin.
The Lord instructed Adam by saying:
"...And be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine only
Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and ENJOY THE WORDS
OF ETERNAL LIFE IN THIS WORLD, AND ETERNAL LIFE EVEN IMMORTAL GLORY."
(Moses 6:59)
It is then that man is truly able to know good from evil, for the
good is to dress and keep the garden, to multiply and replenish the
earth, while evil is to be a judge of what is good and bad based upon
the desires of the senses.
When the candidate covenants to sacrifice all that he has, even
his own life, if necessary, for the building up of the Kingdom of God
on the earth, he can be assured that it IS NECESSARY. "All that he
has" and the only things he has, really, are his beliefs, opinions,
conclusions and knowledge. All of his conditioned (waking sleep)
Awareness is really no more than ideas and ideals. For example, he can
say he has a family--but really he is talking of his beliefs and ideas
about the family which he possesses, not the human beings, themselves.
Does man possess success, reputation, property, talents, or does he
possess images, memories, ideas and ideals? Yes, "all that he has"
must be sacrificed or he will never see the morning sun of the new
birth. "The Kingdom of God" Christ tells us, "is within you". (Luke
17:21) It is Zion, the pure in heart. For the Kingdom IS AT HAND, at
our feet, here for the accepting. but what does man do? he wants to
buy it with his "worthiness", grab it for his greediness, use it for
his vanity. But the fire on the altar says NO! You do not earn the
Kingdom of God, you simply cast everything that is not of the Kingdom
upon the altar of sacrifice.
As Moroni said in the final words of the Book of Mormon:
"Yea, come unto (the nature of) Christ, and be perfect (made
wholy conscious) in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness
(misconceptions); and if you shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness
and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace
(Intelligence) sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect
in Christ: and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can
in NOWISE DENY THE POWER OF GOD."
Chapter 10
THE FIRST TOKEN OF THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD
Before we get into a discussion of the first token, let us review
what we have been doing. Undoubtedly, as you have been reading, there
are some new thoughts and concepts for which you may have reservations.
This is to be expected. Deeper levels of understanding always come as
a threat to the more shallow levels of truth. Remember, we are dealing
with meat and not milk. Children—those who are not yet able to accept
real responsibility for their lives--will not be able to take meat
because they are yet sensual, meaning that they live to have "good"
feelings.
One of the major concepts which a reader may challenge is the
statement that a knowledge of good and evil is an illusion. Most of us
have been conditioned to believe that unless we establish what is good
and what is bad, people will do all kinds of terrible things. It is
felt that there would be no civilization, no order or security. But
this is conditioned thinking. People can have rules in a game without
judging whether the violation of the rule is good or evil. If a
football player gets off bounds before the ball goes into play, his
team will have a penalty. No one calls him evil and the penalty good.
All the rules do is to describe under what agreements the players will
function. There are many ways we play such games, like the family
game, the business game, and even the Church game. A game consists of
players, rules, officials and penalties. The rules are neither good
nor bad, but merely something upon which we have reached agreement. If
someone else invents a game similar but also different, that is fine
too. Societies cannot exist without the four ingredients--citizens,
laws, officials and penalties. But a society is one thing, a culture
is another. The same is true with the Church. The Church is one thing,
religion is another.
Let us take a specific example of the use of rules—raising
children. A parent can provide an understanding of true, individual
responsibility in his children by establishing the "rules of the game".
The parent administers the penalties as an official without hate or
anger and without trying to imbue the child with fear and guilt to make
him good. Lucifer's plan was to make people be good by compulsion.
There is no greater weapon of compulsion than the use of shame,
rejection, guilt, and humiliation as tools for making people good.
When you stop to think of it, our justification for knowing what is
good and bad is to make people be good by being afraid to be bad, which
is really no justification at all.
Another concept that we have discussed, in the picture of man, is
that we are not totally separate spirits or entities as we had
supposed. Man thinks of himself as being a separate entity, the
boundary of which ends at the surface of his skin. This is because he
thinks in terms of the finite. But Life is not finite, it is infinite,
and man is a manifestation of Life, or as it is called, the Light of
Truth, Spirit of God, or Spirit of Christ.
The chart below illustrates that there are many individual selves
but only one Self. Thus the Lord may say, "Thou art I Myself."
\awareness awareness awareness awareness/
\ /\ /\ /\ /
\------/ \------/ \------/ \------/
\body/ \body/ \body/ \body/
\ / \ / \ / \ /
\/ \/ \/ \/
We are not denying separate identity, for that is what all of us
have right now. However, separate identity is not the same thing as a
separate entity. We tend to combine the two because of our blindness
and walking in darkness at noon day. As long as a person sees himself
in this way, he will struggle to become united, accepted, worthy, etc.
He is then a conditioned, self-attaining being, which is another way of
saying a self-grabbing being. Man's problem is not to become
something. It is to start remembering who he is and what he is. This
is the true meaning of belief and faith and the purpose of the temple
work. When one truly believes in Christ, which is to understand him,
then the man also knows what he, himself is. He is then a self-
conscious being and has been born of light and truth. Jesus said that
if we knew the truth, the truth would make us free, but we interpreted
him to say, "If you can learn truth, you can use it to become free".
However, to see the truth is to be conscious. The cry of the Gospel is
to WAKE UP.
When Elohim called Adam three times and said, "Where are you?"
the question was to challenge Adam to his own awakening. We tend to
think God is continually asking us, "Are you good?" Perhaps He is
asking, "Are you having joy so that you can multiply and replenish your
earth?"
"But then," we are prone to ask, "why does God give so many laws
and commandments of good and evil?" For a very simple reason, because
man keeps praying for them. Since man has continued to eat from the
Tree of Knowledge, he continually pleads for the Lord to tell him what
is good and what is bad. It is similar to Israel wanting a king. God
warned them and then gave them a king. Fallen man wants God to give
him the knowledge of good and evil so he will be more successful in
eating form the forbidden fruit. Therefore, God complies by giving law
after law after law. If the Lord ever refrains and merely gives a
little wisdom, as He did with the Word of Wisdom, which was given "not
by commandment or restraint", his followers soon make it into a rigid
arbitrary rule of law.
Law is for those who are asleep! Law is inflexible, non-
spontaneous, and rigid for "stiffnecked" people who function as
automatic machines. Look at the Law of Moses which was given because
of the unconsciousness of the hosts of Isreal. Paul wrote an epistle
to the Jews in Rome expressing very plainly that the law is designed as
a "trap" to wake people up. He was not only speaking of the Mosaic
Law, but all prescribed, rigid definitions of good and evil which come
from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The law is given by God
for people to see that there is no spiritual perfection by law. Here
is one of Paul's candid statements:
"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to
them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world may become GUILTY before God. Therefore by the deeds of the
law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the LAW IS
THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN (good and evil)." (Romans 3:19-20)
For those who find it hard to believe that God uses such teaching
methods to let people learn the only way they will learn—through
painful failure, there is an interesting statement in the Book of
Mormon which describes the same subject being dealt with by Paul.
Israel despised the words of plainness. They did not really want to
have peace of mind and joy of heart--they wanted to be RIGHT, they
wanted more instructions, more and more knowledge.
"But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they
despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets (teachers who
told them to awake), and sought for things that they could not
understand.
"Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by
looking beyond the mark (missing the point), they must needs fall; for
god hath taken AWAY HIS PLAINNESS FROM THEM, and delivered unto them
many things which they cannot understand because they desired it. And
because they desired it (so that they might have comfort and escape
pain), God hath done it, that they may stumble." (Jacob 4:14)
Some of the things God gave that Israel could not understand were
parables, analogies, and symbols. Christ did the same thing—with no
sentimentality!
"And his disciples came, and said unto him, "Why speakest thou
unto them in parables?"
"He answered and said unto them, 'Because it is given unto you to
know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them IT IS NOT
GIVEN. For whosoever hath (a true understanding), to him shall be
given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not (true
understanding and is eating off the Tree of Knowledge), from him shall
be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in
parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not,
neither do they understand...For this people's heart is waxed gross,
and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed;
lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted
(awakened) and I should heal them (with the power of life over death)."
(Matt. 13:10-15)
When we recall that Christ is speaking about the most God-fearing
people on earth at that time, we can realize the bluntness of His
words. The words are particularly significant to Latter-day
Saints in regards to the temple for the endowment is all in symbol and
parable. Evidentially, then, in the very nature of the temple, there
is a lesson to be learned. But that is just the beginning. A parable
is more than a shield to hide the truth. It is also a test which is
saying to man, "Adam! Adam! Adam! Are you awake? Where are you? Do
you know yet?"
It is significant, therefore, that the last function performed in
the Garden of Eden Room is the presentation of the First Token of the
Aaronic Priesthood. The token is a hand grip or handshake of a special
order. A handshake is a test. It was used anciently to see if the
other person held a weapon in his right hand. So we might really say,
the first token is the first TEST of the Aaronic Priesthood. Like all
analogies, it is a skillfully disguised test so that those who fail it
will never know that they did--until they pay for it with their lives,
for the wages of sin is death.
In ancient Bible times, the tribe of Ephraim had insulted some of
their cousins from the tribe of Manasseh. A battle followed and a
large group of Ephraim troops were trapped on the far side of the
Jordan. They tried to get through the enemy lines by pretending that
they were not Ephraimites. However, the guards at the bridges
challenged them to say the word "Shibboleth" which they could not
pronounce correctly, saying "Sibboleth" instead. Forty-two thousand
sons of Ephraim failed the test and were put to the sword.
What exposed them in the test was their conditioning. The test
was effective because they could not help themselves. In fact, they
were probably not aware that they were failing the test, for Sibboleth
probably sounded like Shibboleth to them.
There is an interesting similarity between this test and the
tokens given in the Temple. In fact, a death penalty is involved in
the first three of these tests. This is appropriate for the entire
endowment is a life and death matter. The Tree of Knowledge is the way
of dying. The Tree of Life is the way of living. Those who fail to
hear the message of the endowment will pay with their lives. This they
are clearly--though symbolically--told three different times by the
three penalties. However, like all effective test, the tokens
challenge a candidate in a very different way than he expects.
Before we discuss the details of the test, let us read the way
the token is presented.
ELOHIM: "We are required to give unto you the First Token of the
Aaronic Priesthood. Before doing this, however, we desire to impress
upon your minds the sacred character of the First Token of the Aaronic
Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign and penalty, together with
that of all the other Tokens of the Holy Priesthood, with their
accompanying names, signs and penalties, which you will receive in the
temple this day. They are most sacred and are guarded by solemn
covenants and obligations of secrecy to the effect that under no
condition, even at the peril of your life, will you ever divulge them,
except at a certain place that will be shown you hereafter. The
representation of the penalties indicates different ways in which life
may be taken.
The First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood is given by clasping the
right hands together and by placing the joint of the thumb over the
first knuckle of the hand, in this manner.
Adam, we give unto you the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood.
We desire all to receive it. All arise.
If any of you have not received this token, please raise you hand.
The name of this token is the new name that you received in the
washing and anointing room. If any of you have forgotten your new
name, please stand.
The sign of the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood is made by
bringing the right arm to the square, the palm of the hand to the
front, the fingers close together and the thumb extended. This is the
sign. The execution of the penalty is represented by placing the thumb
quickly across the throat, to the right ear, and dropping the hand to
the side.
If I were going through the temple today either for myself or for
the dead, and had been given John as my new name, I would say, after
making the sign, I, John, do covenant and promise that I will never
reveal the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, together with its
accompanying name, sign and penalty, rather than do so I would suffer
my life to be taken.
All arise.
The sign of the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood is made by
bringing the right arm to the square; the palm of the hand to the
front, the fingers close together and the thumb extended. This
is the sign.
Now repeat in your minds after me the words of the covenant, at
the same time representing the execution of the penalty.
I,__________(think of the new name) do covenant and promise that I
will never reveal the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, together
with its accompany name, sign and penalty. Rather than do soI would
suffer my life to be taken.
ELOHIM: Jehovah, see that Adam is driven out of this beautiful
garden into the lone and dreary world, where he may learn by his own
experience the good from the evil.
JEHOVAH: It shall be done Elohim. The brethren will follow Adam
and the sisters will follow Eve into the Lone and Dreary World.
ADAM: The first two rows of brethren and sisters please stand.
Little do those receiving this token realize that they are being
given a test and that they are failing it completely. It they did not
fail it, they would be prepared to endure the flaming sword of truth
and return to the Tree of Life. Of course, due to the conditions of
modern Israel being similar to those of old, it is known that most
candidates are not able to "see" with their eyes and "hear" with their
ears. They are cast out of the Garden of Eden into the Lone and Dreary
World.
To understand the nature of this test, some additional background
would be helpful. Eternal Life has to do with a state of
consciousness, "being filled with light, comprehending all things."
The test, then, is to see if "Adam" is awake, if he is really paying
attention, if he is truly conscious. This first test of the Aaronic
Priesthood has to do with the condition of the person's mind. The
penalty is the cutting of his throat, indicating the severing of his
head from the body. In other words, until he loses his old type of
thinking, he will not be prepared to eat from the Tree of Life and live
forever. There are four types of mental conditioning which will betray
a person's unconsciousness.
1. The Literal Mind
2. The Proud Mind
3. The Lying Mind
4. The Possessive Mind
1. THE LITERAL MIND AND THE TOKEN
The literal mind is the logical mind that looks for "cause" and
"effect," reasoning by "if that, then this." It uses words as reality
rather than recognizing that they are mere images conceived in the
mind. It prides itself in being very practical and down to earth,
using good, common sense. Since what the mind "knows" is completely
distorted by the misconception of the purpose of living, the value of
the literal mind exists only in serving mammon. As the mind increases
its technical education, it thinks it has improved the Man-Made World
and therefore continues to build more and more Towers of Babel. In the
Real World of Spirit, the literal mind is blind, deaf, and asleep.
Nicodemus, who appears to be the epitome of the scholarly,
spiritual leader, came to Jesus by night. The Savior gave him a simple
test. The Jewish ruler did not realize the nature of the test and
proceeded to fail completely.
Nichodemus first greeted Jesus with the honorable title of Rabbi
and added his testimony that Jesus was a "teacher come from God."
Jesus ignored his witness and said, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."
Nicodemus, with his literal mind, had heard Jesus clearly and was
convinced he knew the exact meaning of the words spoken. Therefore, he
was sure that he knew exactly what Jesus meant. He also knew that what
Jesus said was not only impractical, it was impossible. So he politely
inquired, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the
second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"
After Jesus explained further, using more words which were just
as "understandable" to the literal mind but no more comprehensible,
Nichodemus retorted, "How can these things be?"
Christ rebuked him, "Art thou a master of Israel and knowest not
these things?" (John 3:1-10)
Modern Israelites, as the Latter-day Saints believe themselves to
be, seem to be very similar to Israel of old. They love their great,
literal minds. They want everything in the scriptures to have a very
literal meaning. Their attitude about the temple is not an exception,
but the endowment is so symbolical that it often puts a strain on the
literal minds of the members. Therefore, many saints resolve the
challenge by giving very little thought to the ceremony, even though
they are instructed to do so. As we shall now see, this can be very
dangerous--literally.
At the point in the endowment where the First Token of the
Aaronic Priesthood is given, the participants have just made a solemn
covenant that they will obey the Law of God and keep his commandments.
One of the literal commandments of God has to do with swearing oaths.
It is given very specifically by Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the
Mount. The same commandment was repeated when he made his appearance
to the Nephites:
"And again it is written, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but
shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; but verily, verily, I say unto
you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor
by the earth, for it is his footstool; neither shalt thou swear by the
head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white; but LET YOUR
COMMUNICATION (assurances) BE YEA, YEA: NAY, NAY, FOR WHATSOEVER
COMETH OF MORE THAN THESE IS EVIL.” (3 Nephi 12:33-37)(Matt. 5:33-37)
This rule is part of the law that the literal mind struggles to
master. Therefore, when a member is asked to make a vow of secrecy,
swearing by his own head that it may be severed if he divulges the
secret, he is being tested to see if he will do what he has just
promised he will not do.
However, the literal mind, paying little attention, accepts the
secrecy of the token as being very important and the oath as very
binding. He believes that he has learned a great secret that
only the worthy saints will know when the angels stand as sentries
before the Celestial Kingdom. However, as we discussed in Chapter
Three, the same, basic handclasps are used in prominent secret
organizations. In addition, these specific rituals of the Mormon
Temple have been published for many years so that anyone can learn and
use the names, signs and penalties of the tokens.
The use of the handclasp is saying to the Lord, "I am your
friend. You can trust me! I am united and in union with you!"
However, as long as a conditioned man has a double mind, he is not a
friend of God. He cannot be trusted, and he is anything but one with
the Spirit.
2. THE PROUD MIND AND THE SIGN
The proud mind believes that what it thinks must really be so.
Also, if it cannot understand something, it is not so. For example, a
little child will hold his hands over his eyes and because he cannot
see anyone else, he believes that no one can see him. Man believes
that he has no problems which he cannot solve if he just has the
"right" information. Therefore he is forever adding to his education.
Since such an approach works very successfully in the scientific,
technical world of mathematics, physics and geography, he believes it
will work in the world of Spirit and for the perfection of his soul.
He believes that all God has to do is to tell man HOW and man can and
will comply.
The sign of the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood is raising
the arm to the square. The square (L) is the second of the two most
prominent symbols of the temple. The compass (V) is the other. The
carpenter's square has two rulers, placed at right angles to each
other. They represent growth on two different levels. The first ruler
lies horizontal to the ground or flat. This measures a person's growth
in understanding truth. The vertical ruler measures his growth in
comprehending the Good of the Truth. Truth, by itself, no matter how
pure and clearly seen, is never enough. It still belongs to the proud
mind. With truth alone a person will be like the flat part of the
square. He will never stand up and walk straight but will always be
spiritually lame or halt. However, when the disciple suddenly
discovers the GOOD of the truth, he will begin to climb the vertical
measure of the square, until he becomes a whole being.
For example, let us take the commandment Jesus gave, "Judge not,
that ye be not judged." (Matt. 7:1) A person can learn this truth,
subscribe to it, accept it, defend it, promote it and yet, he will
still judge. He sees the truth but has not yet discovered the Good of
the truth. Since he believes in the law, he will try to live it, but
since his motives come from the desire of the senses, he will be trying
to do "right" in order to gain comfort or escape pain, but not for the
reality of the principle itself.
An alcoholic may believe in the evil of drinking with all his
mind, yet still get drunk. However, some day he may suddenly see more
than the truth, he will see the good of the truth, and the need to
drink is gone. In this respect, his life is now on the SQUARE. No one
needs to continue to warn him, teach him, or protect him. He is now
fully awake to the situation, which is all
that he need to make him whole.
Therefore, when the proud mind makes the sign, bringing the right
arm to the square, he is claiming to be a possessor of not only the
truth, but the Good of the truth. Yet he stands in the pride of his
own attainment and knowledge. He lacks the broken heart and contrite
spirit which results from the knowledge of the nothingness of the
conditioned self. Therefore, his witness of holding his arm to the
square is void and without reality. Only a truly humble man, which is
one who has forsaken all that he "knows", all of his conditioned, pre-
conceived opinions, can honestly make the sign of the square.
3. THE LYING MIND AND THE NAME
In a previous chapter we discussed one of man's greatest faults,
which is pretending to know what he does not know. The name of the
First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood is the New Name. The New Name
means a new nature. To claim that one knows the new nature when still
living by the desire to please the senses is to lie. BY USING THE NEW
NAME IN THE COVENANT OF SECRECY, HE CLAIMS TO KNOW HIS NEW NATURE WHEN
HE DOES NOT.
4. THE POSSESSIVE MIND AND THE PENALTY
The mind of man is like a whirlpool which keeps pulling
everything to itself. Spirit is out-flowing, but man often even claims
to POSSESS the Spirit. The mind tries to possess everything—
Ideals, tastes, knowledge, and things, themselves. The mind says "My
head, my idea, my home, my children, my education, my profession, my
Church, my books, my likes, and my rights." It even claims to possess
God and Jesus Christ.
In the penalty of the First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, the
member claims to possess his life and offers to give it up if he breaks
the oath of secrecy. But life is a stewardship. One's own relative
consciousness has not created his own life. It is not his to barter or
sell or trade or promise. It belongs to and is a part of the Light of
truth. It is the possessive mind that is willing to say, "I will
suffer my life to be taken." In doing so, it too is exposed and fails
the test.
As we have examined the literal meaning of the token, how it
serves as a crucial test, it should also be remembered that it is much
more than a test. It is a message. There is no way an unconscious
person can participate in the name, sign, token and penalty without
perjuring himself. So then one might ask, "What does a conscious
person do?"
A conscious mind is doing something in a totally different light.
If a person shakes hands by taking hold of only the other person's
fingers, it would be apparent that a real, genuine handshake has not
taken place. If the receiving party felt that the "half-shake" was
intentional, he would receive the thought, "The grip of the First Token
of the Aaronic Priesthood”, which places the joint of the thumb over
the first knuckle, is only halfway joining the hands. The conscious
person knows that if he loses awareness of self, he will have only a
partial union with Spirit, with his Awareness function cut off from the
Tree of Life by the flaming sword of truth. He promises never to
manifest this type of a relationship, of which the grip is a token, to
the world. For such is to deny the power of God. This reality of a
half relationship is demonstrated if he loses consciousness and, paying
the wages of sin, dies. Thus, he commits himself to manifesting the
power of life, which is symbolized by the last of the four tokens,
which has not death penalty involved. As Jesus said, "This is the
bread (truth) which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat
thereof, and not die."(John 6:50) This is the hidden wisdom, the
mystery of Godliness which can only be known in the secret of man's
inner being.
"Behold, thou desireth truth in the inward parts: and in the
hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom."(Psalms 51:6)
Chapter 11
THE LONE AND DREARY WORLD
After their departure from the lovely Garden of Eden Room, the
endowment group is led into a room called the World Room which is
decorated to symbolize a lone and dreary state of being. The four
levels of consciousness are represented by the four rooms and the
instruction proceeds accordingly:
Garden of Eden Room: Sleep
World Room: Waking Sleep
Terrestrial Room: Self Consciousness
Celestial Room: Objective Consciousness
All of the rooms are the same world in which we live, but
represent the fact that the world is entirely different to the
individual according to his level of understanding. Most of the people
live in a world of anxiety, struggle and conflict, therefore they feel
strangely apart and separate, often burdened by the continual daily
grind of trying to do the "right" thing without always quite doing it.
Yet, this room also "represents the Telestial Kingdom, or the world in
which we live".
The Doctrine and Covenants has an interesting comment about the
Telestial Kingdom. It says, "And thus we saw, in the heavenly vision,
the glory of the Telestial, WHICH SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING: and no
man knows it except him to whom God has revealed it." (D&C 76:89-90)
It is hard for people to believe, but it is said that the world we live
in is truly a Telestial Kingdom of incomprehensible glory, but "the
whole world groaneth under sin and darkness even now!" (D&C 84:53) In
other words, there is not one single thing wrong with the world. It is
perfect for its purpose and glorious beyond words for those who see.
But because men have listened to a lie from Lucifer, the Desires of the
Senses, the world is to them a very lone and dreary place.
As we read the brief play given in the first period of the World
Room, we might remember that there is only one person being depicted,
not many. That person is you. We are already acquainted with the
aspect of each of us which is Adam, Eve, and Lucifer. Now we become
acquainted with that part of us which is represented by the minister
and another aspect which can be represented by Peter, James and John.
The presentation in the World Room proceeds as follows:
ADAM: Brethren and Sisters, this room represents the Telestial
Kingdom, or the world in which we now live. When Adam was driven out
of the Garden of Eden, he built an altar and offered prayer and these
are the words he uttered:
O God, hear the words of my mouth!
O God, hear the words of my mouth!
O God, hear the words of my mouth!
LUCIFER: I hear you, What is it you want?
ADAM: Who are you?
LUCIFER: The god of this world. What is it you want?
ADAM: I was calling upon Father.
LUCIFER: Oh, I see, you want religion. I'll have some preacher
along presently.
PREACHER: You have a fine congregation here.
LUCIFER: Oh, are you a preacher?
PREACHER: Yes.
LUCIFER: Have you ever been to college and been trained for the
ministry?
PREACHER: Why, certainly. A man cannot preach unless he has been
trained for the ministry.
LUCIFER: Well, do you preach the orthodox religion?
PREACHER: Yes, that is what I preach.
LUCIFER: Well, if you'll preach your orthodox religion to this
people and convert them, I'll give you--let me see--five thousand a
year.
PREACHER: Well, you know that five thousand is a small sum when
you take into consideration the great amount we have to pay to learn to
preach.
LUCIFER: If you succeed I will raise your salary.
PREACHER: I'll do my best. Good morning sir.
ADAM: Good morning.
PREACHER: I understand you are looking for religion?
ADAM: I was calling upon Father.
PREACHER: I'm glad to hear you were calling upon Father. Let us
now sing a hymn:
"When I can read my title clear,
In mansions in the sky,
I'll bid farewell to all my fears,
And wipe my weeping eyes."
