Millennial Moments in the Midst of Koran Burning Threats

Greetings my Millennial Friends!  I want to give a Millennial shout out to our international readers.  Thank you so much for reading this blog.  I hope it is a great blessing in your millennial journey towards the Tree of Life.  Peace and blessings to you.

We live in a world of turmoil and tumult.  Today is the anniversary of 9-11 and yet hatred and bigotry continue to abound.  War and violence continue to steal away our serenity and peace.  But it was in the midst of wars and rumors of wars that Jesus Christ said he would return!  Ever since the ascension of Christ, his followers believed that His return was imminent and the end of the world was right around the corner.  Our faith tradition as Mormons, is no exception.

Nicodemus Mormons will look at Christ's words in a very literal sense.  They are like Nicodemus who when he heard that he needed to be "born again" wondered in puzzlement how someone could return to the womb a second time.  Many members of our church as well as others continue to interpret scripture and the teachings of Jesus in this uber literalist frame.  Jesus said many things that were parables and cryptic symbolisms.  As the prophetic Messianic Psalm 78:2 says:  "I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old".  Unfortunately there are many members of the church who continue to cling to uber literalism just as the ancient children of Israel did as well as the scribes and Pharisees.  They fail to uncover the symbolism of Christ's teachings and are left spiritually malnourished.  The natural man and woman in their carnal state will look around in desperation wanting to be led.  Their senses will dominate and so they will look for messengers of "flesh and blood" to tell them what to do and give them laws.  Natural men and women will do this until the expansion and inflation of laws and ordinances end up breaking them down and humbling them.  Then perhaps they will turn to God and begin a friendship with Him instead of looking at Him as a Father who is constantly disappointed in them and expects them to work harder and harder to please Him.  We would not have high regard for this kind of earthly father whose child can never measure up to his expectations.  Yet, that is how many see their Heavenly Father.  This belief about God is projected out into the universe and a Telestial life is generated in what Neal A. Maxwell called our "customized curriculum."  On the other hand, if we want a millennial relationship with God then He releases the next lessons in our customized curriculum.

Whom do people say YOU are?  Flesh and blood will not reveal who we are.  That will only come from our Father in Heaven.  Through the still small voice.

Thankfully, we can begin to leave this Telestial world behind us and move on to the Terrestrial or Millennial part of our journey that is a paradise filled with peace and goodwill.  Once we have mastered our millennial journey, there will be one last battle and we will cross the threshold into a Celestial existence.  Jesus Christ has shown us the way to do this and we are all at various stages in our journey.  We are in the process of truly becoming like Him.  We have the opportunity to truly take upon His name and not just become Christians but Christ-Men and Christ-Women.  The word Christ means Anointed One.  You also have been anointed (where were you anointed?) and part of the journey of this life is self discovery to find what is within you that needs to be expressed.  When it becomes fully expressed you truly take upon yourself the name of Christ and you will enter the Promised Land and create an internal millennium within yourself.  As more and more people discover this and leave uber literalism, fundamentalism, legalism, and formalism behind, an actual Millennium will occur where people will lay down their weapons of war both within and without.  Swords will be beaten into ploughshares and we will be able to live in peace and harmony within ourselves and with each other.  We will realize at that moment what Christ meant when he said he would return.  He was talking about YOU!!!

We cling to literalism because as Jack Nicholson said in A Few Good Men:  "You Can't Handle The Truth!"  Our merciful Heavenly Father understands this and thus provides messengers, ordinances, laws, parables and dark sayings until we are ready to create an internal millennium and wake up and remember who we are.  Those who are wise will see that all these things are types and shadows of Christ and point to Him.  Once one sees this then those who seek an internal millennium  will be able to do so.  The temple teaches us all we need to know to do this.  Yet most of us continue to circle around in the desert wilderness of the Telestial Kingdom and cling to the law and the prophets.  The natural man worships the world or the flip side--they worship the law and the prophets.  The Temple is of limited value to uber literalists.  For Millennial Mormons it is a treasure trove of symbolism that leads to a new relationship with God.

