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.