Do you believe in a God who is without body, parts or passions,
who sits on the top of a topless throne, whose center is everywhere and
circumference nowhere; who fills the universe and yet is so small that
He can dwell in your heart? Do you believe in this Great Being?
ADAM: No. I cannot comprehend such a Being.
PREACHER: That is the beauty of it. Perhaps you believe in hell,
that great bottomless pit which is full of fire and brimstone, into
which the wicked are cast and where they are continually burning and
yet are never consumed?
ADAM: No. I do not believe in any such place.
PREACHER: I am sorry, very, very sorry. What is it you want?
ADAM: I am waiting for messengers from Father.
(Instructions from Elohim are given to Jehovah, and
from Jehovah to Peter, James, and John.)
PETER: Good morning. What are you doing here?
LUCIFER: We teach the philosophies of men, mingled with Scripture.
PETER: And how is it accepted by this congregation?
LUCIFER: Oh, very well with all except this man (Adam). He
doesn't believe anything we preach.
PETER: Good morning, sir. What do you think of the preaching of
this gentleman?
ADAM: I cannot comprehend it.
PETER: Can you give us some idea concerning it.
ADAM: He tells of a God who is without body, parts or passions,
and of a hell without a bottom, into which the wicked are cast and
where they are continually burning and yet never consumed. I do not
believe in any such doctrine. I am waiting for messengers from Father.
PETER: That is right. We commend you for your integrity. Good
Day. We will probably visit you again soon.
LUCIFER: Now is the great day of my power. I reign from the
rivers to the end of the earth. There is none who dares make afraid.
PREACHER: Shall we ever have any apostles or prophets?
LUCIFER: No, but there may be some who will profess revelations or
apostleship. Just test them by asking them to perform a great miracle,
such as cutting off an arm or some other member of the body and
restoring it so that the people may know they come with power.
(Peter, James and John return and report to Jehovah, and
Jehovah reports to Elohim.)
This little play depicts the world that most people live and die
in. Even the heavenly messengers are not recognized when they come.
The Kingdom of the Devil is here described in candid symbolism. Many
of those who believe they are in the Church and Kingdom of Christ have
never actually left the former kingdom. Alma, in a sermon to his own
brethren of the Church, asked them the following questions:
"And now, behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church... Have
ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if
ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have
been sufficiently humble?...Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say
unto you, if ye are not ye ARE NOT PREPARED TO MEET GOD...Behold, I
say, is there one among you who is not stripped of envy?...
"O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are puffed up in the vain
things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of
righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no
shepherd..behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd.
"And now, if ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd, of what
fold are ye? Behold, I say unto you, that the devil is your shepherd,
and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? Behold, I say unto
you, whosoever denieth this is a liar and a child of the devil." (Alma
5:14-39)
Man is a child of the devil through pride. His has pride because
of what he believes he possesses, and the greatest possession he thinks
he has is his wisdom and knowledge. In the play above, Adam claims no
knowledge. He has nothing to be proud about. Therefore, there is
wisdom sent from a higher level of awareness. Adam's humility will be
the reason why he will be led out of Satan's world. The source of his
humility is that he does not know. However, he is not at all
comfortable in his ignorance for there is much that bewilders him. Let
us see what is being symbolized in all of this.
Adam built an altar when entering the Lone and Dreary World. An
altar is a place in which we offer up living sacrifices. Each of us,
as we enter this world, began to struggle to attain our new
purpose of living which was to regain the lost, non-disturbed state.
In order to gratify our senses, we built an altar upon which life was
to be sacrificed, and in this case, our own human life. We establish
ideals and conditions that will have to be met before we will accept
peace of mind--the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore we sacrificed the
possibility of evolving in order to escape pain. We sacrifice the
power to replenish our bodies in order to serve the demands of our
senses, that we might gain attention and escape being ignored, that we
might gain approval and escape being disapproved, that we might feel
needed or important and escape feeling inferior.
If you doubt this, listen to your own prayers as you pray at your
altar of desire. What do you pray for but the non-disturbed state for
yourself and others, including God? That is why, like Adam's painful
pleas, they are the prayers of one who is asking to be heard, "O God,
hear the words of my mouth!" In other words, "Lord, please, please pay
attention to me." It is the prayer of our heart that is heard, and not
the prayer of our lips. As the Lord told young Joseph Smith, "These
people come close to me with their lips but far from me with their
hearts."
The heart, where we have our inner sense about things—the seven
basic decisions--is actually saying such things as this: "Pay attention
to me. I am not going to listen to you because you made a terrible
world and put me in a lousy place, so get with it. Get this place
straightened out. I ate of that Tree of Knowledge so now I know how a
world ought to be, so you should listen to me!" If the words of such a
prayer sound a little crude, perhaps we would change our minds if we
could hear more of the prayers of the heart being directed to God.
Even though we cannot even manufacture a single cell of our own bodies
with our great knowledge, we pride ourselves in our judgment of what
"ought to be".
Actually, when we realize that such a prayer is being said to the
god of this world, then perhaps it is very appropriate. This is
Lucifer's world, and he has it filled with struggle, conflict and
resistance. The Desires of the Senses, Satan himself, has turned a
world of light into darkness. So it is very appropriate that Adam's
prayer is answered by Lucifer who says, "I hear you. What is it you
want?" Desire is always dealing with what we want, not what we require
to evolve. Therefore, Adam challenges his inner direction, "Who are
you?" The senses report, "I am the God of this world." In other
words, "I am the one who provides everything desirable and besides me
there is no other god. Now, bow before em and I will give you what you
desire."
Adam answers that he was calling upon Father. His purpose, at
this point, is to find a way to regain the utopia he once knew in the
womb and to have this world made over. He has a sense of what the
world should be in order for him to gain pleasure and escape pain.
This is also the condition he expects in the Heaven he struggles to
attain. Therefore Lucifer complies by promising to send preachers
presently.
The preacher within us is the Explainer (which is our decision
number two on the A side). We always want to be sure we are doing the
right thing so that we can deserve the great utopia. Our Explainer is
continually busy, getting educated, so that he can have the most
reassuring explanations. He is always ready to give a justification or
rationalization, a belief or a doctrine. He is hired by our desires
but feels he is never really paid enough for all the work he does--
trying to keep ahead of our doubts and fears.
In preaching to Adam, the minister gets him to sing a hymn.
Since this part of the endowment is not done in many of the temples,
most members will not have heard the words before. The words deal with
the one real desire, to end all fear and sorrow in the golden utopia of
someplace else--where only the tomb can open the way.
"When I can read my title clear,
In mansions in the sky,
I'll bid farewell to all my fears,
And wipe my weeping eyes."
In other words, when I am made completely and eternally secure, I
will then be so very happy. When the Explainer tries to fathom God, he
may express some of the obvious truths about the Infinite Intelligence
which is in all organized worlds, including all living creatures, but
the Awareness, being a finite, literal mind, cannot accept anything it
cannot comprehend. Therefore, the literal mind of Adam insists upon
dealing only with those characteristics of God which manifest him as a
human-type being, one who also has eaten of the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil. He will use this understanding of God as his absolute
authority, giving Him full responsibility for defining what is right
and wrong, good and evil. In this way the Awareness can escape
responsibility for his confusion, blaming God for not having explained
everything yet.
You may have noticed that the Explainer has a detailed knowledge
of what Hell must be like. Our vain senses demand the very worst,
endless punishment for those that do not agree with us and who think
and act differently. There just must be a Hell for those kinds of
people. However, Awareness, at the same time, feels uncomfortable with
a belief in such a horrible place and fails to find true harmony with
his own preacher. Therefore, the Awareness is looking for messengers
from the Father--something within him which will tell him, once and for
all, what is right, so that he can gain his utopia or eternal Zion.
However, because Adam is fortunately in a state of conflict and
disbelief with his inner voices, Elohim sends true messengers. What is
the symbolic meaning of Peter, James and John? They represent, again,
the three aspects of man. They are three but are also one. Peter, the
spokesman, is characterized as the powerful man, and represent the
sensing aspect of man, for it is the body and brain which speaks.
James is known as the practical, thoughtful man, and represents the
Awareness/Interpreter aspect. John, who was known as John the Beloved,
the spiritual man, represents the Infinite Intelligence of Spirit
aspect of man. The three in unison represent a being who is properly
put together—a team or complete being.
Adam, which is the Awareness of fallen man, while he struggles in
his groping for answers, is given his first taste of true
enlightenment. It comes as his first true understanding, but although
he finds a little encouragement, he does not recognize what has
happened. At this point we would say that Adam is an agnostic, one who
does not know. He has not believed anything he has been told so far,
which is an intelligent way to be until he is able to find out for
himself. The audience, which represents the vast majority of mankind,
become converts of the preacher. Most people accept fixed, definite
beliefs about most things long before they have any real experience to
base their beliefs upon. All they have are the teachings of those whom
they accept as "authorities." An authority, in this sense, is
anyone we believe merely because he said it was so. It could have
been a playmate when we were small. Parents and teachers were our
first real authorities. Thus Catholic children grow up as dedicated,
absolutely sure, Catholics. The same is true in every religion around
the world. Such belief is based upon the need to agree rather than the
wisdom of inner understanding that comes from the Infinite Spirit.
Therefore, Peter commends Adam for his integrity in being an
agnostic. Yet, Adam is given no more understanding at this time other
than the possibility that they will probably visit him again. Lucifer,
mean-while, wants to reassure everyone, including Adam, that this is
the great day of his power. In other words, the whole purpose of
living, at this stage, is to be at ease, and he assures all that they
should not let anybody make them afraid because he will get everyone to
the great utopia of a promised land. He then instructs the Explainer
to be sure to ask the bearer of any enlightenment for a sign. The sign
is to be a miraculous and permanent wholeness in the non-disturbed
state.
At the conclusion of this scene, Peter, James and John report to
Jehovah and Jehovah reports to Elohim. Then Elohim instructs Jehovah
to send Peter, James and John back to Adam and give him further
enlightenment. This full sequence is repeated many times in the
endowment. Some will be surprised to discover that this order of
communication and function is the real message of the Telestial and
Terrestrial Rooms. The drama or play is basically window dressing to
show the all important teaching which is the proper relationship and
capacity of the three (or really four) elements in man. It is to teach
him what he is and what his job is.
There is really only one lesson man is to learn because he only
has one problem. The multitude of problems which man thinks he has are
only the symptoms of the one, giant problem. He can study, repent,
blame, justify, organize, reorganize, try, and try again, but as long
as he is only working on the symptoms of his problem, there can be no
cure. All the way through the temple he is being shown one simple
lesson over and over. That one lesson is to show the correct sequence
of the relationships in the aspects of man. There are actually four
aspects to every relationship.
\ INTELLIGENCE / ----------1. INITIATIVE
\----------------/
\ /
\ AWARENESS / ----------2. PASSIVE
\----------/
\PHYSICAL/
\ BODY / ----------3. FORM
\ /
\ /
\/
HIS LIFE ----------4. FUNCTION OR
RESULT
When Awareness takes the passive role, Intelligence will take the
initiative. The body is the form. The life being experienced is the
function or result. When the Awareness takes the place of Infinite
Intelligence takes the initiative, giving correct instructions to the
body for the correct function. The result is life in the Kingdom of
Heaven--now. In one sequence or another, every being is all four
aspects--not just one or two. If the aspects are in correct sequence,
then the man is functioning as a complete man, since every aspect
serves in its perfect place.
In the language of symbolism, the same figures can represent
different aspects on different levels. In the World Room, Peter, James
and John represent Intelligence or the Sprit in man, Adam is the
Awareness, Eve is the body or senses of the body. On the next higher
level, Peter, James and John represent a complete being, in and of
themselves, as we have already discussed. On the highest level, which
is Celestial, Peter, James, and John represent the Senses who report to
Jehovah, and Jehovah represents the Awareness, who then reports to
Elohim, the Infinite Intelligence.
The sequence of communication is the real secret of true
enlightenment. The initiative is always taken by Intelligence. The
Awareness level must be passive or submissive to the higher level. The
level of the senses is the for productive element. Then there is
perfection as a result or function.
ASPECTS OF CELESTIAL TERRESTIAL TELESTIAL
MAN LEVEL OF LEVEL OF LEVEL OF
=============================================
\ /initiative Elohim John Peter, James
\ INTELLIGENCE / and John
\----------------/ ---------------------------------------------
\ /
\ AWARENESS / passive Jehovah James Adam
\----------/ ---------------------------------------------
\PHYSICAL/
\ BODY / form Peter, James Peter Eve
\ / and John
\ /
\/ ---------------------------------------------
THE PERSON'S LIFE <---FUNCTION OR RESULT
Man's fall was the result of his partaking of the Tree of
Knowledge of Desire. This means that the Awareness could not resist
the temptation to take over the initiative from Intelligence, and
instead of being a straight reporter between the senses and Spirit, the
Awareness takes the initiative, decided what is right and wrong, what
is needed, and struggles to bring it about. The struggle is the
disintegrating factor which brings on the Vicious Cycle and death.
When Adam was given the plan of salvation unto all men, he was
given the great, grand key of the mystery of salvation and godliness.
The key is that God has GIVEN TO ABIDE IN MAN all that He is. In fact,
what is given to abide in man IS GOD. Here are the instructions again:
"Therefore it is given to abide in you:
The record of heaven
The peaceable things of immortal glory
The truth of all things
That which quickeneth all things
That which knoweth all things
That which hath all power according to wisdom, mercy,
truth, justice, and judgment.
And now, behold, I say unto you: THIS IS THE PLAN OF SALVATION
UNTO ALL MEN.”
(Moses 6:61-62)
This is the infinite or divine aspect of man which will function
in its fullness, taking the passive role. Awareness, in turn, is to
take the initiative role in relation to the senses which take the
passive role. But what does the Awareness of man think he must do? He
must try to serve the senses by trying to provide "peaceable things"
continually by his own judging of what is not only right for the
moment, but for time and all eternity. Thus, man sees the GLORY OF THE
TELESTIAL WORLD as a relatively lone and dreary existence. The
scriptures say there are three heavens, so the Telestial Kingdom is a
Kingdom of Heaven, a world of glory. Certainly, if man cannot live in
one kingdom of glory without great joy, he is not going to be any
better off in another.
The solution to man's single problem does not take millenniums
for it can be done as quickly as he sees the lessons being taught in
the endowment regarding the proper order of relationships. Then
Lucifer's godhood, which is the rule of desire of the senses, comes to
an end. That is the next scene to be portrayed in the World Room.
Chapter 12
THE CASTING OUT OF LUCIFER
Although Lucifer, the Desire of the Senses, is the real god of
conditioned man, his reign is more tenuous than most people suppose.
He is extremely vulnerable because his survival depends upon man
believing in illusions. However, Desire feels very secure, shouting to
the heavens, "Now is the day of my power. I reign from the rivers to
the end of the earth".
Strange as it may seem, his security rests in the fact that Adam,
the Awareness, keeps looking for the kind of TRUTH which will make him
feel psychologically safe. That kind of truth grows only on the Tree
of Knowledge. As long as man looks for safety, he will try to prove
rather than disprove his theories. Anything can be "proven", no matter
how untrue. All it takes to establish proof is to make an idea sound
logical, i.e., if it is logical, it must be true. However, as any
college debater knows, all sides of every question can be made to sound
logical. So as long as the mind searches to prove truth, Lucifer will
keep it captive with the everlasting chains of illusions. One reader
of this book, for example, may see much of this material as absolutely
illogical. On the other hand, another reader may find the material
extremely logical. But neither will know with real assurance whether
it is true of false. For one thing, many points may be true on one
level but false on another, just as Santa Claus is a reality on a
childish level but an illusion on an adult level.
What then is a person to do? He can take a different approach.
Instead of trying to prove truth, he can look for fallacies and
illusions. He can try to disprove what is proclaimed as truth. He may
even find that he has been lying to himself, living by pretense and
make-believe. When an illusion is seen for what it is, then one has
seen some truth, at least. The only thing that suffers is one's pride,
and that is our greatest illusion of all.
As far as this book is concerned, it is not being presented to
you as being truth. All this book is intended to be is a mind-
expander, showing the reader additional concepts about his possible
evolution to a higher level of being. The temple endowment is used
because it appears to have been designed for that purpose.
Those going to the temple are usually sincere in their desire to
be true saints of God, Elders and High Priests of Jesus Christ--or
Christians, in the true meaning of the word. The last thing they want
to be are Elders and High Priests of Lucifer, or what we might term
Luciferians. In the last chapter we quoted Alma in his sermon which
declared that most of his brethren in the church were still in the fold
of Lucifer. Jesus, when speaking to his brethren in the church, the
Scribes and Pharisees, also informed them that they were sons of the
devil.
Therefore, since so many "holy" people are really Luciferians, it
might be well if we became better acquainted with their "philosophies
of men mingled with scripture." In order to remind ourselves how
easily Satan builds respectability, let us call his church The Church
of Lucifer of Latter-day Imps. They even have thirteen articles of
faith as does the true Church. They too promise that they will
eventually establish a Zion of happiness and success.
THE THIRTEEN ARTICLES OF FAITH
OF THE
CHURCH OF LUCIFER OF LATTER-DAY IMPS
1. I believe that I must judge everything, especially everybody, to see
what is good or bad, right or wrong, normal or abnormal, pretty or
ugly, "in" or "out, orthodox or unorthodox, true or false.
2. I believe that I should know what ought to be and what ideal I
should try to change everything into; that I can do so by either
complaining or blaming or struggling and striving.
3. I believe I should use psychological pressure if possible and
physical force if necessary to get people to do right, but I should
do it in the name of duty, responsibility and solidarity, and for
your own good.
4. I believe that I should maintain a spirit of competition with
everybody, always striving to be the best and the greatest.
5. I believe that it is my duty to stick up for my rights by whatever
means are necessary.
6. I believe that I must recognize that everyone else is trying to take
advantage of me and that I must be constantly on guard to be sure
that I am not a victim.
7. I believe that I must be aware that everything is a threat to my
well being either now or it might be in the future, that there are
many ways that others are mistreating me and do not really
appreciate me.
8. I believe that I must realize that many things in life are very I
important and that I must be anxious about seeing that they are done
right and proper.
9. I believe that I must not ever attempt to do anything until I have
made proper preparations and learned how to do it well.
10. I believe that I "need" many things and circumstances which are
found in the world around me, for without them I would be insecure
and unsuccessful in the struggle of life.
11. I believe that happiness can be assured if I just had more of
whatever it is that keeps me from being fully happy and totally
satisfied.
12. I believe that unhappiness is caused by "this" that I have now and
that I would be all right if I had "that.
13. I believe that it is I that is doing what I am doing, that I am a
separate entity of life and must strive to be worthy to have
happiness and peace of mind forever.
Of course, like every church, not all the Luciferians are
faithful to all of these doctrines, but most do a pretty good job of
serving their master. It is said that by their fruits you shall know
them, and you must admit that they are a very busy group of people.
They have tremendous zeal because they are all trying to prove that
they are the best. They have a fantastic conversion program which is
carried out by every member without pay. Although they have the normal
amount of sickness among them, they endure it well. They have built
beautiful temples of worship where they enjoy thrilling sports and
dramas which fills their lives with the thrill of competition or the
sweet sentimentality of seeing people as victims of a hostile world.
When their members die, they have lovely funerals and testify to the
departed one's great faithfulness in keeping up the good fight. They
have continued to grow every year. Their membership include most of
the great men and women of the earth. They sponsor many great
universities and hospitals. It is no wonder that they are by far the
largest church in the world.
It may be possible, however, that there are a few of their
members who are beginning to see their master is a liar and has been
one from the beginning. They suspect that the promised utopia which
can only be entered through the tomb is an illusion, or worse yet, a
great, big, unbelievable joke. For these wavering ones, there is some
real hope, for they are beginning to stir into
consciousness.
Actually, The Desire of the Senses, which seems to hold such
dominion, can be overthrown much more easily than he would have us
believe. Although he has power to bruise our heel, which is to infect
our understanding, we have the power to crush his head and bring him to
an end--period. This is the lesson of the next step of the endowment.
After Peter, James and John visit Adam and Eve briefly, without
disclosing their identity, they returned to Jehovah and gave their
report. After Jehovah reports to Elohim, the Father instructs Jehovah
to send Peter, James, and John back to the world of Adam and Eve and
instruct them further. The scene begins with the three heavenly
messengers walking into Adam's lone and dreary world.
PETER: I am Peter.
JAMES: I am James.
JOHN: I am John.
LUCIFER: Yes, I thought I knew you. Do you know who these men are?
They claim to be apostles. Test them.
PREACHER: Are you the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ?
PETER: We are.
PREACHER: Why, he said we should have no more apostles and if any
should come professing to be such I was to ask them to cut off an arm
or some other member of the body and restore it, so that the people may
know they come with power.
PETER: We do not satisfy man's curiosity in that manner. It is a
wicked and an adulterous generation that seeketh for a sign. Do you
know who that man is? Why, that is Lucifer!
PREACHER: What! The Devil?
PETER: Yes, I believe that is one of his names. I would advise
you to have a settlement with him and get out of his employ.
PREACHER: But if I leave his employ, what will become of me?
PETER: We will preach the gospel unto you with the rest of Adam's
posterity.
PREACHER: That is good. I would like to have a settlement.
LUCIFER: I am willing to keep my word and fulfill my part of the
agreement. I promised to pay you if you would convert this people, but
they have nearly converted you. You can get out of my kingdom. I want
no such men in it.
PETER: (to Adam) Have you any tokens or signs?
LUCIFER: Have you any money?
PETER: We have enough for our needs.
LUCIFER: You can buy anything in this world for money.
PETER: (to Adam) Do you sell your tokens or signs for money? You
have them, I presume?
ADAM: I have them, but I do not sell them for money. I am waiting
for messengers from Father.
LUCIFER: I have something to say concerning this people. If they
do not live up to every covenant they make at these altars in this
temple this day, they will be in my power.
PETER: Satan, we command thee to depart.
LUCIFER: By what authority?
PETER: (right arm to the square) In the name of Jesus Christ our
Master.
Adam, we are true messengers from Father.
ADAM: How shall I know that you are true messengers?
PETER: By our giving unto you the token and sign given you in the
Garden of Eden.
ADAM: (taking Peter by the right hand) What is that?
PETER: The first token of the Aaronic Priesthood.
ADAM: Has it a name?
PETER: It has.
ADAM: Will you give it to me?
PETER: I can not, for it is the new name, but this is the sign.
(right arm elevated to the square) And this is the execution of the
penalty. (Thumb of right hand across the throat)
ADAM: Brethren and Sisters, these are true messengers from
Father. I exhort you to give strict heed to their counsel and
teachings and they will lead you in the ways of life and salvation.
Peter, James and John represent the Light of Truth. When the
Light of Truth begins to break through the shadows of darkness,
enlightenment comes as anew Point of Awareness, giving the old,
confused and entangled Awareness an opportunity to see through clear,
detached eyes. It is as if Adam can now observe himself from "away"
from himself. Thus, the victory over the devil is not achieved by Adam
getting control over Lucifer, but by a new Awareness center coming into
union with Adam and Eve. This is the Anointing of light symbolized by
the visitation of heavenly messengers, Peter, James and John. It is
the purpose of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit means Whole Understanding. It is the
gift of seeing as God sees, to know even as we are known.
As the three messengers enter, they introduce themselves, "I am
Peter", I am James", "I am John". This symbolizes the completeness of
the new Point of Awareness, which is really three in one. They
announce their conscious identity, "I am the true Body", "I am the true
Awareness," "I am the true Intelligence." In other words, "I am all
things."
Lucifer is not disturbed at all by these new developments for he
feels very confident that he can dispatch these intruders with ease
because he has prepared many allies among the children of Eve, the
senses. When the minister, the Explainer, asks for a sign from the
divine messengers, he is refused. He is told, "We do not satisfy man's
curiosity in that manner. It is wicked and an adulterous generation
that seeketh for a sign."
The new, conscious Awareness has the potential of possessing
dominion over all things and is capable of manifesting all power and
knowledge by that aspect or function which is Infinite Intelligence.
However, power is manifest only when the function is necessary for a
particular experiment and for no other reason. Conditioned man desires
a manifestation of power to satisfy curiosity, which means to "prove"
something. He desires the miraculous in order to obtain a result,
based upon his judgment of what ought to be. But he has no idea of
what "ought to be" because he does not know all the future
possibilities of the many variable alternatives. Infinite Intelligence
sees that there is never a totally "right" or totally "wrong" thing,
only different things.
When the minister discovers who he has been working for, he is
ready to quit--but not before he is paid. The Explainer in the inner
mind does not give up easily. He has been very important and necessary
in our conditioned life of struggle and conflict, competition and
resistance. But when he tries to receive his pay, he gets nothing.
Lucifer claims to be legitimate, but his rewards are always
conditional. When his promises do not come to pass and the hoped for
blessings turn to dust, Lucifer is always able to say, "But, remember,
you did not meet all of the conditions." The fruit of the Tree of
Knowledge is never as advertised, but the blame is always on the
partaker.