Fortunately, once one is in tune with the "still small voice" within you, a millennial journey begins and we can recognize that the Law of Moses has been fulfilled and we can move on to a new world.  For those on this journey back to the Tree of Life, they begin to see more and more what I like to call "Millennial Moments".  These Millennial Moments are very healing and energizing.  Thus, in the midst of hatred and people threatening to burn Korans and American flags and all the noise that surrounds this frenzied fear-based chaos, Millennial Mormons will close their eyes and look and see small moments that let them know that they are on the right track.  They see the truth and the truth is setting them free.  They see a new relationship with God forming.  A deep and abiding friendship.

For me, as I watch more and more movies from my childhood, I am finding things in them that I would consider millennial moments.  Things that I missed at the time as a youth but now recognize as millennial. sign posts.  As most of you know, I have a proclivity towards 80's movies since that was the era of my youth.  A few days ago, I watched one of my favorite movies:  The Karate Kid.  No, not the new one.  The OLD one.  Sorry I haven't seen the new one yet but I heard it was good.

MR. MIYAGI and DANIEL LARUSSO SPARRING

As many of you remember, in the movie, Daniel is constantly being harassed by a group of bullies who are making his life miserable.  Eventually they force him off a road and Daniel tumbles down a hill with his bike.  In anger, he throws his mangled bike into a dumpster.  He confronts his mother and tells her he wants to move back to his old home in New Jersey.  The next day he finds his bike outside his door and it has been fully repaired--good as new.  He knows that it had probably been fixed by Mr. Miyagi who is the repairman for the apartment complex that Daniel and his mother live in.  As Daniel enters Mr. Miyagi's office to thank him for repairing his bike, he sees the wise old Japanese man clipping a very small bonsai tree.  The dialogue goes something like this:

Daniel:  Are those real trees?
Miyagi:  You like see, come inside.
Daniel:  How did they get so small?
Miyagi:  I train.
Daniel:  Did you go to school for this?
Miyagi:  Father teach.
Daniel:  Was he a gardener?
Miyagi:  Fisherman.
Daniel:  These are really beautiful.
Miyagi:  Come, you try.
Daniel:  I don't know how to do this stuff.  I may mess it up or something.  (n.b. Note the FEAR of the Natural Man)
Miyagi:  Close eyes.  Trust.  Concentrate.  Think only tree.  Make perfect picture down to last pine needle.  Wipe your mind clean.  Everything but the tree.  Nothing exists in whole world...  ...only tree.
You got it?  Open eyes.  Remember picture?
Daniel:  Yeah.
Miyagi:  Make like picture.  Just trust the picture.
Daniel:  How do I know my picture's the right one?
Miyagi:  IF IT COME FROM INSIDE YOU, IT ALWAYS RIGHT ONE.

I highlighted my millennial moments.  The symbolism is extensive and beautiful.

There's your recipe for the internal millennium.  Take time to ponder what you want to create in your life.

What is wanted?

More war and hatred?  Following the masses and the controversy?  Continuously partaking of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil?  Seeing all things as either Evil or Good? 

Let's remember this day as a turning point in our lives.  Instead of a day of infamy, let it be the dawning of a millennial day.  Instead of a day of revenge and an eye for an eye, the burning of a Koran, and the endless cycle of Telestial wandering, let this day be one of loving our enemies and praying for them as Jesus taught us. 

What do you want create with your Divine Nature?

What is wanted?

Embrace your divine nature and create that which is beautiful (like the bansai tree) and that which generates peace on Earth and goodwill toward ALL men and women.

In your mind picture a millennial world.  Picture every detail.  Then, "make like picture".

Let go of an image of a church with endless laws, rules, ordinances, fear of the family being under attack and more and more wandering in a Telestial Desert.  Instead, picture a millennial Mormon Church.  A truly Christ-Centered Church.  Think of every detail.  Then, "make like picture".

Let go of a harsh and accusatory notion of yourself and your life.  Dismiss Satan from your Temple inside you.  (Remember, YOU ARE THE TEMPLE!!)  Instead, picture a millennial life.  Down to the last detail.  Then, "make like picture".

Until next time my millennial friends.  "Trust picture."

Wax On.  Wax Off.  Wax On.  Wax Off . . .

All That I Must Do

Hello my millennial friends.  I hope this post finds you and your loved ones well and in a millennial moment.  As we make our journey towards an internal millennium one of the most important things to realize is that your journey is not so much about what you do but what you understand and know.  The meaning of the word REPENTANCE in the Greek translation is to change your thoughts or to think differently.  Therefore, when Jesus said to "repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand", what he was really saying is:  Change your thoughts, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.  Think differently, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.  When one inserts the original Greek meaning of "metanoia" or repentance it can change the entire interpretation of the scripture.  Try it.  Whenever you read the scriptures and see the word "repent", insert the Greek meaning and you will be surprised at what you find. 

