The First Vision Rediscovered

Greetings, peace, and blessings to all. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. As we consider the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith it is easy for Mormons as well as those who hate the church to only look at the First Vision through natural or carnal eyes. While I do know that Joseph Smith was indeed a true prophet and that the First Vision is true, I have come to see the event through millennial eyes. It has blessed my life in new and profound ways and has created the dawning of a new millennial day within my temple.

Nephi spoke well when he said: "Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him" (2Nephi 11:4). This important scripture plainly shows that symbolism of Christ is truly all around us. We are constantly being invited to come unto Christ and become prefected in Him. Nephi was blessed because he recognized that the multitude of laws within the law of Moses were customized sign posts for the stiffnecked children of Israel. Moses saught diligently to have his people perfected in Christ and enter into the rest of the Lord but they wanted Moses to speak on their behalf. As a result, they were given extensive carnal commandments until they were ready to awaken to who they really are. These carnal commandments all pointed to Christ. However, because the natural and literal man or woman becomes lost in the physical world of the senses, he or she ends up worshiping the symbols, instead of comprehending the meaning behind the symbols and applying the meaning to his or her own life.

Joseph was really no different than Moses. We as modern children of Israel are very similar to the ancient children of Israel. Stiffnecked literalists who wanted to be told exactly what to do. Joseph clearly wanted us to enter into the rest of the Lord and have the same experiences he had but history repeated itself and rather than Joseph being more like Enoch or Melchizedek he became more like Moses because of us and what we needed at the time. We really were not ready to learn who we are. As a result we received more and more commandments and doctrines that are camflouged in symbolism and allegory. The temple endowment is one of the more elegant and layered symbols that Joseph gave us. It is heavily layered in multiple levels of deep symbolism. This is in contrast to the straightforward school of the prophets and lectures on faith. The lectures on faith were eventually decanonized or "taken from our midst" because we as a people were not ready for them. Instead we received layer upon layer of complex structure, rules, laws, and commandments much like the children of Israel. It will continue to be this way until we are ready.

The First Vision is beautiful in its simplicity. When we go to this SOURCE of the RESTORATION and understand the profound symbolism of this event, then we will be RESTORED and connected with SOURCE. The First Vision is one of the most important symbols that is the typifying of Christ. When viewed through spirtual eyes we begin to comprehend our own nature and how we can be a blessing to all nations, kindreds, tongues and people.

As, I have mentioned in previous posts, when you see three individuals in unity and harmony, you are receiving a beautiful lesson concerning Jesus Christ and ultimately yourself. Jesus Christ is perfect and our great Exemplar as you know. He is Holy or in other words Whole-ly. Although, He was born into the world with a physical body like you and I and He had the same 5 senses and similar temptations, He did not succumb. He was directed purely by His Heavenly Father (Divine Intelligence). This Source of Intelligence and Purity was the revelation that guided his WHOLE life. As the Father spoke to His Spirit and His Spirit spoke to His body and senses, He was able to change the world forever. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of the triune nature of each one of us.

INTELLIGENCE ---> SPIRIT ---> BODY

Sometimes it is called:

MIND ---> SPIRIT ---> BODY

Or as I have mentioned before:

GOD ---> ADAM ---> EVE

Thus, to take upon ourselves, the name of Chirst, is to have an awareness of this principle and then to live in such a way. When we fail to do this, we choose another path that usually leads to partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. As we partake of this fruit from moment to moment in our lives, our body and senses call the shots, and our spirit ends up going along for the ride and then judging all things as either a great threat or giving us undisturbed pleasure. This fragmented perspective is in direct opposition to the Tree of Life which is about unity and oneness. Partaking of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is a moment to moment occurence that leads to anxiety, fear, hiding, covering up, and blame. These feelings lead to an expansion of misery and take their toxic toll on our physical bodies and our minds which leads to death and decay. We fall into an illusion of a fragmented world of lone-ness, dreary-ness, and separateness. The Lord, in his mercy, puts cheribim and a flaming sword to guard the Tree of Life until we are ready to consecrate or give up this illusion. Once we give up the illusion, we are then free and can partake of the unity and AT-ONE-MENT of the Tree of Life. Jesus the Christ showed us the way. The First Vision event also gives us the clear "first vision" of who we really are so we can partake of the Tree of Life.

In the First Vision, you have a young uneducated farm boy going into a secluded grove of trees to pray. James 1:5 was a major influence on Joseph and gave him the courage to seek God in prayer and to ask questions. It was his first "uttered prayer" alone and as he opens his physical mouth, Satan attempts to foil his prayer and "thick darkness" gathered around him. Thus we see that worldy education and scholarship, as mighty as they may be, cannot answer the truly important questions of life. They will never be able to tell us who we are and in some ways we need to (as Yoda says) "unlearn what we have learned." Thus we see that the scriptures (dead and living prophets) point the way to God and personal revelation. Until we decide to "venture" (Joseph Smith History 1:13) as Joseph did, our spiritual journey will remain incomplete. Thus we see that "uttered prayer" because it uses physical voice, can be heard by Satan. When we ask God to physically hear the words that come from our physical mouth we may inadvertantly invite Satan to make an attempt to darken our minds. Thus we see that the territory of the physical and the senses is where Lucifer tries to influence. The prayer of the heart however, is always heard by God before we even have a chance to utter it with physical voice. As the Apostle Paul said: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for 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).

As Joseph's tongue was bound and he was about to yield to this unseen dark force, the Spirit interceded and a pillar of light descended above his head. It was above the brightness of the sun. Pure Light. He saw two personages standing above him. One pointed to the other and said this is my Beloved Son. Hear Him. Thus we see that Joseph was on the cusp of succumbing to darkness but endured until the light came. Even so, we may feel as though our lives are filled with confusion and darkness. We may recognize that our senses cannot be relied upon to save us and are ineffective. Thus we see that our physical senses are easily manipulated by Lucifer. But our Spirit cannot be controlled by him unless we let it. Thus we see that the power of God to illuminate the darkness is superior to Satan's power. Thus we see our spirit being awakened. Pure intelligence flowing into us.

Thus we see who we are:

God the Father ---> Jesus Christ ---> Joseph Smith

Intelligence ---> Spirit ---> Body

When we awaken to this fact about ourselves we enter a brighter world and leave the darkness and confusion behind us. God the Father represents pure intelligence that is infinite, co-eternal and can never be created or destroyed. Jesus Christ represents our obedient and submissive spirit that seeks only to do the will of the Father. Joseph Smith represents our body that materializes God's will in the physical world. This is who we are. This is the source of all creation. We are not merely the created but we are awakening to our role as creator. We are not merely acted upon but we are awakening to act and create. When we live in harmony with our triadic nature, we have joy and create that which is good. When our body and senses are lied to, controlled, and tricked by Lucifer, and our Spirit loses awareness, and fails to judge properly, then Divine Intelligence gives us curses (for our sake) and misery to let us know that we are going in the wrong direction. Or in other words, we are walking in darkness when it is really brighter then noon day. We will need dead or living messengers to guide us back to Christ. We will need His AT-ONE-MENT. We will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will set us free.

I thank God for the prophet Joseph Smith. I thank God for this First Vision that happened in a "garden" eastward. The East symbolizes light and enlightenment. The symbol of the West symbolizes darkness, death and confusion. Though the church grew as it moved West, so did the number of external (carnal) commandments. These carnal commandments point the way back to the East. They point the way to Christ. We must go to the "SOURCE" of the "RESTORATION". That is why almost every temple's entrance points East. Towards the source of light. Even so, may we now turn towards the simplicity and brilliance of the First Vision to see who we truly are and awaken to a new millennial morning within our temples.

God bless you my friends.

Church Supports Gay Rights Ordinance

Historical and remarkable is what Millennial Mormonism Today calls the church's public endorsement of a gay rights measure designed to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination in employment and housing. The recent battle between the church and the LGBT community over marriage had produced so much animosity, I really wondered if there could be reconciliation. I did not think it would happen this soon.

Michael Otterson, managing director of the LDS Church's public affairs office, spoke during a public hearing Tuesday before the Salt Lake City Council regarding ordinances proposed to protect gay and lesbian residents from housing and employment discrimination. This unexpected public support for a city ordinance by the church created a small media bombshell that made it into national headlines.

