Second Week of December

Part 2

Out of the Wilderness

The Temple

As the Saints have always done when in the wilderness, they bring order out of chaos. Both temporally and spiritually, foundations are laid out, edifices go up. In coming Out of the Wilderness , we will focus on the ordering principle of the edifice going up, which we touched on in the last article, Into the Wilderness.

Before going on, we want to quickly review and expound on the concept of the pillar in the center of Facsimile 2. The baptismal font in the basement of the temple may represent the bottom of that pillar (fig. 5). The middle of the pillar could represent the schooling and investiture of the endowment. In the live session, the initiate moves from room to room, ascending in steps to higher light and knowledge. The four ram heads depicted in most hypocephali represent (among other things) four places of death and rebirth and the four guides, the Egyptian Four Sons of Horus.

Our current endowment is beautifully done and has evolved over the years to be more efficient. Certain sacred aspects have been removed or changed perhaps to adapt to the continued betrayal and mockery of the ceremony. The endowment could be done in a longer version and in fact records indicate that it did take longer and was more involved when first restored.¹ A session not only took more time but also involved more people. The live sessions are shorter than the original but still take longer than the movie version and do involve more people. They are, however, very valuable in helping the mind grasp the journey. Regarding the topic of the 4 rams; in our opinion, one person can fill the role of four, and in the economy of the Lord, this is a very wise use of time and space. The top of the pillar in Facsimile 2 may represent the Holy of Holies where the Second Endowment takes place.²

Now, from where that pillar was lifted from the ground and placed in the center going up, there remains fig. 5 and fig. 2, still in their original places, because they have a dual role and are part of the horizontal reading also. Fig. 1 is the crossroad in the center, the altar in the middle of the prayer circle where all the spokes of the wheel of fire converge. They each give (sacrifice their all), and receive (light, energy, rebirth step by step up Jacob's ladder), so that even though the prayer circle is described in a circular aspect, as in the angels surrounding the children in 3 Nephi 17:24, the source of that fire comes from the center. It is the birth of creation as the foundation, and re-creation, centered upon the cross of Christ which ties together heaven and earth; the beginning and the end, the doorway to the eternities.

In a recently discovered manuscript regarding the Lord's forty-day ministry after His resurrection, Nibley quotes the following words of the Lord as He leads the apostles in a prayer circle: "I am in your midst in the manner of little children."³

photo by Justin Wathke www.digital-photography-tip.com/galleries

As more and more temples are erected, with the top metaphorically reaching into the heavens, the canopy on the tent reaches ever higher, until the day that heaven itself becomes the canopy. Then the principles of Zion which are lived in heaven4 will be lived here on earth and then every knee shall bow.5 Over time, with a great deal of supporting evidence, we believe we will be able to demonstrate that the hypocephalus is not 2, but 3-dimensional. It should be viewed as elliptical, like the phases of the moon around a central tent pillar (fig. 5, 1, 2) to hold up the canopy. Righteous members stretch out that canopy of influence from the temple in the stakes, wards, and homes within that temple district.

The wilderness denotes leaving Babylon and organizing the foundation, keeping away from the enemy as much as possible. Coming out of the Wilderness happens when we are organized into the city of light, touched by the finger of God on the sacred mountain. The temple teaches us to seek the union of hearts both in space, (those who live now in the four quarters of the earth) and time (our ancestors and our descendents). Those chains are forged by turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. This will bring about the necessary order to hasten the day when the laws of heaven will reign.⁶ No more wandering in the desert, the Church of the Firstborn will make a straight course so the Lord can return. Death will be overcome, along with its effects of reversing the bottom half of the Facsimile, which is spiritual separation from God.

John the Baptist had a people prepared that made a straight path so that Christ could begin His ministry.⁷ Many people believe the Lord does not need us to do His work. He does not want to be a lone man in heaven. That would not be heaven. It is His work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.⁸ To accomplish that, he does need a people to make His path straight for His coming as the Doctrine and Covenants tells us John did: "...make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power."⁹ This path goes upward toward heaven like a pillar of light to be a path and a cover of protection for His coming.

In our last article, Into the Wilderness, we used Church history to illustrate the principles of the central pillar as is symbolically represented in Fac. 2. Nauvoo symbolized the marsh in Fig. 5. The middle depicts the heart of the Rockies as an example in fig. 1. The top is the head, the political seat of the world, Jackson County; the Garden of Eden in fig. 2. This is just a basic understanding that will be expounded on in coming articles.