Most Nicodemus Mormons and other uber literalists will look at this statement by Jesus as harsh and urgent and that one needs to run out and do something different before the literal end of the world happens.  While Christ did often tell others to do something different, his main message was to change our thoughts.  It was an invitation to be like him.  The message or GOOD NEWS is that we could actually enter a different world or the "Kingdom of Heaven" if we would but repent or think differently.

Natural and fallen men and women who have partaken of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil live in a Telestial world.  It is a world filled with strife, anxiety, hatred and fear.  The thoughts of the natural man and woman are concerned with how to protect themselves from this Telestial world.  They seek money and material goods like the industrious Nephites thinking that this will help insulate them from the harsh Telestial world.  But that doesn't work because they will never have enough to satiate their desire for protection.  They fear that it could all be taken away at any moment and so they continue to accumulate more and more possessions.  It is much like a furnace with no thermostat that will continue to heat up and eventually explode.  Others seek power, thinking that if they can have more control over this Telestial world then they can keep the forces of disturbance at bay and so they seek to gain more and more power and control but underlying it all they know that their power is fragile and could come crashing down at any moment.  Other people turn to a harsh Old Testament-like god and beg for rules and commandments and messengers to come and show them what to do in a world that is so foreign from the Garden of Eden.  God responds and gives them more and more rules, commandments and messengers telling them all what they "must do" to live with Him someday.  The list continues to grow and as natural and fallen man becomes overwhelmed he or she is faced with a few choices.  They try to work even harder to please a God who is constantly disappointed in their efforts.  Harder and harder they try until they are worn out and feel the weight of a disappointed Father.  On the other hand, they can run for fig leaves and try to hide their nakedness and pretend that all is well and that they are doing absolutely everything on the list.  Or they can become depressed and recognize that they will never be able to do everything on the list and they will look at this demanding and disappointed God with their fist in the air, become angry, and give up.  Many move on from the church and find other structures that they believe will help protect them better from a harsh Telestial world.  Perhaps it will be a world of science and rationalism that will help protect them.  They are much like many of the uber literalist disciples of Christ who when they were told to eat his flesh and drink his blood, "they followed him no more."  Thus when many of the uber literalists in the church are consumed with literalism in commandments or the foundational stories of church history, they become angry and disenchanted.  They give up and turn to others structures to find peace in the Telestial world.  These other structures typically reflect more of the same in terms of materialism, and literalism whether they are religious or secular.

Or they may start to wake up from their nightmare and realize there really isn't any other religion, structure, or philosophy that can save them from their insanity.  They are sick and poisoned from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The way they are seeing the world, themselves, God, and everything around them, has become twisted and distorted.  They entered a whole new world as a result of choosing to partake, and no matter what they DO it won't matter.  Whether it is making fig leaf aprons, creating a new church, winning the lottery, moving to a new country, getting a better job,  or finding the right self-help book it will make no difference.

It is interesting to note that many of the modern day prophets and apostles have talked about Adam and Eve having no blood before the Fall.  Instead, they say they were infused with the spirit and once they ate the fruit their bodies changed and they became mortal and then had blood.  While this literal interpretation may seem silly to many, it is not too far from the truth.  The fact of the matter is that once you look at everything in the world through the lens of GOOD and EVIL and see everything in black and white and extremes, this does have an effect on your body and blood.  You will be on a Telestial/Chemical Roller Coaster ride that constantly fills your blood with hormones like Adrenaline, because in the Telestial world you are always under attack and it is fear, sorrow, anxiety, anger and angst centered.  This chronic output of fear and stress hormones in your blood is known to seriously degrade your body.  However, it is only an illusion that you have generated inside of you.  The Kingdom of Heaven and the Rest of the Lord is at hand.  It is right in front of you if you would but REPENT or change your thoughts or think differently.