I was overjoyed that the church took a consistent stand with it's August 2008 press release which states that they are not opposed to civil protections and rights for gays and lesbians when it does not interfere with religious liberties and the traditional definition of marriage. That stance seemed to fall on deaf ears when it came to the media, some members of the LGBT community and even some Mormons particularly those of the Nicodemus variety who will likely become offended by this action.

The church took a bold step in declaring support for the Salt Lake City ordinance rather than merely not opposing it. The support came as a result of meetings of leaders in the LGBT community and the church. Apparently they were able to find common ground.

This is extremely millennial and Millennial Mormonism Today welcomes it wholeheartedly.
I thought I would share some of the more interesting comments about this historic event as well as some of my thoughts about those comments. All of these comments were taken from the Deseret News website reporting on this event.

Here is an anti-LDS comment. Notice the twisted skepticism and contempt:
"This is only Salt Lake City one of the areas of Utah slipping from LDS control. I still don't trust this. The LDS does NOTHING until after they are absolutely forced to do so."

It is important to note that the church could have chosen not to make a big fuss about this and simply not opposed it. I'm not sure how the church could be forced to publicly support this. NOTHING is also a very absolutist statement. Apparently, for this angry and bitter individual, any good or positive step the church takes is because somebody is holding a gun to their head. I wish this person peace and blessings and that their life may be healed from the contempt and bitterness they feel.

Here is a comment of the more Nicodemus variety:
"The Mormon church has moved far from the ideology of its founders, and will do pretty much whatever popular opinion tells it to do. Just wait. In a couple of decades or so there will be gay and lesbian Mormon bishops."

This one sounds like a fundamentalist who values tradition over revelation. I hate to break it to them and others but there have been and are gay bishops! They simply choose to remain faithful in their temple marriage in spite of feelings of attraction to the same sex.

I liked this one quite a bit:
"I think if the LDS church is going to do what the popular opinion is at the time, women would be able to hold priesthood positions by now. We invited a gay friend to church several times, and he wanted to stay in relief society with us, nobody made a big deal out it. Everybody welcomed him just fine."

Nobody should make a big deal out of it. We invite ALL to come unto Christ. Some people act like gays and lesbians are not included in the "who is my neighbor" aspect of the parable of the Good Samaritan. For the Mormon community and LGBT community I think it would be an interesting contemporary twist and likening the scriptures to ourselves and our day if we substituted Samaritan and replaced it with a Mormon or someone who identifies themselves as gay or lesbian. We should all go and do thou likewise. It would get us much closer to a literal millennium or at least an internal one.

Here is a comment from a LGBT rights activist that I really liked:
"I am thrilled to be standing shoulder to shoulder with the LDS church on this issue. There are so many areas such as this where we agree! Let's work on those and leave the others to rest for a while, Let's make sure all God's children are respected and protected from discrimination and have the rights they need to manage their affairs. Sure We'll disagree on the boarderlands of our ideologies, but in the center, there is much we can cooperate on. Thanks to the LDS Church for speaking up for what is right, even when (as is obvious from comments here) it may not be popular or advisable or may be misconstrued as being solely for PR. This allows the LGBT community their first glimpse of the compassion of the LDS church as opposed to their view of it as a frightening institution that wants to strip their rights."

Here is a classic Nicodemus Mormon:
". . . I've been a member for over half a century. The leaders of the Church are righteous people, full of love for everyone. I applaud all those who stand up for religious freedom. No one should ever be forced to believe a certain way even if it becomes popular or politically correct. The Gays in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah became the leaders of those cities. They tried to force everyone to think and become like them. Ultimately they were destroyed by God himself because in their perversions they would defile themselves and the children of God and would not repent."

As you can see, at the beginning of this comment, there is some "putting the brethren on pedestals" here. I agree that there are some who want to suppress the free speech of people who are religious, especially if they disagree with them. They should have stopped there. But then you see this person go off the rails and take a purely literalistic position on the Sodom and Gomorrah story instead of seeing the symbolism behind it. The uber-literalist perspective promotes hatred, intolerance, and sometimes even violence. It may surprise this Nicodemus Mormon that I have known some gays and lesbians who are extremely Christ-like. On the other hand I have met some Mormons and other Christians who are more like the Pharisees than like Christ.

This next comment is actually two comments. The first is a previous comment made by a member of the church and the second comment is clearly from the GLBT community. I post it simply to show that we have some work to do in healing some wounds, correcting ignorance, and misunderstanding:
"No matter what the church says or do it will never be good enough for the LGBT's..."Yup... kinda like how nothin' the GLBT community does is ever good enough for LDS members."

This posted comment shows that we don't always recognize that when we make harsh judgements, we then receive harsh judgements. As the Savior said: Judge not, lest ye be judged. It's not fun when we receive what we dish out.

Here's some comments that are about as Nicodemus Mormon as you can get. Notice in the first how uncomfortable he is with the idea that there could be revelation involved in this process:
"A big step back for the church. I can not sit back and have this spoon fed to me as revelation. We should have stuck to our guns. These people need help not compassion!"
"I never thought the church would cower to political pressure. Another decline of the church in these latter days."
"A sad day in Utah. The Church should have stuck to their guns. It certainly shows a weakness that we are becoming 'in the world."

Enough said.

Many years ago, my grandfather's grandfather practiced an alternative lifestyle. He had three wives. He was persecuted for that. It was not popular and the majority of people in the country looked upon that lifestyle with disgust and ignorance. He, like many others were hunted and threatened with sanctions for the life they chose to live according to their religious principles. He and his family even had to leave the country to live this alternative marriage lifestyle according to his conscience.

Today, there are people who are not going to choose to live the same way we do. They have the right to define themselves the way they want. If they want to define themselves by their sexuality then they should be allowed to do that. If they want to say that sexual orientation is 100% purely genetic and biological then they should have the right to take that stand. One thing that used to bother me and many other members of the church is when other Christians try to define who I am and what I believe. Who is anyone to say that I am not a Christian? We of all people, know what it is like to be persecuted, threatened, abused with acts of violence and even killed. We should remember our history and stand with GLBTs in support of tolerance and mutual respect and kindness.

This does not mean we need to agree on every issue. I believe we can find common ground and understanding. Much of the common ground will be found in living a Christ-like life. Once we have a more Christ-like perspective then we will be less condemning and more loving and kind.

Finally, I share one last comment that I liked:
"This is a great day. As an active member of the LDS church with a strong testimony of the Savior and the church I'm thrilled. People deserve to be treated fairly."

Once again, I express gratitude for the church's public endorsement of this ordinance and look forward to further steps by the church to create more tolerance and understanding.

Peace and Blessings to each one of you my friends.

I'm Sorry But It Appears You've Been Damned

In the prophet Joseph Smith's final sermon on this Earth he said "I believe all that God ever revealed, and I never hear of a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for unbelief" (King Follet Discourse). This profound statement should come as great comfort to Millennial Mormons everywhere. Millennial Mormons are in a great position to avoid being damned because they believe that personal revelation is absolutely essential to spiritual growth and development. They are open to receiving truth wherever it may come from. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, they seek after these things wherever they may be.


On the other hand, Nicodemus Mormons are only content to have Apostles, Prophets, Stake Presidents and Bishops tell them what they should do, even as Moses did with the Children of Israel. As a result they receive a rebuke and a warning from the Lord: "For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward" (D&C 58:26). Nicodemus Mormons are more uncomfortable with personal revelation and listening to the still small voice. Instead, hearing the physical voice of the Lord's servants is more comforting. Though the Lord rebukes and warns us about being commanded and compelled in all things, He understands that this is a necessary step in our spiritual journey and it is certainly better than wandering in spiritual darkness (the world). Accepting living prophets or messengers is an essential step in our journey but it is not the end of the journey. As we begin to create a personal millennium within ourselves we recognize, like Joseph, that we too believe all that God ever revealed, all that He has now revealed and that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.



The one thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history. "Not us" we say. We're different and special. We won't fall into the same trap as those who came before us. Well, let's look at history and see if we can see any patterns.



