Some thoughts on the three “temples” of Mormonism and how I’m managing to reconcile my commitment to the Latter-day Saint spiritual path with my inability to take part in the ordinances of the Church, a thread: 1/14
I’ll call the three “temples” Palmyra, Kirtland, & Nauvoo but I’m not referring solely to the buildings that today stand in those communities. Instead, I’m using the ways Saints used those spaces to access the divine as metonymies for three different models of ascension. 2/14
Palmyra, the setting of the first vision, is an example of individual ascension, & is the only time the Father himself appeared to Joseph. I believe everything that came after was an attempt to give Saints access to that kind of theophany. 3/14
Kirtland, where angels appeared to a gathered Zion, represents communal ascension. This was a space of sacrifice & sealing, where the Lord appeared to a people socially united in their pursuit of God, mirrored today every time Saints gather for a meeting. 4/14
Nauvoo is the kind of temple most Mormons think of first, an actual building with the aim of ritual ascension. Both communal & individual, we are immersed in physical representations of the divine in order to pierce a spiritual veil. 5/14
All three temples are still very present in contemporary Mormonism. We seek personal revelation when we pray, social edification when we attend church, and ritual initiation when we attend the temple. I would suggest these methods correlate to the kingdoms of glory: 6/14
The Father, Son, & Spirit appear in Palmyra (Celestial), the Son & Spirit appear in Kirtland (Terrestrial), & in Nauvoo the Spirit fills the temple (Telestial). (Reminder that I’m using these as symbols so don’t take this too literally.) 7/14
When I joined the Church I was deeply intrigued by the temple. I love ritual, symbolism, hidden knowledge & mysteries, etc. When I was endowed the temple became the core of my spiritual life. Now that I am considered “unworthy” of ordinances I miss the temple most of all. 8/14
It’s no secret to most of us here that the ceremonies of the temple were heavily influenced by Freemasonry & Hermeticism. What’s seldom addressed though is the richly symbolic concept of temple building in those traditions & how it might relate to the Mormon story. 9/14
In esoteric traditions the temple of Solomon is read as the inner world where we must work to prepare a place for the Spirit of God to dwell. In this view, the sacrifices Saints have made to construct brick & mortar temples become a symbol of a life given to consecration. 10/14
When I first left the Church I followed this thread from the temple through Freemasonry & Hermeticism to Jewish mysticism & Western esotericism until I discovered the teachings of a Greek-Armenian spiritual teacher called Gurdjieff who also sought to restore ancient truths. 11/14
I don’t think it was inevitable that I landed here, there are many directions my path could have led, but they all point inward, back to a Palmyra of the soul, outside the institutional church, where the only true order of prayer is deep sincerity. 12/14
When Israel turned to idols on Sinai the Lord provided a lesser law. Part of that law was a beautifully intricate ritual system of priestly ascension. In the following centuries Israel approached their God communally. But when Jesus came he revealed the Father to one & all. 13/14
I can no longer enter a Mormon temple & that still hurts. I am welcome at church, but cannot join any congregation. I can, however, build the temple of my soul & nurture Zion in my heart. This is esoteric Mormonism & I invite you all to receive it. All arise. 14/14
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