How do you do it?  It's hard to NOT think in extremes and see the world in black and white and good and evil.  It's hard to think so differently.  God is merciful and full of love.  That is why he sent Jesus Christ to show us the way.  He is the antidote to the poison.  His example and teachings will begin to heal you from this insanity.  That is why he could say such unusual and incredible things such as to "love your enemies."  What a novel concept!  It amazes me that so many people in this country see each other as enemies.  If you look at the current political climate for instance in the United States, you don't see much love, peace on Earth, or goodwill toward men.  All you see is an escalating cycle of accusation and hatred based on fear.

What can you do about it?  You can start with yourself.  You can lay down your "weapons of war" that you use on yourself and others and turn them into "pruning hooks".  You can begin to think differently (REPENT).  You can begin to see that the Kingdom of Heaven is truly at hand but it is within side of you!  You can begin to filter out all the external noise and voices and begin to listen to the still small voice within you that is attached to divine intelligence.  This divine intelligence will tell your spirit all things.  Your spirit in turn will tell your body what action to take and more millennial moments will be created in your life that lead to peace and harmony within yourself and with others.  You can begin to have a personal relationship with God and see him as your friend rather than a harsh disapproving and disappointed parent who is never satisfied with what you do.

In 1957 a woman named Naomi Randall after being given an assignment by the Primary Board of the church to write a song that would teach children about their relationship with God, knelt at her bedside and then retired for the night.  At 2:00AM she was awakened with the words of what would become one of the most well known and beloved songs in the LDS canon of songs and hymns.  She wrote the lyrics down and then knelt again in gratitude.  She mailed the lyrics to her friend Mildred Pettit who would write the music.  It was later performed and Apostle Spencer W. Kimball heard the song and later asked if the lyric of "teach me all that I must KNOW" could be changed to "teach me all that I must DO".  His reasoning was that to know wasn't enough.  The devils know.  We have to DO something.  Naomi accepted the change.

This change is very significant and appropriate and once again showed that the majority of the church at that time continued to live in the Telestial world where DOing is more significant than knowing.  The appearance is more important than the meaning.  The symbol is more important than what is symbolized.  The Natural Man and Woman looks on the outward appearance but God knows the heart and the mind.  When the heart and mind are sick it doesn't matter what you DO it will continue to lead to you wandering in a harsh Telestial wilderness.  As a result many members of the church are DOING, DOING, DOING but they are going in circles.  They are wandering in the Telestial wilderness believing that if they just DO a little more then God will approve and they can live with him SOMEDAY.  Thus Jesus says:  "Come unto me all ye that labor (doing) and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

However, there is an antidote to the circular wandering.  There is a millennium at hand for you.  But you must be ready to be taught what you must KNOW before you can DO (enter the promised land) that which creates an internal millennium.  Once you begin to internalize who you are and your true relationship with God then you will be able to eliminate fear, anxiety, worry, hatred and enmity in your life.  The internal "devil" or "Satan" or the "Accuser" who also KNOWS (as Spencer W. Kimball alluded to) will be dismissed from within side of you and you will begin to see and feel the millennial moments all around you.  The dismissing of Satan from your temple is an essential component of entering the internal millennium.  The light inside you will become brighter and you will have "1000 years of peace" within you.  Today, I believe there is a millennial movement underway in the church.  Can you feel it?  It is beginning with you!  The church is changing because of you!  Love is growing and fear is receding and we are creating an internal millennium that is contagious.  The truth is a virus.  As more and more find themselves becoming truly like Christ and being healed from the poison of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, a new day will dawn and we will be able to live side by side with our external neighbors in harmony and peace.

May love and blessings be with you my friends.

The Pink Triangle

Greetings to you all.  I am grateful to each one of you.  There is a shift in the church right now that is happening.  It is a subtle shift that is almost imperceptible.  It is in the hearts of the members.  Many of them have seen and witnessed the pain that has been caused by Proposition 8 in California and also the many deaths and persecutions of Mormons who have a different sexual orientation.  Some are persecuted by their own families and even by their church leaders.

Millennial Mormonism Today believes that gay rights are human rights.  When we persecute and discriminate against an individual or group it is the equivalent of us harming ourselves.  We are all connected in a divine way.  We sense that and know that in our hearts.

Due to the church's aggressive campaign on Proposition 8 we are being viewed as enemies of gays and lesbians.  Unfortunately this is evidence that most of us are still living in the Telestial Kingdom where hate, animosity, tribalism, fear and fragmentation dominate.  But there is hope.  There is a growing minority of members of the church that are uncomfortable with what happened.  They want to live in peace with their neighbors.  They recognize that gay couples and families mean them no harm and in other countries where gay marriage is legal there is no evidence that it has affected, harmed or "done violence to" the traditional marriage.