When Jesus came to teach His gospel he encountered a people who were largely unprepared to accept what he was teaching. You will recall that the Pharisees at that time were looking for a physical/carnal Messiah who would deliver them from Roman captivity. They clung to the dead prophets (whom many of their ancestors killed ironically) in the scriptures and the law as found in the Torah. Most did not believe that there would be any new prophets or revelation and so they rejected John the Baptist and subsequently many rejected Jesus in the process. You could say that the Pharisees said "A Torah! A Torah! We have got a Torah and there cannot be anymore Torah." In the end, they were so outraged at what He taught, they sought to kill Him. Tradition is so powerful. Jesus voluntarily gave up his life to complete the Atonement (At-ONE-ment) and show us the way.


For those who were ready, the floodgates of new revelation burst forth. The canon of scripture was once again open. Living Apostles and Prophets returned to the earth and miracles were common. As time went on, history repeated itself. The Apostles and Prophets were killed. The canon of scripture began to close somewhere around the 4th century. Miracles were less common. Thus, the Dark Ages were ushered in.


And then, a new day began to dawn. A young uneducated farm boy asked a question of God which ushered in the Restoration of the Gospel. Miracles became common again. Many of the sectarian Christians were not prepared for such an event. They believed that Apostles and Prophets were a thing of the past and that there would be no new revelations. The Bible was closed and had been that way for centuries. God had been gagged and would not say anymore than what was in the Bible--after all that's what the Book of Revelations says right??!! In the end, tradition was too powerful and they became outraged at what Joseph taught. They sought to kill him and succeeded. Even in his final moments, the prophet Joseph Smith pointed the way to Christ.


Nephi identifies their thinking well when he says "A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible" (see 2 Nephi 29: 3-4, 9). Nephi goes a step further when he speaks on behalf of God and states this in regard to those who reject new revelation: "For unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have" (2 Nephi 28:30).

History once again repeats itself.


Is it possible today that history could be repeating itself again with members of our own church? Could Nicodemus Mormons today be saying: "Living Prophet! Living Prophet! We have got a living prophet". Might they not recognize that living prophets and previous scriptures have their role in preparing the way to Christ? They are not ends in themselves. Ironically, Nicodemus Mormons find themselves in the unenviable position as the Pharisees did and many Christians do today. They no longer ask, seek or knock. They have enough! Will tradition once again override new revelation?

Even temple attending members of the church, if they look at the endowment in superficial and carnal levels, will fail to make progress in their spiritual journey. They will be like the children of Israel prior to the Babylonian captivity who trusted in the temple (carnally and superficially) and found their world come crashing down around them. Jeremiah warned them by saying this: "Trust not in lying words saying , The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these" (Jeremiah 7:4).
Let me be clear. Having the scriptures, a living prophet, and the temple are wonderful blessings. They are essential aspects of the gospel. As Jesus said, he did not come to destroy the law or the prophets but to fulfill (FULL-FILL) them. Living prophets, scriptures and even the temple can only take us so far. They all do the same thing--point the way to Christ. Until we are ready to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and live by personal revelation then we will continue to wander in the wilderness. As Joseph said, a man is damned for unbelief.

But Millennial Mormon! Don't we have the fullness of the gospel?! Yes, we absolutely do. What that means though is that we have everything we need to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We have everything we need to begin to become like Him. Whether we choose to do that or not is up to us. If we are to become like him as the Bible and the Book of Mormon teach, then we must begin to live as He did which was by personal revelation from His Father in Heaven. (Many Christians today believe that it is blasphemy and robbery that we could ever become like Jesus Christ or our Heavenly Father. This is one of the reasons why they killed Joseph. It was a hard saying. Who could hear it?)

Millennial Mormons recognize the 9th article of Faith as extremely relevant each and every day. It says: "We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God" (Articles of Faith). Most Nicodemus Mormons won't really comprehend that this article of faith has any personal meaning for them right at this very moment. They would only see this article of faith as pertaining to the living prophets revealing doctrine for the church rather than personal revelation. As a result of their dependence on living prophets and listening to their physical voice, many Nicodemus Mormons are not always well practiced at listening to the still small voice and continue to wander in the wilderness or are damned until they learn these lessons from history.

Eventually, as we embrace the Savior, come to know Him, take up our cross, and actually follow Him, we will "believe all things" (Article of Faith 13) and the internal millennium will begin. When that day comes, the words of the Apostle John will be fulfilled in your ears: "Beloved, now are we the sons (or daughters) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2).


Peace and blessing to all of you my friends. May God be with you.



EPILOGUE:
I just realized that some people may be misinterpreting how I am using the word damned. Most of you probably know what I mean but for all those literalists out there I had better clarify. I am using it the same way Joseph meant it. What I do not mean is that damned means that you will burn in a literal fire, in a literal hell for literally all eternity. What Joseph and I do mean is that damned means you are temporarily stuck in your eternal journey until you understand these principles that God is trying to teach you. Take your time and learn for yourself.

Dan "Millennial" Brown and The Lost Symbol

Greetings to all! May peace and blessing be with you as always.

I just finished reading Dan Brown's new novel called The Lost Symbol. For those who don't know who Dan Brown is, he is the author of Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code. I enjoy his books because they center on historical and religious themes. Although they are fictional works, they present quite a number of historical and contemporary facts. It makes for excellent reading in my opinion.

Many Mormons had heard that Dan Brown had been poking around in the church archives doing research for this book and that he was doing a book on the Masons. Many Mormons were nervous that he was going to do an expose on the temple endowment and the connections with Masonry. This did not turn out to be the case. He only directly references the church twice. Both of the mentions are fairly neutral for someone who doesn't know much about the church.

The overall theme of the book will be of great interest to most Mormons, especially of the Millennial persuasion. One of the primary themes of the book is of apotheosis or man becoming a god. It is primarily a Masonic perspective on the issue but as most of you know, many early members of the church were Masons, including Joseph Smith. Joseph clearly saw many parallels between masonic rituals and Restoration principles and thus there are commonalities and overlap in Mormon temple ordinances and Masonry. There are differences as well of course.

In addition to early members of the Church, a large number of the founders of the United States of America were also Masons. Thus, much of the symbolism of the country is connected to Masonry. This will be difficult for many Nicodemus Mormons as well as Evangelical Christians to take because their view of the United States is consistent with it being a "Christian country". The reality is that most of the founders were Deists and have a strong Masonic background.

The novel takes place in Washington, D.C. and it is a page turner. I highly recommend it for everyone. If you are working on becoming a Millennial Mormon then I would strongly encourage you to check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Another theme of the book is the tension and hopeful reconciliation of science and religion. In many ways, the book parallels many of the topics I have discussed here on Millennial Mormonism Today.

Western civilization, over the centuries has created this separation of religion and science. The two have become like oil and water. Most atheists and agnostics cleave towards science in totality and most orthodox religious folks cleave to their religion in totality. The two appear to be at odds with each other and reconciliation between the two seems out of reach. Both sides seem to want to keep it that way. It appears that this schism has always existed. However, this isn't true. Most Eastern religions are not incompatible with science and you will not see the same fragmentation in the East as you do in the West. However, the West is in the midst of an incredible transformation.

Dan Brown has been able to tap into the pulse of the coming era. Something quite remarkable has happened as science has explored the fundamentals of physical reality. They have begun to find that things are not so tidy and neat as they once thought. The Newtonian laws of classical physics don't seem to work quite the same at the sub-atomic level. The advent of Quantum Physics has changed everything. Many of you may not know much about Quantum Physics but it is in the process of revolutionizing everything we know and everything we thought we knew about how the universe works.

As we get to the sub-atomic level, the rules seem to change and scientists are baffled by what they are seeing. Billions of dollars are being spent to try to figure out what is going on. As Quantum Physics hits the mainstream, scientists are desperately trying to interpret this strange sub-atomic world and the laws that govern it. As a result, new interpretations are developed frequently. Currently, there are 11-12 different interpretations of quantum mechanics and counting. There will likely be many more.

The bottom line with Quantum Physics is that there is a lot we don't know about our physical universe and how it is created. What this has done is "create space" for spirituality and science to begin to make tentative steps towards each other. For many, spirituality and science may be describing the same things with a difference only in terminology and semantics.