It is interesting to see that role played by the minister or
Explainer in the drama. You will notice that he claims he wants to be
taught with the rest of Adam's posterity, but he does not stay around
after he is jilted by Lucifer. Each of us has an Explainer who is
always trying to usurp the power of Intelligence by saying, "I know
how." In reality man's Awareness does not know "HOW" to do anything.
He may know about many things, but he does not even know how to move
his vocal cords, how to see light waves, or how to decipher sound
waves. He just watches these things happen. They are a function of
Intelligence, which created him in the first place. The Awareness does
have a function. His job is to be the reporter and interpreter between
the senses and Intelligence. None of us does anything well until the
Awareness turns the function over to "higher mind". For example, you
can type well only when the Awareness "lets" it happen. If you want to
stand up, throw a ball, say a sentence, or write a word, what does your
Awareness do? All it does is recognize what you "will". Intelligence,
which knows how much to pull or push each of a thousand different
muscles, puts your "will" into action. However, each of us has an
Explainer within which claims that we "know how" to do such things.
Therefore we claim to know how things ought to be, and why things have
turned out the way they have. Thus our sense-dominated Awareness tries
to function as god, being the almighty judge of everything.
When the new point of Awareness arrives, Lucifer still has a few
more tricks up his sleeve before he is put out of commission. His
first stunt is to use the wily tool of rejection to keep the
minister tied to him. He says, "you can get out of my kingdom, I want
no such men in it!" This is called negative selling - telling a
prospect that he does not qualify. However, in the presence of a
higher order of Awareness, Lucifer's plan does not work.
So Lucifer tries to buy Peter, James and John. He says, "Do you
have any money?" Money is a symbol of obligation. If a man works in a
society, he is given paper certificates which entitle him to demand the
goods and services of those who offer such—giving his "money" in
return. This is a sophisticated and legitimate form of horse trading.
The man-made world of business is appropriately run this way. However,
we also try to run our personal and spiritual world the same way.
Parents try to obligate their children--I did this for you now you must
do this for me. Husband and wives live by obligation. People also try
to obligate God and think that he is trying to obligate them in the
same way. This is the same as trying to by blessing for "money".
Peter's response to Lucifer was, "We have enough for our needs."
God is not in the horse trading business. He is not obligated to
anyone for he is the sustainer and Life of all things. God is a giver
of gifts. Gifts are always given without obligation, or otherwise,
they would not be true gifts. Life, even eternal life, is a gift. There
is nothing we can do to deserve it, prepare for it, or trade for it.
It is merely there if we will accept it.
Lucifer, the Desire of the Senses, does not like gifts. He likes
rewards and bargains, contracts and obligations. When he says, "You
can buy anything in this world for money," he is about correct, for the
only thing people want in this world is to gain sensory satisfaction.
Gratification you can buy, theoretically, but it all turns to dust
after you have paid the price. Satan is a very poor bargain keeper.
The final strategy Lucifer tries is to threaten those going
through the temple as Adam and Eve. "I have something to say
concerning this people. If they do not live up to every covenant that
make at these altars in this temple this day, they WILL BE IN MY
POWER."
Lucifer is a liar. First of all, he is trying to pretend that
the people are not in his power already, which of course they are
living by the Tree of Knowledge. Our senses, which are represented
here as Satan, see everything as a threat. they are continually trying
to frighten us as to what might happen. Guilt always has to do with
future danger, punishment or humiliation. If this statement by Lucifer
is to be taken literally--which the literal mind insists must be done--
then every person who has been to the temple for his endowments is
consigned to Lucifer by covenant if they have later broken any law of
God or failed to keep any commandment--even once. However since these
words of Lucifer are placed in the endowment by the Master Teacher,
what is the meaning?
At an earlier place in the temple, a lecturer states: "If you
proceed and receive your full endowments, you will be required to take
upon yourselves sacred obligations, the violation of which will bring
upon you the judgment of God; for God will not be mocked. If any of
you desire to withdraw rather than accept theses obligations of your
own free will and choice, you may now make it known by raising your
hands."
The judgment of god upon all who transgress the law is death.
Although God has gifts, only sin has wages, and the wages of sin is
death. As we have said before, the natural man must die, one way or
another--that is the judgment (wisdom and intelligence) of God.
Every person who enters the temple will and does violate their
"sacred obligations." If they do not know this, they are lulled into a
carnal security. It is God's will that all awake and see that there is
no righteousness in the desires of the senses, in the gratification of
the infant mind as to what is good and desirable.
But the Lucifer within us, the accuser and deceiver, wants us to
struggle and struggle, while getting us to be inwardly resigned to the
hopelessness of ever obeying the command "Be ye therefore perfect even
as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." Lucifer is the master
suggestor. All hypnotism is performed by suggestion. He tries to
"lay" a suggestion on everyone that there is really no way to freedom
from his chains. However, if Adam is to be born again, Satan must not
be allowed to continue his game any longer.
Peter interrupts him and says, "Satan we command thee to depart."
Lucifer demands, "By what authority?" Peter raises his arm to the
square and declares, "In the name of Jesus Christ, our Master."
The name of Jesus Christ means in the manner or nature of Jesus
Christ. Christ was a whole man, a man put together in proper
organization. He is symbolized by the square, which is the fullness of
Truth and the Good of the Truth. He possessed a body of senses, just
as all of us, but he presided over his senses and they were subject to
him. Yet it was the Father or Infinite Intelligence within who did the
work. Jesus tells us that he was the observer, receiving the reports
given to him by his senses, which had become very highly developed, and
then communicating his evaluation or interpretation to the Father
within. The perfect function of Christ, as a being a Awareness, was to
make an accurate interpretation of the reports of his senses, and this
interpretation would be acted on appropriately by the Father. Because
Jesus did not attempt to take upon himself the function of God, he was
not cut off from the Tree of Life by the flaming sword of truth. His
Awareness was in union with both his body and the Infinite Intelligence
of the Father. Therefore, Jesus--a human being, like all of us--had
consciously become the Father. He is the example, the Way. There is
no other way but by the Way of Christ. Jesus, as a true and faithful
interpreter, became conscious of the power to function in the total
capacity as the Father, which he literally was.
The picture below illustrates the Christ-man and the organization
of each function:
THE \ FATHER’S /
DIRECTOR \ INTELLIGENCE /
\----------------/
THE \ /
INTERPRETOR \ AWARENESS /
\----------/
\PHYSICAL/
THE \ BODY /
SENSES \ / STIMULI OF
\ / <------------------
\/ EXPERIENCES
The world in which Jesus lived did not accept him as an example
of what they, too, were created to be. They looked upon him as a
blasphemer, pretender, and devil. In other words, he was
a competitor.
"Therefore the Jews (the literal minded) sought the more to kill
him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God
was his Father, making himself equal with God.
"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say
unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the
Father do (direct): for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth
the son likewise. For the Father loveth (in union with) the Son, and
sheweth him all things that himself doeth; and he will shew him greater
works than these, that ye may marvel.
"For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the
Son to have life in himself...I can of mine own self do nothing: as I
hear, I judge (interpret): because I seek not mine own will (desire to
gratify the senses), but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If
I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true." (John 5:18-31)
When one is invited to take upon himself the name of Christ, he
is being encouraged to function in the nature of Christ, as the
mediator between the sensations of the flesh and the wisdom of the
Infinite. To do otherwise is known as being an Anti-Christ, or a
"wicked and adulterous generation", because the perfect function of the
Father within is defiled and adulterated. Those who have partaken of
the Tree of Knowledge will have an Awareness which is dictated and
controlled by the desires of the senses. Such people interpret
everything with concepts and understanding which sees the stimuli of
the environment incorrectly. The Father within always responds
according to the "prayer of the heart". If we "feel" a threat, He will
respond to our report of the threat, regardless of how non-threatening
the actual situation may be.
Christ showed us the proper role that the intellect plays between
the flesh and the Spirit. The mind is to be the mediator. The
sensations of the flesh are on a relatively low, finite vibration rate
compared to the infinite vibration of the Spirit. Just as sound waves
cannot be received transmitter can receive sound waves and emit them so
that they can be heard directly by our ears. A radio transmitter can
receive sound waves and convert them into radio waves, just as a radio
can receive radio waves and translate them into sound waves. The
Awareness, in its Christ-function, is to translate between the two
other aspects of man's in order for a person to be a holy or whole
being. However, when man's Awareness tries to either "feel" for the
senses or judge for Intelligence, he will fail to have Life and will
literally work himself to death.
--------------------------------------------
\ / INFINITE FATHER’S
\ LIGHT OF TRUTH / /\/\/\/\/\/ VIBRATION FUNCTION
\----------------/ --------------------------------------------
\ / RADIO AND INTERPRETER CHRIST’S
\ AWARENESS / TRANSMITTER FUNCTION
\ / mic/loudspeaker
\--------/ --------------------------------------------
\SENSES/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ FINITE PHYSICAL
\ / VIBRATION FUNCTION
\ /
\/ --------------------------------------------
This process of communication between the three aspects of man is
demonstrated in the way that Peter, James and John performed their
function. When they were with Adam, they took command and cast Lucifer
out. They did this because Adam was submissive to their direction. On
Adam's level, they functioned as the Father. Then when they want to
report to Elohim, they functioned on the level of the senses, and as
such, could not be heard directly by the Father. They could only
report to Jehovah, who received the information, made his proper
translation, and reported to Elohim. Elohim then took appropriate
action for the information presented and instructed Jehovah to direct
Peter, James and John in what was to be done next.
This is the grand key to the great mysteries of Godliness—the
function and nature of Jesus Christ. When man, through his Awareness,
functions in the station or manner of Jesus Christ, then he is the
communicating link between the level of the senses (which are the
servants) and the level of Infinite Intelligence (who is the Master).
When Adam has taken upon himself the Name of Jesus Christ, he enters
the Kingdom of Heaven and Lucifer is automatically cast out. Zap! The
Desire of the Senses no longer will live for the purpose of being non-
disturbed, but begins to experience freely the process of evolving as
an eternal being.
As Lucifer leaves the world of Adam and Eve, Peter says, "Adam,
we are true messengers from Father." Adam replies, "How shall I know
that you are true messengers?' He challenges Peter, James and John for
proof of their divine commission. The burden of proof always rests
with the messengers, but they never provide the type of proof that mere
curiosity desires. Peter explains by what means he will provide Adam
with all the evidence he will need. "By our giving unto you the token
and sign given you in the Garden of Eden."
What does this sign represent? Certainly, it is not meant
literally, for the devil and his messengers have had access to these
rituals from the very beginning. These things are beautifully
symbolic, but what do they mean? How do we test a messenger: What
will he have that we may compare to something we knew in our Garden of
Eden state, before we were born?
In the womb, we were functioning in the proper organization or
order, but when our Awareness took on the function of judgment, we lost
our full union or "grip" with Spirit and became a "half-grip", like the
First Token of the Aaronic Priesthood. We experienced the new
sensation of fighting to survive, keeping a busy head by judging
everything and fearing death--the penalty of losing our real life.
The sign is this: a true messenger from God will bring you an
intellectual mirror. He will show you, for the first time in your
life, what you are really like. This mirror has a person etched on it,
and as you look into the glass, you will see that it is an exact image
of yourself.
Those who are of the Celestial level of consciousness are called
"the Church of the Firstborn and they SEE AS THEY ARE SEEN, AND KNOW
AS THEY ARE KNOWN, having received of his fullness and of his grace;
and he MAKES THEM EQUAL IN POWER, AND IN MIGHT, AND IN DOMINION."
When Jesus came to men, he possessed such a means of showing men
what they really were. The Mirror of Truth was not available for all
to look into, because Christ often concealed it in allegories and
parables, but those who truly were looking for messengers did look.
They saw Lucifer on the Mirror and they fit the image perfectly. Like
the great son of the Morning, they too had been blaming, complaining,
judging, rationalizing, and justifying, trying to set upon the throne
of God and receive his glory. In the crushing realization of what they
were, they also saw in the mirror of truth what they were created to
be. Jesus came to bear witness of the truth--a mirror--about what man
is and to be a witness of the truth of what he is created to be.
Messengers from God always serve this function. It is sometimes
referred to as a jewel, philosopher's stone, a treasure, or pearl of
great price. It is a means whereby a person can truly see what he is.
It is a priceless treasure to him. He can suddenly see how he has only
had a half-union with God. He can see that Truth is of little value
until he also discovers the Good of the Truth, as is symbolized in the
arm to the square--the Sign. He is also reminded that if he reveals to
the world his half-union relationship with Life, by not knowing what he
is doing with Life, his life will be taken. Most people manage to
accomplish this in about seventy years of hard labor.
Man does not want to see himself. He wants to hear about eternal
rewards to those who join up, great secrets of the glory of the elect,
and all kinds of details about the future. True messengers, such as
Moses and Joseph Smith, will often be instructed to give the people
other things--but not at first. Moses gave the keys of knowledge to
his people in the beginning. His message was very simple and served as
Mirror to the people. But they would not look, so he gave them burdens
to carry which might eventually do the same thing. After Moses had
added the long and detailed Law, which he said came with a curse and a
blessing, he made one, last invitation for them to ask to look in the
Mirror.
"For this commandment (instruction) which I command thee this
day, IT IS NOT HIDDEN FROM THEE, neither is it far off. It is not in
heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us, that we may
hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest
say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we
may hear it, and do it? (For these were the very things they had been
doing.)
"BUT THE WORD (TRUTH) IS VERY NIGH UNTO THEE IN THY MOUTH, AND IN
THY HEART, THAT THOU MAYEST DO IT...
"That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey
his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: FOR HE IS THY LIFE AND
THE LENGTH OF THY DAYS." (Deuteronomy 30:11-20)
Moses said these words after assuring the people, openly, that
they would never learn the real truth until they had been driven into
captivity throughout the world, after generations of suffering and
devastation. Then, perhaps, they would look in the teacher's mirror.
Joseph Smith was a true messenger for he had such a mirror. This
was the function of the School of the Prophets at Kirtland. the outer
presentation for the school was printed in the Doctrine and Covenants
until after the turn of the century, known as the Seven Lectures of
Faith. When the people turned away form the simple truth, he began
giving them what they wanted, just as his predecessor, Moses, had done
for ancient Israel. He began to give them doctrines of self-
exaltation, including the burden of being responsible for all their
dead, eternal and plural marriage, a super-man concept of the Godhead,
and a symbolical endowment for their new temple. Was he a fallen
prophet? Of course not! No more than Moses was when he gave thousands
of rules and regulations. No more than Samuel was when he ordained
Saul as the first king of Israel. No more than Jesus was when he gave
mostly parables.
The people were not led astray in any of these instances. They
were merely being given a different type of school—without the mirror.
In other words, Life was saying, "All right, if you want to play god,
perfect yourselves through learning and struggle, and be responsible
for everything except yourselves, I will give you all the help you
desire. One of these days you will see that what you really require is
very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth and in thy heart, that thou mayest do
it."
It is then that Adam will be able to turn to his posterity (which
is the Awareness speaking to his dominion of Eve and all of the seed of
woman) and say with soberness and rejoicing:
"Brethren and Sisters, these are true messengers from the Father.
I exhort you to give strict heed to their counsel and teachings and
they will lead you in the ways of Life and Salvation."
Chapter 13
THE LAW OF THE GOSPEL
After Peter, James and John replace Lucifer as the guide to light
and knowledge for Adam and Eve, the candidates are given a covenant to
keep the Law of the Gospel. The procedure is very simple and to the
point. Adam has just addressed the group as follows:
"Brethren and Sisters, these are true messengers from the Father.
I exhort you to give strict heed to there counsel and teachings and
they will lead you in the ways of life and salvation."
This introduction is as forceful as anything Adam could say. He
stresses that the three-in-one trio are "true" messengers, meaning that
they will reveal the true reality of light and truth, not the illusions
which man has manufactured out of his anxious needs for non-
disturbance. Adam emphasizes that those participating are to give
STRICT HEED, meaning that they are to pay very close attention,
watching for every kernel of wisdom and understanding which will come
through the counsel and teachings of the heavenly messengers. Adam
stresses that the information, if followed accurately, will enable all
to have life and to be saved from death, which is the poison of the
Tree of Knowledge.
Peter, speaking for Elohim and Jehovah, proceeds as follows:
"A couple will now come to the altar. Brethren and Sisters, this
couple at the altar represent all of you as if at the altar, and you
must remember that you are under the same obligations that they will
be. We are instructed to give unto you the Law of the Gospel, as it is
explained in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, also a charge to avoid
all lightmindedness, loud laughter, evil speaking of the Lord's
Anointed, the taking of the name of God in vain and every other unholy
and impure practice.
"All arise. Each of you bring your right arm to the square."
"You and each of you do covenant and promise before God, angels
and these witnesses at this altar that you will keep the Law of the
Gospel as it has been explained to you. Each of you bow your heads and
say yes."
Most members take this covenant at the literal level, but the
covenant is repetitious, since all present have promised to obey "the
Law of God and keep his commandments" just a few minutes before. The
rules of the Gospel are certainly part of the commandments of God.
To understand The Law of the Gospel, we should first discuss the
meaning of the word, law. The word can mean a rule or rules, as when
we say the Law of Moses or the traffic laws. However, there is another
meaning of the word, such as when we speak of the law of gravity or the
law of balance. In this sense, law means "the way". The Gospel of
Christ means the Good News of Christ. The Law of the Gospel would mean
the Good News of The Way of Christ. The Way of Christ is the
relationship of Christ as a function of the Father within. Man can
keep the Way of Christ by the new point of Awareness, the Christ type
of Awareness. This is demonstrated by the relationship of Peter, James
and John to each other, or by the relationship of Jehovah to both
Elohim above and the messengers below.
Of course, to most people, "The Law" does not mean "The Way", but
it means "The Rules". Jesus has given many statements which are worded
as rules, but most of these, if taken at face value, are disobeyed
frequently by even the very diligent. Here are a few examples:
1. If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it our and cast it from thee.
(Matt. 5:29)
2. If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee.
(Matt. 5:30)
3. I say unto you that ye resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite
thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matt.
5:39)
4. If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloak also. (Matt. 5:40)
5. I say unto you, swear not at all...but let your communication be
Yea, Yea, Nay, Nay, for whatsoever is more than
these cometh of evil. (Matt. 34-37)
6. I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat,
or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put
on. (Matt. 6:25)
7. Take, therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall
take thought for the things of itself. (Matt. 6:34)
8. Judge not, that ye be not judged. (Matt. 7:1)
9. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to
you, do ye even so to them. (Matt. 7:12)
10. Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 18:3)
11. Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever
shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast
into the see; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe
that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall
have whatsoever he saith. (Mark 11:22-23)
12. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and
wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own
life also, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)
13. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me
and I in him. (John 6:56)
14. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the
works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these
shall he do. (John 14:12)
15. Be ye therefor perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect. (Matt. 5:48)
These rules are very emphatically stated, for Jesus taught as one
having authority and not as the Scribes. But even the most literal
minded do not want to take most of these statements at face value.
Such statements as those above, when understood outwardly, are on the
"stone" level of truth and are intended to make a very heavy burden for
those who insist on being saved by the law. It is for this reason that
Jesus referred to himself as "the stone which the builders rejected,
the same is become the head of the corner?"
Then to those literalists, he warned: "Whosoever shall fall upon
that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will
grind him to powder." (Luke 20:18)
For those who would like to hide behind the claim that these
difficult commandments of Christ are mistranslated, they can refer to
the Inspired Translation and find that most of these scriptures are not
changed, or changed very slightly so that their meanings have not been
altered. For those who use the excuse that Jesus was speaking many of
these "impractical" rules only to his disciples, they might remember
that all Melchizedek Priesthood holders are to be disciples and special
witnesses.
We are dwelling on this point at this time because this covenant
follows directly after the statement made by Lucifer, who said, "I have
something to say concerning this people. It they do
not live up to every covenant they make at these altars in this temple
this day, they will be in my power."
In addition to the many requirements of Christ which would be
included in the covenant, Peter adds an additional CHARGE, meaning an
obligation, to avoid ALL lightmindedness, ALL loud laughter, ALL evil
speaking of the Lord's Anointed, ALL taking of the name of God in vain,
and ALL or EVERY OTHER unholy and impure practice. In the category of
impure practices would be all kinds of thoughts and feelings, including
doubts, fears, pride, resentment, selfishness, and so forth.
It would seem that if the literalist took a good look at what has
just been discussed, he would be eager to find some better way to
understand the covenant that he has made--or he should start
making preparations for a long term in Satan's power of darkness. What
the literally minded usually does, however, is to cheat. He pretends
that Christ does not really mean what he says and that all we are
expected to do is to try--sincerely, more or less. Rationalization and
justification is not the answer. Christ means exactly what he says.
When he says, "Be ye therefore perfect", he is talking about what we
are to be, right now. He did not say, strive to be perfect like your
Heavenly Father is perfect, but "BE YE!" Also, as for Peter, he was
not saying, "Try to avoid". He said, "AVOID!"
The natural man, having partaken of the Tree of Knowledge, cannot
do what Jesus did, nor can be do what he is. The atheist thinks of
Jesus as just a man and that is all. A person who believes in the
immortal spirit in man, sees Jesus as two in one—a spirit and a body.
Most members of the Church think of Jesus in this way. Below are shown
these two different ideas about the nature of Jesus Christ.
\ / \ /
\ JESUS CHRIST’S / \ SPIRITUAL BODY /
\ PHYSICAL / \ OF JESUS /
\ BODY / \ CHRIST /
\ / \------------/
\ / \PHYSICAL /
\ / \BODY OF /
\ / \JESUS /
\ / \CH. /
\ / \ /
\/ \/
JESUS CHRIST- JESUS CHRIST-A SPIRITUAL
JUST A PHYSICAL BEING AND PHYSICAL SON OF GOD
It is for this reason that the witness of truth demonstrated by
Jesus Christ is not really understood by most Christians nor by most
members. Jesus emphasized that he was three, not one nor two. Like
all of us, he had a finite body. He also had a separate consciousness
which was also finite--meaning here and not everywhere. But Jesus also
had the Father dwelling within him. As he testified in his prayer to
the Father, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and
I in thee, that they also may be one in us." (John 17:21)
Jesus Christ came to bear witness of the truth by demonstrating a
nature of being, a way of being. Thus he said, "I am the Light of the
World." "I am the Bread of life." "I am the door." "I and my Father
are one." "I am the way, the truth, and the life." "I am in my
Father, and ye in me, and I in you." "I am the true vine." And more
meaningful than all the others, he said, "I AM."
The ordinary man cannot fathom the real meaning of these words
because he thinks of man as a finite, separate entity from the Infinite
Spirit which is possessed by and, therefore, IS THE FATHER. Let us see
if we can grasp a few concepts which may enable the mind to jump the
barrier of our physical and intellectual materialism.
It is natural to think of a person's spirit as his Awareness,
even when we add the third aspect, the Infinite Spirit. However since
the spirit is a body of spirit material, it too is governed by the
individual Awareness or intelligence, which is independent of both.
We are going to see how man is a function of Intelligence rather than
either body of spirit or flesh. The Lord declares:
"Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is
Spirit, even the Spirit of truth. Man was also in the beginning with
God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made,
neither indeed can be.
"All truth (Intelligence or Awareness) 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&C 93:23&29-30)
Man is something different from what he functions through. Just
as a person can say, "I have a physical body," he can also say, "I
have a spirit body." Both physical and spirit bodies were created.
Intelligence or Awareness was not. so in the picture of man that we
have been using, it would be helpful to think of the physical aspect as
being both the spirit and the flesh.
Below is shown how the picture of man would be applied to Jesus
Christ.
----------\ THE FATHERS /
. \ INFINITE SPIRIT /
. \------------------------/ ----------------
THE FATHER \ JESUS CHRIST’S / .
FUNCTION \ AWARENESS / .
. \ (A FUNCTION OF / THE SON
. \ THE FATHER) / FUNCTION
---------- \--------------/ .
\JESUS CHRIST/ .
\BODY OF / .
\SPIRIT &/ .
\FLESH / .
\ / .
\ / .
\/ ----------------
JESUS CHRIST, THE FATHER AND THE SON
What Jesus Christ is, we are created and called to be also. But
since we have not understood what Jesus meant when he said, "I",
neither do we understand what the "I" in each of us was created to be.
What is "I"? If "I" possess a body, then "I" am not the body but
function by the body. If "I" possess a spirit body, "I" am not the
spirit, but function by the spirit. If "I" possess an opinion, then
neither am "I" that opinion. So what am "I"?
Actually because of our unconsciousness, that which we identify
in ourselves as "I" or "me" is really a large group of ideas, feelings,
concepts, and beliefs which the Awareness identifies as “self". We
identify with all body feelings, so that what is felt is "I". "I am
angry. "I am tired." "I am in love." "I am anxious." "I am happy."