Many of our ancestors practiced an alternative marriage lifestyle.  We believed it was our right to do this because of the religious freedoms that are associated with the Constitution.  But we were looked at with scorn and hatred.  Polygamy was called one of the twin pillars of barbarism next to slavery.  Many of our people were hunted down and forced to relocate to other countries.  And yet with this background there are few that see the mirror of history where now we are seen as antagonistic to those who want to pursue happiness and have equal rights.

The good part in all of this is that the church's actions are so well documented and politically and financially aggressive that it has stirred compassion in the hearts of a growing number of members of the church.  While many people think that the direction of the church comes from the top down, in reality it is the collective hearts of the members (symbolic of divine intelligence) that influences the Apostles and Prophets.  As Seers, they will be able to sense this compassion and love for their fellow human beings.

Many Nicodemus Mormons who are uber literalists will stand firm that homosexuality is a great and abominable sin.  What they do not remember or realize is that Jesus never said a word about it.  Is this by accident?  Did he just forget to mention it if it was so crucial and important?  The vast majority of references to homosexuality as a sin is in the Old Testament--particularly Leviticus.  Uber literalists would also be wise to realize that failing to send woman out of the city or camp when they were menstruating was also considered impure and a sin.  Yet we have let that tradition go quite a long time ago.  Both of these examples from the Old Testament or Law of Moses are examples of a Telestial mindset.  A Millennial mindset would be able to see the symbolism, allow it to nurture their lives but would avoid taking a fundamentalist or approach in thinking that they should be considered literal.

What many members of the church fail to know or understand is that before they can enter the Celestial Kingdom they must come to an understanding of the Telestial and Terrestrial (Millennial) Kingdoms.  All kingdoms and degrees are symbolic of our spiritual journey.  For most Nicodemus Mormons, they expect and talk as though they will jump from "this world" (Telestial) straight to the Celestial Kingdom.  What they fail to recognize is that these kingdom designations primarily refer to the state of mind and heart of individuals living on this world.

The millennial state of mind is an acceptance and friendship with those who may be different than us.  It is a necessary step toward oneness and harmony.  Instead of fear, hatred, and fragmentation, there is a culture of love acceptance, tolerance and peace.  Symbolically, weapons of war are changed into peaceful tools that bless the lives of others.

The prop. 8 political drama was very warlike.  It was fear based where the reality is that there really wasn't anything to fear.  It is reminiscent of previous struggles for civil rights where those who hated black Americans pronounced so much fear-based rhetoric.  These elements differ sharply from the Savior's teachings of the golden rule and the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Homosexual Men were one of many classes or groups that were targeted by Nazis and put in concentration camps.  When they were put into camps they were forced to wear a pink triangle that identified them as homosexual.  Today, we as members of the church have an opportunity to turn away from fear, hatred and intolerance and show compassion for our brothers and sisters who have a different sexual orientation.  Let us show support for human rights and allow others who may appear different than us to live side by side as neighbors and in peace.  This will be a great test for us to see if we will continue to wander in a Telestial wilderness or if we will begin to embrace our millennial destiny.  I hope you will join with me and remember the pink triangle.  If we fail to do this then perhaps one day, we will be forced to wear a triangle with a Moroni statue on it.  The law of the harvest can be a great blessing or a great curse.

Peace be with you my friends.

The Death of Todd Ransom

Millennial Mormonism Today wishes to express grief, solidarity and support for the family and friends of Todd Ransom.  This kind hearted soul blessed countless lives.  May his sacrifice not be in vain and help to awaken us out of the harsh Telestial world we wander in and instead take up our millennial journey anew.

Todd, thank you for your friendship and your life.  You will always be a blessing to all those who knew you and you will never be forgotten.

http://blog.affirmation.org/2010/07/candlelight-vigil-to-honor-todd-ransom/

Veils In Comparison

WARNING!  THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT THAT MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL READERS.


Hello my friends.  Thank you for reading this blog and for your comments and e-mails.  Please feel free to e-mail me at millennialmormon@gmail.com.  I would love to hear from you.  As always, I wish you and your loved ones peace and goodwill.

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.