The Scriptural Pattern

The pattern of the ascension process is found throughout scripture. The Book of Mormon gives a wonderful example of this process with the experiences of Alma recorded in the Book of Mosiah chapters 18 thru 24. Alma taught the principles of the gospel in secret, hidden in the wilderness from the wicked king who sought his life. Again, fig. 5 in Facsimile 2 can be seen in the type of the pure waters of Mormon. Those sacred baptismal waters, like those on the back of the oxen, bring forth a people who must then flee from their enemies up into the mountains. There they establish a city. They grow and develop until it is time for them to go through the refiner's fire. They have come to a crossroad. Laden with burdens from their enemy, they turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart. Alma and his people bring forth a sacrifice of a broken heart and contrite spirit so they qualify for the path the Lord makes for their escape (atonement). Through divine intervention the guards are put to sleep so His people can flee. They are guided by the Spirit of God in their return, from the heart of the mountain to the land of their fathers, Zarahemla, the center place. Zarahemla is the head of the Church, the place of government. Zeniff and their fathers who descended from Zarahemla down into the land of their enemies are a type for Adam and Eve, who were cast down from Paradise, and God's children who all leave a heavenly place and descend down onto a fallen earth. Alma, and likely his righteous followers, became shepherds in the Church at Zarahemla.

Moving to the type for Limhi and those left behind when Alma left, we learn there is still hope for those who are members of the church, but have not separated themselves from the world. However, the process will be harder for them. When the trials come, without sufficient humility, this group does not learn to submit themselves to the test and do not rely on the Lord for deliverance. They try to remove the oppressive yoke of the enemy themselves. Limhi, the son of King Noah, was not wicked like his father, but he had to progress to become fully righteous. He, as many do throughout the Book of Mormon and today, turns and smites when he is smitten. Three times he led his people against their oppressive enemy. Many died and those left mourned deeply beneath their heavy load, without the comfort that comes from the easy yoke of the Lord. Eventually, when sufficiently humbled, assistance is sent and through their own efforts of putting the guards to sleep with wine, those left will finally escape. The Lord tells us in D&C 101:5, that "For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified". In verse four of that section He reminds us that we must be tried as Abraham.

Limhi and his people had to have a guide (Ammon was only a type for a Sent One) to lead them up to Zarahemla. They meandered a bit before arriving while Alma and his people were led in a straight course by the Spirit of the Lord. How appropriate that the book is titled after Mormon, possibly named for that pool of pure water. Mormon stands as one of the Sent Ones, at the sacred waters of baptism, to lift others out of the darkness of spiritual death. The book he abridged came forth from beneath the earth as a pure fountain to quench a parched world and to help illuminate the way.

The Order of Water:

The ancients understood that all life was encompassed in the four elements of creation; air, fire, water and earth. This knowledge has been twisted and used in many ways not intended or authorized by God but this knowledge is important in understanding the process of rebirth.

As there are different types of fire, there are different types of water. This would correlate to the three degrees of glory. There is 1) fire that destroys, 2) fire that renews, protects and forges, and 3) fire that heals and enlivens. Correspondingly, there is 1) water of filth and death, 2) the purified water of baptism (still fraught with dangers where the initiate makes his journey up the sacred mountain) and last of all, 3) there is the water of peace that is enlivened from a Celestial source. This fire and water should be understood to be of a spiritual nature.

Nephi tells us in 2 Nephi 2:15, that there are two fountains here on earth, one being bitter and one being sweet. The sweet water that comes up from the mound of creation (temple) and flows down in the four cardinal directions are mighty rivers. This is a symbolic means of conveyance for the boats striving for the Promised Land. There is a good description of the bitter in 1 Nephi 12:13 ". . . the fountain of filthy water which thy father saw; yea, even the river of which he spake; and the depths thereof are the depths of hell."

The terrestrial class of water is the nurturing baptismal water of the womb and applies to both womb of the belly, and the higher womb of the heart where the water has been purified and resembles fire. Brother Nibley teaches that a higher form of water is like fire. Thus, the baptism of fire is actually this higher form of purified energy laden water¹⁰ that enlivens the reborn initiate in the heart of his/her journey, and prepares him/her to be taken up to the Celestial fountain.¹¹

During the last millennial day, Jesus will personally stand as the bearer of the water, inviting to the feast, all who will come. During the Feast of the Tabernacles, which celebrates the harvest, the Lord testified where to find the living water: "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" St. John 7:37,38. This festival was the most joyful of all, considered the ending of the whole festival season. The drawing of the water from the pool of Siloam and pouring it on the altar was said to teach what joy is. The temple court is illuminated by light from four candlesticks. The booths, sheltering the harvest, were made from tree boughs.¹² Christ is the water of life, he will be the light that lights the world during the Millennium,¹³ and he will be the Davidic Branch (Isaiah 11:1) that comes from the root. He will gather all the harvest to Himself. The inexpressible beauty of how the process of ascension begins to draw all things into one as we study these principles is almost overwhelming at times.

