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Since 9-11 the topic of veils has generated more and more controversy. Some nations in Europe have even taken steps to ban the veil due to safety concerns. Additionally, many feminists see the veil as a symbol of the oppression of women. While all of these concerns are valid and Millennial Mormonism Today agrees with some of these positions, it is important to recognize that a veil is highly spiritually instructive and symbolic. For Mormons, veils are of fundamental importance in temple worship. Unfortunately many Nicodemus Mormons and other fundamentalist religions see a veil as a symbol of the subjection of women to men. This can lead to a failure to treat women as equal partners and can even generate oppression and abuse. Some disaffected Mormons who view the endowment through literal eyes, see the veil as silly, stupid or at worst, a tool of patriarchal supremacy. Unfortunately, uber literalist or Nicodemus interpretations of the veil miss the mark(s). These superficial and externally focused judgements tend to lead to spiritual malnutrition and starvation in the desert wilderness of the Telestial world.
Millennial Mormons on the other hand will see deeper levels of symbolism that are individualized and internalized. They will see the veils of female patrons and the veils of the temple itself as applying to them regardless if they are male or female. To them, a veil is a powerful symbol that gives one the opportunity to pierce the illusions associated with the Fall. Let's take our journey now into the symbolism of the veil.
The Bridal Veil
The bridal veil is of ancient origin. They seem to find their appearance in a variety of ancient cultures. In ancient Norse cultures as well as others, it was not uncommon for women from conquered cities to be kidnapped and for the woman to become wife to the kidnapper. A blanket or some other covering would be used to subdue the woman and may have been a proto-veil of some kind.
In an ancient Jewish marriage the act of the husband veiling his wife suggests that he accepts her regardless of superficial or physical appearances. Their union is not just a physical union but a holy (wholly) union that includes the physical and the spiritual. The veiling of the wife by the husband can also be seen as a witness to the world that the wife belongs to the husband. Middle Eastern cultures even today, use the veil as a symbol of modesty. Only the husband and family members are ever to see the woman without the veil.
For Christians, marriage is a holy sacrament or ordinance. The symbolism is that Christ is the groom and the church is the bride. A bridal veil for many Christians therefore, is a symbol of the Church or a Christian being in subjection to Christ and following Him. Most Mormons are very comfortable with this layer of symbolism and often refer to it and agree with the Apostle Paul when he said: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25). For the vast majority of Christians, a veil is only used in conjunction with marriage. Catholic nuns however, will often wear a veil as part of their dress symbolizing their "marriage" to Christ.
Millennial Mormons will look deeper and recognize that Paul refers to the marital relationship and the relationship of Christ to His Church as a "great mystery" (Ephesians 5:32). He also makes a curious reference in Ephesians almost as a side note that Christ is the "savior of the body" (Ephesians 5:23). Many will see this as a reference to the resurrection which is appropriate but as you know there are deeper levels of symbolism that Millennial Mormons journey to.
As has been said in previous posts, men and women, Adam and Eve, have reference and symbolism consistent with each individual. The Garden of Eden story is a parable about YOU! Yes, it's all about you. In fact everything that happens in the temple is symbolic of what is going on within you because you are the temple. Therefore Adam and Eve are symbolic aspects of who you are. Adam symbolizes your spirit whether you are male or female. Eve symbolizes your body whether you are male or female. Once you understand and internalize these things then you will be on the threshold of entering the promised land and an internal millennium will begin for you. This will lead to "1000 years" of internal peace with Christ (your Spirit) reigning as King over the world (your body).
For Millennial Mormons, a veil is a symbol of the subjection of the body to the spirit. It is a symbol of possession. It is a symbol to the world that your body is for your spirit and is not to be contaminated or possessed by anything or anyone other than your spirit. The spirit possesses the body. This is not a tyrannical possession that leads to the life of an extreme ascetic. On the contrary, it is a joyful union. This joyful union is referenced in the New Testament where Christ turns water (common) into wine (joyful) at a marriage. He also speaks in parable about 10 virgins attending the wedding feast. A wedding feast suggests an abundant relationship between body and spirit rather than a tyrannical and ascetic relationship. The husband is able to unveil the wife and have a beautiful At-ONE-ment relationship with her. The body and the spirit become one where before they were separated.
The body fell and the spirit followed so that creation could take place. Consciousness cannot occur without contrast. Therefore it was necessary for the body and spirit to have the illusion of separation. This separation is symbolized in a veil. But the veil does not last forever. The veil can be unveiled under the right conditions. This is our destiny.
The white bridal veil and the bride wearing white is also symbolic of purity and virginity. The veil therefore is a redundant symbol corresponding to the veil within a woman's body that defines virginity: the hymen. In many Middle Eastern cultures, the literalist and fundamentalist obsession that brides need to be virgins before they are married has led to an industry where women's hymens are reattached if there has been previous intercourse or if for some other reason the hymen is not intact. In ancient Persia, a cultural tradition was generated where the first act of intercourse by a husband with his virgin wife was witnessed to by a white cloth spotted with blood from the pierced hymen being shoved under the door of their room so the family could be assured that the wife was indeed a virgin. While this fundamentalism and literalism is objectionable by today's standards, the piercing of the hymen veil is an extremely powerful symbol of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and ultimately a symbol of At-ONE-ment between our fragmented Telestial self.