It is in this fertile ground that Dan Brown plants the seeds of his novel. His bridge between science and spirituality is the Noetic Sciences and Masonry. Noetic Sciences is the study of the mind and the role it plays in affecting matter--if any. For most classical scientists who tend to be strict materialists, there is no role for the mind to play and matter reigns supreme. For them, the Noetic Sciences are fringe or pseudoscience. For others, it is called frontier science and it challenges many of the notions of the mainstream. As Dan Brown alludes to in his novel, at one time, believing that the Sun revolved around the Earth and that the Earth was flat was considered mainstream and even scientific, based on what mankind knew at the time. Surely we are no different now. This is what Dan Brown explores in his novel and what I try to explore on this blog.

The symbolism of science and religion is consistent with many of the themes we have previously discussed. I am optimistic and hopeful that Science (physical body) and Religion (spirit) will be reconciled and unity and at-one-ment will be achieved. Science and Religion have been like two estranged siblings who are on the verge of healing their relationship and coming together again. I, like other Millennial Mormons, will look forward to that great day. In the meantime, I suggest you read the book and keep your eyes open. There are a lot of wonderful opportunities on the horizon.

Also, in the meantime, I would like to make Dan Brown an honorary Millennial Mormon. Congratulations Dan on your success and I look forward to hearing more from you.

Happy Halloween everyone! Try not to take things too literally tonight. Just because someone dresses like a witch does not mean she is involved in witchcraft. Have fun!

Peace and blessings to you my friends!

James Arthur Ray and the Sweat Lodge Deaths

It's been all over the news but I would like to say a few words about the 3 sweat lodge deaths that occurred recently. I want to send my heart felt condolences to the families of those who died in this tragic incident. I feel sorrow and compassion for them. Any loss of a loved one is one of the most difficult things to go through in life especially when it is under tragic circumstances. May God bless each of the family members who are suffering right now.

In many ways, I understand some of the desire of these sweat lodge participants. I don't think they needed to pay exorbitant sums of money for what they were searching for. As the scriptures teach, we have a source of spirituality that does not require money to tap into. The prophet Isaiah spoke well when he said: Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price (Isaiah 55:1).

For Mormons, both of the Nicodemus and Millennial variety and everything in between, this source is centered on God through His Son Jesus Christ. It is Him who we place our faith in and with good reason. When we place our faith in man we are bound to be disappointed. Nephi spoke well when he said: Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 28:31).

At this point it appears that James Arthur Ray is a failed and false prophet. He may go down in history as a Marshall Applewhite or Jim Jones or perhaps he will come through it and redeem himself. Only time will tell and God only knows. Jesus identified the way to tell whether a prophet is true or false. He said:

" Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them"
(Matthew 7: 15-20).

It is often hard to judge the fruits of a person's life except over a long period of time and perhaps after they have died.

It is a good lesson for us as Mormons that we do not put our faith in man but we put our faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, even though we have living prophets we must avoid the temptation to put our faith in them. They are special witnesses of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith and all the prophets after him never claimed to be perfect and would never have wanted you to worship them. They point the way to Christ just as the dead prophets from the scriptures did. We should not forget that and this tragic situation is a good reminder. When we put any man or woman on a pedestal, we can become sorely disappointed and led astray. This is why our personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ is so important. The more of a Nicodemus Mormon we are, the more likely we are to put our faith in the physical. On the other hand, many false prophets preach a gospel of hyper-asceticism and unfortunately this is one of the signs of going off the rails. When someone starts to hate the body or see it as 100% negative and an evil thing then you can be assured that you have a false prophet in your midst. There are few Mormons in this category. I would call them hyper-Hellenized Mormons. There are not many of them and most leave the church.

I'm afraid that James Arthur Ray had perhaps become a hyper-ascetic and this was a sign that he had fallen into blindness and illusion. One of his goals was to reach the age of 120 and I noticed he had become obsessed with healthy food and drinking algae/chlorophyll water to shift his ph levels in the hope of achieving greater longevity. I was getting concerned that he had become too hyper-ascetic and was pushing too hard. Perhaps it is a factor in what happened here. Perhaps he forgot that we are all on different levels and that if we push someone too hard they could literally die.

I know some about this man, James Arthur Ray, and I feel very sad for him. I do not think he was an evil man at all but he clearly may have become blinded. In this country, he is innocent until proven guilty and I feel very sorry for him. He carries an extremely heavy burden right now. I don't know if I could stand to carry a burden as great as this. Although he needs to be held accountable for his actions, I personally have no ill will towards him. If it was one of my family members who died on this outing with him, I would hope that I could have the strength to forgive him. I know I would need God's help to do it. I know it would be the right thing to do. From what I do know about him, I believe he would have never wanted this to happen and the burden of this tragedy is something he will carry for the rest of his life. In the eyes of many, it has disintegrated all his hard work and any positive legacy he may have had. In many ways, it is like the burden that a drunk driver would carry if he or she killed someone as a result of their actions. Many people, who do not know him will think that he is a snake oil salesman and was only out for the money. It's true, James may have become drunk with power, money and success. It is easy to do.

I never payed anything into the coffers of James Arthur Ray. But, I have spent money in other places that seemed like the right thing at the time. James is no different than high priced business consultants, therapists, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, dentists, chiropractors, counselors, bloggers, lawyers, fashion designers, televangelists, movie makers and almost any other profession. It could be said of any profession that we either take advantage of a weakness in order to make money or we fill a needed niche. If you are in the profession you are in, you will certainly tend to look at it in the most positive light or you would likely leave that profession. If you have had a negative experience with a certain profession you could say they are only out for the money. It all depends on how you look at it. Either way, I say may God bless you James.

It is sad to see so many people out there who want revenge and who want an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. As Gandhi said, "soon the whole village is blind" and toothless with that approach! Until we get away from that tired, old, and worn out way, we will never have a millennium--internal or otherwise. Winning a million dollar lawsuit, having someone locked away, or giving someone the death penalty will never give anyone the peace and happiness they are searching for. Yet, there are so many who have not learned this lesson. They want his blood and they want him to pay the ultimate price. In many ways I feel the most sorrow for those who hate and condemn without even knowing anything about this man. May God be more merciful with you than you have been to James.

I remember when another man who became much more blinded went into an Amish schoolroom and deliberately shot all those children and the Amish community forgave him. That was one of the most inspiring, millennial, and Christ-like stories that I have heard. What a great example for all of humanity.

James Arthur Ray did not deliberately cause this. Based on what I know about James, this was an accident. He was pushing these individuals to break through physical and emotional barriers that hold people back. Much like Bob and Gillian on the Biggest Loser push severely, morbidly obese people to break through similar barriers. If anyone has seen the Biggest Loser, you will see people passing out and throwing up all the time. You may even see some dangerous situations on that show. The only difference is that NBC knows the liability in trying to help people change their lives and they were willing to pay the money for that protection. Thus, there are life-flight helicopters, consulting physicians, EMTs, ambulances, etc. all standing by. The sweat lodge incident did not have that. James was required by law to have one nurse on standby, which he did. He probably had done events like this for years with no disastrous consequences and instead received positive feedback from the participants. In this case, something went very wrong and people died. James has probably put himself in jeopardy of a manslaughter conviction unfortunately. It will be interesting to see how James deals with this. I wonder if his unflinching message of pure accountability will survive through this. It will be interesting to see if he can use the law of polarity as well.

In the mean time, I feel great sorrow for these families of those who died. Their lives have changed forever and many of them will find it hard to see through spiritual eyes. I would have a hard time if it was my family member. As I said before, I would need God's help to forgive. There would be such a great temptation to fall into bitterness and hatred.

Once again, I send peace and blessings to the family of the victims. May God be with you at this difficult time.

Please pass the fig leaves...

Peace and blessings to you my friends!

As we look at the illuminating Garden of Eden story, we see many layers of symbols and meanings. Of significant importance is the symbolism of the green fig leaves.
As you recall, Adam (Spirit) and Eve (Body) are told by God not to partake of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil. For most Nicodemus members of the church, the Fall is considered to be a purely positive event, necessary for the spiritual development of mankind. For most everyone else it is viewed purely as a negative event and most especially as "original sin." The Fall clearly has both negative and positive elements. It is important to have a balanced view of the Fall and to see it in totality.