Christ, the mediator between heaven and earth, is the one that purifies the chaotic water. Picturing Him as the mound that rises from the waters of chaos, the belly of the mountain is like a womb where the water becomes purer the higher it ascends. Christ, as the creator, purifies all who come to Him, washing away corruption, preparing the initiate for the resurrection of incorruption, until we become like Him: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."¹⁴ Isaiah rejoiced to foresee the day when the Lord would personally reign upon the earth as our source of sustenance: "Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3).

The topic heading to chapter 47, of Ezekiel says: "Waters issue from the house of the Lord and heal the Dead Sea ". Verse 10, describes the fishers who stand on the bank and spread their nets to catch many kinds of fish from the great sea. Verse 11, says the marshes will not be healed but given to salt. The initiate needs to progress beyond the marsh. The initial waters of baptism are not enough. The purified water that heals comes into the temple, filling up slowly until it fills the whole edifice and spills over into the four directions.¹⁵ The water in the womb described in chapter 47, underscores the Egyptian belief, according to Nibley of the correlation of a temple, a womb, and a tomb (a pyramid).¹⁶ The tomb/womb is where one learns and is changed. Nibley wrote: "An Egyptian word for burial means to initiate one into the mysteries.initiation, as a process of transition, always requires a change of identity."¹⁷

Water to Swim In Ezekiel 47:1-12 I follow Ezekiel to the temple door, wade into fluid that washes my feet. Measuring a thousand I pass prayerfully through water that purifies my knees. Counting cubits again, I return to traverse the river that swirls about my waist. Finally, I am immersed in liquid element, risen, deep enough to swim in, too wide to pass over. Build me a ship of light to sail this cosmic sea, transport me to another sphere. Land my soul at God's right hand. Sharon Price Anderson

There are many examples from ancient writings that make it clear that the sacredness of purified water was understood. I had a wonderful New Testament teacher at BYU who taught us that many became offended when the Lord declared Himself to be the true water of life because the people understood the importance of that declaration.¹⁸ The Odes of Solomon give an example of the sacred waters of life:

For there went forth a stream and became a river great and broad; For it flooded and broke up everything and it brought (water) to the Temple; And the restrainers of the children of men were not able to restrain it, nor the arts of those whose business it is to restrain waters; For it spread over the face of the whole earth, and filled everything: and all the thirsty upon earth were given to drink of it; And thirst was relieved and quenched: for from the Most High the draught was given. Blessed then are the ministers of that draught who are entrusted with that water. They have assuaged the dry lips, and the will that had fainted they have raised up; And souls that were near departing they have caught back from death: And limbs that had fallen they straightened and set up: They gave strength for their feebleness and light to their eyes: For everyone knew them in the Lord, and they lived by the water of life forever. Hallelujah.

(Odes of Solomon: Ode 6)

In Faith My heart kneels and my lips speak simple words that, like a small cup, hold some knowledge but can't contain it all. In the silences between I hear the sound of rushing waters, flowing from a far-off fountain, copious enough to cover the earth, Sharon Price Anderson

The Sign of the Fish

When the canopy of the temple rises high enough, it will finally pierce the heavens, the source of the sacred water. The water of knowledge¹⁹ that springs from the temple will cover the earth, as depicted by the sign of Aquarius.

Now we take a moment and apply the center pole of Fac. 2, to the Zodiac. (As a quick reminder, the Zodiac is not evil; it is the use of the signs in the heavens as astrology that is wrong. This science uses the power of the Adversary and his counterfeit priesthood for their divination. Astronomy is not evil. Enoch, Abraham, the Three Wise Men, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and Hugh Nibley, to name a few, were all astronomers. There is no room to address this specifically now but it will be in the future.) Adam lived during the age of Taurus (Fac. 2, fig. 5). Abraham and Isaac lived in the age of Aries the ram, (fig. 1) and were both lifted up on the proverbial lion couch but were saved from being sacrificed by a substitute. Their experiences were definitely trials by fire. For Isaac, the type was perfect. There was a ram caught in the thicket of thorns (crown of thorns), lifted up by its horns.²⁰ The ram was used as the substitute just as the Lamb of God was lifted upon the cross as a substitute for us all.

Now the door was open for the baptism of water, and of the Holy Ghost. The way was made for the time of Pisces. The initiate is fished from the waters of chaos in the gospel net by Peter and those who assist him. They are lifted from the waters of baptism, and sent on to receive the baptism of fire, which purification comes in stages. The law of the Gospel brought forth in Peter's day, launched the era when the gospel was authorized to go throughout the earth, to gather in fish of every kind.²¹ This is paralleled by what had happened in Egypt . For centuries, only the pharaoh could become an Osiris (type for the crucified Christ) and he could thus stand as a savior to his people. Eventually, becoming an Osiris was democratized for the people. This was the period of the coffin texts. The temple rites were written inside the coffins of nobles and even commoners as they had been written previously only in the pyramids for the pharaohs. All had the chance to become like Osiris and take upon them his name.

