Esoteric meaning of temple film

[Anonymous]

I don’t wish to go into the whole signs and tokens thing, for several different reasons. One being that I’ve promised not to divulge them (yes I know) and second, they’ve been discussed a lot.

I was reading a book given to me a while back by a friend. It’s quite trashy in some ways, tapping into the Dan Brown market and with a Graham Hancock endorsement etc, but it talks a lot about Egyptian and Greek initiation ceremonies, and the Mysteries (in the original sense), and is interesting enough to keep me reading it.

I’ve always thought of the endowment as a type of Mystery (cheap jokes coming up no doubt) in the proper sense. What surprised me was that some of it tied up quite well with what he talks about, despite the fact the author never mentions Mormonism once.

Here are a few things I picked up from the book –

* Most of these initiation ceremonies (which are found in most societies from isolated tribes to your local Masonic lodge) involve the initiate being ritually slain in a non-literal sense, and/or put through a preparation for real death. Clearly, this happens in the endowment, and it is openly stated.

* Secondly, he mentions that the phrase “Mother of all the living” is used in other traditions to refer to the Mother Earth/Earth Mother. Thus, Eve is a symbol of the Earth. (Elohim is of course Heavenly Father, equivalent to Sky Father, perhaps)

* Thirdly, he separates Satan/Saturn and Lucifer/Venus, which of course doesn’t happen in the temple film.

** Saturn is described as a destructive impulse, representing death. Thus, Satan/Saturn appearing, and taking Satan’s advice leads to death. In Egyptian mythology, Set is described as being destructive and murders Osiris.

Saturn is also depicted wielding the scythe like Death. He is also connected up with time, and old age. I actually wonder if the references to “horns” and “scythes” indicate someone somehow managed to see the rings of the planet Saturn in ancient times, using some kind of primitive optics.

[img]http://www.secretsinplainsight.com/wp-content/uploads/Saturn.jpg[/img]

** Lucifer gets linked up with the planet Venus. The apple sliced horizontally forms a pentagram with its seeds – the goddess Venus is often depicted with an apple. Lucifer/Venus appears to have been an androgynous figure and also appears in either gender. In some traditions, it is claimed that Lucifer is the original homosexual.

In Classical mythology, there is also a similarity to Prometheus, since he delivers fire to the human race.

[img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/34/f8/a2/34f8a2de378658586b2cd7e7bbcece7b.jpg[/img]

[Anonymous]

It is interesting, Sambee, to see how much it aligns to many things. It seems like it can’t all be coincidental, and it doesn’t seem likely to me that Joseph Smith was aware of all these things.

The temple ceremony wasn’t written on a blank canvas. It came from somewhere, some influences.

Does this make you more impressed JS was on target with other things? Or more skeptical what he knew and borrowed from?

[Anonymous]

Some of it seems to be a carry over but I think the idea of Satan representing death may be overt.

Also read there is an ancient tradition of sleeping in temples.

[Anonymous]

I love history, generally, and comparative religion, especially.

This is interesting stuff.

[Anonymous]

SamBee wrote:

Also read there is an ancient tradition of sleeping in temples.

I have witnessed this tradition still happening in our temples this day. (And in General Conference Priesthood session when lights get turned low)

[Author]

Posts