One of the first effects of partaking of the fruit for Adam and Eve is recognition that they are naked and that this is an embarrassment (evil) even though Adam and Eve had been walking and talking with God in this manner. This essential part of the story punctuates the fear, anxiety, and worry that begin to corrupt the bodies of Adam and Eve. Partaking of the fruit begins a spiral into the physical or carnal world that is fragmented into seeing things as either good or evil. They become lost in the physical plane of existence. The first thing they saw as evil in addition to partaking of the fruit was their own naked bodies. This led to the first great "cover up" which most public relations firms and lawyers would agree is in many ways worse than the actual event you are trying to cover up.

Genesis 3:7 says that Adam and Eve's eyes (physical/carnal) were "opened" and they knew that they were naked. The superscript for "opened" in the LDS edition of the scriptures references "Fall of Man." This is very appropriate. As their physical eyes opened, their spiritual eyesight went dim. What they had once seen as normal and had been a symbol of their oneness with their surroundings, was now associated with shame, fear, anxiety and worry. They had forgotten that God had made all things and put them in the garden as they were. Genesis says: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25). The partaking of the fruit, led to shame, fear, anxiety, fragmentation and a reliance on the physical.

To symbolize this event, the scriptures say that Adam and Eve made aprons of fig leaves. Why fig leaves? What do the fig leaves symbolize? In order to understand the symbolism it is important to understand the significance of figs. The LDS bible dictionary speaks of figs being "everywhere common in Palestine". The symbolism of this is that what Adam and Eve did is common. It happens to all of us. As has been mentioned before, this Garden of Eden story is not just a historical event but a symbolic circumstance that human beings engage in from moment to moment each and everyday. Thus a common symbol is very appropriate and fig trees as a very common fruit tree fit this concept. It also suggests that Adam and Eve went from having an uncommon, peculiar (treasured), spiritually centered perspective that recognized unity in all things, to a common, carnal, physically-dominated view on life that sees a fragmented world. Once again, the foliage of the common fig tree would fit this symbolism.

In addition, an apron made of fig leaves would tend to wilt very quickly. This tends to suggest that their "cover" will need to be constantly replenished. It is temporal. It is illusory and Adam and Eve will need to work very hard to keep up this facade. This anxiety and constant need to replenish the fragmentary belief system that Spirit and Body have fallen into will deplete them to the point of exhaustion and death.

Further evidence, that Adam and Eve were now spiritually blind is God's question to them before he pronounces the consequences of eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He asks them a very important question: "Who told thee that thou wast naked?" This question should serve as a wake up call to Nicodemus Mormons everywhere. As a former Nicodemus Mormon, although I knew that Satan was the father of lies, I actually viewed him more as a spoiler or a spiller of beans. We must be careful not to take what Satan says at face value. We cannot trust any information that comes out of his mouth. Nicodemus Mormons often believe that Satan will tell 99 truths in order to perpetuate 1 lie. This is a dangerous assumption to make and can lead to ongoing spiritual blindness. We must be careful to not assume that anything he is saying is the truth or that we are somehow clever enough to see the distinction in his statements. A better approach, and one that is more accurate in deciphering the spiritual symbolism of the Garden of Eden event, is to simply see Satan for what he is: The father of lies. Start to look at each of Satan's statements as a falsehood designed to blind you. An essential step in becoming a Millennial Mormon is casting out Satan and no longer listening to anything he has to say.

Thus, the initial symbolism of the fig leaf aprons worn by Adam and Eve is a covering symbolizing blindness. Carnal man will view it as a symbol of chastity. This is a carnal interpretation that is not necessarily wrong. It is a superficial way of looking at it. Deeper symbolism suggests blindness. Additionally, the color green can be associated with and represent, sickness, poison, death and decay which is all appropriate with certain consequences of the Fall.

The color green can have very contradictory meanings and symbolisms. It can mean both life and death. It means both sickness and health. Thus fig leaf aprons are a very appropriate symbol of fragmentation. In some cultures, the color green, is symbolic of the devil. In Chinese, the symbol for cuckold (a man whose wife has committed adultery) is a man wearing a green hat. This is a nice parallel of how the body (Eve) seeks after forbidden fruit (carnal/physical desires) instead of cleaving to the Spirit (Adam).

The meaning of the green fig leaves changes and evolves over time as Adam and Eve take the long hard road to return to the Tree of Life (Jesus Christ, or seeing the unity of all things or At-One-Ment). With God nothing is impossible. And so the color green and fig leaves can become a positive symbol in the end. The color green also has reference to the tree of life, resurrection, eternal life and immortality. For instance, the Egyptian god of the resurrection, Osiris, was depicted as having green skin.

OSIRIS with Green Skin

Other important symbolisms of fig leaves is that when a fig tree has leaves there should always be fruit (see Bible Dictionary for Fig Trees). Thus, the leaves also symbolize fertility and the ability to produce offspring. This includes children but it also symbolizes our 5 senses of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch. Additionally, it also suggests that we have the power to create not just children but anything else we want. It suggests that we can make things that are "man-made" to help us feel comfortable and avoid the pain of a fragmented world where the natural man and woman sees death, sickness, grief and loneliness. We then can become dependent on our "man-made" creations and get lost in them. We can create "Towers of Babel" that are man-made which tend to be self-serving, give an illusion of security, and are carnally inspired. Just as in the tower of Babel story, this leads to confusion and fragmentation. On the other hand, we can create that which is inspired of God through which all the nations of the earth will be blessed. This is our agency.

With God nothing is impossible and in spite of the Fall, a remedy is given to Adam and Eve that will help them to work through their blindness. Messengers are a big part of this. All true messengers represent and symbolize Jesus Christ. It is through studying His life and taking upon His name that we come to see clearly and are able to banish Satan from our midst. As a result the green fig leaves become a symbol for renewal and resurrection. It becomes a symbol of physicality that will always be with us. Ideally, our physical natures and the physical world are brought into their proper perspective and are viewed as a small but significant part of the totality of eternal life and reality. The spiritual world is much larger and can't be seen with physical eyes. Once this is grasped, the physical body becomes a submissive vessel to create that which edifies, and generates beauty, peace and blessings to the world.

The physical plane of existence is only part of our lives. It is significant but easy to become lost in. While the spiritual must take priority over the physical, the physical is not to be completely abolished. The physical remains with us and provides a fullness of joy (see D&C 93:33-34). The physical is not evil or bad.

My best to you as you make the journey to becoming a Millennial Mormon. Please continue to send me your e-mails and update me on your journey. Until next time my friends.

Catholic Liturgy and the Mormon Temple

Hello readers,

I have been reading a fascinating article on the similarities of Catholic Liturgy and the Mormon Temple by Marcus Von Wellnitz. I would definitely recommend this article to you as helpful reading towards becoming a Millennial Mormon. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

I would add one small item to the list of parallels. On page 15 Marcus says that the "LDS Temple does not utilize musical performance in its ceremony." I would suggest that although there is no live performance of music in the endowment, music is still an important part, if not underrated, element of that ordinance. In my opinion, it is a very helpful aspect in understanding the symbolism.


Many thanks to Hannah Rebekah and her excellent blogs for the reference to this great article. Please visit and support her blogs. They are quite good and very helpful.

May Peace and Blessings abound in your life.

Women and the Priesthood

Several years ago, my wife and I were talking with a lady who happened to be of the Reform Judaism faith. We were having a pleasant discussion and she complimented my wife on a speech that she gave at a wedding that we had attended together. It was a very good speech. Knowing my wife was a Mormon, she commented about how she thought my wife would make a great "minister" of a Mormon congregation. She asked if women could be "ministers" because she has a female relative who is a Rabbi which is consistent and appropriate in Reform Judaism. My wife and I responded that of course no, that women could not be bishops. Then an interesting thing happened, she turned to my wife and once again pressed the issue and said that she would make a great bishop someday. We just smiled and laughed nervously because the very thought of that seemed strange and somewhat absurd. At the time it was unimaginable to me. For my wife, knowing what bishops go through, she was not particularly keen on the possibility of a future ordination as bishop if that time ever came for her.