As stated in earlier articles, in the year 2012, at the winter solstice, the age of Pisces ends, and Aquarius begins. T he Mayan 'Long Count' calendar was designed by them to end on 21-Dec-2012 because that is the date of a Winter Solstice alignment of the Sun and the Galaxy.²² Our next article, When the Christmas Lights Go Out , will discuss the year 2012.

We read in Doctrine and Covenants, 61:14 that water has been cursed. It is not the water itself that is evil, but the curse. It will eventually be healed, but this will not happen without a fight. While the water of knowledge and power is being poured out upon the earth, Satan will pour out wrath. The new day of Aquarius will begin with the dispute in full swing. We will now take a closer look at the traditions behind Aquarius:

The ruler of Aquarius is Uranus. Its symbol represents water, a universal image which dates back into prehistory. This will also be recognized in the Egyptian hieroglyph representing the same. The association in Aquarius is that of the servant of humanity pouring out the water of knowledge to quench the thirst of the world. These symbolic waves of water, share the dual expression of vibrational waves of electricity or parallel lines of force.²³

Throughout the months ahead, we will slowly attempt to explain more about the water, and the science behind the vibrational energy that emanates from the Lord, through His temples. This relates fully to D&C 101:5 that we have referred to. The laws of science in heaven work on a higher principle than those of this earth. We believe and will attempt to eventually show that the law of polarity upon which the solar system now works, will be superseded by the higher law of unity known as Zion . This will help explain all of those confusing stories from mythology and examples Brother Nibley gives of the earth being made from the slain body of the dragon²⁴ but that will be a future article. It must wait for a more complete foundation of the underlying principles.

For now, here is more about Aquarius: "The region of the night sky in which Aquarius resides is populated by water signs. In Babylonia , this region of the zodiac was known as the Sea. Here we also find Capricornus, the water goat and Pisces, the fish."²⁵ Hopefully, our reader can now see the tie-in with Pisces and Capricornus. Peter catches fish in the gospel net, and the goat (a common sign for the Adversary), challenges Peter for claim on the fish. Since they become sheep at baptism and follow the voice of the good shepherd into the wilderness, they escape the dominion of the goat.

The following is part of a Greek myth with some gospel parallels:

To the Greeks, Aquarius was associated with Ganymede, the son of Tros, king of Phrygia . The god Zeus, so admired the boy's beauty that he abducted him to serve as cup bearer on Mount Olympus . It was this desire to possess the young prince which inspired Zeus to cast his image eternally in the night sky.

www.greatdreams.com/aquarius.htm

The Greeks grossly twisted the story of Ganymede, as they did many precious truths. We believe that Ganymede represents the child brought forth by the Church. This is Israel , the seed of Abraham. This also represents the Christ child in his mother's arms, since we are all required to become as Christ. Only He can return and pour the pure water upon the earth. Only those who take His image and His name can be carried to Mount Olympus and work beneath Him, assisting in the work of pouring out knowledge from temples. When we truly become a temple, that water pours from our hand, to refresh those in need.

In ancient Egypt they had a belief that parallels Aquarius: "The Egyptians associated this time of year with the god Hapi. A heavyset, abundant figure, Hapi was responsible for the annual flooding of the river Nile . In some images he is seen watering the earth from two large jugs."²⁶ As we know, the Egyptians had the true form, but not the priesthood. So, the god Hapi is a true type for the role of Aquarius. Also the Nile is a wonderful type for the water sent from God to bless and feed His children. The Nile god Hapi was believed to originate beneath the earth as the primeval waters of Nun, flow to heaven, then down to earth.²⁷

Heroes

The process found in Fac. 2, is applied to the initiate, also to the Church as a whole, and even the earth. The Lord is assisted in His work by heroes. Brother Nibley often wrote that there is nothing new under the heavens. The cogs within the wheels move in ever expanding circles. Once the initiate completes his journey, he may be called to be a Sent One. He is no longer an initiate, and is sent out in the solar boat, for his descent back to the underworld as we see in Fac. 2, fig. 3. The wheel continues to turn and is like the blue lotus which closes and goes beneath the water at night, and the sun that dips beneath the horizon. The hero joins the sun god Re in the solar boat. Ancient mythology from many cultures described those heroes who join the solar boat in its daily revolutions around the earth. During the day, they give light, during the night they battle the monsters of the dark and the waters of chaos.²⁸ At night the sun god Re took the form of a ram's head²⁹ (as in Fac. 2 figures 1 & 2). They could travel in a proper clockwise orbit since they are not subject to the law of the fall, but in order to guide the initiates, they would need to meander. They would however, sail in the opposite direction than Babylon , but occasionally, there would come a crossing of the two ways and a battle for possession of the initiate would ensue (refer to Caduceus in Into the Wilderness.) The heroes descend and then help the struggling initiates battle monsters at their crossroads, and navigate the maze in the wilderness. The honest in heart recognize the master's voice in the words of His servants. In April Conference, 2006, Jeffrey R. Holland assured us of the Lord's guidance in the maze we find ourselves in: "I promise you he is not going to turn his back on us now. He knows the way out."