When we belong to a certain group, we identify the "I" by the
characteristics of the group. In this way we say, "I am a carpenter."
"I am an American." "I am a Baptist." In one's total concept of the
self, he invariably identifies himself as a thing which is all of these
feelings, concepts and possessions put together. Therefore, if my body
is clean, "I" am a thing which is clean. If the mind is educated, then
"I" am an educated thing.
A thing is something which has boundaries, limitations, and is
definable. Therefore, man thinks he is a thing--a body and, possibly,
a spirit. However, a thing can be created and destroyed. That which
is truly "I", which is a function if Intelligence, was not created or
made. This is what man has been totally unconscious regarding himself.
Christ came to wake us from our sleep, but man does not want to give up
what he thinks is his identity, even for the fullness of the glory of
the Father. But this is the meaning of the Law of the Gospel:
"Behold, here is the agency of man, here is the condemnation of
man; because that which was from the beginning (without creation) is
plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the
light." (D&C 93:31)
To help us see this vital principle, let us use the example of
the right hand. Look at it for a few moments. Move it around, sense
its presence. Close your eyes and become fully conscious of your hand.
You have taken it for granted, but it may be able to give you some
understanding since it, like everything else, was created as a likeness
of God and His relation to man. The hand has a sensitivity or
Awareness. The hand can become highly skilled. We usually think that
the skill belongs to the mind, but although the mind knows how to
write, only the right hand, in a right-handed person, knows how to form
the letters. The left hand is still illiterate since it has not been
educated. So part of our brain, other than our "mind", belongs to the
hand. It is the hand's head
or the mind of the hand.
Imagine that your arms were invisible to sight or touch so that
your hands would appear to be totally separate from your body. They
would have their present function but would appear as though they had
lives of their own. Have you got the picture? Now, go through the
motion of our hands washing each other as they have done for so many
years. Think of them as being separate from your body while they are
performing their marvelous activity. Notice their Awareness, their
response and reflexes. The hands are complex organs and have simple
but definite brain function of their own--far inferior to the total
nervous system, but still a marvelous bit of mental equipment.
Appearing to be separate from your body, the hands would not "see" you
(although you would always "see" them). The Awareness of the hands
would be tempted to judge for themselves what was safe and unsafe, goo
and bad, desirable or undesirable. Soon the mind of each hand would be
a conscious "I". They would be unconscious that their Awareness was
only a function of you, the total mind. The feeling of "self" or "I"
that would develop in each hand would be fine as long as the "I" of the
hands knew that they are in but not of the hands and are a function of
the total Self. If they were conscious of their relationship to you,
the whole being, we would say the hands were properly organized, (1)
with the physical form, (2) the individual hand awareness, being a
conscious function of (3) the total Awareness or Intelligence of the
being.
From this same viewpoint, let us think of Infinite Spirit as a
single Self or Infinite Awareness. He is God, the Father, who
"comprehendeth all things...is through all things, and is round about
all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever
and ever." (D&C 88:41) He creates a "footstool", called an earth, and
on that earth he creates of Himself all manner of forms and breathes
into them His own life. The consciousness or individual identity of
each is unique to each living entity. The consciousness or Awareness
is not the physical creature but is a function of the total Being, just
as the Awareness of the hand is a function of the whole being.
Jesus Christ was such a conscious man because he knew that the
"I" or "self" was but a function of the Father. That function was to
be a reporter or interpreter between the knowledge of the environment
provided through the senses and the will of the Father provided through
the total understanding of relationships. With the "whole
understanding" of Infinite Intelligence, Jesus functioned as the
Father. This is the meaning of eternal life--God's life. Jesus
testified that you and I were to awake and do the same. We were to
take upon ourselves his name, to pray to the Father in his name. Name
means nature, so we are to function in the same nature as did Christ,
which is to be consciously aware that we are a function of the Father.
If we try to use our old nature to imitate the life of Christ, we will
never, never be successful nor worthy to be called by his name.
Jesus attempted to convey this great mystery of Godliness in many
ways. When he said, "I am the light of the world," he was speaking of
his conscious identity as a function of Infinite Intelligence. He WAS
the Spirit of truth, the Light to truth, even the Father. Christ
"received a fullness of truth, yea, even of all truth," which means
that he, as a conscious entity, received a full
understanding that he was a living, active, real-life function of
nothing less than the Infinite Intelligence of all things. What he is,
so are we--if we would only wake up and see. That is why it is life
eternal to know God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. When we truly
see that God is All, and that Jesus Christ was a function of that ALL,
then we can see that we are created to do the same. When we experience
the reality, then and only then, do we know God and Jesus Christ.
As long as man's Awareness is a servant of the feelings, he will
be double-minded. When he discovers what he, the Awareness, really is,
then and only then can his mind or eye be single. Jesus said: "The
light of the body is the eye. If therefore, thine eye (comprehending)
be single, thy whole body shall be full of light (understanding). But
it thine eye be evil (judging, worrying and struggling), thy whole body
shall be full of darkness (misconceptions of unconsciousness). If
therefore the light (understanding) that is in thee be darkness, how
great is that darkness!" (Matt. 6:22-23)
There are additional statements on this in the eighty-eighth
section of the Doctrine and Covenants. We have already quoted the
following: "And if your eye be single to my glory (and the glory of
God is Intelligence, or in other words, light and truth), your whole
bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in
you; and that body which is filled with light COMPREHENDETH ALL THINGS
(even God)." (D&C 88:67)
Then we have these additional declarations: "...the light of
truth, which truth shineth (lives). This is the light of Christ… and
the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who
enlighteneth your eyes, which is the SAME LIGHT THAT QUICKENETH YOUR
UNDERSTANDINGS: which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God
to fill the immensity of space— the light which is in all things, which
giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all thing are
governed, even the power of God...
The light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it
not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend (be
fully conscious of) even God, being quickened (awake) in him and by
him.
Then shall ye know that ye have seen (comprehended) me, that I
am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in
me; OTHERWISE YE COULD NOT ABOUND (for even one moment)." (D&C 88:6-
13 & 49-50)
The Lord uses the word "light" over and over again. When one
says, "I see the light," he means that he comprehends, that he has
caught the point. The physical light that registers upon the eyes is
also a function of this same Infinite Intelligence which lightens up
the mind. So let us again use the example of a light bulb to see how
it compares.
As with man, there are three aspects involved in a functioning
light bulb--(1) the bulb (physical form), (2) the electric energy
(Intelligence), and (3) the light energy (Awareness). If there were no
electricity, there would be no light. If the light bulb is broken and
does not make a complete circuit, the electricity cannot turn into
light, and the bulb is dead. But we see here that light is not a
function of the bulb, but a function of the electric energy, for light
is the electric energy in a different form.
When a tiny infant is formed in the womb, Life energy, which is
Intelligence, begins to function as Awareness, starting memory,
recording sensations, etc. Like the light bulb, in and of itself,
there is no light or life in the tiny body. But as God's life flows
through the organs of the body, the light of life, the Awareness of
"self" comes into being. Just as the function of the light bulb is to
convert electricity into light, so the function of the body is to
convert the Intelligence of Spirit into an entity of Awareness.
Awareness is nothing more than the light of understanding or the light
of truth.
Things, in and of themselves, have no value. Their function is
the value. For example, gold has a function and is therefore valuable
to man. However, when a miser hoards gold, it has no real function and
is of no real value. In the same way, when fallen man grabs his life
to himself, he destroys its true function. But when he begins to "come
to himself" and learns to abide by the Master's voice, experiencing
freely what God provides, he soon "grows-up" in capacity as a complete
function of Spirit. Jesus did just that, gradually, grace upon grace.
"And I, John, saw that he received not of the fullness at first,
but received grace for grace...and thus he was called the Son of God,
because he received not the fullness at the first...And I, John, bear
record that he received a fullness of the glory of the Father...The
glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.
Light and truth forsake the evil one." (D&C 93:12,14,16, & 36)
The evil one is the usurper who tries to destroy the agency of
man. Agency really means "a portion which functions for the whole".
It is called free agency because it can only be done freely,
consciously. It does not come about hypnotically nor through coercion,
but by FREELY FUNCTIONING. When Christ became the complete function,
manifesting the fullness of the Father, "he received all power, both in
heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he
dwelt in him."
This is the great, unbelievably wonderful Good News or Gospel of
Jesus Christ. Now we can know what "I" really is, and what our
relationship is to the glory of God.
"I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know
how to worship (consciously relate) and know WHAT YOU WORSHIP, that you
may come unto the Father in my name (nature), and in due time receive
of his fullness." (D&C 93:19)
Of course, this is the purpose of the higher instruction of the
temple endowment. In the World room, man is shown how the power of the
unsurper must be cast out. Satan is exposed and cast out through a new
Awareness in man which is symbolized by Peter, James and John. Adam is
then asked to hereafter keep the Law of the Gospel.
There is a wonderful change which gradually comes into a person's
life as he discovers this great mystery of Godliness. It cannot be
learned. It must be experienced. It must be tasted. This is
represented by the Sacrament and by being clothed in the robes of the
Holy Priesthood, which we will discuss in the next chapter.
However, enlightenment comes to all by different levels of
consciousness, or as it is expressed, grace upon grace, intelligence
upon intelligence. Therefore, Peter adds five additional points to
assist the initiate in staying awake. Although they are disguised in
the words of "thou shalt not" commandments, they are to be understood
on a deeper, spiritual level.
1. AVOID ALL LIGHTMINDEDNESS:
To the uninitiated, this means that he must always be sober and
serious. to the true disciples, it means that he takes the matter of
Life agency very seriously, seeing the absolute necessity of giving
very close attention and reporting accurately to the Father within.
The Lord has frequently warned the brethren who hold their
priesthood carelessly. He declares, "Your minds in times past have
been darkened (gone to sleep) because of unbelief and because you have
treated lightly the things you have received, which VANITY AND UNBELIEF
have brought the WHOLE CHURCH (also the whole body) under
condemnation." (D&C 84: 54-55)
2. AVOID ALL LOUD LAUGHTER:
This appears to mean that having a "belly laugh" is a very
serious sin. However, loud laughter means to be carried away by the
sense of pleasure, which is one of the easiest ways to go back to
sleep. Laughter, or having a good time, is a wonderful experience of
life and agency, but "loud" laughter represents being out of control,
where a person is overcome or hypnotized by the
distraction of the senses.
3. AVOID ALL EVIL SPEAKING OF THE LORD'S ANOINTED:
Because of this statement, many people are afraid to say anything
which may reflect upon the imperfections of those who are called to
preside over Israel. However, when Jesus was speaking of the Scribes,
Pharisees and hypocrites, he was speaking of those who held high
priesthood offices. When a stake president criticizes one of his
bishops, he is speaking critically of one of the Lord's anointed, which
of course he should do as a judge in Israel.
What is really meant here is a much more significant point of
personal salvation. The Lord's anointed is Christ and the Christ
function in us, as represented by Peter, James and John. To speak evil
is to lie and not tell the truth. Therefore, the command is to avoid
the denial, by word, action, or thought, that the Infinite Intelligence
is the true Self within, even the Father. The claiming of the kingdom
of Self for yourself is to speak evil of the Lord's anointed--which you
are called to be.
4. AVOID THE TAKING OF THE NAME OF GOD IN VAIN:
The true name of God is "I AM". When the "self" of man claims
that he is a separate entity, self-sustained and self-controlled, he is
saying "I am" as a replacer of God, rather than recognize
that he is a function or agency of God. When Christ ministered, he
said that it was the Father within who did the work, therefore he was
able to function in the name or nature of the Father. However, when we
believe that it is ourselves that "thinks", "feels", "loves", and
"hates", and we say "I will", "I won't", "I can", "I can't", it is
claiming to be foolishness and in error.
5. AVOID EVERY OTHER UNHOLY AND IMPURE PRACTICE:
Holy means wholeness. Pure means not being defiled by misuse.
Impure practice means the practice of the "I's" setting up as the
almighty judges, saying, "I know what is good, what is bad, what is
right, and what is wrong." This is to continue eating from the Tree of
Knowledge of good and Evil. Awareness is a function of interpreting
accurately the information received from the senses. Infinite
Intelligence, through the function of man's Awareness, provides for all
that is necessary. God needs nothing and possesses all. Therefore,
man functioning in the nature of Christ has no need to worry, defend,
contend or struggle. If he were a thing, he would have to do these
things, but as a function of Spirit, they are not his concern.
Let us review the statements of Christ given at the beginning of
the chapter to see why they describe the Law or Way of the Gospel and
are absolutely essential to true fellowship with Christ.
1. If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out...--Man's eye is his way
of seeing. When he sees that his way of seeing is evil or double
minded, he will pluck it out and cast it from him.
2. If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off...--Man's right hand is
his way of performing. When he sees that he is performing as a
frightened, separate entity, he will cast it away as useless.
3. Resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek,
turn to him the other also.--Evil is darkness of misconceptions.
When we resist the manifestations of evil, we are using some of the
same misconceptions. Light does not resist darkness, it just takes
its place. Man has two sides to his face. The right cheek
(the B side) is his pride, which claims to please. The other cheek
(the A side) is his vanity, which demands that he have his own way.
So man is said to be two faced. If you find that someone has hurt
your pride, you can give up your vanity too by going, freely, the
extra mile.
4. If any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let
him have thy cloak also.-- Law is man's logic of right and wrong.
Coat and cloak represent one's main beliefs and opinions. If you
are humiliated by losing a contest defending your beliefs, "agree
with thine adversary quickly" and give up the rest of your pre-
conceived, conditioned opinions, too.
5. Swear not at all---Since the Awareness has nothing to prove or
defend, man will never try to add to his "yes" or "no" by trying to
argue or establish proof, "for whatsoever is more than
these cometh of evil."
6. Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink, nor yet for your body...--Man as a function of Infinite
Intelligence, takes no worry or anxiety for his life, or what he
shall eat, or what he shall drink or even what he shall wear. Of
course, a separate entity would have to. The Christ Awareness
knows that the Father within is the provider, therefore he does
that which is in front of him to do and all else will be added.
7. Take no thought for the morrow...--Tomorrow and what it will bring
is the place where the chains of hell are kept. To live for
tomorrow is to die for today, just as much as he who lives for
yesterday. Infinite wisdom provides for the morrow and Awareness
lives in the now, dynamic and vital.
8. Judge not, that ye be not judged.--To judge is to fail to see that
everything is perfect for this time and place, everything
being only what it can be at the moment. Since all judging is done
through the need for gaining good feelings and escaping painful
feelings, one is always anxious when he judges. The gate to the
kingdom of peace is opened wide when one is able to see that each
experience is perfect for the moment. To judge anything implies
that "I" know the future, therefore "I" know how things should be -
- NOW.
9. All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye
even so to them.--Doing to others as you would have them do unto
you--the Golden Rule--is meaningful only on the higher level of
consciousness. Conditioned man wants everyone to make things
peaceful for him, therefore he will try to "help" everybody be on-
disturbed and thereby lulled into a carnal security. To "help"
implies dependency and paternalism, which tends to make another
believe that he is not responsible but is helpless as a victim. To
"work with" another implies individual responsibility and
brotherhood. A conscious man is not interested in being "helped"
or "helping", but he does enjoy working with others as a brother.
10. Except ye be converted and become as little children...--To become
converted means to be turned around in one's comprehending. To be
like a little child is to be in a state of not knowing, which is
the only form of humility. The function of Awareness is to
describe accurately, not to conclude nor to decide. The person
is then in the Kingdom of Heaven, which is a state of peace of
mind.
11. Have faith in God...whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be
thou removed...and shall not doubt in his heart...shall have
whatsoever he saith.--Faith means to make up one's mind. Having
doubt in one's heart is to be double-minded, having conflict
between the "A" and "B" sides, which will never allow the mind to
be made up as to what experiment the Awareness is willing to accept
responsibility for. Christ could interpret the physical world
(which is only energy or light) as being in whatever state was
necessary for the time and place of the moment. Christ could
interpret water as being solid (as it is below 32o) and the Light
of truth--all existence--is just that to Christ. This is the one
mind of the Father and the Son. The Awareness, when a conscious
function of the Father, can interpret a mountain as being lighter
than air, and it will be so. This is the meaning of all power, by
asking in the name or nature of Jesus Christ, and "he shall have
whatsoever he saith."
12. If man come to me and hate not his father, mother, wife, etc., he
cannot be my disciple.--God is not a respecter of persons. All
bodies are his tabernacle, but few have come under the yoke of
Christ, knowing who and what they are. Those who cling to earthly,
family ties in order to "be loved" are trying to be a "thing" and
not a function of the Light of truth. To hate one's parents, wife,
children, brethren, and one's life is to totally reject the need
for any of them. Then and only then can one truly love them,
including one's own life, without fear, possessiveness, nor
idolatry.
13. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and
I in him.--The flesh and blood of Christ is Spirit. If we think we
are a "thing", we will eat the spiritual flesh and blood of those
around us in order to stay alive as self-centered, egotistic,
separate entities. But if we are a conscious function of the
Spirit, then we are in the state of Christ, just as he is in the
Father.
14. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall be do also...--
The work that Jesus did was the work of the Father, who gave the
Son power to interpret as he would. When Jesus interpreted
Lazarus as sleeping, all Jesus had to do was awaken him. When
Jesus interpreted a few loaves and fishes as sufficient for the
occasion, thousands could eat. Jesus declares that when one
believes in him—really--the same works and more will be manifest.
15. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect.--To be perfect is to be whole. When we are truly
conscious of being a function of God's wholeness, then
our perfection or wholeness is as His.
Peter, James and John are examples of Christ-men. For three
years they learned the truth without discovering the truth. Then they
became the truth: "Now when they (the literal minded) saw the
boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and
ignorant men, they marveled.
"And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders
wrought among the people...insomuch that they brought forth the sick
into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least
the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them...and they
were healed every one." (Act 4:13 & 5:12-16)
As Peter testified: "...his divine power hath given unto us all
things that pertain unto life and godliness, through THE KNOWLEDGE OF
HIM that hath called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is
in the world through lust (the desire to gratify the senses)." (2
Peter 1:3-4)
Appropriately, Peter, James and John represent in the temple the
principle and reality of the rebirth. The central theme of the Law of
the Gospel is the baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire. Fire is the
refining power of light and truth. Peter, James and John were living
manifestations of what this is to be in all who KEEP the LAW of the
GOSPEL.
Chapter 14
THE ROBES OF THE HOLY PRIESTHOOD
"Priesthood" is a word which has many levels of meaning. On the
outer level it means the authority to perform sacred ordinances and to
officiate in the organization of the church. In that same vein, it is
said that the priesthood is the power of God delegated to men. The
inference is that God is a great, universal monarch and that his powers
and authority are passed down the line through appointment. Although
valid, such a limited, materialistic concept of priesthood enables many
to rest securely in their importance and godlessness. Man has
continually succeeded in externalizing religion, making it an organized
activity rather than a state of being. The careless possession of
priesthood authority is the result of externalizing what it represents.
A "Priest," in the true meaning of the name, is one who functions
in the nature of God. "Priesthood" is that state of being in which one
is capable to do so. "Holy Priesthood" refers to the wholeness of that
power. The word "ordain", to the literally minded, means to be set
apart by the laying on of hands by those who already have the
authority. But on a deeper level it means to be established, qualified
or more simply, conscious of the power of God within.
Man sees that the purpose of having priesthood or the power of
God is to be able to command and be obeyed, such as Christ calming the
angry sea, Peter raising the crippled man at the gate of the temple,
Moses dividing the Red Sea and Enoch causing mountains to raise up
before the armies of the enemy. However, as magnificent as these
realities are, they are relatively insignificant to the truly
miraculous work of the priesthood--which is to bring fallen man from
mortality to immortality--in this life.
In the Inspired Translation of the Bible, the power of the
priesthood is revealed in the word of Melchizedek: "Now Melchizedek
was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he
feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence
of fire. And thus having been approved of God, he was ordained a
high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with
Enoch...and it was delivered unto men by the calling of his voice,
according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.
"For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an
oath by himself; that EVERY ONE being ordained after this order and
calling should have power, by FAITH, to break mountains, to divide the
seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course; to put at
defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every
band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to
his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of
the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world. And
men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were
TRANSLATED and taken up into heaven." (Inspired Translation of the Holy
Scriptures, Genesis14:26-32)
This great pronouncement demonstrates the utter non-fulfillment
of the priesthood in the lives of most of those who have been ordained.
The Lord says they have been called but not chosen. (D&C 95:5-6) The
reason is that they do not understand the deeper meaning of the
priesthood. An introduction to such an understanding can be obtained
by seeing the inner meaning of the above declaration. It states
emphatically that the fulfillment of priesthood power is promised to
ALL who are called to that order or covenant, not just a leader here
and there. Yet are ALL to divide mountains, defy armies of nations and
divide the seas? The statement is clear. They are to have the power
to do these things literally, even though they may not actually be
required to do so.
However, each statement is also intended to describe how a high
priest functions in the world of his own being. The personalized,
symbolical meaning refers to the power of the Awareness in man to exercise
dominion over the whole earth, which is his body. The outer power of
dominion comes only as the work of the inner reality is complete.
Following are some ways of seeing the personalized, inner meaning:
1. Melchizedek--a man who is a prince of peace, having true
peace of mind.
2. Man of faith--man that has an eye which is single so that he
can make up his mind.
3. Wrought righteousness--ended fragmentation and conflict,
becoming whole and complete.
4. When a child--when in his conditioned state.
5. Feared God--respected the tremendous power manifest by God in
always giving men exactly what they ask in their hearts.
6. Stopped the mouths of lions--lions are life's experiences that
roar out as threats which fire is the pain and discomfort of
life's experiences, which he quenched by seeing that growth
and evolving come only through challenges.
7. Approved of God--working in unison with the Light of truth,
serving as a true function of Intelligence.
8. Ordained a high priest--to be established as a God-man.
9. Calling of his own voice--to hear clearly the word of Life.
10. As many as believed on his name--knew the reality of the
nature of Christ in their own lives. Everyone...should have
power, by faith--making up the mind as to "what" and Infinite
Intelligence working out the "how".
11. To break mountains--mountains are barriers to the kingdom of
heaven, and the barriers are illusions which are broken up by
exposing them to truth.
12. To divide the seas--seas are another form of barrier to
higher levels of understanding. These barriers are
misconceptions upon which man tries to sail,
but those who are men of light will cut these misconceptions
down the middle and walk through on dry land, which is solid
reality or what is really truth.
13. To dry up waters--the waters of the "misconception seas" are
composed of sorrow and despair, which dry up and cease to be.
14. To turn them out of their course--these sorrows and pain are
turned from the course of stagnation and death to discovery
and life.
15. To put at defiance the armies of nations--the armies of
nations are the multitude of suggestions which conquer one's
ability to experience life freely. The servant of light
destroys their power to enslave by changing the purpose of
living from gratification of the senses to evolving as a
function of God's spirit.
16. To divide the earth--the earth is divided or opened up, as
in the days of Moses, to swallow up the wicked by leaving no
support beneath them. In one's own earth or being, the many
idolatrous "I's" of one's conditioning are swallowed up by
taking away their support, making them less important.
17. To break every band--bands are limitations, which are broken
by the power to make up the mind, thereby having dominion over
all things.
18. To stand in the presence of God--which is to be fully
conscious that Heaven is here and now.
19. To do all things according to his will--being passive to the
Infinite Wisdom, accepting all things as perfect for the
moment, not needing to change anything.
20. According to His command--seeing that the command or law of
God is balance in all things, that all things are seem as
being perfect balance, thereby being able to work harmoniously
with what is.
21. Subdue principalities and powers--which are those images,
institutions, ideals, and needs which men serve in order to be
psychologically safe, and these are subdued by refusing to be
motivated by their future promises of rewards.
22. By the will of the Son of God--the will or role of the Son
is to be a function of the Father in the flesh, thereby
fulfilling the work and power of the Father.
23. This order of God--which is that men become the true
function of God, being the light of truth, being God-men.
24. Translated--or carried over into an immortal state where the
power of life is in the flesh, the aging process of dis-ease
has ceased, and all material limitations of time and space
vanish.
25. Taken up into the heaven--exist on a higher state of
consciousness on this or other material globes.
This description of the Holy Priesthood enables one to see why it
is defined as the power of God. Another way of looking at it is by
using the example of the light bulb discussed in the last chapter. A
light bulb receives the "ordination of the priesthood"— the correct
position to receive power--when it is hooked up to the electrical
wires. However, the function of the priesthood is as the light from
the bulb. The light exists only if the circuit in the bulb is
complete. Thinking in opposites, judging good and evil, being ruled by
the need to have comfort and escape pain on the physical, mental,
emotional or transcendental levels—these break the circuit, terminating
the light, ending the manifestation of priesthood. Thus, the person
would be walking in darkness at noonday, a VERY GRIEVOUS SIN.
Unfortunately, this is the rule, not the exception. Notice, with
deeper understanding, how elders have been warned and left without
excuse:
"Behold, there are many (actually all) called, but few are chosen
(functioning). And why are they not chosen?