This small episode in my life has caused me to pause and consider why women do not apparently hold the priesthood. For most members of the church, the retort to that question inevitably centers on roles of motherhood and how women who are married and have children should focus their efforts on those areas. For many people outside of the church they see patriarchy and preservation of power as the reason. Both of those responses to the question are limited and forget to recognize the importance of symbolism in the gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition, to compensate for these temporal/carnal/fallen perspectives, Mormon culture has started to jump to an equally opposite approach where women are coming dangerously close to being put on pedestals. This can be seen in the great urgency of men to open doors for women, open the passenger side door of cars for women, and recognize Mother's day as a holiday that is next to Christmas in importance. There are some men who will criticize other men if they are seen riding in the passenger side of the vehicle with their wife driving or if they do not open up the car door first for their wife then they are seen as slacking in their priesthood duty!

This may be a good time to introduce the issue of a Heavenly Mother. While most faithful members of the church recognize the literal existence of our Heavenly Parents, we don't always understand the meaning or symbolism. The doctrine of the female deity is recognized as sacred and so few talk about the subject because they are worried about it (or Her) being mocked. Questions about the Heavenly Mother are brought up in the minds of many. One question is obvious: How come we don't know anything about her. Why doesn't she speak? What is her name? Why are we "not allowed" to pray to Her? Etc. Carnal interpretations and reasons are generated as answers for these questions such as that Heavenly Father wants to keep her hidden and sacred so her name will not be abused or mistreated. Once again it is this carnal Nicodemus Mormon cultural concept of female worship that is projected onto God instead of understanding the deep symbolism involved.


As I have mentioned before, the symbolism of the feminine has typically and historically been of the Earth. This is why we refer to our planet as "mother Earth". As mentioned in previous posts, Eve is attached to this symbolism. We can consider the Earth to be the vessel of all that is living and it is fine and appropriate to consider Eve to be connected to that imagery. Our Heavenly Mother can also be considered in the same way.

In addition, the masculine has historically been connected with the sky, heaven, and the spiritual. As we consider the creation (organization) of the Earth, it was the Earth who responded to God's commandments and directives and as a result, this Earth was prepared to bring forth life. In parallel, Adam was instructed after the fall to rule over Eve. Many individuals in the church fail to see the important symbolism of this for themselves.

Whether you are a man or a woman, Eve and the natural Earth have great meaning and symbolism for you right now. They represent you! Yes, even if you are a man there is a part of who you are that is symbolized in Eve and the physical Earth. Eve and the physical Earth itself represent our physical natures whether we are men or women. Adam and the spiritual creation of the Earth (Moses 3:5) represent our spiritual natures. Adam is not just a symbol for men but a symbol for women as well. Adam is our spirits.

Unfortunately, natural and carnal men and women tend to forget (fallen, lost and blind) what the symbolism stands for and they are prone to worshipping the symbols rather than remembering what the symbols represent and mean. I fear that this is the case with men having the priesthood. It is a symbol that our spiritual natures need to preside over our physical natures. Thus to an extent women do hold the priesthood after all, when their Adam (spirit) rules over their Eve (body). Once this issue is seen and understood, then women not apparently having the priesthood on the surface is more understandable. It is a matter of symbolism.

Heavenly Mother's silence should not be interpreted in carnal ways. Her apparent silence to us is an example of submissiveness to her husband. Her silence is not to be viewed in a literal manner instead it once again illustrates the perfect submissiveness of the body to the spirit. She is the mother of all living spirits and so She is a type of Eve and Heavenly Father is a type of Adam. The message to us is for our bodies to be submissive to our spirits. Not in a tyrannical sort of way as ascetics do where they hate the body but in a relationship based on love and respect. A sealed relationship. Can you see this dear reader?

Failing to recognize the symbolism leads to uber-literal and carnal interpretations. This can lead to negative outcomes such as patriarchy, unrighteous dominion and women and men not understanding who they really are. A literal/carnal interpretation fails to recognize that God is no respecter of persons (see Acts 10:34 and Romans 2:11).

It is interesting that in Acts 10:34 Peter has his vision that leads to the gospel being preached to the Gentiles. It is fair to say that it was surprising to him that the gospel could be preached directly to the Gentiles and it was a controversy in the church for quite some time. It took many years to eliminate the judaizing elements in the church. Paul was the most vocal opponent of those who suggested that Gentiles needed to convert to Judaism and obey the law of Moses before they could become Christians. The tide turned at a council in Jerusalem in Acts 15 where it was decided that gentiles could join the church directly without becoming Jewish converts first and needing to obey the law of Moses.

A bishop interestingly enough is technically an office in the Aaronic Priesthood even though all men except some very unusual exceptions would hold the Melchizedek priesthood to officiate in that office. The fact that the office of bishop is an Aaronic Priesthood office suggests that it's duties and focus are more of a temporal/outward nature. This tends to point to the office being part of the Telestial order rather than Terrestrial which is connected more with the Melchizedek Priesthood. (The Aaronic Priesthood is closely associated with the Telestial--see previous posts). Indeed, it is within the Temple that the Melchizedek Priesthood reigns, and it is within the temple that we see God is no respecter of person, and it is within the temple that we see equality, and it is within the temple that we see women participating in not only receiving ordinances but also administering them. Thus we see how the temple is a foreshadow of the millennial world we are trying to create, most importantly within ourselves. The most important temple is our own. Women as well as men have a divine nature or intelligence within their spirits that is co-eternal with God (Joseph Smith, King Follet Sermon). This divine nature being expressed through our spirits and then through our physical body is the essence of creating an internal millennium for both men and women.

As I look back on my wife's conversation with our Jewish friend of the Reform movement, I can't help but remember how uncomfortable I was at that time. Perhaps when it came to women and the priesthood I would have fallen in a "judaizing" category and thought that it would be inappropriate for them to have the priesthood and contrary to the order of God. Now, as a Millennial Mormon rather than a Nicodemus Mormon, I would be perfectly fine if the Prophet and Apostles held council and through their keys and by revelation gave the priesthood fully to women. I would not mind in the least if my bishop was a woman! I'm not sure my wife can say the same. How about you dear reader?!

Let the Journey Begin . . .Part 3

You are now ready to enter the promised land under the leadership of Joshua (Jesus). It was hard for you to let go of Moses (living or dead prophets). In fact you may have wept a few tears and sang a few hymns (Praise to the Man) to help you mourn the loss and make the transition to Joshua (Jesus). But you are now ready.

Moses had previously sent out spies to check this mystical place out. After 40 days, (period of time of cleansing and preparation) all of them report back that it is a worthy goal and an incredible place that flows with unbelievable abundance. The vast majority of the spies however believe that it is an impossible task to conquer the cities and tribes that now inhabit it (see Numbers 13 and Numbers 14). They are fearful of the walled cities and the children of Anak whom they consider to be "giants". The 10 spies (symbolic of lost and fallen man and the ten LOST tribes) believe that it can't be done. Only Joshua (symbolic of Jesus Christ) and Caleb (symbolic of a whole, holy, perfect, complete man or woman) have a positive report and believe that the promised land can be conquered and inhabited. "Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it" (Numbers 13:30).

Do you see the parallels in your own life dear reader? The promised land is about you! It is about you conquering the physical body and subjecting it to the spirit. Your physical body is a miracle and has the power to help you create a world that flows with milk and honey. It will help you to have the abundant life you have been searching for. It will help you usher in peace and prosperity. But it must be conquered. And it will require more faith than you can imagine. You will need to trust in God and banish fear in order to conquer these walled cities of the carnal man or woman. Your spirit may feel like a grasshopper compared to the giant carnal man. With God nothing is impossible and it is truly worth it to create a life that exceeds your fondest expectations.

The 10 spies who give an "evil" report scare the children of Israel beyond belief (no faith). The people become so frightened that they actually want to turn back to Egypt (Outer Darkness) and die there or die in the wilderness (Telestial Kingdom). Eventually they even want to kill Moses and Aaron. The Lord is appalled that Israel would so easily forget His constant help and amazing miracles that have been ever-present in their journey. He is not pleased with this attitude and choice to turn back to Egypt (outer darkness) and to kill the prophet. He therefore is considering disinheriting the children of Israel (forfeiture of spiritual blessings and returning to outer darkness where the body completely rules the spirit).