We learn from Brother Nibley that 'Sent One' means 'apostle'.³⁰ He also teaches that a spark can be sent out to represent the Sent One. So now the missionary becomes a type for the process. Our children are born, they grow and develop, are baptized with water and the Holy Ghost. The baptism of fire is a purifying process as they grow in the gospel. Finally, they are grown and have proven worthy to serve. They are set apart, then receive a commission from one authorized to go down into the world to bring others who will hear the voice of the Shepherd. They are the rescuers in the wagon. Upon their return, they establish a home of their own and begin their creation, a family. Of course this is only a type but it fits well.

Again, the Book of Mormon has the most perfect and inspiring accounts that depict the ascension process. The Jaredites were the righteous return to the Promised Land. They were in barges lit by two stones (Urim and Thummim), and sealed tight against the waters of chaos and the monstrous sea creatures. They had no means of steering and had to be guided by the hand of God through their faith which was kept strong by singing hymns of praise. The voyage ended safely in the Promised Land in North America , the land of the Garden of Eden. This is a type for Fac. 2 figure 4, in which the boat is sealed by the protective wings of the dove.

A type for the righteous being sent out again once they receive salvation, is the second group coming to America. This is an open ship as in Fac. 2 figure 3, for its purpose is different. Lehi, after being taken in vision and receiving great blessings, is a mortal Sent One. He first separates himself from spiritual Babylon, establishes a sacred space, hidden in a valley and fed by life-giving water. Lehi gathers in all who will come for the return to the Promised Land from whence Noah sailed. First, they had to meander for eight years, led by the seer Lehi, with his Liahona to help him guide his charges. This group does not get an Urim and Thummim to light the way because not all on the journey are righteous, but they are not left alone. They have to have a designated prophet, a Sent One, to lead them instead of the power of God. These two stories parallel the accounts of Alma and his people, and Limhi and his people.

Nibley says the desert trip is where a man is most dependent upon God. This teaches faith and obedience if one is to survive. It also separates the whiners from the hopeful.³¹ Nibley sums up the experience of this kind of journey with the words of Helaman, with his own additional thoughts as follows:

Whosever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder [it's now a two-edged sword] all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil [now we get the road] across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked [it is the road across the gulf] - And land their souls [now they're crossing some water], yea, their immortal souls,.in the kingdom of heaven [even more imagery], to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

(Helaman 3:29-30)

There was contention on the water for this is the trip from the fallen world to the lower place in the Promised Land (This is only symbolic and is not meant to denigrate Central or South America , just as the last article was not meant to denigrate the beautiful area of St. George). Just as only half of those called to the marriage will fill their lamps with oil, many of those who traveled with Lehi would also refuse to follow the shepherd and would not progress on to the feast. The Sent One invites all who will come, into the gospel net. It is not his place to reject anyone, until they prove themselves unworthy. Then a separation must occur or the wicked will overcome the righteous.

For the initiate, the process begins with the symbolism of a fish being caught in the gospel net. For a Sent One, he is brought by the solar boat, unless he is disobedient like Jonah. When Jonah, a Sent One, was spit from the whale's mouth, which symbolizes passing through the veil, he does not become a sheep, but a shepherd. When he speaks, he speaks with the tongue of angels.³² As the shepherd, he calls to the sheep in the voice of the Lord. Those who will come, ascend the mountain to be made ready for the feast. When prepared for the final trip, the Sent One is not the goose or the phoenix-sun bird, birthed from the heart, but the eagle, or the dove, to lift up the initiate on eagle's wings (Isaiah 40:1), and to give protection.

As we mentioned earlier, Ammon, was a type who was sent to lead the people of Limhi back up to the head of the country (Zarahemla which is another type for Fac. 2 figure 2). So also was the Ammon we are more familiar with. Ammon and those with him were a perfect type and shadow for the Sent Ones. They came to teach, then lead those who had separated themselves from spiritual Babylon but needed assistance to escape their enemies. At another time we will take a good look at the name 'Ammon' and other words which can mean "Sons of God".