As Mormons we have been told over and over again that sex is sacred and sexual sin is next to murder in it's seriousness (Alma 39:5). Yet, many members of the church see Jesus Christ's merciful response to the adulteress in the New Testament as incongruity to Alma's harsh stance. This apparent dichotomy can be reconciled when one understands the difference between literal adultery which can easily be forgiven by the Lord versus internal breaches of the laws of chastity (i.e. your body seeks after false gods associated with the senses instead of being faithful to the spirit) which are more serious in nature. (Blasphemy of the Holy Ghost is a redundant reference to this as well). Thus most members of the church fail to recognize Alma's reference to sexual sin as symbolic of the partaking of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which God says is punishable by death. The failing of members of the church to recognize the symbolism of the Book of Mormon is identified as a curse in the Doctrine and Covenants that due to the church taking lightly (superficially) the Book of Mormon the whole church is brought under condemnation (D&C 84:54-57). Thus we see why many members of the church have a lot of sexual hang ups and difficulties in intimacy because they see the scripture in Alma in only its literal form and see that any sexual sin they may have committed is actually akin to murder. This of course is appropriate for modern Israel to believe since they are wandering in a harsh Telestial wilderness and are in need of numerous harsh and carnal commandments in order to awake to their awful condition. Due to "not remembering" the Book of Mormon which is an internal symbol of the new covenant between our body and spirit, most Nicodemus Mormons will continue to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. What they do not realize is that the Book of Mormon is about them, personally and internally.
It is important for Millennial Mormons to remember that the marital-sexual act should be understood in deeper levels of symbolism. An ordained priesthood holder (spirit) takes his veiled bride (body) to the marriage chamber (their bedroom). He carries her across the threshold and places her on the bed (altar). The sacrificial instrument of the high priest is revealed. The wife (body) is unveiled and intercourse (At-ONE-ment) takes place. The hymen (veil) is pierced. Blood is released (symbolic that At-ONE-Ment has occurred). The woman (body) and man (spirit) are now one flesh (a living soul).
An Aztec Sacrificial Knife. What does it symbolize?
One may see many parallels with paganistic sacrifice of virgins, Old Testament sacrifice of animals, and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. They all point to the internal symbolism of the body being crucified or sacrificed and subjected to the spirit. Once this happens, there is a newness of relationship between body and spirit and there is joy and abundance. This is symbolic of the internal millennium or new and everlasting covenant. Thus we see, that marriage, sealing and the sexual act between husband and wife is not just a literal manifestation but a deeply symbolic key that unlocks the mysteries of God.
Temple Veils
Veils within the temple are repetitious and redundant throughout the temple. The temple is saturated with symbolism and therefore one will see veils consistently throughout the temple. All temple veils have a similar meaning which suggests separation, a boundary, or forgetfulness. In the Garden of Eden parable, the apron of fig leaves can be considered a veil. The coat of skins (Genesis 3:21) that The Lord makes for Adam and Eve can be considered a veil. The veil therefore is consistent with fragmentation or separation and the Fall of Man. Additionally, in the Plan of Salvation it is said that our spirit passes through a "veil of forgetfulness" as it enters the physical world. This too is a type of Fall. We then come full circle and pass through veils to return into the presence of God and become united with Him.
The Book of Mormon
According to church history there were several instances where the golden plates were covered by a veil of sorts. In the translation process, there were times when a veil separated Joseph Smith (spirit) and Oliver Cowdery (body) as the translation of plates (spirit) into the Book of Mormon (body) occurred. Further, Emma Smith would move the plates (spirit) covered in a cloth as she would do her housework (body). Once again, most members of the church bring the church under condemnation because they fail to see the personal internal significance of the Book of Mormon. To Nicodemus Mormons the superficial, carnal and literal is more important and as a result the church is brought under a curse that will not be lifted until they recognize the meaning or until the plates are translated correctly (individually and internally).
The Myth of the Dance of the Seven Veils
The dance of the seven veils is often thought to be the seductive dance that Herodias's daughter did for her uncle King Herod. There is no biblical evidence that this dance involved seven veils. The concept of the dance of the seven veils is probably an amalgamation of this biblical story along with Mesopotamian myths regarding the goddess Ishtar's decent into the underworld. These myths are curious and describe a journey where Ishtar must leave behind a piece of clothing at seven points in order to get to the underworld. In other accounts she gives up all her jewelry and all other possessions. At the end of the journey, she has "consecrated" all things. The number seven suggests whole (holy) or completeness. These themes suggest that veils symbolize a form of sacrifice or consecration until eventually all things are consecrated and one has become as a little child returning to the Garden of Eden to embrace the Tree of Life.
Summary
As we can see, veils have significant meaning that goes well beyond the superficial, carnal, and literal. Veils apply to both men and women and deeper symbolism is connected with the internal rather than external. When we are able to pierce through these veils of symbolism about veils, we receive momentum in our millennial journey. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is our greatest evidence of the love of God and how we can partake of His antidote to the Fall. As the Book of Hebrews says: "By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Hebrews 10:20). By "thrusting our hands into his side" (veil) and recognizing the marks on his flesh (veil) we begin to remember who we are and begin a new phase in our journey (John 20:27 and 3Nephi 11:14-15).
I hope you enjoyed this post. Peace be with you my friends.
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