Fortunately, due to Moses' mediating (symbolic of Christ's Atonement), and Moses identifying the correct and true attributes of God (symbolic of the atonement of Christ), and Joshua renting his clothes (also symbolic of the atonement of Christ), the Lord gives Israel mercy but declares that they must continue to wander in the wilderness (Telestial Kingdom) for 40 years (period of time for cleansing and preparation). He says that the 10 spies and that entire generation of the children of Israel other than Joshua (Jesus Christ) and Caleb (symbolic of the whole, holy, perfect, complete man or woman) will need to "die" before the next generation (spiritually reborn) can enter the promised land. The Lord says of the faith-full Caleb: "But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him (living life through revelation with the physical body in submission to the spirit), and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed (physical body and senses) shall possess it" (Numbers 14:24).

At first, these two chapters in Numbers may seem particularly harsh, especially to the natural/carnal man. However, when spiritual symbolism is used it has profound meaning for our individual lives, spiritually refreshes us, and lifts us up to higher ground. When seen through the lens of carnal/natural men and women, the story either appears foolish and strange, meaningless, or a twisted and monstrous justification that leads to fundamentalism and misery for ourselves and others. On the other hand, it can be life changing for us and lead to a millennial day within ourselves.

Can you see dear reader how this may apply to you and your life? Have you looked at the promised land and had a glimpse of the wonderful life (kingdom of God) that is "at hand"? Do you believe what Jesus said when he declared that the Kingdom of God "cometh not with observation" but is "within you"? Can you see that your eternal life is not just some far away future place that seems like a dream but can actually begin this very minute? Can you see how the present is a part of your eternal life? Can you see your own personal millennium? Yes it is scary, but don't shrink away. You can do it.

As you cross the river Jordon (threshold of the Terrestrial) you continue to recognize amazing miracles in your life. You might say that you live in a brighter world. You might say that a light has been turned on for you. You see clearer than you have before. Things appear to make more sense. Your courage is sustained and supported. You continue in faith to be led by your captain (Jesus Christ) to conquer the promised land.

There are many battles.

The battle of Jericho is wonderfully illustrative of these battles. Armageddon in the New Testament is also highly symbolic of this process. Today we will focus on Jericho to continue our Old Testament theme. As you remember, Jericho has impressive walls which can only be destroyed by spiritual power. They could not be destroyed by a purely natural way. The children of Israel will need the Lord's help to conquer this fortified city.

What are the walls and barriers in your life that need to fall in order for you to have a personal millennium? What have been the walls and barriers of the most successful individuals who have walked the Earth and have had the most benificial impact on all of humanity? Who are these people through whom all the families of the Earth have been blessed? Are you becoming one of the noble and great ones?

In Joshua 5 the captain of the Lord's hosts (God) appears to Joshua and instructs him to remove his shoes because he is standing on holy ground (Terrestrial Kingdom). Have you ever removed your shoes on holy ground dear reader? When did you do that? Joshua is then instructed on how to destroy the city walls. The plan is curiously unusual and only a spiritually centered individual would believe that it can work. The natural man or woman would mock such a plan and "shoot out the lip" in scorn and ridicule. The Lord (God/Divine Nature/Intelligence) speaks to Joshua (our spiritual natures) who tells (revelation) the perfectly obedient children of Israel (our physical natures including our senses) what to do to conquer the city (have our physical body in complete submission to our spirit, and our spirit in complete submission to God/Divine Nature/Intelligence thus becoming whole/holy/perfected/complete).

This is how the pattern of a whole (holy) complete, at-one-ment person lives their life from moment to moment each day:
GOD/Divine Nature/Intelligence--revelation-> SPIRIT---> PHYSICAL BODY

This is how fallen men and women operate moment to moment each day:
PHYSICAL BODY--seeing all things in a fragmented good and evil way--> SPIRIT --> GOD/Divine Nature/Intelligence


In order to create miracles in your life and conquer your walled cities you will need to become whole (holy), perfect (complete) and live your life in the flow and unity of personal revelation. This is how Joshua and the children of Israel conquered Jericho. Living your life this way will tend to be viewed by carnal, external individuals as strange and peculiar. Remember that the Lord called his people a "peculiar people." They were different. They were a treasure. That is who you are dear reader. When you are ready.

Part of the plan to conquer Jericho was to COMPASS the city (Joshua 6). I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that Joshua and the children of Israel created a perfect circle around the city! It must have seemed very peculiar to the inhabitants of Jericho. Can you imagine them laughing and mocking this peculiar people? As you may recall, the horns blow (symbolic of divine/inspired call to action and then taking action in an inspired manner) and the walls come tumbling down.

In what would seem to literalistic/legalistic/fundamental/fallen/carnal/natural men and women a gruesome directive, the children of Israel are instructed to "utterly destroy all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword (Joshua 6:21). Failing to realize the spiritual meaning of this scripture, as well as the plan of salvation, can lead to either great abhorrence for religion and scripture, or, at a minimum, discomfort, or worst of all, fundamentalist justification for violence.

The spiritual significance and meaning of this scripture is plain to see. Your physical/natural nature must be completely submissive. You can't leave anything out where the natural man or woman can once again make a foothold in your life. If you do not "utterly destroy" the natural man or woman it will lead to more internal wars, external carnal commandments and laws, judges (bishops and other priesthood leaders), minor prophets (living prophets with less power than Moses), coming into your life to help you return to Jesus Christ (Terrestrial Kingdom). In many ways it is like a person who is not fully immersed in the water at baptism and must be baptized again until full immersion takes place. You must "burn the city with fire, and all that is therein (Joshua 6:24) says the Lord.

WARNING and Disclaimer: Please dear reader do not take the above statement literally and immolate yourself over hot coals or a bonfire like Boromir's father Denethor Steward of Gondor did in Return of the King. It's not a pretty sight. Nor should you interpret it as rationale for arson towards an actual city you want to conquer so you can have its gold and silver. Millennial Mormonism Today and the Millennial Mormon will not be held liable for any such actions. It also does not mean that your spirit needs to be tyrannical in the same way your body has been. That would be an "eye for an eye" approach and revenge-oriented. In the end your spirit and body need to be reconciled and live in a peaceful relationship built on a foundation of faith, love and trust. They need to be the best of neighbors and friends who love one another. Your body should be submissive to your spirit in a harmonious and glorious relationship. A tyrant spirit would suggest hyperasceticism and lead to misery or trying to actually kill your body. There are a few who are "Hellenized Mormons" who detest the body as the Greeks did and view the physical as a prison. Where is the joy in that? A wise man told me that this would be substituting one tyranny for another. So don't do any of these things!

There. Now that we got that out of the way we can concentrate on purer and more refined levels of meaning that will bless our lives and those around us. By understanding these principles we become the seed of Moses and Abraham. Truly, through you, (like Abraham a noble and great one) all the nations and the families of the Earth can and will be blessed by awakening to these principles.

There is one last symbolic meaning that I think is valuable and it has to do with Rehab and her family who are the only native survivors of the battle of Jericho. Rahab (symbolic of the natural/carnal man or woman) was a woman in the city of Jericho who was a prostitute (or perhaps I should use the biblical term for her which is harlot--either way her profession is symbolic of the physical nature being in complete control of the spiritual). As you recall she aids (spiritually awakens) the men (living prophets) that Joshua (Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life) sends to scout out (remember living prophets prepare the way, they are not THE way) the city of Jericho. She takes them in at the risk of her life and her family's life and harbors them. In gratitude, Joshua's men (living prophets) tell her (teach her about Jesus Christ and his gospel) she will be saved when the city falls if she will hang a scarlet thread (symbolic of the At-one-ment) from her window. She is obedient and she (newly whole, holy, perfected, complete man or woman) is saved. Interestingly, some people believe that Rahab marries Salmon who is a descendant of Judah and therefore becomes part of the bloodline that leads to Jesus the Christ (see Matthew 1:5).