The four sons of king Mosiah, (Four Sons of Horus) descended down into a place of chaos to lead out those who would come to a place of safety. Those who chose evil did not easily let the people go. In their satanic role as pharaoh, although they hated the followers of God, they did not want them to leave their dominion. A great war ensued when Ammon led them north. These Sent Ones (nursing kings and queens) bring in the poor in spirit, the meek and the lowly of heart. These struggling initiates qualify for help because they were able to cross the waters but unable to travel further, fainting by the way. As good Samaritans, the Sent Ones, care for the needs of the physically, mentally, and spiritually infirm once they have done as much as they were capable of doing in their situation. These good kings and queens do not judge as the world judges. They lay them on their shoulders as little lambs and carry them to safety. They tie them on so they will be safe. Carried on the wings of the priesthood, they are a light burden, an easy yoke. The carrier feels good about his assignment and the rewards are great. Those saved are a feather in his cap, a jewel in his crown. Or, if they can't qualify for the highest estate, at least they are still firmly tied safely onto the strong shoulder of the Sent One who wears that crown.

The heroes battling to assist the weak is a motif depicted throughout history. Jason and the Argonauts, including Hercules in their ship; the Iliad, and Odysseus are types from Greek mythology for the Sent Ones. They always love their travels and adventures yet they are always anxious to return home.

The day will come when the heroes are received home and move on to another position, as did Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,³³ who are now on their thrones. At that time, instead of the initiate within the womb of Hathor/Taurus, in fig. 5, and instead of working as a Sent One as depicted by the Four Sons of Horus, they become the Hathor/Taurus figure. In fig. 7, instead of the initiate, or the dove, they are the one seated on the throne, and so on. The wheel never stops. Their course is now one eternal round and they travel only in paths that have been made straight.

Conclusion

 The more we research for these articles, the more we are amazed at how correct Brother Nibley's statement is: "There are the main themes of the mysteries everywhere."³⁴ It becomes a challenge to whittle down our supporting evidence to a manageable size. There are many choices in presenting our thoughts. Many scriptures and examples we use a number of times and the reason for this is because we are trying to shine light on various aspects of each concept so a better understanding can come. In our next article we will discuss the tremendous significance of the Age of Aquarius. Using mostly scripture, we will look at what that means to us individually and as a church. To conclude, we will end with one last example of the ascension process that helps underscore the points of this article and ties in with our Introduction Part One .

In the life of Moses, we can see symbolism for the three types of water. First, Moses was drawn from the waters of chaos, hidden in the reeds. The reed itself is an ancient symbol. Nibley wrote that a field of reeds denotes death and birth, a resting place.³⁵ That reed (Moses) would grow into a stout staff in the hands of God, a representative, assisting the Savior in His work. First he had to leave Egypt , meander in the desert, ascend a mountain, and be brought before the Lord. He reluctantly, but obediently returned as a Sent One.³⁶ He then became a staff in the hands of God (Fac. 2, fig. 2), battling the enemy, opening a path and lighting the way through the Red Sea (a sea of reeds: Introduction Part One). Reed huts were used anciently for ritual washings.³⁷ Those who followed him through were now reeds that would either wither in the heat of the desert, or become rooted in to the true source of water and grow into a staff. For such dangerous journeys, staffs become crucial.

Using his staff, Moses drew water forth from the rock at Horeb. That was the first time he provided water for thirsty Israel . Israel had to meander, being purified for a higher birth into the Promised Land. Years later, at Kadesh, Israel was coming near the end of her journey. Moses had proven worthy as a Sent One, and had qualified to become a father to his people.³⁸ He was told use his voice, not the staff, and speak to the rock and water would come forth. Israel should have been ready for a higher law.

When a people are prepared, food and drink is provided by the word of God, as in the Lord's visit to the Nephites. The first time, the disciples provided the sacrament meal. The second visit, the Lord himself provided the meal personally, as He will when He pours out the waters of life in the time of Aquarius. As we already noted in an earlier article, in Galilee the Lord provided a miracle to stretch the bread and fish His disciples had brought so it could feed thousands. After the resurrection, for Peter and a few other apostles, Jesus provided the bread and fish Himself. It is easier to understand why Moses got into so much trouble when he did not speak in the name of the Lord. Anyone who stands as a staff in the hands of the Lord, must be a type for the good Shepherd, and speak only by His authority when so commanded. Because of this disobedience, Moses was not allowed to lead Israel into the Promised Land. This does not mean Moses was a failure in any way. This is a powerful type to show that no substitute will be used to bring Israel safely home to a place of peace in the Millennium. It was appropriate symbolism that no voice other than the Spirit of the Lord calls us up out of the wilderness into the Promised Land.

This time, when Israel came to their final crossroad, they passed on dry ground through the Jordan River , led by the Ark of the Covenant, representing the temple, the power of God on earth. Sealed safely within that Ark , were the broken tablets of the heart, opening a way for the return. Those laws, lit by the Urim and Thummim, shined brightly to lead Israel home where that flowering staff, like each sanctified initiate, could bloom when planted in sacred soil; the land flowing with milk and honey.