"Because their hearts (one's inner senses) are set so much upon
the things (ideals, standards, possession, approval, achievements) of
this world, are aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn
this ONE (and there is only one) lesson.
"That the rights (function) of the priesthood are inseparably
connected with the powers of heaven (higher level of consciousness),
and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only
upon the principles of righteousness (full consciousness).
"That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; ;but when we
undertake to cover our sins (pretend we have no misconceptions), or to
gratify our pride (trying to prove our superiority), our vain ambition
(trying to always have more), or to exercise control or dominion or
compulsion (trying to change someone and "make" them be good) upon the
souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness
(unconsciousness), behold, the heavens withdraw themselves (the light
of higher levels cease to function); and when the Spirit of the Lord is
grieved (cut off); and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood
(divine function) or the authority of that man.” (D&C 121:34-37)
With these thoughts on priesthood in our mind, let us return now
to the next phase of the instruction in the World Room. After the
appearance of Peter, James and John, the casting out of Lucifer, and
the placing of the candidates under covenant to keep the Law of the
Gospel, the people are ready to be clothed in the robes of the Holy
Priesthood. Peter's instructions are as follows:
"We are instructed to clothe you in the robes of the Holy
Priesthood. Place the robe on the left shoulder, place the cap with
the bow over the right ear, replace the apron, tie the girdle with the
bow on the right side, remove the slippers from your feet, and put them
on as apart of the Temple clothing. You may now proceed to clothe."
The robes cover the head, body and the feet, indicating the three
aspects of man. The main part of the clothing is the robe which covers
the body, representing the main understanding given to the Awareness.
The cap represents the voice of the Lord to the intellect and covers
the head. The moccasins represent his putting on of new beliefs.
Having a belief is the result of accepting only one explanation
about something and rejecting all other explanations. As an individual
begins to receive enlightenment and discovers the many illusions he has
accepted as facts, he will desire to replace erroneous beliefs or
explanations with new, correct ones. He does not realize that he is
still trying to be wise through having single explanations for each
facet of life. Man's explanations of anything are always incomplete
and partially comprehended at best. They are usually subject to many
variations. Whenever he sees a phenomenon, he wants to find an
explanation, which is to form an image or belief as to what it is.
Then he wants to get agreement on these ideas from others. If others
agree with him, he is strengthened and feels more confidence in his
belief. Agreement provides the assurance of reality. In this way, a
Communist lives in a world that is conceived in a way totally different
then the world as seen by a non-communist. A Christian sees a
different world than an Hindu. A Latter-day Saint sees a different
world than a Southern Baptist. Each sees reality through his beliefs,
and beliefs are a product of having agreement on single explanations.
Each assurance that their beliefs are the true ones and those who have
differing explanations are blind as to reality.
Beliefs are the attempt of a finite mind to explain the infinite
manifestations of Spirit. These explanations tend to be conclusions
(to conclude), which is to close one's mind to further instruction by
the voice of the Father within. We are in a much more teachable
positions when we have at least two or more explanations, if we have
any at all, for every phenomenon. Of course we may favor one over the
other, but we can see that from another viewpoint other explanations
may also be logical, thus possibly valid. Then we are no longer prone
to bigotry, pride, intolerance and vanity. Those who have single
explanations, or strong beliefs, have a need to prove or defend their
beliefs, therefore they bring cleavage among men rather than union.
Since the coverings of one's feet represent his beliefs, the
candidate wears moccasins rather than shoes. Shoes are hard and firm.
Moccasins are soft and flexible, easily discarded and replaced with new
ones. In this way, the candidate is reminded to "hang loose" on any
beliefs, realizing that other explanations may be just as valid. This
is also true regarding "forming" beliefs about the meaning of any
symbol. We are giving explanations of the symbols of the temple, not
as beliefs, but as some of the ways of understanding them. We could
give other explanations which would teach additional lessons for
spiritual attainment and also other levels of understanding.
The robe is placed on the body over the left shoulder. The bow
of the cap over the right ear and the bow of the sash is tied on the
right side. Later, the robe will be taken off and replaced on the
right side, with the bows of the cap and sash on the left side. In
between these two dressings, the candidates will be given the Second
Token of the Aaronic Priesthood. After receiving the token and the
robe being placed on the right shoulder, the candidates will be led out
of the Telestial Room into the Terrestrial Room. What does all this
mean?
This part of the endowment represents the development which takes
place in a person as he is being prepared to enter that level of
awareness we have described as being self-conscious, or truly aware of
what he is and what he is doing, to gain full dominion of himself.
This is to live on the Terrestrial level. The transition between the
Telestial and Terrestrial levels of consciousness requires that the
initiate be clothed in the understanding of the two worlds he exists
in. One is the Man-Made World and the other is the Real World. A true
understanding of the Man-Made World is symbolized by the robe being on
the left side. This understanding is to come through the Light of
truth which is symbolized by the bows of the hat and sash being on the
right side, the side of light.
The understanding of the Real World is symbolized by having the
robe on the right shoulder. The bows, however, are changed to the left
side at this time to indicate that the understanding of the Real World
comes only through truly understanding the ways of the Man-Made World.
Being dressed in the robes on the left side first and then the right
side second represents the sequence of understanding the two worlds.
With this understanding, he is able to function on a higher level of
consciousness, symbolized by the moving to another room.
What is the meaning of the Man-Made World? Jesus said, "Ye are
in the world but not of the world," He was speaking of the Man-Made
World, which is the world created by man's thinking. Man thinks in
images, comparisons, associations, and beliefs. He creates standards,
ideas, ideals, and machines. All of these are very useful when
properly understood and used only in the Man-Made World. Let us look
briefly at each.
1. STANDARDS: Man likes to make things definite and
precise. He makes a standard for a foot, so that everyone can use the
same length. He wants a standard spelling and meaning for the sounds
he uses to identify his concept of things. He makes rules and laws so
that everyone will know what is required. All man-made things can be
measured by a standard of evaluation. For example, a board is too
short, too long, or just right for a certain place. A man's skill is
sufficient for a job or it is not.
2. IDEAS: Man forms images in his mind, which are his ideas
or concepts about things. Words are really ideas. If we say, "man",
we are describing an idea. We believe we know what man is, but all we
know are a few things about him, and these are colored by our
comparisons, associations and beliefs. Yet man thinks with words and
forms images based upon these incomplete ideas. This is his distorted
consciousness of the world he lives in. So although he touches, sees,
hears, smells and tastes, he translates this information into images,
concepts and explanations of things. Therefore, the world that he is
conscious of really is more man-made than real. In other words, his
thoughts about the world do not define the Real World because his ideas
are colored by the distorted lenses through which he perceives the
environment around him.
3. IDEALS: Because of his four dual senses of good and
evil, man compares everything to an ideal. he continually compares
"what is" with "what ought to be", "might be" or "could be". What is
ideal today, such as style of automobiles, clothes, homes, etc, will
not be ideal tomorrow, so he is in a constant state of struggle towards
the ever illusive ideal.
4. MACHINES: A machine is anything man rearranges in order
to provide a function he considers to be of value. A machine may be as
simple as a pin and as complex as a city the size of New York. Man
builds machines by using his standards, ideas and ideals. These
machines multiply his natural capacities and give him some feeling of
omnipotence, creating the illusion that he is gaining dominion over the
Real World, when in reality, he is only enslaved by the machines of the
Man-Made World.
Man takes his home-made world very seriously, believing is very
real, even very sacred. His relative status, security, reputation, and
importance are as vital to him as food and shelter, if not more so. To
him it is very real. He is willing to give his life for that world and
does so in many different ways. He not only is in this world, but he
really believes he is OF it. This misconception is disastrous for
those holding the priesthood, whose "hearts are so much set upon the
things of this (Man-Made) world and they aspire to the honors of men".
John, the Beloved, declared: "Love not the world, neither
the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love
of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust
(desires) of the flesh (senses), and the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, is not of the Father (the Real World), but is of the
(Man-Made) world." (I John 2:15-16)
The conditioned man has no choice but to be obsessed with the
world, whether it is a love or a hate for it. He can be freed from
this bondage only when he understands the subtle, hypnotic power of the
Man-Made World. As he gains this understanding, he sees the myriad’s
of illusions which have enabled his life to be ruled by the power of
suggestion.
Suggestions is anything by which a person forms a image of a
desirable or painful condition, thereby causing an anxiousness to gain
or escape something later. Suggestion regarding these conditions makes
things seem important, since one's happiness is dependent upon them.
Whenever we make anything important, we will be anxious, and anxiety
prevents peace of mind, which is the kingdom of heaven. We make things
important only because of a motive to be non-disturbed. The hidden
motives color all desires and actions with impure intents. In other
words, we are forever manipulating, conniving, rationalizing and
justifying, which ends up in our blaming and complaining.
All hypnosis is done by suggestion. No one can ever by
hypnotized unless he is subject to suggestion, which means that he has
a need and compulsion to gain pleasure and escape pain. Since these
are hidden motives, the conscious mind keeps busy finding justification
for doing what one has an inner urge to do. The rationalizations may
be very noble, fascinating, exciting or logical, but they are really
only excuses. Since a person is unconscious of the impact of a
suggestion on his subconscious, he is convinced that his choices are
conscious and freely made by his reason and intellect. But it is
seldom the case.
For example, Professor Hart at Duke University put a student
under hypnosis during a class session. Before awakening him, he gave
him a posthypnotic suggestion, telling the student that after being
awakened he would pull the window shade down when the professor coughed
the third time. Half an hour later, when the teacher gave his third
cough, the student quickly lowered the window shade, completely
unconscious of his real motive. When he was challenged as to what was
his reason, he replied, "The sun hurt my eyes". He became very
indignant when challenged further. We almost always "think" we know
why we are doing the things we do, but very seldom do we really know.
Man's most lauded virtues of loyalty, patriotism, ambition, team
spirit, family pride and what he usually calls love are often the
results of suggestion, which means they may be some of the "darkness at
noonday" of which the Lord warns his elders.
All men exercise at least a little control over others through
suggestion, but collectively, we keep the whole world in the darkness
of hypnotic unconsciousness. To better understand the nature of this
control, we can use four major headings which we call the great
professions: Healing practitioners, theologians, politicians and
business promoters.
1. THE HEALING PRACTITIONERS
This ancient profession has given mankind the suggestion that
they must be normal, for if they are not normal, they will be abnormal.
They tell man how he is a victim of germs, malnutrition, stress, and
aging. Man is attacked by the flu, his heart, T.B., and arthritis. He
is a helpless victim of indigestion, bad back, hardening of the
arteries, gout, etc. Therefore man spends billions of dollars being
saved from the functions of his own body by the dedicated practitioners
of the healing profession. We acknowledge that they are sincere, but
they are also victims of their own suggestions as well. They are
usually dealing with the result or symptom rather than the source.
When we begin to understand the Vicious Cycle discussed earlier,
we find that man is not a victim, he is a creator of his own
destruction. Illness is a necessary adaptation of the body to the
misuse we give it by having a continual cry or prayer in our hearts,
and that inner prayer is one of anxiety--a false feeling of emergency.
The Spirit of Light always responds perfectly to that interpretation
provided by our conscious or unconscious Awareness. So because of
constant anxiety, our bodies are continually being mobilized to either
fight or run. The "stress juices" become toxic poisons and must be
used up, neutralized or stored in the way our particular bodies can
adapt. When our tissues become weak and abused, they invite great
hordes of microscopic invaders. However, a truly healthy, physical
body can handle any invasion if it is not fouled with toxins and bound
with tension.
When a person awakes to see that his body is totally normal for
this time and place, he can begin to experience life functions freely.
He is able to communicate to Intelligence a serene interpretation of
bodily function. Then the Father within will do the appropriate thing
for the information submitted. The undesired adaptations are soon no
longer needed. Then he truly can "run and not be weary, walk and not
faint".
Yes, doctors are very necessary because they help ease the pain
of our gradual wearing out and dying, but they are helpful only because
of our failure to see that we are really not of this world, even though
we are in this world. The ordinance of anointing the sick with
consecrated oil is to be a reminder to us that oil represents the
highest level of truth, and the truth shall make one free from all
limitations and restraints.
2. THEOLOGIANS
Since each of us start life by eating from the Tree of Knowledge,
there have always been those around who were ready to give us the exact
definition about what was good and what was evil. The suggestion they
"lay" on us is that if we do something which they say is good, then we
are "good" and will be rewarded. But if we do something which is bad,
then we are "bad" and will be punished. This process of identification
as good or bad, then we are "bad" and will be punished. This process
of identification as good or bad created constant anxiety and worry--
since no one is ever able to do everything that is good and avoid
everything that is bad. The theologians quote the great promises of
God, but interpret them to be descriptions of the utopian, non-
disturbed state. When these rewards do not come to pass, the "scribes
and Pharisees" have a ready "out". The promises failed because the
people did not keep all of the conditions. If calamities come, as they
do from time to time, then all are warned that they must repent or
worse things will fall on them.
So man, thanks to his diverse experts of good and bad, lives in
constant concern that there is a God who is making one bad mark after
another on his record. He tries harder and harder in the "acting game"
to make amends, giving up both his treasure and peace of mind. He buys
this suggestion, of course, because he is trying to gain a reward of
heaven and escape the punishment of hell--or perhaps an inferior
kingdom. Therefore, even when he is working his head off "for the
Lord", his heart is still "so much set upon the things of this world",
because even the heaven and hell he conceives is a man-made place which
is completely colored by his own judgment of good and evil.
The Theologians offer us more and more fruit from the forbidden
tree, the tree of disappointment, heartbreak and death. Instead of
leading man to the Tree of Life, they keep him from it.
"But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut
up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves,
neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." (Matt. 23:13)
3. POLITIANS AND INTELLECTUALS
Just so we will not pick on the doctors, scribes and business
promoters and claim we are not a party to suggestion, let us remember
that we all play our part in each category, especially in this category
of being politicians. This is the profession which tells everyone what
is "in". It is very important, they stress, to be "in", because if one
is not "in", then he is certainly "out", and that is a fate worse than
death. The great politicians and intellectuals are great hypnotizers,
suggesting that unless one agrees with them, he will be supporting
terrible people who will get everyone into terrible trouble. Thus, it
is "in" to be conservative or liberal, pro-war or anti-war, pro-labor,
and so forth. Every group, society, company, church, city, state and
nation has their politicians who create dedication, zeal and loyalty
through suggestion based upon fear, competition, ambition or self-pity.
It seems these days that almost everyone is suddenly finding out that
he is a member of a disadvantageous, victimized minority, whether it is
a race, religion, nationality or the "Home Owners of Big Valley Against
Sewers."
The war between the "haves" and the "have nots", whether it be in
ideologies or economics, is a form of competition which always leads to
violence. Competition is the energy source for great civilizations,
but it is also the force which brings about their destruction. When
one sees the suggestions which underlie competition, he can step out of
the "in" and "out" game, the upmanship contest, and leave
"civilization" by entering into a "culture." Through still IN the
world, he ceases to live as though he was OF it. It only takes one to
have a CULTURE. That one could soon be a Christ-man.
4. BUSINESS PROMOTERS
"Everybody", they tell us, "wants to make a buck". Making money
usually takes selling and the secret of selling is suggestion.
Promoters give people the suggestion of what is "pretty". Being pretty
is very important, because if something is not "pretty", then it is
"ugly". So most everyone buys pretty cars, houses, clothes, cosmetics,
appliances, furnishings, and on and on. the business promoters give
the suggestion that everything will be rosey when people have MORE of
something or other. Just plain utility and reasonable comfort and
reliability is not what we struggle and go in debt for. We need to be
nice, handsome, or pretty. Styles, tastes, habits, standards, and even
ethics are changed by suggestion. Mass advertising is mass hypnosis—
premeditated, calculated, and ingenious. People claim that they buy
only what is necessary, the absolute essentials, but who are they
kidding. Look at the fancy, gooey, pre-cooked, de-energized, colorful
wrapped foods we squander our treasure for--Why? Because we need the
nourishment? No! It is because of psychological necessity.
When a person sees the skillfully laid suggestions for "gaining
and escaping" which lie behind the big promotions, he can recognize the
"designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men." He
also sees that he has sometimes been one of them. When he discovers
that he does not need psychological safety, he is then free to enjoy
what he will, with no compulsion, no need to be any particular thing to
any body, but a freedom to enjoy what he does do within the reality of
FULL RESPONSIBILITY. Guilt is actually an attempt to escape
responsibility through
blame--even a blame of "self".
The Robe of the Holy Priesthood--the clothing of whole
understanding--is placed first on the left side, which is the dark
side, so that he can throw off the chains of hell, the hypnotic power
of suggestion which Lucifer tempts the new born Christ in every man.
But the wisdom which comes from this pure wholeness of understanding
the Man-Made World responds:
"Man shall not live by bread (gratification of the senses) alone,
but by every word (the Light of truth) that proceedeth out of the mouth
of God."
"Thou shalt not tempt (plead to be given comfort and escape from
pain) the Lord thy God. "Get thee hence, Satan, for it is
written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only
shalt thou serve (be a function of). (Matt. 4:4-10)
Chapter 15
THE SECOND TOKEN OF THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD
The last phase of both the Garden of Eden room and World Room is
to give the candidates a test each time to see if they are really
conscious or whether they are "putting on the forms of
Godliness but denying the power thereof." In the World room, the test
is called the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood. At the
conclusion of this second test, the people are instructed to change
their robes to the right shoulder so that they can officiate in the
ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood in the Terrestrial Room. So
it is clear to see that all the instruction up to this point has been
on the level of consciousness associated with the Aaronic Order of the
Power of God. What is the meaning of the Aaronic Priesthood?
When a person seeks to learn a trade, he first becomes an
apprentice to learn the basics of his craft. Second, as he gains
skill, he becomes a craftsman, but still remains a student, always
learning more. A craftsman can be a teacher of apprentices, but is
really just an apprentice teacher. Finally, the third phase is that of
being a master craftsman, which means that he is a true teacher.
The Aaronic Priesthood is associated with being an apprentice in
which one is learning to be a student or disciple of Christ. When
Joseph Smith received the Aaronic Priesthood from John the
Baptist, he was told that it--"...holds the keys of the ministering of
angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and the baptism by immersion
for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from
the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the
Lord in righteousness." (D&C 13)
If we take this as a literal statement of the purpose of the
Aaronic Priesthood, it appears that angels will minister to those who
hold such keys. But this does not seem to occur in the present day.
It appears that those who hold this priesthood fail to understand the
deeper, personal meaning of the preparatory priesthood function.
"Angels" mean "messengers of God" who are teachers of the Way--
the true Law of the Gospel. They may come from either side of the
veil. Because they have inner teachings or hidden wisdom, they are
often difficult to recognize when they come. They often come as
"strangers" who are not part of the ordinary priesthood structure.
Abinadi, Jeremiah, and John the Baptist are typical examples. Jesus
was such a ministering angel to the multitudes and a master teacher to
the twelve. The Lord has given the Saints bits of information about
these holy men who are not part of the present membership of the
Church.
"Wherefore, I will that all men repent, for all are under sin
(misconceptions), except those which I have reserved unto myself, HOLY
MEN (wholly conscious men) that ye know not of." (D&C 49:8)
Brigham Young promised that the day would come when strangers
would appear among the Saints to make clear the way of salvation. We
referred to this sermon in the introduction of this book. These
strangers, who may be among the saints at the present time, come as
ministering angels to teach the preparatory level of priesthood power,
the Aaronic Order.
The gospel of repentance and baptism by immersion for the
remissions of sins is the major message of the preparatory gospel.
"Repentance", "immersion" and "remission" are three very common words
and are often taken for granted at their superficial level of meaning.
Most people believe that sin is the desire or actual commission of
"bad" acts and the omission of "good" acts. With such an understanding
of sin, repentance is a never ending process. No one ever seems to get
through repenting. However, the scriptures speak of the DAY of
repentance, so there must be a deeper meaning.
As we have previously discussed, the Greek meaning for the word
sin is "missing the mark", or as we would say in America, it is
"missing the point". Repentance means to turn the mind around, to get
the point by seeing clearly. Most people have never truly repented at
all, because they have never seen the grievous error of partaking of
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The "Gospel of Repentance"
means the "Good News of Seeing the Point". When one discovers "what he
is", his proper function, and the cruel joke he has been playing on
himself, he has a new view, called a newness of life. His old life of
struggle, conflict and resistance is dead.
That which is dead is ready for burial. The funeral service is
called baptism. It is also the day of resurrection, because a new life
is represented. As Paul explained, baptism follows the pattern of the
burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ:
"Know ye not, that so many of us were baptized into Jesus
Christ, were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried by
baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by
the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life..."
"Knowing this, that our old man (conditioned man) is
crucified with him, that the body of sin (mastery by the senses) might
be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin (misconception).
For he that is dead (he that has lost the hypnosis of suggestion) is
freed from sin." (Romans 6:3-6)
Baptism by immersion means to bury the old purpose of living,
which was to serve the four dual senses of good and evil in order to
try to find the non-disturbed state. Having seen the false idols of
the Man-Made World, one finds no more fascination by its illusions.
A true student is like a man who has been going to work every day
to toil as a laborer but suddenly discovers a diamond mine in his own
back yard. He has suddenly seen the truth which completely changes his
mind about how he is to make a living. He has experienced a "day of
repentance". He has seen and beheld. This example demonstrates the
difference between (1) learning in order to form beliefs and (2)
understanding in order to find a new life. Learning is comparable to
finding out that there MAY BE diamonds in one's back yard.
Understanding results by discovering that there are diamonds. Learning
can be of value to get a person to look, since a person looks because
he has a belief. A belief is always based upon speculation. When he
discovers the diamonds, he no longer has a belief, he has the fact--he
has diamonds.
If a person feels a burning in his bosom, that is a fact. When
he tries to determine what it is and what it means, that is
speculation. We describe facts. We explain beliefs. Some might say
that this book is merely an "explanation" of the endowment. This is
true. However, we are explaining the endowment by DESCRIBING what each
person can discover as fact in his own life. For example, you can
discover that your entire purpose of living, since the day you were
born, has been to be non-disturbed. When you have seen this, it is a
discovered fact to you, not a belief. True repentance can come about
only by understanding the reality we experience. For example, the
power of the priesthood is either a power, in fact, or it is only a
belief based upon hope and speculation. No one can teach you how to
have that power or what it is like, but you can be shown where to look
to see the obstructions to that power. When the obstructions are
removed, the power is there.
A man can never develop above or leave the preparatory priesthood
until he discovers the illusions of his conditioned life. This is the
meaning behind the statement, "...(It) shall NEVER BE TAKEN again for
the earth, until the sons of Levi, today, are all those who are
ordained to the preparatory priesthood, for they are called to become
sons of Moses and Aaron, which means students of the preparatory
teachers. The Law of Moses was a symbolical means of teaching the
principles of repentance and the remission of sin, which is the
preparatory gospel.
The phrase, "be taken from the earth" refers to the personal
earth or body of the one ordained. "To offer again an offering unto
the Lord in righteousness" refers to the same sacrifice agreed to in
the Garden of Eden Room, whereby the apprentice will cast his old
Luciferian life onto the altar to be burned. He will not move beyond
these lesser teachings of power until he has made this acceptable
offering unto the Lord in righteousness, which means full
consciousness. The "taking away" of the lesser priesthood is only to
make way for the higher. As one fulfills the apprenticeship of a son
of Moses and Aaron, he can then become a craftsman, called a son of
Abraham. This is the level of calling for one who is an elder in the
Melchizedek Priesthood. Abraham was a teacher of the intermediate
level which is symbolized by the Terrestrial Room of the Temple, the
level of true self-consciousness. At the next higher level, that of
being a master teacher or true high priest, one becomes a full member
of the body or Church of the Firstborn. Finally, man becomes a
Melchizedek, the elect of God, which is the level of translation.
These levels of growth in the true power of priesthood are
explained in the Doctrine and Covenants:
"For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining (functioning in)
these two priesthoods...and the magnifying their calling are
sanctified (cleansed of idolatry) by the Spirit (of truth) UNTO THE
RENEWING OF THEIR BODIES (the aging process is reversed). They become
(1) the sons of Moses and of Aaron and (2) the seed of Abraham, and
(3) the church and kingdom (of the Firstborn), and (4) the elect of
God." (D&C 84:33-34)
The World Room instruction contains the keys to the mystery of
going from the first to the second level of knowledge. The major
element of this transition is the death by willing sacrifice of the
sensual self. An acceptable sacrifice cannot be provided through
education, will power, struggle, self-torment, anguish, anxiety,
inspiration or anything else which is a product of relative
consciousness. All that is required is that the TRUTH be eaten and
digested until it is conscious flesh and blood, the seeing of reality.
One comprehends or has eyes to see that there are two worlds and that
he is of the Real World which is filled with diamonds of truth and
pearls of great price.
It is for this reason that before the candidate leaves the World
Room, he is given his final test or token of the Aaronic Priesthood.
