Hey guys, so in the past, we’ve talked about some of the different religious
rituals and ceremonies that Latter-day Saints participate in in their sacred temples. Now,
temples are HIGHLY symbolic places for Latter-day Saints, so today we’re going to just dip
our toes into some of that symbolism. In the words of Professor Alonzo Gaskill, “...the
language of ritual is specifically symbolism … We necessarily must seek to find meaning in the
rituals and ordinances of the gospel or they will never have significant power to change our lives.”
So, as we talk about just a bit of symbolism today, remember that symbols can mean lots
of different things. There’s not necessarily just one correct interpretation. Some of these
symbols mean like 5 different things at the same time, so if they mean something different to you
than what we’re going to talk about, that’s cool. ...Yeah, OK, play the intro thing.
[Intro]
If you’re familiar with the episodes we’ve done on the Latter-day Saint Plan of Salvation,
you know that we believe our spirits lived with God before we were born on earth,
and our goal is to return to live with Him again after we die. This life is a journey,
and temples are a gift God has given us to remind us both where we come from, and teach
us how to make the journey back home. This idea is expressed beautifully through some temple symbols.
For example: The circle inside the square shows up all over our temples.
It represents the combination of Heaven and earth. The Heavens are represented by the circle—it’s
the celestial dome—and the earth, often described as having “four corners,” is the square. The
temple is the point at which Heaven and earth meet. Anciently, when a physical temple wasn’t
available, mountains were often used, which are also symbolic of where heaven meets earth.
The circle and square can also be represented by the popular symbols,
the compass, and the square. The compass and square can mean a lot of different things.
For example, they’re very basic architectural instruments, symbolizing creation. But remember
that a compass is used to draw a circle, and a square, the square. One example of where the
compass and square show up would be the Nauvoo Temple weathervane. You’re probably aware that
these are popular Masonic symbols, but they also show up outside of Freemasonry. For example,
This painting dates back to about 1470 AD.
You’ll notice that Adam and Eve are being joined in marriage. Above, God holds a compass,
a couple of angels are holding a square and a level, and inside this square image,
you’ll notice the celestial dome represented here by suns and different astrological signs.
This is a depiction of a Chinese creation myth.
You’ll notice the male and female characters are respectively holding the square and the
compass, and are surrounded by stars, indicating the creation of a new age.
Hugh Nibley noted that in this rendition of the myth “Among the stars depicted,
[Sir Aurel] Stein and his assistant identified the Big Dipper alone as clearly discernible.”
The Big Dipper also appears at the center of the Egyptian zodiac originally found in the roof
of the chapel of the Dendera temple of Hathor, represented by an ox’s foreleg. It’s also kind
of fun to point out that this Egyptian temple drawing is a cosmic circle inside of a square.
You’ll notice that the Big Dipper also appears on multiple Latter-day Saint temples, most notably
the Salt Lake City Temple. Among other things it represents the star the Big Dipper points to,
the North Star. The North Star is special because it does not move.
It represents the center of the cosmos, while everything else circles around it.
Just as the North Star is the center of the heavens, the temple and the Christ-centered
things we learn and do there are meant to be our center. Hugh Nibley wrote, “The temple
is a point of reference, a place where you take your bearings on the universe.” It’s a reminder
that while you’re going to be in constant motion in the journey of life, you have a heavenly home
and heavenly parents to one day return to. It’s a reminder of your divine identity and potential.
Just as the North Star, representing God and our heavenly home, is the center of the heavens,
the ancient Israelite tabernacle was literally the center of their society.
The scriptures record that the Israelites camped with 3 tribes facing each cardinal direction,
the 4 corners of the earth, with the temple at the center. For the Utah pioneers,
the Salt Lake Temple was the center of their society. If you look at a map of the city,
you’ll notice that the street numbers all emanate from the Temple, at the center.
But not only do Temples point you towards your heavenly home,
Nibley also noted that “From earliest times, temples have been built as scale models of
the universe.” He calls the temple a sort of planetarium, in other words, the temple
is a sort of template of the cosmos. Inside, we participate in a sort of cosmic ceremonial drama,
and learn about our journey through life, and how we can return home one day.
The planetarium feel is again particularly apparent on the exterior of the Salt Lake Temple,
which is orbited by all of the phases of the moon.
The original temple plans show it would have also been orbited by the phases of the earth,
but because granite was so hard to chisel details into, the earth stones were left blank.
Personally, I think this symbolism is beautiful. And because of it,
my appreciation for the temple expands, my gratitude for the plan of salvation increases,
and my love for Jesus Christ—who makes returning home possible—grows.
Now, if this has gotten you interested in the symbology and meaning of the temple,
there’s plenty more where this came from. We’ve barely scratched the surface and there’s so much
more we could talk about, but for now, this is where we’ll end. If you do want to learn more,
check out the links in the YouTube description of this video, and have a great day!