END

Points to Ponder :

1. In order to assist the reader in picturing the Facsimile in this light, we will use the example of the green at the mall in Washington D.C. with the Washington Monument in the middle. This visualization could help in picturing Facsimile 2. If the green were round, it would be the horizontal wheel around the pillar of the cross, or the temple. Pick up the vertical bar of Fig. 5, 1, and 2. Lift it from the circle and insert the bar in the middle on Fig. 1, as if setting the Washington Monument in place. Fig. 1 is the foundation that holds the pillar in place. It is also in the middle of the pillar on top of Fig. 5. The top of the monument is the branches of the Tree of Life reaching into the heavenly temple where the crowning takes place.

2. We have to cross the River Styx, spiritual Jordan to get to Paradise . Some are sent out again. They are assigned to continue with the wheel of the hypocephalus, descending back to fallen earth to assist in the gathering. Some of these are: Peter, James, John, Three Nephites (who were taken to heaven to receive blessings and then sent back in a terrestrial state), and Moroni just to mention a few. Then we know there will be 144,000 Sent Ones from the city of the New Jerusalem. There they will receive special blessings from Christ at the temple, and then go one last time into the world while the rest of the Saints remain in their places of safety and the earth completes its travail.

3. So many stories about spit having creative powers, also tears. Why, so strange? Water that comes from the head is symbolically sacred, a fountainhead, springing up to eternal lives. In the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony, it is the leg of Taurus, the North Star and the Big Dipper, which is used to open the mouth. This not only symbolizes the opening of the mouth to denote new life and resurrection, but the continuation of the seed, the Abrahamic Covenant. So many points converge to place Abraham in that office in Fig. 2, working by permission of the pharaoh. Sometimes Pharaoh is used to depict Satan, when he persecutes the righteous. When he is seen as the father of his people, as in Facsimile 3, he represents good. Again, that flexibility of thought, roles and stations comes into play.

Two examples help expound the idea of the sacred water coming from the head. The first is the woman who watered the Savior's feet with her tears. The washing of the feet belongs to the preparations for stepping through the door into Fig. 2. Also, the verse from Isaiah we have referred to so often; Kings and Queens acting in the role of Sent Ones and licking the dust of the feet from those they assist. The saliva comes from the head, cleanses the feet and also instills permanent creative power.

4. The Egyptian god Hapi is the god of water. All water comes from God as does everything. Hapi was believed to pour the water from heaven into the source of the Nile . The water was Celestial when it left the jar, but with contact in a lower state, it became Terrestrial in the high mountains of Upper Egypt . By the time it got to Lower Egypt , the marsh lands, it was Telestial.

Hapi was also god of both Upper and Lower Egypt - this duality was shown by having twin Hapi deities, one wearing the papyrus of the north (Upper Egypt) as a headdress, the other wearing the south's ( Lower Egypt ) lotus as a headdress. The Upper Egyptian Hapi was called 'Hap-Meht' while the Lower Egyptian Hapi was known as 'Hap-Reset'. They were depicted together, pouring water from a carried vase or together, tying the two plants of the northern or southern region into a knot with the sema hieroglyph, symbolising the union of Upper and Lower Egypt . He was thought to be the husband of the vulture goddess Nekhebet in Lower Egypt , and of the cobra goddess Uatchet (Uatch-Ura, Wadjet) in Upper Egypt . When he took on the attributes of Nun (Nu), Hapi became husband to Nun's wife, the primeval goddess Naunet of the Ogdoad. He was also linked with Osiris - another water-related fertility god - and thus Nekhebet and Uatchet were also seen as a form of Isis, Osiris' wife. (Seawright, Caroline - Hapi, God of the Nile , Fertility, the North and South)

5. Once the initiate is birthed from the womb of the temple, and completes the final step in his/her own salvation (Fac 2. Fig. 2), he/she becomes like a consecrated temple. They become a spark from the divine temple, a fountainhead (Zechariah 13:1). Some are then given the duty of a Sent One, like the three Nephites. When the day comes that one begins his own kingdom, then the role of a father feeding his people applies. The new king/queen follows the example of Christ. The King, the father of his people, feeds his sheep. Manna came from the dews of heaven (Exodus 16:13 , 14). That dew dries in the sun and what is left is the sweet bread of life that feeds the people. In D&C 121:45, we are told what to do to be brought into the presence of God so that the doctrine of the priesthood can distill upon our souls as the dews from heaven. Our bowels have to be full of charity. This may correlate with St. John 7:38, where we are told we can progress until our belly flows with living water. We have to have faith, and we must be virtuous, then the dews from heaven distill upon our souls.