Here are Peter's instruction:
PETER: A couple will now come to the altar. We are instructed to
give unto you the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood with its
accompanying name, sign and penalty. Before doing this, however, we
desire to impress upon your minds the sacred character of the Second
Token of the Aaronic Priesthood with its accompanying name, sign and
penalty. They are most sacred and are guarded by solemn covenants and
obligations of secrecy to the effect that under no condition, even at
the peril of your life will you ever divulge them, except at a certain
place that will be shown you hereafter. The representation of the
penalty indicates different ways in which life may be taken.
The second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood is given by clasping
the right hands together and by placing the joint of the thumb between
the first and second knuckles of the hand, in this
manner.
Adam, we give unto you the Second Token of the Aaronic
Priesthood.
We desire all to receive it. All arise. If any of you have not
received this token, please raise your hand.
The name of this token is your own first given name if you are
going through the temple for yourself, or the first given name of the
person for whom you are officiating.
The sign of the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood is made by
bringing the right hand in front of you, with the hand in cupping
shape, the right arm forming a square, the left arm being
raised to the square. This is the sign. The execution of the penalty
is represented by placing the right hand on the left breast, drawing
the hand quickly across the body and dropping the hands to the sides.
If I were going through the temple for the first time this day
for my own endowments--my first given name being Thomas--I would say:
I, Thomas, do covenant and promise that I will never reveal the second
token of the Aaronic Priesthood, with its accompanying name, sign and
penalty. Rather than do so I would suffer my life to be taken.
All arise.
The sign of the second token of the Aaronic Priesthood is made by
bringing the right hand in front of you, with the hand in cupping
shape, the left arm being raised to the square. This is
the sign.
Now repeat in your minds after me the words of the covenant, at
the same time representing the execution of the penalty.
I,_________(think of the first given name), do covenant and
promise that I will never reveal the second token of the Aaronic
Priesthood, together with its accompanying name, sign and penalty.
Rather than do so I would suffer my life to be taken.
That will do.
(If one of the brethren or sisters makes a mistake in the
execution of the penalty, the execution of the penalty is repeated.)
(Peter, James and John return and report to Jehovah, and Jehovah
reports to Elohim. Instructions from Elohim are given to Jehovah, and
for Jehovah to Peter, James and John.)
PETER: We have been instructed to have you place your robe on the
right shoulder, preparatory to receiving the first token of the
Melchizedek Priesthood, and entering into the Terrestrial World.
You may now do so.
The brethren will follow Adam and the Sisters will follow Eve
into the room representing the Terrestrial World.
It will be noticed that the handclasp of the Second Token is
almost identical with the First Token. The joint of the thumb is moved
from the first knuckle to the space between the first and second
knuckles. The handclasp is still a half-clasp, representing the
partial union between man and God.
The Second Token is the second test to enable the candidate to
see if he is paying attention and awake. Since the test is skillfully
designed, the candidate will be totally oblivious of his failure to
pass the test and will be permitted to proceed on to the completion of
the Terrestrial portion of the endowment. The World Room is the first
level or degree of instruction, the Terrestrial is the Second level or
degree, and the third level is reserved for the room BEHIND the veil.
Although this highest phase is not given in present temples, it is,
literally, the THIRD DEGREE, when the candidate is roughly and sternly
awakened if he has proceeded without paying attention. This subject
will be discussed when we deal with the Celestial Room.
Some of the same tests of the First Token and included in the
Second, such as making an oath just after promising to keep the Law of
the Gospel which forbids swearing any oaths. However, the penalty for
this Second Token is different. The hand is drawn quickly across the
chest, indicating the way "in which life may be taken." In earlier
days in the Church, the words describing the penalty were more
specific, stating that "should I do so, I agree to have my breast cut
open and my heart and vitals torn from my body and given to the birds
of the air and the beasts of the field." (Temple Mormonism, p. 20)
Whereas the First Token dealt with cutting off the head, we see
that this token deals with cutting out the heart. The head is where we
think. The heart is where we feel or have a sense of things. The heart
is to be pure, meaning that our feelings are to be unadulterated by
lust, which is the desire to gain gratification of the senses. There
are four conditions of the heart which will expose a candidate in his
failure to meet the requirements of this level of consciousness.
1. The Guilty Heart
2. The Angry Heart
3. The Fearful Heart
4. The Sentimental Heart
1. THE GUILTY HEART AND THE PENALTY
Guilty feelings are the result of a disturbed conscience. It is
generally believed that one's conscience is the stern voice of an
offended God. However, if we think about people for a bit, we can
recognize that guilt feelings are the result of the conditioning
received as a child. One person feels very guilty if he eats meat on
Friday, and another feels guilty if he eats pork on any day. One
person feels guilty if he eats any meat al all, and another feels
guilty if he drinks coffee. Obviously, all these feelings, and they
can be very strong feelings if the early conditioning has been
effective, are not the voice of the Spirit. Actually, they are the
voice of one's B side, which is the "need to please" and the "need to
do and believe as told by one's authorities".
A person induces the sensations of guilt in an attempt to atone
for his own sins. He must make himself pay by self-crucifixion so that
he will never want to be "bad" again. He cannot conceive of a way of
life or level of consciousness which knows no guilt because he has
never truly accepted the atonement of Jesus Christ. Christ paid the
debt of sin so there is no need for anyone to try to pay for sin again.
"But," one may say, "it is only through the suffering of guilt that we
are motivated to change from bad to good." Hogwash! If a person is
"good" only because he feels so terrible when he is "bad", then he is
not good at all- he is just scared. He is not submissive to the Light
of truth for he is taking the initiative role, judging by his senses of
what is good and bad, trying to re-create what he thinks God has poorly
created.
If a man does not rob a bank because he might get caught or
because he is too proud to get booty that way, he is a "bank-robber"
who just doesn't rob banks because of fear or pride. However, if a man
does not rob banks because he knows that the money in the bank does not
belong to him, then he is not a bank-robber at all. Neither is he
being "good". He is just living simple truth. He sees the good of the
truth.
Actually, the guilty heart comes from idolatry, not faith. An
idol is anything--object, person, ideal, principality or organization--
which one looks to for his state of happiness. This is called giving
away one's power of being. When we need something from others to feel
contentment, such as others being pleased with us, giving us our way,
changing to our desires, or accepting our ideas and authority in order
for us to be at peace within, then we have given them the
responsibility (ability to respond) for our well being. The power we
confer upon them is an unilateral form of priesthood in our own
personally created, idolatrous religion. In this religion we worship a
single, great almighty god, the one and only god over all the Man-Made
World. He is a jealous god, easily offended, quick to take revenge.
His name is unspeakable, for those who worship him do not know the name
by which he is called. But he is real and he is the real voice of
conscience. Perhaps it might be well if you did learn his great and
holy name, for you may have used it many times in vain. His name is
"WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK".
This is the god to whom man pays homage, giving his attention and
adoration, feeling such great elation when the god smiles and feeling
such great rejection when he is not pleased. Man gives his treasure,
his peace, and his life trying to please this god, whose other name is
Lucifer, the Desire of the Senses. The four basic desires of the
senses are almost totally motivated by one's faith in this god. Even
most of what one wants in creature-comforts is more psychological than
physical, being conditioned by "What Will People Think." Thus, Lucifer
wears a black apron, symbolic of his idolatrous power.
Most people experience less guilt for doing something they think
is wrong than they do when they think they are going to get caught--and
what will people think. If a person's image of the Heavenly Father is
quite real, then He, too, becomes part of the "people" in the great
false god. It is interesting that religious guilt is usually worrying
about what the Father will think, not about what Jesus will think.
Guilt is not a part of consciousness but is part of the
nightmares of sleep. Thus, the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood
is to see if one has been willing to give up the old sense of
worshipping mammon. This is symbolized by a willingness to have the
chest cut open and all of the old dictatorial and idolatrous senses
cast away. These are the feelings of the old heart and vitals which
contained the seeds of death. They are to be consumed by the birds of
the air and beasts of the field who do not worship the idolatrous god
of the Man-made World. Birds symbolize the new liberty of flying
through the heavens, free from the chains of the gravity of guilt. The
beasts of the field symbolize the carrying away of man's heavy burdens.
So when a candidate of the higher endowment still clings to his guilty
heart, he fails the final test of consciousness, he will suffer his
life to be taken in an unnecessary, but natural, physical death.
2. THE ANGRY HEART AND THE NAME
We never get angry without feeling, at the time, that we have
good justification for it. Usually we get angry at other people but
sometimes we get angry at things and occasionally we even get angry at
ourselves. There are times that we regret our act of anger because we
find that our justification was based upon a misunderstanding on our
part. But most of the time we do not discover the false basis of our
anger and often call it "righteous indignation."
If we saw the truth behind all our anger, we would see that not
one bit of it is righteous. It all comes from the A side, which is the
"need to have my way." Give it some thought and you will discover that
every time you have been angry it was because you were not getting your
way. The feelings of jealousy and self-pity are also anger feelings
because we are not getting our rights. Blaming comes from the fact
that we think we know what ought to be and people should do things "our
way."
Anger comes form the old or infant brain which was formed at
birth when the baby received his name. Therefore, it is fitting that
the name of this second token or test is one's own given name, which
stands for his old nature. This is being unconscious after claiming
the use of the new name or nature if one does not sacrifice his angry
heart.
3. THE FEARFUL HEART AND THE TOKEN
Fear even tries to hide from itself. It is often the most
disguised of all emotions. It is a feeling which can be portrayed as
courage, snobbishness, intolerance, faith and even love. A young
man who drives his car 110 miles an hour to show off for his friends is
said to have real courage, but he is really motivated by fear--a fear
that his friends will think he is afraid. The anguish a person feels
when he is rejected by his sweetheart is really fear of not having
approval, but it is called the broken heart of love.
What is it that drives us incessantly to have our better side
revealed? Is it pride, integrity, devotion, or loyalty? Or is it a
fear that others will see that we are not as "good" as we would like to
be? We want to prove to others that we are a "good guy." Actually,
however, if we faced reality, we would see that in each of us is the
full spectrum of potential--from the greatest saint to the lowest
devil. If David could commit adultery, deception and murder, dare any
of us say the such conduct is beyond our potential? If a man like
Peter could become a Christ-man, can any of us say the we do not have
the potential to do the same? If we have all these potentials, from
the lowest to the highest, then what are we trying to prove by our
"right foot forward" game? Each of us has the potential to be the
greatest egomaniac, martyr, lover, hater, resenter, forgiver--just name
it. All we need is the right conditioning, over a long enough period,
and the worst and the best could be produced, as far as we know.
When we accept this reality that we are not God's great gift to the
world nor are we the devil's greatest ally, then we can stop worrying
about the god, "What Will People Think," and get on with the process
of experiencing life freely, as a function of Light and Truth.
Fear comes from feeling that we are cut off, separated from the
source of Life. Of course, this is certainly true, but it is fear that
got us that way--being afraid that we might not be comfortable or that
we might be hurt in some way. So we have tried one solution after
another. If we stop to look, we will find that every problem is merely
a bad solution to what we thought was another problem. For example, we
have a problem of being in debt, why? Because we tried to solve other
problems by buying things. Each of the seven basic decisions were
formed trying to solve the problems caused by the ones we had made
before. When we cease trying to solve our "problems" and begin to
understand what our "problems" really are, we will see that they are
only symptoms of the one and only problem. The one problem is our
inner urge to gain that ideal, painless, non-disturbed state we once
knew in the womb. Therefore we are resisting life's experiences, in
conflict with what is at this moment, struggling to make it what it
ought to be. This is the hell inhabited by those with a fearful heart.
When we discover that life can be experienced freely, there is
nothing to fear. If real dangers develop, the Awareness reports the
situation instantly to Intelligence, giving an accurate
interpretation, and survival is provided. We will not discuss the many
possible ways that real dangers are diverted, but the scriptures are
full of examples. The interesting thing to note is that when anyone
experiences a threatening experience freely—such as young people do on
a roller coaster, the experience is not called fear, it is called a
thrill. Life can only be a thrill when
it is experienced freely.
The Second Token is a half-clasp handshake symbolizing the way
fearful people feel about life--like they only have half a hold. They
have that feeling from time to time, as if they are hanging over a
cliff and their helper has only got half a hold on their hand. In
desperate fear, they struggle for a fuller union, and in that struggle,
they tear themselves loose and fall, thus revealing the half grip token
to the world, paying for it with their lives.
4. THE SEMTIMENTAL HEART AND THE SIGN
Compassion is not sentimentality. Compassion is understanding.
Sentimentality is insecurity. Most people may find it difficult to see
that sentimentality and insecurity are the same
emotion but it can be demonstrated in many ways. For instance, when
watching a very sad movie, tears come to the eyes. We choke up and our
hearts feel very heavy. Why? Because we identify with the characters
in the play who are victims of tragic developments of life, such as
disease, climate, or villains. The circumstances remind us of our own
"unearned" hurts and we cry, because we have always felt, way down
deep, that we are being picked on. So we are sentimental about family,
country, church, or possessions which help to protect us from that
hostile environment which may swoop down on us at any time and attack
us with disease, accident, rejection or disaster. We feel like the
tiny, crying infant who is being spanked when he is so helpless and
sincere.
The Sign of the Second Token carries out this symbol. The right
arm is held in a square, but not lifted up as if holding a light, but
dropped down as one who is trying to reach for something. The right
hand is held in cupping shape, which is the sign of a beggar, saying,
"Give me! Please give me!"
Sentimentality, instead of being compassion, is pity and feeling
sorry for people, including ourselves. Our pity for others encourages
them to feel that they could not help themselves and are victims of
hard, cruel circumstances. However, each of us has constantly refused
the divine invitation to break lose the chains of the Man-Made World
and be of the Real World where difficulties are challenging and
comforts are delightful. God does not promise the non-disturbed state,
but he does offer a gift of true peace of mind. There is a great
difference between the two, for the former is an illusion and the
latter is true reality.
The four types of hearts which are revealed in the Second Test or
Token of the Aaronic Priesthood exist because those who partake of the
Tree of Knowledge live by expectation. Here are just a few of the
things we feel we have the right to expect:
1: We expect that other people will do what is right if they
know what is right.
2: We expect that other people know how they are making us feel
and therefore they will help
us.
3: We expect that if we complain, we will get our way.
4: We expect that if we can get our own way, we will be non-
disturbed and happy.
5: We expect if we please people, we will be non-disturbed and
happy and that they will do
what we want.
6: We expect that we can change ourselves if we make up our
minds.
7: We expect that we have rights and other people should
respect them.
8: We expect that we will be happy if other people or something
were different.
9: We expect that others will accept our conclusions and
beliefs.
In other words, we expect other people to act like adults so that
we won't have to. When we have such expectations which are built upon
illusions and misconceptions, we are going to be disappointed. When we
are disappointed, we feel hurt—sometimes very deeply hurt. When we are
hurt, we look for blame. If we blame ourselves, we have a guilty
heart. If we blame someone else, we have an angry heart. If we don't
know who to blame, we have a fearful heart. If we find it is a
combination of all three, we feel helplessly insecure and become very
sentimental about almost everything.
What does a conscious person do when he comes to the Second Token
of the Aaronic Priesthood? Having been awake to the Real World, he
does not live by expectations based upon illusions and false ideals.
His expectations are based upon a simple fact of life. The fact is
that this world is populated almost entirely by little children, many
of whom are in grown-up bodies with some degree of technical education.
Most grown-ups are little children, mentally, because they function
from their infant brain, Side A, and their child brain, Side B.
Therefore a conscious person knows just exactly what to expect from
everyone, and is very, very seldom surprised. There may be an occasion
or two when someone comes along who is no longer a child and that will
not be a disappointment but a very pleasant surprise. He who has self-
consciousness enjoys all people just as they are. He understands that
people are always acting perfectly for little children. Because of
such understanding, he has true compassion for everyone.
When a conscious person participates in the Second Token of the
Aaronic Priesthood, he does so as a witness that he has previously
lived in a childish way and most people still are. He will not reveal
this secret token of the half-life by treating childish people rudely
and impatiently, or with sentimentality and pity. He will recognize
that the level people are now experiencing is perfect for the stage of
evolving they are at this moment. Were he to fight and fuss with this
condition, he would fail to understand the Real World of God's
creation. The sign of the penalty is to acknowledge that were he to
resist "what is", he would knowingly be also paying with his life.
After completing this test and token, the candidate is now
prepared to take the robe of the Holy Priesthood off of his left
shoulder and place it on his right shoulder. The right shoulder
represents his level of understanding of the Real World. This is the
world all of us are of, whether we know it or not. This is not the
world of games, rules, officials and penalties. It is not the world of
opposites, like normal and abnormal, good and bad, pretty and ugly, in
and out, but it is the world of REAL LIVING BEINGS, unique and special
creations of a very wise and Infinite Eternal Father. No two of His
creations are alike. No two of them are in the same environment at the
same time, therefore there is no way one can be compared against
another. They are in the Real World of the Light of Truth where there
are no standards or opposites for living beings, there are only
differences. Some are asleep and some are awake. Some are dying and
some are alive. Some are in bondage and some are in liberty. But they
are all responding perfectly to their environment because they are
doing the ONLY thing they can do for the moment, time and place, being
what they are at that moment, time and place.
As the morning sun of awakening comes up over the Terrestrial
horizon, as the Telestial dimensions of a moonlight night give way to
the glory of understanding, joy springs up in the heart of the
beholder. With the Psalmist, he shouts:
Make a JOYFUL noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Server the Lord with gladness:
Come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the Lord he is God;
IT IS HE THAT HATH MADE US, AND NOT WE OURSELVES.
We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
And into his courts with praise.
Be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the Lord is good,
His mercy is everlasting;
And his truth endureth unto all generations.
(Psalms 100)
Chapter 16
THE LAW OF CHASTITY
Of all the rooms of the endowment, the Terrestrial is designed as
the deepest level of instruction. If all preparatory steps have been
taken, the individual is now a true student of integrative material.
He is becoming conscious of "self", not only in theory and doctrine,
but in comprehension and realization.
In the Terrestrial instruction there are seven steps,
representing the seven phases of development on the self-conscious
level. These are sometimes referred to as the seven valleys of
enlightenment. The great discoveries of insight are often found in the
spiritual valleys rather than on the ecstatic heights. As the student
gains experiences in a new purpose of living, the evolving to higher
levels of understanding come through challenges rather than the void of
calm and comfort. The seven steps, the number representing
completeness, are as follows:
1. The Covenant of the Law of Chastity.
2. The First Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
3. The Covenant to Keep the Law of Consecration.
4. The Second Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
5. The True Order of Prayer.
6. The Uncovering of the Veil of the Temple.
7. The Passing Through the Veil.
As you will notice from the above, the candidates are now
receiving the instruction which is associated with the full,
Melchizedek Priesthood. This instruction is not for the literal and
materialistically minded, but is for those who are serious students of
the mystery of Godliness. Regarding these particular ordinances or
confirmations, the Lord has said:
"And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and
holdeth the key of THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM, EVEN THE KEY OF THE
KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the POWER OF
GODLINESS IS MANIFEST (revealed). And without the ordinances
thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is
not manifest unto men in the flesh; for without this no man can see
the face of God, even the Father, and live." (D&C 84:19-22)
The literally minded think that without being ordained to the
priesthood, no one can look God directly in the face and survive. It
means much, much more than this. Joseph Smith acknowledges that before
he had any priesthood or ordinances he looked upon the face of God.
The deeper meaning is that through the power of "God-in-man", man will
LIVE because he has seen the face of God. The face of God is to
comprehend His infinite presence. The ordinances and authority of the
full priesthood is not just to go through a ritual, but to become a
true, conscious function of the Light of truth. Joseph Smith said,
"Thus we behold the keys of this Priesthood consisted in obtaining the
VOICE OF JEHOVAH THAT HE TALKED WITH HIM." (Teachings of the Prophet
Joseph Smith p. 171) True ordination means to be truly established.
No man can rest upon outward ceremony, and no man has been required to
wait upon it.
God's great, new and everlasting covenant to man is to LIVE.
Joseph Smith taught that the principle of translation was the natural
process of the priesthood and power of God:
"Now the doctrine of translation is a POWER which belongs
to the Priesthood. There are many things which belong to the powers of
the Priesthood and the keys thereof, that have been kept hid (taught
only undercover) from before the foundations of the world: they are hid
from the wise and prudent to be revealed in THE LAST TIMES (man's
higher levels of understanding).
"Many have supposed that the doctrine of translation was a
doctrine whereby men were taken immediately into the presence of God,
and into an eternal fullness, but this is a mistaken idea. Their place
of habitation is that of the TERRESTRIAL ORDER." (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith p.170)
When the Lord says that IN the ordinances (or endowment) of the
priesthood, the POWER OF GODLINESS IN MANIFEST, there is no greater
revelation of this than in the Terrestrial instruction. For very
necessary reasons, only the lesser portions of the deeper meaning will
be given to the reader in these pages. However, even the lesser
portions is more than many people will be able to face.
As we reviewed in the last two chapters, after the candidates
were dressed in the robes on their left shoulder and given the Second
Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, Peter, James and John again
demonstrated the true order and ordination of man by reporting their
work to Jehovah, who then reported to Elohim. Elohim then instructed
Jehovah to have Peter, James and John return to the man Adam and to
place the robe on the right shoulder preparatory to functioning in the
ordinances of the greater priesthood. Adam was to be put under
covenant to keep the Law of Chastity and then given the First Token of
the Melchizedek Priesthood. Jehovah then goes to Peter, James and John
and instructs them to do those things he has been given by Elohim.
To the uninitiated, these frequent duplications of reports and
instructions may seem repetitious and unnecessary. However these
communications demonstrate the one, major lesson of the entire
endowment. This is the KEY, for there is but one "key of the mysteries
of Godliness, even THE KEY of the knowledge of God." That key is to
know the correct relationships between the four aspects of man--(1)
Intelligence, (2) Awareness (3) Physical/Spirit Body, and (4) The
Results of the Life. This is why the demonstration of how each aspect
relates to the other is made over and over. Here are the number of
times the example is demonstrated.
Creation Room……… . . . . 7
Garden of Eden Room…. . . 3
World Room . . . . . . . 3
Terrestrial Room. . . . . 3
At the Veil . . . . . . . 2
____________________________
Total 18
Now to continue with the endowment story. As soon as all the
candidates are seated in the Terrestrial Room, they are addressed by
Peter as follows:
PETER: A couple will now come to the altar. We are instructed to
give unto you the Law of Chastity.
To the sisters it is that no one of you will have sexual
intercourse with any of the sons of Adam, except your legal and lawful
husband. To the brethren it is that no one of you will have sexual
intercourse with any of the daughters of Eve, expect your legal and
lawful wife.
Sisters please arise. Each of you bring your right hand to the
square. You and each of you do covenant and promise before God, angels
and these witnesses at this altar that you will keep the Law of
Chastity, as it has been explained to you. Each of you bow you head
and say yes.
SISTERS: Yes.
PETER: That will do.
Brethren arise. Each of you bring your right hand to the square.
You and each of you do covenant and promise before God, angels and
these witnesses at this altar that you will keep the Law of Chastity as
it has been explained to you. Each of you bow your head and say yes.
BRETHREN: Yes.
PETER: That will do.
Since purity and virtue are stressed so much in the scriptures,
most members of the Church are not surprised at the special
significance placed on this particular rule in the temple. It is often
taught that adultery is second only to murder. Because of this great
emphasis on the act rather than a state of being, many faithful Latter-
day Saints carry a heavy burden due to a past, regretful transgression.
Yet the real meaning of spiritual chastity is often ignored. The grave
violation of spiritual adultery is not even comprehended by a great
majority who have been to the temple. It is time that it was discussed
more openly.
Actually, Jesus demonstrated that sexual sins are quickly
forgiven. His Sermon on the Mount explained that the act is no greater
sin than the desire, so who dare cast the first stone? If people's
actions are pure because of fear, they, themselves, are not pure at
all. What Jesus was most severe about was the spiritual adultery
committed by the scribes and Pharisees. Their great sin is the real
subject of the Law of Chastity given in the endowment. Obedience to
the physical law of chastity was already covered in the covenant to
"keep His commandments" in the Garden of Eden Room and to avoid "all
impure and unholy practices" in the World Room.
The Law of Chastity speaks of one's "legal and lawful" spouse.
It does not speak of one's legal and lawfully WEDDED spouse. God is
not concerned with the rules and laws invented by men, but with the
eternal laws of the universe. So let us see what is this particular
legal and Lawful union which si to be held inviolate.
Those who receive their endowments are called to be the bride of
Christ. In this relationship, Christ functions as the bridegroom and
the Awareness functions as the bride. The bride has covenanted to take
upon herself the name of her husband, which means that she will fulfill
the nature of the Christ relationship with the Father. The Christ
relationship is to be an accurate reporter and interpreter, which is to
describe rather than to judge. When man reverses the function, where
he takes over as the all important decider, turning every which way for
the gratification of the senses and psychological desires, he has had
intercourse with strangers and has adulterated his sacred vows of
purity. This is the adultery which turns the world upside down and
fills it with darkness. This is what is next to murder, for instead of
taking anothers life, adultery is to take one's own life. Sin--to miss
conceive--has the wages of death.
