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.