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Footnotes

¹Source: L. John Nuttall Papers; BYU Special Collections, Mss 188, Letterpress copy book #4, p. 290
²The following will be written as an article in the future but we are sharing the basic idea to enhance the picture that is unfolding. Pursued by wicked King Ahab (type for Satan), Elijah fled into the wilderness and became as one dead who was fed by ravens. He comes back to the world of the living but still stayed in hiding with a widow and her son (who dies and Elijah brings back to life). The time of hiding finally ends for him (Pisces), and Elijah rises up from hiding. He is at a crossroad where the Lord assists him in facing his enemy who wants to take his life. In a showdown, Elijah ascends a hill where his sacrifice is accepted. The power of that act saves him from death by the hand of the king. (Whenever we come to a crossroad, to ascend higher, a sacrifice must be given.) He again goes into the wilderness and ascends a high mountain where he requests to be taken home to God. He is taken and shown the eternities, in a very similar scenario to Nephi. Then, to his regret (much like Jonah except Elijah does not argue or flee), he becomes a Sent One and returns down from the mountain to bring others to the Lord. He has become a pure fountain, a man of Aquarius, and pours out the water of knowledge upon the earth. At length, he completes his mission as a Sent One, crosses Jordan and is taken up in a sacred chariot (merkabah) to God.

The Ascension of Isaiah gives another view of the central pillar. Isaiah is taken in vision to the seventh heaven. As he ascends through each level, which becomes successively more glorious, there is a throne (an altar; lap of rebirth) in the center with a man standing who appears to be Christ (divine investiture in lower levels). The people stand around him in a circle and sing. This can help express the other important point in reading Facsimile 2; the elliptic rotation of the wheel, rising up to higher and higher levels if one continues to progress. The spiral shape of a beehive can help with the visualization. Working against the clockwise spiral is a counterfeit spiral. On page 160 in Temple and Cosmos, there is a very enlightening picture. It shows a beehive with a snake coiled around it. The snake is dead. This is carved in stone in the middle of a bowl. Surrounding the inside of the bowl, men and women stand as if in a prayer circle. Every time the two snakes cross, the initiate is challenged by he who holds dominion over the fallen earth. A death is required to cross that river. A substitute has been given, so if the initiate has the faith and determination, that substitute can be used. The Lord cleared a path on dry ground through that red sea. Picturing the caduceus, with the snakes curving in opposite directions around the staff of life, brings them to a final end. Which snake births the babe from its mouth? The evil one, or the plumed serpent (Quetzalcoatl, the name for Christ of the Mayans, Aztecs, etc.)? At that point, the caduceus has wings and the initiate is free to continue to the head of the staff.
³T&C p. 315
⁴D&C 101:5
⁵D&C 88:104
⁶D&C 105:4, 5
⁷Matt. 3:3
⁸Moses 1:39
⁹D&C 84:28
¹⁰JSP p. 147
¹¹Ibid p. 140
¹²Bible Dictionary, p. 673
¹³D&C 133:49
¹⁴St. John 7:38
¹⁵See Ezekiel, chapter 47
¹⁶J.S.P. p. 13
¹⁷Ibid p. 14
¹⁸The gospel holds the only valid higher path in a world of counterfeits. The honest of the world naturally assume that the LDS temple rituals are evil along with the counterfeits. But if so, what are they mocking? What are they a counterfeit of? Why was the ancient world so completely obsessed with the rituals to a point where most of the original meaning to the rituals has been lost but almost every ancient civilization held tenaciously to the secret initiation rights? It shows a lack of faith to believe that Jesus is the Christ, that He was the Word in the beginning, as John ascribes, but that the early races of men did not originate from Him. If they did, would He really send off His children without the instructions necessary to bring them home? We have sat in many classes, listening to professors telling us that the Christians stole their material from earlier sources; Gilgamesh, Imhotep , Ut -napishtim, and many others. How strange to believe that different truths would be taught to various peoples. The accusations that most of the book of Third Nephi was taken from the New Testament are interesting. Would Christ have brought a different gospel?
¹⁹D&C 121:33 and Isaiah 11:9
²⁰Genesis 22:13
²¹Ezekiel 47:10
²²John Major Jenkins, Maya Cosmogenesis 2012, published in 1998
²³www.greatdreams.com/aquarius.htm
²⁴T&C p. 159
²⁵www.greatdreams.com/aquarius.htm
²⁶Ibid
²⁷Seawright, Caroline - Hapi, God of the Nile , Fertility, the North and South
²⁸World Mythology, p. 46
²⁹Ibid p. 47
³⁰T&C p. 299
³¹Ibid p. 120
³²2 Nephi 32:2
³³D&C 132:29
³⁴J.S.P. p. 78
³⁵Ibid p. 295
³⁶Ibid p. 200
³⁷Ibid p. 143
³⁸Ibid p. 132