Those interested in a more intensive treatment of this symbolism
may profitably study Ezekial 16. In this revelation, god describes his
rejection of his chosen people as a husband rejecting a wife who has
been grossly unfaithful. Here are some of the verses as an example:
"Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man
cause Jerusalem (one who is under covenant) to KNOW her
abominations..."
"And say, thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem; thy birth
(master decision) and thy nativity (conditioning) is of the land of
Canaan (desires of the senses): thy father was an Amorite (to gain
pleasure) and thy mother an Hittite (to escape pain)..."
"Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy
time was the time of love (union in consciousness); and I spread my
skirt (understanding) over thee, and covered thy nakedness (ignorance);
yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith
the Lord God, and thou becamest mine (committed to consciousness).
Then washed I thee with water (truth); yea, I thoroughly washed away
thy blood (wasted life) from thee, and I anointed thee with oil (the
Good of the truth)..."
"How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest
all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman (one who turns
every which way for life); in that thou buildest thine
eminent place (purpose of living) in the head of every way (every
aspect of life), and makest thine high place in every street; and hast
not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire (won't let the senses
serve you), but as a wife that committeth adultery (being "right" by
the way one feels rather than by truth), who taketh strangers
(darkness) instead of her husband (light)! They give gifts to all
whores; but thou givest thy gifts (life) to all thy lovers (senses),
and hirest them (promises to reward them), that they may come unto thee
on every side of thy whoredom."
"And thine elder sister (A side) is Samaria (Vantiy)...thy
younger sister (B side)...is Sodom, pride...Then thou shalt remember
thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine
elder and thy younger (the infant brain and the child brain); and I
will give them unto thee for daughters (to become less important, thus
obedient), but not by thy covenant (part of the new point of
Awareness)."
There is much more to this symbolic revelation, but the point I
strongly made that God will not be mocked. The compensating balance to
spiritual infidelity is great. Ancient Israel was one wicked and
adulterous generation after another--not always through sexual
promiscuity, for there was a death penalty on that--but for their
pride, vanity, and unbelief. Modern Israel has chosen to be little
better and for this reason they are still an outcast people, rejected
and unworthy to establish the Zion of the PURE IN HEART.
"...vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under
condemnation...for shall the children of the kingdom POLLUTE
(adulterate) my HOLY LAND? Verily, I say unto you, NAY!" (D&C 84:55 &
59)
The Lord's holy land is the "place of consecration, the gift that
is given to abide in man, the record of heaven. The true "place" of
Zion is in the heart, for Zion is "THE PURE IN HEART." Man's body is
the temple of God when the proper union or marriage of Awareness and
Spirit takes place. Then Man is a true function of God, "yea, man is
the tabernacle of God, even temples; and WHATSOEVER TEMPLE IS DEFILED,
GOD SHALL DESTROY THAT TEMPLE." (D&C93:35)
Chapter 17
THE FIRST TOKEN OF THE MELCHEZEDEK PRIESTHOOD
After the Law of Chastity has been presented, Peter gives the
first test or token of the greater priesthood. The presentation is as
follows:
PETER: We are instructed to give unto you the First Token of The
Melchizedek Priesthood or Sign of The Nail. This is done by bringing
your right hand forward in a vertical position, fingers close together,
thumb extended. And the person giving the token places the tip of his
forefinger in the center of the palm and the thumb on the back of the
hand, in this manner. We desire all to
receive it. All arise.
If any of you have not received this token, please raise your
hand.
The sign of the First Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood
or Sign of The Nail is made by bringing the left hand in front of you
with the hand in cupping shape, the left arm forming a square, the
right hand is also brought forward, the fingers close together, and the
thumb is placed over the left hip. This is the sign. The execution of
the penalty is represented by drawing the thumb quickly across the body
and dropping the hands to the side.
The name of this token is The Son, meaning the Son of God.
If I were going through the temple today either for myself
or for the dead, I would say, after making the sign, I covenant in the
name of the Son that I will never reveal the First Token of The
Melchizedek Priesthood or Sign of The Nail with its accompanying name,
sign or penalty. Rather than do so I would suffer my life to be taken.
All arise.
Each of you make the sign of the First Token of The
Melchizedek Priesthood or Sign of The Nail by bringing the left hand in
front of you with the hand in cupping shape, the left arm forming a
square, the right hand is also brought forward, the palm down, the
fingers close together and the thumb extended and the thumb is placed
over the left hip. This is the sign.
Now repeat in your minds after me the words of the covenant
at the same time representing the execution of the penalty.
I covenant in the name of the Son that I will never reveal
the First Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood or Sign of The Nail, with
its accompanying name, sign or penalty. Rather than do so I would
suffer my life to be taken.
That will do.
PETER: We will return and report.
This is the third test each candidate is given. There are four
elements to each test--(1) the grip, (2) the name, (3) the sign, and
(4) the penalty. The first test has to do with the head or mind. The
second has to do with the heart or feeling. The third test has to do
with the bowels or man's will. When the term is used that a man has
"guts", it is meant that he is a man of strong will or determination.
When the scriptures say that one's bowels are filled with compassion,
the reference means more than empathy and deep feeling, it is a
communion of wills.
When the candidate enters the Terrestrial level of instruction,
he is represented as being a true bride of Christ, taking the
submissive or passive role to Intelligence, the Light of Christ. There
are four ways the carnal will can be exposed in this First Test of the
Melchizedek Priesthood:
1. The Cowardly Will
2. The Presumptive Will
3. The Begging Will
4. The Zealous Will
1. THE COWARDLY WILL AND THE TOKEN
When a person becomes a true student of integration or union with
God, he forsakes the old purpose of living and no longer has a need to
be non-disturbed. The Infinite Teacher will place challenges before
the student which will enable him to grow in the new freedom to accept
life's experience. This freedom is the real meaning of courage. Fear
to experience is the basis of cowardice. A coward is one who is
subservient to the demands of the senses.
The strange handclasp in the First Token of the Melchizedek
Priesthood is symbolical of this challenging relationship with God. As
the candidate extends his hand, he is "pierced" by the hand of God
rather than accepted in the full union of a handclasp. God is not
cruel, for growth comes only by facing obstacles. Jesus achieved his
greatest union with Father in Gethsemane and through it learned total
obedience or oneness.
Fair-weather friends are not true friends at all. Fair-weather
students are no better. A disciple has endured the test of the sign of
the nail when he stays with the master in the day of adversity,
regardless of the obstacles, discomfort and persecution, knowing he has
no other place to go for Life.
2. THE PRESUMPTIVE WILL AND THE NAME
Few things are more intolerable to most people than a person
assuming authority to order others around. The same thing is true of a
fiancee who is espoused to the bridegroom but is already
taking over as if she were the wife. Conditioned man is impatient. He
continually assumes that he has rights and attainment when he only has
privileges and challenges. The name of this token in the Son, meaning
the Son of God. To use the name of The Son when one is not truly
"legally and lawfully" living by the NATURE of the Son is very
presumptive.
It was the presumptive will which betrayed Lucifer, the Son of
the Morning. As the Lord explains, "Wherefore, because that
Satan….sought...that I should give unto him mine own power; by the
power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down."
(Moses 4:3) It is this inner urge to become something or to get
something that one sometimes obtains psychic experiences from his
ingenious inner mind, even visions, voices, dreams, automatic writing,
precognition and prophecy. As long as a person is living to gratify
the four dual basic urges, these self-induced phenomenon will be
presumed to be of God and the person will claim a degree of
sanctification impossible for those in a conditioned state. The fact
that these "spiritual" experiences will sustain the doctrines and
authority of the Church is immaterial. People of all faiths have such
manifestations and the messages are almost always consistent with their
beliefs. Thus as Catholics have Catholic visions, Mormons will have
Mormon visions. Once a person understands the true identity of the
Lucifer within, he can discern whether the manifestation gives him
gratification of any of the four dual basic senses or urges--getting
comfort, attention, approval, or being important and needed.
3. THE BEGGING WILL AND THE SIGN
The infant is always functioning from the attitude of "gi'me,
gi'me!" The conditioned man is still the infant, always wanting to be
given this or that. The sign of the First Token of the Melchizedek
Priesthood has the left hand extended in cupping shape, signifying the
attitude of the beggar. The right hand is placed under the left elbow,
with the right thumb extended in a cupping shape. It is pulled back to
the left hip. If the left hand had moved first, it could have caught
the right hand and held it from moving across the body.
This sign represents that the difficulties man experiences is
because he is so busy trying to "get" that he loses his life. We beg
from God and everybody else for gifts, wages, rewards, promises and
assurances of happiness--the state of having the ideal sensation
permanently. In the process, we turn our backs on the gift of the
kingdom of heaven, which is peace, joy, love and faith.
4. THE ZEALOUS WILL AND THE PENALTY
The conditioned man prizes those who have zeal. It is called
ambition, drive, determination, and spirit. Those who fail to
demonstrate "will power" are pitied and scorned. However, zeal does
not come from the Light of truth, but from the fear and ignorance off
of the Tree of Knowledge. The easiest way to create zeal in an
individual is to make him frightened, angry ashamed or excited about
great rewards. Therefore, no matter how "good" the resulting effort
appears, it is polluted by fear, greed, pride, or vanity.
Paul acknowledged that the Israelites of his day were filled with
the zeal of "ambition, drive, determination and spirit." But notice
how he described the tragic nature of this zeal:
"Brethren my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel
is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have A
ZEAL OF GOD, BUT NOT ACCORDING TO KNOWLEDGE.
"For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going
about to establish their own righteousness (gratification of good
feelings and escaping bad feelings), have not submitted themselves
(been passive) unto the righteousness of God." (Romans 10:1-3)
In this token, the third to be given, there is another oath made
in which the candidate offers his life as a seal on his word that he
will not reveal the secret sign. An unconscious person can only do
this out of zeal--zeal to be approved and accepted by other people and
by God. Appropriately, it is his bowels or "guts" that are sacrificed.
In the original wording used in the temple, the people swore, "Should I
do so, I agree that my body be cut asunder in the midst and all my
bowels gush out."
When one becomes properly united to the Light of truth in the
true nature of Christ-Awareness, he no longer has zeal. He no longer
NEEDS anything. He no longer functions from "have to", "ought to" and
"got to". His energy is no longer drawn from outside stimulation. The
energy source is Spirit and comes from vital interest and just plain
joy.
Any conditioned, unconscious person who participates in the First
Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood will violate every covenant he has
made so far, including the Law of Chastity. The error is not in the
act but in the intent of the heart which is not pure.
A conscious student accepts the pincer-type of hand grip as a
witness that he asks for no quarter, defending no rights, begging no
favors. He accepts the privilege of being a function of the Light of
truth, regardless of cost, discomfort, or inconvenience. He
acknowledges in the penalty that he is now in a position to consciously
be giving up his life if he yields to the temptation of the senses for
comfort, attentions, approval and importance.
Chapter 18
THE LAW OF CONSECRATION
After Peter has given the First Token of the Melchizedek
Priesthood, he and James and John report back to Jehovah who reports
back to Elohim. Elohim next instructs Jehovah to have Peter, James and
John give Adam the Law of Consecration, the Second Token of the
Melchizedek Priesthood, the true order of prayer, and reveal the veil
of the temple.
When Peter, James and John return, they first present the Law of
Consecration as follows:
PETER: A couple will now come to the altar. We are instructed to
give unto you the Law of consecration as contained in the book of
Doctrine and Covenants; this I will explain, it is that you do
consecrate yourselves, your time, talents and everything with which the
Lord has blessed you or with which he may bless you to the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for the building up of the Kingdom
of God on the earth and for the establishment of Zion.
All arise. Each of you bring your right arm to the square.
You and each of you do covenant and promise before God,
angels and these witnesses at this altar that you will keep the Law of
Consecration as contained in this the book of Doctrine and Covenants,
which is that you do consecrate yourselves, your time, talents and
everything with which the Lord has blessed you or with which he may
bless you to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the
building up of the Kingdom of God on the earth and for the
establishment of Zion.
Each of you bow your head and say yes.
BRETHREN AND SISTERS: Yes.
This is the last covenant of obedience given in the present
endowment. It is well to see the total list in the order presented.
1. The Law of Obedience
2. The Law of Sacrifice
3. The Law of the Gospel
4. The Law of Chastity
5. The Law of Consecration
As one can see, they are all one and the same thing. If you
violated one, you would be violating all, including chastity in the
full sense of the word. All of these, when taken literally, are lofty
ideals, noble goals, and inspiring sentiments. The natural man
understands these covenants through knowledge gained from the Tree of
Good and Evil. But he can no more keep these covenants than he can put
a camel through the eye of a needle. The more he struggles, the more
he really fails.
Like all the rest, the Law of Consecration is symbolical rather
than literal. It is a very sacred concept totally different than what
the conditioned man imagines. It is closely associated with the
command to have an eye which is single to the Glory of God, something
which cannot be done through one's own will. In other words, the
natural man cannot consecrate anything. Consecrate means "to be made
sacred together".
The best way to understand this paradox is to understand the
symbolical meaning of one of Jesus' miracles of healing. Just as there
are five covenants of obedience, so there were five porches around the
pool of Bethesda, meaning "House of Mercy."
"Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which
is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt,
withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went at a
certain season into the pool, and toubled the water; whosoever then
first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of
whatsoever
disease he had."
"And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty
and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now
a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?"
"The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when
the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming,
another steppeth down before me."
"Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
Immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked;
and on the same day was the Sabbath." (John 5:2-9)
Bethesda represents the Church, or more specifically, the School
of the Prophets. It stood by the "sheep gate", which means that those
sick people symbolized followers of the Good Shepherd and had come in
as students or sheep. The five porches, which were used for shade by
the sick, represents the five senses. Many disciples of The Way learn
the truth, but remain spiritually lame, blind, halt and crippled
because they still lived close to their senses--to see that their
senses are gratified. They have seen the truth but have not seen the
Good of the truth.
This particular man in the story represents those who have been
impotent long enough to become discontent with their stalemate. The
water represents truth. The troubling of the waters by an angel
represents the power that comes when the truth is made alive by seeing
the Good of it. We discussed this principle in the symbolism of
raising the arm to the square. The horizontal ruler of the square
represents Truth and the vertical ruler represents the Good of the
truth. Jesus, in this account, represents the Good of the truth. When
he comes to the man and challenges him, the sick man offers excuses at
first--for he believes he is justified in not being whole. he claims
that he wills to be whole, but he really only wills to will. Actually
what one really wills--in the heart--he is. But his will to be whole
was always second to the senses, never first. So he remained flat on
his bed--the bed of truth. However, when he finally discovered the
Good, he was WHOLE--JUST LIKE THAT! He was consecrated by the Good of
the truth. There is no other way. Truth can be learned, but Good can
only be observed. Then it is the power of truth that sets one free.
In this covenant, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
is a symbol of the proper organization of the whole man—with Christ at
the head. The president, as Awareness, is called to be the reporter
and interpreter. The whole membership of the Church, the body, being
obedient to the authority of the president. It is the Kingdom of God
in one's own mortal earth which produces exaltation and perfection--
there is no other. The Church can be an aid to advance students from
one level of understanding to another. But if a person thinks that the
Church is the dispenser of eternal safety and rewards, then he has
turned the gospel upside down. This is often done by many individuals
and it is God's plan that they be tempted in this way. It is the Spirit
which giveth Life, not any principality, order, group or authority.
The Church on this side of the veil is flesh and not Spirit. The only
way one can attempt to consecrate his life is to God. As Nephi declared:
"O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee
forever, I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that
cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yes, cursed
is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm." (2
Nephi 4:34)
The covenant to keep the Law of Consecration is another example
of the hand of the Master Teacher. When the Saints are called to
account for their unconsciousness, they will be left without an excuse.
There are many such messages as this that could have awakened the alert
and serious candidates for light and truth.
Chapter 19
THE SECOND TOKEN OF THE MELCHEZEDEK PRIESTHOOD
The final token given the temple is very different from the
preceding three. It is called the Second Token of the Melchizedek
Priesthood, the Patriarchal Grip or Sure Sign of the Nail. This token
is a true handshake, symbolizing the full state of union. Peter
presents this token as follows:
PETER: We are instructed to give unto you the Second Token of The
Melchizedek Priesthood, the Patriarchal Grip or Sure Sign of the Nail,
and to instruct you in the true order of prayer and to give you further
instructions preparatory to going through the veil.
The Second Token of The Melchizedek Priesthood, the Patriarchal
Grip or Sure Sign of the Nail is given by clasping the right hands
together and by interlocking the little finger and placing the
forefinger of the right hand on the center of the wrist, in this
manner. We desire all to receive it.
All arise.
If any of you have not received it, please raise your hand.
The name of the Second Token of The Melchizedek Priesthood,
the Patriarchal Grip or Sure Sign of the Nail will not be given you at
this stage of the endowment, but will be given
later on.
The sign is made by raising both hands high above the head
and by lowering your hands to the side, saying:
Pay lay ale
Pay lay ale
Pay lay ale
When Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden he built an
altar and offered prayer and these are the words he used, repeated
three times.
We desire all to receive it. All arise. Each of you make
the sign of the Second Token of The Melchizedek Priesthood, the
Patriarchal Grip or Sure Sign of the Nail by raising both hands high
above the head and by lowering your hands to the side.
BRETHEREN & SISTERS: Pay lay ale, Pay lay ale, Pay lay ale
PETER: That will do.
There is no penalty mentioned for this token, but you must
remember that you are under just as strict an obligation to secrecy for
this token and sign as you are for all the other tokens and signs of
the Holy Priesthood which you have received in the temple this day.
This token is not a test nor is there any oath or penalty
associated with it. The name of this token is given at the final step
of passing through the veil, indicating that the token represents the
transition from the Terrestrial level of awareness to the Celestial
level of awareness.
As you will recall, the two tokens of the Aaronic Priesthood were
half-grips in which the fingers were being held but the palms were not
joined. These were symbolical of the half-union with God experienced
by conditioned man. Then with the First Token of the Melchizedek
Priesthood, there was no handshake at all, but a piercing or pinching
by the other's thumb and index finger against the center of the
extended hand. As we have mentioned, this was symbolical of the
processing of purging which is experienced by all students of The Way.
Peter stated the point clearly:
"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth
with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chasteneth
not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers,
then are ye bastards, and not sons." (Hebrew 12:6-8)
In the Second Token of The Melchizedek Priesthood, the full palm
of the hand touches the other's palm; the small finger interlocking and
the index finger is pressed against the other person's wrist. The
index finger is simulating the placing of the second nail used to
secure each arm of Jesus to the cross. The first nail was driven
through the palm, but another was driven through the wrist for greater
security. With the little fingers interlocking and the index fingers
reaching each other's wrist, the union is one of a very complete and
secure handshake, indicating the most intimate trust and affection
between the parties. This is the kind of relationship Jesus described
between he and his Father. As the student grows in consciousness of
self, he also grows in this full knowledge and love of God.
There is no penalty associated with the final token of union,
since the carnal life--intellectual, emotional, and will--has been
forsaken and sacrificed. The new Christ-like Awareness serves as a
conscious function of the Light of truth. The secrecy associated with
this token is not bound by an oath or a promise because there is a very
different type of secrecy involved. The meaning behind the secrecy of
the other tokens was to not reveal the state of partial-union as
revealed through the non-renewal or aging of the body and a carnal
nature. In such a case, death reveals all.
The secrecy of the final token has to do with not "throwing
pearls before swine". A true craftsman of spiritual things does not
satisfy curiosity nor teach truth when it is not being sought for with
great diligence. As Alma explained to an inquiring student:
"It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God;
nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not
impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant
unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which
they give unto him."
"...and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given
the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him TO KNOW THE
MYSTERIES OF GOD UNTIL HE KNOW THEM IN FULL."
"And they that will harden their hearts, to him is given
the lesser portion of the word until they know NOTHING CONCERNING HIS
MYSTERIES: and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by
his will down to destruction (death). Now this is what is meant by
the chains of hell." (Alma 12:9-11)
This token is called the Patriarchal Grip, which means the
Father's grip. When man becomes aware of what he is, he sees that the
old feeling of separateness is an illusion gained from the Tree of
Knowledge. Therefore, he no longer tries to cling to life or Life, but
accepts both as a gift of the Father who holds him as securely as the
Patriarchal Grip.
The other identification of the token is the Sure Sign of The
Nail. A nail is a device used for fastening one thing to another. As
the index finger presses in on the wrist of each other, the result is a
conscious communication of complete oneness. On the part of the
disciple, as he presses his finger against the "Father's" wrist, it is
a form of prayer, joining the Father's will to provide this union to
all who seek. This is the kind of prayer Jesus offered at the Last
Supper:
"And now come I to thee...Sanctify them through thy
truth...that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in
thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that
thou has sent me...I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made
perfect in one..." (John 17:13-23)
The Sure Sign of The Nail is also a confirmation to the student
by the Father that the union is one of birthright.
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we
are the children of God, and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and
joint-heirs with Christ." (Romans 8:16-17)
The sign of the Second Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood is a
prayer, using both the arms and voice. There are three positions of
the arms, three words spoken, and repeated three times. The words,
"Pay lay ale" are the words which Adam spoke when he petitioned the
Lord, saying, "O God, hear the words of my mouth." There is a much
greater significance to these three words. They are part of the pure,
Adamic language and have more than one meaning, depending upon the
level of understanding.
On the sensual level, when Adam was first cast out of the Garden,
he was pleading to be heard. "O God, HEAR ME!" This is the prayer of
one who does not know who or what he is nor his function. These words
represent the Adam which must die, not only in mind and heart, but also
in three different positions. The arms are first fully raised,
signifying the first penalty of giving up of all preconceived opinions,
thinking in opposites, and yielding the intellect to the emotions. The
arms are then drooped down half way, signifying the second penalty of
giving up the worship of the senses and emotions. The arms are then
dropped to the side with the last word of the three, indicating the
yielding of one's conditioned, reactionary will as covered in the last
penalty.
The sign, repeated three times, celebrates the death of the
natural man who is carnal, sensual and devilish. To be "carnal" is to
have the need to be superior. To be "sensual" is to have the need to
please the senses. To be "devilish" is to have the need to control
others.
However, "Pay lay ale" has a deeper meaning than the above, for
it is symbolic of the true order of prayer. Instead of being the plea
of a frightened, unworthy beggar, it can be the announcement of a
waiting servant. The deeper spiritual meaning of the words, "Pay lay
ale", and "THY SERVANT IS HERE, I AM LISTENING". The carnal man begs,
the new man listens. To listen means that one is paying attention,
truly conscious. Since man, the Awareness, is a function of
Intelligence, he pays attention by seeing what he, himself, is doing.
He does not keep his mind busy thinking what he shall say or do for one
circumstance or another, for he is an observer and a student of the
Master Teacher. As a function of the Father, he will remain conscious
of what he is doing. Through this watching process each step of the
evolving process comes about. Therefore, as the student is preparing
to advance to the next higher level of consciousness, this prayer, "Pay
lay ale" is a ceaseless prayer because it is a way of life.
After the Second Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood is given,
the initiates are given an extensive review lecture which is introduced
by Peter:
"A lecture will be given, which summarizes the
instructions, ordinances and covenants, and also the tokens with their
key words, signs and penalties, pertaining to the endowment which you
have thus far received. You should try to remember and keep in mind
all that you have heard and seen and may yet hear and see in this
House. The purpose of this lecture is to assist you to remember that
which has been taught you this day. You must keep in mind that you
are under a solemn obligation never to speak outside of the temples of
the Lord of the things you see and hear in this sacred place."
The lecturer begins his talk as follows:
"Brethren and Sisters, these endowments as herein
administered, long withheld from the children of men, pertain to the
dispensation of the fullness of times and have been revealed to prepare
the people for exaltation."
The lecturer reviews each detail covered in the washing and
anointings, the Creation Room, the Garden of Eden Room, the World Room
and up to this point in the Terrestrial Room. He stresses that they
should return often in order to contemplate these great truths which
were only presented in symbols. He then concludes by saying:
"These are what are termed the mysteries of Godliness and they
will enable you to understand the expression of Jesus made prior to his
betrayal--This is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true
God and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent. May God bless you all,
Amen."
Following this lecture, Peter instructs the group in the True
Order of Prayer:
PETER: We will now teach you the true order of prayer. We would
like the witnesses to come forward and stand at the head of the altar
and six other couples to come forward and form a circle around the
altar.
John will instruct and lead the circle.
JOHN: If any of you have unkind feelings towards any member of
this circle you are invited to withdraw, that the Spirit of the Lord
may not be restrained. In this circle we are required to make all the
signs and tokens of the Holy Priesthood. (The signs and tokens of the
Holy Priesthood are offered up, after which the couples form the true
order of prayer and John kneels at the altar for prayer.)