As you live off the promised land and life flows for you like milk and honey and you recognize and reap your birthright and all the abundance that is everywhere present, you will find a new zest for (eternal) life. There will be peace and plenty. Through you, all the families of the Earth shall be blessed. You will accomplish the work you were sent here to do. This work is a co-creation between you and God and was ordained before the foundations of the Earth. Your goals and your dreams will be realized. Out of you shall flow living waters. You will be a light to the world. You will be the salt of the Earth. You will inherit the Earth because your physical nature is meek and obedient to your spiritual nature. The desert shall bloom as a rose. You were not meant to live in pain, fear, scarcity, and anxiety. That is but a small moment. What you were made and meant for was to live in ever expanding abundance and joy. Jesus said: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). So, GET A LIFE! You were meant to have an abundant life! As you conquer the promised land your customized abundant life will be realized. You will be prepared to live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God (live by revelation) and therefore ready to enter the Celestial Kingdom where eye hath not seen nor ear heard of the blessings that are in store for you. You can't even imagine it! The Celestial Kingdom is beyond what any of us can see or imagine. Once we go through our Terrestrial stage of spiritual evolution and have mastered it, we will then be ready to move on to even better and BRIGHTER things!

I hope you have enjoyed our journey with the children of Israel. I hope you will see that their journey is our journey and that your birthright is in front of you. I wish you nothing but peace and blessings as you conquer the promised land and usher in a personal millennium within yourself. May God be with you until we meet again my friends.

Let the Journey Begin . . .Part 2

After 40 years (period of cleansing and preparation) it is finally time to enter the promised land. You've made some mistakes, worshiped a few golden calves, (anything you can physically touch, see, smell, hear or taste) as carnal men and women tend to do, but you are ready for the next step. It won't be easy. In fact you are going to let go of many of the things you assumed were true. One of the most shocking changes in your perception is the role of prophets. As you journeyed with Moses (the living prophet) you came to love, revere and respect him. Though there were times when you felt resentful of what he told you to do and you murmured just a tad, you grew to love the man. You knew that he spoke for God on your behalf and you were commanded to hearken unto his words. Perhaps you went a step further and put him on a pedestal and even worshiped him to a certain degree. Though he pointed the way to Christ, you wanted him to speak with God on your behalf. He took on that role because God commanded him to. You weren't ready to talk with God face to face as another man speaketh. Personal revelation was too scary for you. You were not quite ready to become a King or Queen, or Priest or Priestess. You preferred for Moses to take the lead in your lives and so he did. Moses struggled with you in the wilderness just like you did and you recognized what a great blessing he was in your life. You became accustomed to him being your leader. You became used to listening to his voice and doing what he asked you to do. You began to forget what you were wandering in the wilderness for. You began to think that the promised land was some far away dream that would never come in your lifetime. So you were content to continue wandering and being led. Until one day, it was time. Your period of cleansing and preparation had ended. But you find out something that is disturbing. Moses (the living prophet or the scriptures) isn't allowed to go with you! Moses can't bring you into the promised land. You don't understand. It seems cruel and strange that God would not allow your great leader to continue to lead. Why?

Moses made an easy (natural) mistake. Instead of giving God the credit for the miracle of the water flowing from the rock for the thirsty children of Israel, he gave himself the credit. But wait, Millennial Mormon guy, why would a loving God do such a thing!? It was just a mistake and couldn't Moses repent? Of course he could and I'm sure he did. But the Lord disallowed him to enter the promised land to teach us all an important lesson that we must never forget. Prophets (living or dead ones) cannot save us. That has never been their purpose or role. They cannot perfect us. They cannot lead us into the celestial kingdom. They cannot lead us into a land flowing with milk and honey. They can only take us so far. They are flesh and blood. They have an important role and purpose. They are special witnesses of Jesus Christ. They are types and showdows of Him just as everything is. Only He can bring us home. Only He can perfect us. Only He can save us. Only He can show us who we really are. Only He can be our Exemplar, Savior, Redeemer, and Mediator. The living and dead apostles and prophets are types and shadows and the natural man tends to put his faith in, and worship the types and shadows and forgets the meaning behind them.

Who leads the children of Israel across the river Jordan (threshold of the Terrestrial)? Joshua (Jesus) takes the lead now. Moses dies (or is translated) as all temporal things do. He was flesh and blood. When the living prophet "dies" and Joshua becomes our new leader then we are ready for the next step in our spiritual journey. The room becomes brighter and we see things clearer. We see the promised land.

But wait Millennial Mormon! Hold on just a minute. Are you telling us that we shouldn't listen to the living prophet anymore and just do whatever we want?! Of course not. Jesus did not come to destroy the law and the prophets but to fulfill them. Jesus Christ is the point. He is what the law and the prophets have always pointed to. When we are ready to accept that, then we are ready to move forward. Nothing has been lost. Your telestial wanderings have served a purpose and you would not be where you are today without them. You aren't losing anything. You aren't going to destroy the living prophet or his words because you are entering the promised land. They have been fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

"I'm still not convinced Millennial Mormon. Show us a sign! Show us proof!"

Careful now. An adulterous generation (fragmented carnal man) seeks signs.

Very well.

Let's try John the Baptist, one of the greatest living prophets ever, and see what he says:

John did baptize in the wilderness (Telestial Kingdom), and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (Aaronic Priesthood). And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem (those who were in outer darkness), and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey (all symbols of the earthy, physical, lone and dreary telestial world); And preached, saying, there cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. (Mark 1:4-7)

When we are ready to leave outer darkness and gain greater light and truth we look for messengers and God sends them to us. We seek and then we find. In God's mercy, because we learn line upon line, precept upon precept, he sends messengers who cry in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. That is the purpose of apostles, prophets and the scriptures. God is the same yesterday today and forever. Who have been the messengers in your life? We love those messengers. But they are not the Christ. We must let them go before Christ comes. Don't take my word for it. Listen to John the Baptist again:

Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying (becoming perfected or whole or holy). And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he (Jesus) that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him (every knee shall bow and every tongue confess). John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. (John 3:25-31)

Are you ready to let the living prophets decrease and Christ increase? Moses and John are flesh and blood. Moses died or was translated. John the Baptist died. The early apostles died. Joseph Smith died. Brigham Young died. President Hinckley died. Are you ready to let them go? I had a hard time letting President Hinckley go. Even though I knew that Thomas S. Monson was indeed a true prophet. Finally, in the book of Revelation two prophets are killed and lie dead in the streets of Jerusalem before Christ returns (Revelation 11).

"I'm still not convinced Millennial Mormon! I am going to follow the living prophet until I die."

Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong at all with that. Christ will be ready to lead the way into the promised land (Terrestrial Kingdom) when you are ready.

"So are you saying that I worship the living prophets and I can't seem to let them go?"

Well, perhaps. Only you can be the judge of that. I do know that Paul was very concerned that the Corinthian saints were tending to worship the personalities of the apostles and prophets instead of seeking perfection through Jesus Christ. (see 1 Corinthians chapter 3. A great chapter that clearly illustrates these principles. Can ye bear it?)

If you are reading this then perhaps you are ready to leave behind your "Nicodemus Mormom" ways and begin a millennial reign inside yourself. On the other hand, you may not be ready. And that is okay. There is no rush. Take your time. If you are afraid then stop reading this blog. If you are fearful then it isn't the right time. This blog is just my opinion and can be rejected at any time. You are not bound to listen or to follow. If the Spirit prompts you to read more then so be it. You are always welcome on this blog. Anytime.

Finally listen to this beautiful passage of scripture and feel what the Lord might be saying to you: And Moses went up from the plains of Moab (Telestial Kingdom) unto the mountain (Temple) of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed (children of the prophets): I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab (Telestial Kingdom), according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth-peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchure unto this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated (how I saw President Hinckley when he died). And the children of Israel wept for Moses (I wept for Pres. Hinckley and still miss him) in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. And Joshua (Jesus Christ) the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him (pointed to him and been a special witness): and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses (to become perfected in Christ). And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, and in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses shewed in the sight of all Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:1-12)

The Lord wants all his people to become prophets (D&C 1:20; Numbers 11:29). He wants to speak with you face to face. He wants you to live your life by personal revelation. He is ready for you to take this step when you allow the prophets to decrease and Christ to increase. The law and the prophets will always be a part of you. You will forever and always be grateful for these messengers that pointed you toward Jesus Christ.

End of Part 2.