PETER: The Sisters will unveil their faces and the Brethren and
Sisters in the circle will return to their seats.
What is meant by the term, "The True Order of Prayer?" Certainly
the term does not mean that this is the only true way to pray, for if
God hears the words of one's heart and not the words of the lips, the
position and movements of the body are even of less importance. Here
again, the literal performance is only an invitation to find the real,
inner message.
Prayer is the message of one's Awareness to Intelligence. When
we are conditioned to gratifying the desires of the senses, the
intellect is the servant of the senses rather than the master. For
this reason anything the intellect has to say to God--in silent or
spoken words--is usually overruled by the message or demands of the
subconscious portion of the Awareness--the prayer of petition of the
heart. Thus we see that the true order of prayer is to be totally
conscious. The prayer circle, demonstrating the wholeness of the
individual, offers up all of the signs and tokens, showing the way for
the total death of the natural man. Finally, with each couple welding
the circle into one complete whole, the Father within provides the
instruction of power and prayer of real faith.
In the trinity of Peter, James and John, we have mentioned before
that Peter represents the Physical, James the Awareness and John
represents the Spirit or Father within. Notice that it is John,
knelling at the altar on the inside of the circle, forming the sign of
the Second Token of the Aaronic Priesthood, who offers the prayer.
Paul described this principle as follows:
"We know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered." (Romans 8:26)
During the prayer which is offered by John and repeated by the
group, John makes the sign of the Second Token of the Aaronic
Priesthood. It is a witness to the yielding of the idolatrous heart to
the worship of the living God, the Light of Truth. The women's faces
are covered with a veil during the prayer, symbolizing the submission
of Eve, the senses, to Adam, the Awareness. So in the prayer circle,
there is another demonstration of the proper organization of man.
Intelligence, as John, taking the initiative, Awareness, as Adam, being
passive, uniting with the flesh in the perfect union of the Patriarchal
Grip, and the flesh, as Eve, being the form through which the will of
God is manifest in creation. As these great truths of the Terrestrial
level are seen even "through a glass, darkly", the magnificence of
self-consciousness is revealed.
Chapter 20
THE VEIL OF THE TEMPLE
The conclusion of the preset endowment occurs at the Veil
of the temple, which divides the Terrestrial Room from the Celestial
Room. The Veil is both the Veil of Death and the Veil of the Rebirth.
Before Adam is presented at the Veil, the symbols on the Veil are
revealed and given a brief explanation as follows:
PETER: We will now uncover the Veil.
Brethren and Sisters, this is the Veil of the Temple. It
is necessary to explain the marks on the Veil. These four marks are
the marks of the Holy Priesthood and corresponding marks are found on
you individual garment. This is the mark of the square.
(Peter explains that the meaning of this mark is to be a reminder
of the covenants that were entered into this day.)
This is the mark of the compass...That all truth is
circumscribed into one great whole, and that desires, appetites and
passions are to be kept within the bounds the Lord has set.
This is the navel mark. It is placed on the right side of
the garment, over the navel, and is a reminder of the constant need of
nourishment to body and spirit.
This is the knee mark. It is placed in the leg of the
garment, over the knee cap, and indicates that every knee shall bow and
every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ.
These other three marks are for convenience, for working at
the Veil. Through this one the person representing the Lord puts his
right hand to test our knowledge of the tokens of the Holy Priesthood;
through this one he asks certain questions, and through this one we
give our answers.
Since all of you will have to go through the Veil, we will
show you how this is done.
The worker gives three taps with the mallet.
(Peter shows the brethren and sisters how this is done. At the
end of the demonstration, he explains the last token.)
THE FIVE POINTS OF FELLOWSHIP
LORD: What is that?
PETER: (acting as Adam) The second token of the Melchizedek
Priesthood, the Patriarchal Grip or Sure Sign of the Nail.
LORD: Has it a name?
PETER: It has.
LORD: Will you give it to me?
PETER: I cannot. I have not yet received it. For this purpose I
have come to converse with the Lord through the Veil.
LORD: You shall receive it upon the five points of fellowship
through the Veil.
PETER: The five points of fellowship are: Inside of right foot by
the side of the right foot, knee to knee, breast to breast, hand to
back and mouth to ear.
(Peter, James and John return and report to Jehovah, and Jehovah
reports to Elohim. Instructions from Elohim are given to Jehovah and
from Jehovah to Peter, James and John.)
In Solomon's Temple there were two veils. A veil is a
representation of a barrier to consciousness, of passing from death
into life. The first veil is located between the World Room and the
Terrestrial Room, but most do not see it as a veil. The veil is the
robe of the Holy Priesthood in which a person must be dressed,
indicating the parting of the veil of darkness and being clothed with
understanding of the two worlds. As the student of integration
completes his self-discovery, on the Terrestrial level, he is prepared
to part the second veil of darkness and walk in the presence of God,
seeing the true relationship of all creation and to function in the
full capacity and nature of Christ.
The Great Veil of the Temple is a curtain wall, a reminder to the
initiate that his view is very limited. The wall is also functional,
allowing requirements necessary to experience the higher level of
consciousness. There are seven marks on the Veil, again indicating the
wholeness of integration. Four of the marks are symbolical,
representing the four aspects of man which must be correctly organized.
Five of the marks are functional, representing the five senses which
are no longer feared and will now serve the Awareness. The Sign of the
Square is over the right breast, indicating the way that man will be
able to walk uprightly and become whole. The Sign of the Compass is on
the left side, indicating how man will have a change of heart, from
darkness to light.
We have already discussed the Sign of the Square. The horizontal
ruler indicates man's growth in truth. As long as a student lives and
thrives on truth, practices and tries to defend truth, he will remain
restrained by the Veil of the Rebirth. Truth is like a seed. As long
as it is held close to the breast it will never flourish. When it is
seen but not worshipped, when it is dropped from the hand and sinks
into the earth where it dies, a new life begins to form. From the new
plant there is a harvest forty, sixty or a hundred fold. One's
preoccupation with truth must die. This seems strange, but when we
"possess" truth, we try to use it as knowledge of good and evil. But
when we suddenly discover the Good of the Truth (God in the Truth),
truth ceases to be a tool, device, or vehicle to use or serve. It just
becomes WHAT IS. Then a new Christ-life springs forth just as a plant
grows effortlessly and miraculously from a dying seed. The Good of the
Truth, signified by the vertical ruler of the Sign of the Square, is
that which takes a two dimensional, mortal being (seeing good and evil)
and makes him into a full three dimensional being.
The Sign of the Compass is to circumscribe the whole truth about
self. This is the mirror that a teacher will carry, one way or
another, to reveal to the student his true image. It shows man that he
is not finite, separate, threatened and fragile. He is not a thing,
even. He is a NO-THING. He was not, therefore he is free to use all
things and enjoy all things.
The navel mark serves as a constant reminder that there is an
endless supply of life, joy, peace, love and faith. These are not
earned, they are gifts. The knee mark reminds us to always reverence
the awesome power of God, for he has never failed to fulfill the prayer
of our hearts. We can look at our lives and see our own real prayers.
At the conclusion of the ceremony at the Veil, the student is
shown the Five Points of Fellowship. Although we will not discuss the
deepest meaning, the inner meaning has to do with the five senses which
are now in full subjection to the will of the Father. The five points
of fellowship indicate absolute trust and union. It not only includes
the Patriarchal Grip of the hands, but is also a full embrace of the
body. Putting the hand to the back is the symbol of ultimate privilege
and confidence. However, in the union, the Veil remains between the
Father and he who comes to the Veil in the name of the Son.
There is no way to advance from the Terrestrial Room except
through the Veil of Death. The old man is left behind the Veil,
symbolized by going through each of the first three tokens. Only the
resurrected man, symbolized by the last token, the spiritual man, can
walk into the next room. The Celestial Room represents the true order
of the Kingdom of Heaven. At the Veil, Adam and God are intermingled
into one. Adam is once again Michael, in full union with the Father.
The Ceremony at the Veil is as follows:
PETER: Brethren and Sisters, we are instructed to introduce you
at the Veil, where you will receive the name of the second token of the
Melchizedek Priesthood, the Patriarchal Grip or Sure Sign of the Nail,
preparatory to your entering into the presence of the Lord.
Will the Veil workers please take their places at the Veil.
(The worker gives three taps with the mallet.)
LORD: What is wanted?
WORKER: Adam, having been true and faithful, desires to converse
with the Lord through the Veil.
LORD: Present him at the Veil and his request shall be granted.
What is that?
ADAM: The first token of the Aaronic Priesthood.
LORD: Has it a name?
ADAM: It has.
LORD: Will you give it to me?
ADAM: I will, through the Veil (gives new name).
LORD: What is that?
ADAM: The second token of the Aaronic Priesthood.
LORD: Has it a name?
ADAM: It has.
LORD: Will you give it to me?
ADAM: I will, through the Veil (first given name.)
LORD: What is that?
ADAM: The first token of the Melchizedek Priesthood, or sign of
the nail.
LORD: Has it a name?
ADAM: It has.
LORD: Will you give it to me?
ADAM: I will through the Veil (The Son).
LORD: What it that?
ADAM: The second token of the Melchizedek Priesthood, The
Patriarchal Grip or Sure Sign of the Nail.
LORD: Has it a name?
ADAM: It has.
LORD: Will you give it to me?
ADAM: I cannot. I have not yet received it. For this purpose I
have come to converse with the Lord through the Veil.
LORD: You shall receive it upon the Five Points of Fellowship,
through the Veil.
This is the name of the token--Health in the navel, marrow
in the bones, strength in the loins and in the sinews, power in the
priesthood be upon me and upon my posterity through all generations of
time and throughout all eternity.
What it that?
ADAM: The second token of the Melchizedek Priesthood, the
Patriarchal Grip or Sure Sign of the Nail.
LORD: Has it a name?
ADAM: It has.
LORD: Will you give it to me?
ADAM: I will upon the Five Points of Fellowship through he Veil--
Health in the navel, marrow in the bones, strength in the loins and in
the sinews, power in the priesthood be upon me and upon my posterity
through all generations of time and throughout all eternity.
LORD: That is correct.
(The worker gives three taps with the mallet)
LORD: What is wanted?
WORKER: Adam, having conversed with the Lord through the Veil,
desires now to enter his presence.
LORD: Let him enter.
(Adam is admitted into the Celestial Room.)
The final event at the Veil is to receive and use the name of he
Second Token of the Melchizedek Priesthood. There are five elements to
this name, all given in symbolic code referring to the higher level of
mind experienced in the state of objective consciousness. The name of
the token is the only hint given regarding the instruction which could
take place beyond the Veil. However, much has been given regarding
this higher state of mind, which comes by accepting the Kingdom of
Heaven as God's gift today. To do so is to dwell in the presence of
God. Then man has POWER IN THE PREISTHOOD, not just the power OF the
priesthood. He is not only called, he is chosen.
"The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek
Priesthood, is to hold the keys of ALL THE SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS OF THE
CHURCH--(which is) to have the privilege of receiving the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto
them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the
Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father,
and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant." (D&C 107:18-19)
"They who dwell in His presence are the church of the
Firstborn; and they SEE AS THEY ARE SEEN, AND KNOW AS THEY ARE KNOWN,
HAVING RECEIVED OF HIS FULNESS AND HIS GRACE: AND HE MAKES THEM EQUAL
IN POWER, AND IN MIGHT AND IN DOMINION." (D&C 76:94-95)
Chapter 21
THE UNUSED ROOM
The room behind the Veil is designed as the most beautiful and
significant room of the temple. Appropriately, it is called the
Celestial Room. However, it is presently the unused room, in the sense
that it is the only room on the endowment for where there is no
instruction or ordinance work performed.
The great temple of Salt Lake was the first Temple in this
dispensation designed specifically for the endowment process. In the
Kirtland Temple, both main floors were large assembly rooms and the
School of the Prophets was usually held in the attic floor. In the
Nauvoo Temple, the design was similar except that the endowment was
given on the mezzanine between the two floors, around the dome of the
lower hall. The Salt Lake Temple has been a source of many surprises
because later remodeling has often found the original construction
perfect for these additions. Such was the case for the installation of
elevators, a tunnel for the temple annex, places for electrical wiring
and so forth. It is very possible that before long, when a new room of
instruction is required as a part of the endowment, it will be
"discovered" that the room is already there. It is the unused room
beyond the Veil.
As the prophet, seer and revelator over the Church has
emphasized, the time for modern Israel is short. Those holding the
higher priesthood, those who have been called up and anointed, will be
required to function in that capacity or step aside. The Lord does not
need hundreds of thousands of powerless elders. His work can be done
with a relatively few who are not only called, but are also chosen and
established as true messengers of power and light. The true meaning of
the endowment, the meat of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, must be taught,
understood and digested. This "charge to awaken" can be done most
effectively just after the initiate has completed the endowment
ceremony and goes through the Veil. It is then that he can be shown
how useless and vain is his literal mind which continues to judge what
is good and evil. Satan's deception is so clever and subtle and man's
blindness is so deep and basic that only through such an experience as
"having the world turned upside down" can he be shaken into
consciousness. The stone of Christ must grind the old man of pretense,
hypocrisy, and stiffneckedness to powder. The atonement of Christ can
be operative only on those who have a "broken heart and a contrite
spirit." As long as man believes that there is ANYTHING salvageable,
valuable or laudable in his fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, he cannot
SEE with his eyes nor HEAR with his ears.
The material given in this book is as ancient as the endowment,
for it was taught from the beginning. It has been brought to light by
a "stranger" who knows the temple endowment intimately. It has not
come through the channels of authority which babes in the gospel
require in order to be "safe". As in every age, truth comes with no
credentials, no beauty or comeliness, no right or authority--only
itself. Its proof is only in the eating. Those who believe they can
determine truth by judging the fruit in others, will do their judging
by the Tree of Knowledge and pay for it with their lives.
The real function of the endowment is to provide an Initiation to
higher mind. An Initiation has three phases to it. The first phase is
to make the candidate feel as great as a king. The second phase is to
have him make all kinds of promises of obedience to lofty ideals, holy
standards, and great wisdom. The third phase is to reveal to the
candidate that he has broken every one of his promises, in their real
and true meaning. This is called the Third Degree. It is usually
arranged so that someone's life is involved, enabling the candidates
to see that the subject is a life and death matter. After the Third
Degree, the candidate is a true initiate. The Initiation has been used
down through the ages in many different forms, but its real function in
the past has been kept secret except to those who experience its total
devastating impact.
Many times the Initiation is carried out in real life. For
example, Joseph, the son of Jacob, conducted such an Initiation for his
brothers on their coming to a new life in Egypt. Lehi did the same
thing for his family in coming to the new world. Not always is it
equally successful, of course. However, the Initiation which Christ
gave to his eleven disciples was the most effective of any ever
recorded. You will recall that the disciples of Christ, after three
years of intimate, direct instruction, had still not been truly
"converted". They did not doubt their own faithfulness, dedication,
and consciousness--but they were still bound by the need for comfort,
attention, approval and to be important. The moment of truth came when
their leader was arrested, tried,
convicted, disgraced and executed. In spite of all the promises,
assurances, determination and good intentions of the disciples, they
scattered like sheep and even denied him in many ways. When Jesus
returned he was able to describe to them what had really happened.
Thus, they were finally prepared to listen with their ears and see with
their eyes. At last they were willing to let the old man of desire die
so that a new Christ-man could come into being.
One of the most familiar and respected stories in the Book of
Mormon is the vision of the Tree of Live seen by Lehi. There is in
that story "a great and spacious building". "It stood as it were in
the air, high above the earth". It could be called a temple. This
beautiful structure represents "the world and the wisdom thereof." As
Nephi declared, "And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that
the great and spacious building was THE PRIDE OF THE WORLD: and it
fell, and the fall thereof was exceeding great." (I Nephi 11:35-36) In
reality, then, we can see that the spacious building represents the
teachings of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Tree of Life
represents the higher teachings of the gift of God.
There was a Rod of Iron which led through the darkness to the
Tree of Life. The Rod of Iron was the word of God--the truth about
self. The Tree of Life "is the love of God which sheddeth itself
abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most
desireable above all things."(I Nephi 11:22)
What is the Love of God? The English language uses the word
"love" to mean many different things. It is generally believed that
"love" is a feeling, often associated with sentimentality, approval, or
physical desires. The Greek language had four different words,
describing four different things, all of which we translate with the
word, "love".
1. EROS
Eros means the mating love. It is a physical
feeling which keeps the world well populated. We use the word in
English as erotic, meaning sensuality. However, eros in and of
itself is a pure feeling of physical attraction.
2. PIA
Pia means the maternal, protective love. It is an
emotional feeling, almost instinctive, which urges (….?)
3. PHILO
Philo means approval, and is the feeling usually
referred to when one says, "I love you". It is a feeling which
comes from having one's "tastes" satisfied.
These first three words were most commonly used by the Greeks.
They represent the comfortable sensations which arise from the Four
Dual Basic Senses or Urges. They are a two edge sword, however, for
they are always associated with some degree of anxiety which comes from
having at least two feelings about everything. Eros, pia and philo are
fine, in and of themselves, but only when preceded and accompanied by
genuine love, which is a result of the consciousness which is a gift of
God. This gift, Lehi discovered, is symbolized as the fruit of the
Tree of Life.
Jesus used the word "love" many times, but never the type of love
described as eros, pia or philo. The only word used by Christ (in the
Greek manuscript) is Agape.
4. AGAPE
Agape is not a feeling, although it may be
associated with great feeling. Agape can exist constantly,
though feelings of one kind or another may come and go. Agape
means CONSCIOUS UNDERSTANDING. The love of God is a the
understanding of God or God's understanding. When one has the
Light of truth, the understanding of Intelligence, he does not
judge, hate, resent, pity, condemn, or feel superior to any other
person. The love of God is the comprehending of all things--
nothing less. When Eros, Pia, and Philo are accompanied with
Agape, there is a fullness of delightful emotions without any
anxiety.
Agape is not possible without consciousness of self, for until we
are truly conscious of our own being, we cannot comprehend the being of
others. The first step in Agape is to understand the fundamental rule
behind all human action. It is this: No one ever does anything except
at the time of doing it, he is convinced that what he is doing is
either right, proper, or at least justified. The understanding that
this is true in oneself and is also true in every other living creature
is the beginning of Agape. This is not to say that everything a person
does is right, proper or justified, only that before he can do anything
he must have convinced himself that it was at least one of the three.
There is no way for anyone to do otherwise.
Jesus said to love (Agape) your enemies, your neighbor, yourself
and God. Conditioned man, being ruled by his feelings, interprets
these commandments to mean that a person must have a sweet, love
feeling for everyone all the time. Of course, none of us ever do have
such a constant ideal feeling since we always have at least two
feelings about everything. So most people are anxious about not having
the single, ideal sensation. Feelings of "love" are usually either
eros, pia or philo and they have to do with one's tastes, based upon
the Four Dual Basic Urges. Because I don't like chronic complainers
does not mean anything about Agape, either. Neither happen to suit my
taste. But do I have true understanding, real conscious comprehension?
If I do, I have no judgment, sentimentality, condemnation, or bias, but
true empathy and compassion.
Paul wrote a great sermon on love to the Corinthians. In our
English translation, the word which is translated as "charity" is AGAPE
in the Greek. So let us read his sermon, replacing the word "charity"
with "conscious understanding". We are speaking of a level of
understanding which comes from true consciousness, not logic,
conditioning, guilt or positive thinking.
"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and
have not conscious understanding, I am become as sounding brass, or a
tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all
faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not CONSCIOUS
UNDERSTANDING, I am NOTHING.
"And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and
though I give my body to be burned, and have not conscious
understanding, it profiteth me NOTHING.
Conscious understanding suffereth long, and is kind;
Conscious understanding envieth not;
Conscious understanding vaunteth not itself,,
is not puffed up,
doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil,
rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the TRUTH,
beareth ALL things,
believeth ALL things,
hopeth ALL things,
endureth ALL things,"
(I Corinthians 13:1_7)
Agape or conscious understanding DOES NOT come from the Tree of
Knowledge but from the Tree of Life. It is not found in the "great and
spacious building", which is the "wisdom" and "good" of the senses. So
with these thoughts in mind, let us review the vision of Lehi so that
the reader can see whether he is going to the temple to find the Tree
of Life or whether he is going to find the great and spacious building
with the hope that he will be comfortable and safe. If his purpose is
to experience Life freely, he is going to the temple dedicated to the
"Wholeness of the Lord". If he is going for honor, approval, and
proper recognition, he is going to the Great and Spacious Building of
the Tree of Knowledge.
"And it came to pass that as I followed him (the messenger
of The Way) I beheld myself (saw what I was doing) that I was in a dark
and dreary waste (the state of living for the purpose of being non-
disturbed). And after I had traveled for the space of many hours
(years) in darkness (unconsciousness), I began to pray (pay attention)
unto the Lord that he would have mercy (love or understanding) on me,
according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
"And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I
beheld a large and spacious field (an area of instruction for finding
truth). And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was
desirable to make one happy (state of joy). And it came to pass that I
did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof (the understanding or
love of God); and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I
ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white
(Light and truth), to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen.
And as I partook of the fruit thereof it filled my soul with exceeding
great joy."
"And I beheld a rod of iron (a clear, firm description of
what one is doing, the pertinent message of God to man) and it extended
along the bank of the river (the river of desire of the senses), and
led to the tree by which I stood...I also beheld that the tree of life
was a representation of the love of God..."
"And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward and
they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they
did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of
iron (willing to keep looking at what they were doing), until they did
come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree they did cast their
eyes about as if they were ashamed."
"And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other
side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood
as it were in the air, high above the earth (lifted high by ideals):
And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female
and their manner of dress was exceeding fine (their wisdom and
knowledge was very great) and they were in the attitude of mocking
(judging) and pointing their fingers (standards and ideals) towards
those who had come and were partaking of the fruit.
"And after they had tasted of the fruit they were ashamed
(frightened), because of those that were scoffing at (counseling and
advising) them; and they fell away into forbidden (self improvement)
paths and were lost..."
"And I also saw other multitudes FEELING their way towards that
great and spacious building (the wisdom and pride of great knowledge of
good and evil). And it came to pass that many were drowned in the
depths of the fountain (suffocated by the heavy burden of struggle,
conflict and resistance); and many were lost from my view, wandering in
strange roads (save-yourself philosophies). And great was the
multitude that did enter into that strange building. And after they
did enter into that building they did point the finger of scorn at me
and those there were partaking of the fruit also, but we heeded them
not.” (I Nephi 8 & 11)
This is a story of the two great schools--the outer law or
instruction and the inner teaching, THE WAY. It is the story of how
most of Israel has rejected the liberty of conscious understanding.
The inner school or esoteric school is represented by the path to the
Tree of Life. The Lamb of God and his twelve apostles represent the
coming of the esoteric school of higher consciousness. The great
spacious temple of knowledge represents the outer or exoteric school,
such as the Law of Moses and ancient Israel and the law of performances
in the Church today. Both ancient and modern instruction serve their
purpose, since they are preparatory. However, as is most often the
case, those who have much truth are the ones who reject the full truth
and turn their backs on the inner school of higher teachings.
"Behold the (Man-Made) World and the wisdom thereof; yea,
behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the
twelve apostles and the lamb." (I Nephi 11:35)
In the days of Kirtland, the emphasis was on the inner school.
The School of the Prophets and the Temple was the main business of the
Church. However, as in Lehi's vision, the mists of darkness swept many
into forbidden paths. Therefore, when the Saints regrouped at Nauvoo,
emphasis was placed upon the outer school and building the walls of the
spiritual fortress. This has now been going on for one hundred and
thirty years, through four generations. In so many ways the Saints
stand before God with empty hands. The promises of "many ancient
records", "the redemption of Zion in this generation", "manifestations
of the power of the Holy Priesthood", and "the perfection of the
Saints" remain unfulfilled as a testimony that many are called but few
are chosen. "They who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin
in that THEY ARE WALKING IN DARKNEWW AT NOON-DAY." (D&C 95:5-6)
One cannot help but wonder what would happen if the unused room
of the temple was reactivated as a true completion of the Initiation.
Would the Saints begin to know from their own experience the mysteries
of Godliness? Would they begin to understand their anointings and
covenants? Would they be the PURE IN HEART?
John, the Beloved, testified to the reality of the Good News in
defining the fellowship symbolized at the Veil:
"That which was form the beginning, which we have heard,
which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled, of the WORD OF LIFE...That which we have seen and
heard declare we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us; and
truly our fellowship (full union as symbolized by the Patriarchal Grip
and Five Points of Fellowship) is with the Father, and with his Son
Jesus Christ.
"And these things write we unto you, that YOUR JOY may be full,
this then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto
you, that God is light (Intelligence), and in him is no darkness at
all.
"If we say that we have FELLOWSHIP with him, and walk in
darkness (unconsciousness), WE LIE, and do not the truth; but if we
walk in the light, as HE IS IN THE LIGHT, we have
FELLOWSHIP one with another and the blood (truth) of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin (misconceptions)."