In this brief post, I want to tell you how Heavenly Mother saved my life, and what it is like to have a relationship with Her.
I remember the moment I knew I would never stop using drugs.
Despite a beautiful childhood with a loving Mormon family in rural Utah, a mission in the jungles of Paraguay, and an elegant education in music and the classics, I had found myself addicted to methamphetamine: the needle, the explosion, the thousand suns of pleasure blossoming in my mind-followed always by the inflection point, the slowly creeping insanity, the exquisite craving for the drug, the crash so profound I barely knew who I was for a week.
I had never known what it was like to set my mind firmly against doing something, and almost in the next moment to do that very thing. I had sold my birthright for a mess of pottage-taken my inheritance and spent it in riotous living. And now I was trapped in a hell of my own making, from which there was no escape.
Several months later I found myself in a 12-step meeting filled with people who had been precisely where I was, but who had managed to leave the drug behind.
They told me the only way they knew to stop using drugs was for me to turn my life over to a Higher Power. But the catch was this: it would only work if I set aside all former notions of God. I had to look inside myself and find a Higher Power that spoke directly to me, whose contours matched the contours of my spirit.
I cried to heaven, confessing that I had damaged my own life beyond repair. I did not deserve mercy, but I would die without it. In that silent darkness, I felt my entire body encircled in love. Heavenly Mother made Herself known to me, holding me as tenderly as any mother has ever held a child.
I told Her the terrible things I had done, how I had betrayed Her and my own soul. She laughed. Nothing I had done or could do would stop Her from loving me. The mess I had gotten myself into was fixable. My drug use was a blessing because it brought me back to Her.
My path out of active drug addiction was not a smooth one from that moment forward. But as of this writing, I have not used drugs or alcohol for over three years. Not through my own efforts, but because every day I give my life back to She who created it.
Becoming a devotee of the Goddess-as I am-is a strange thing. She leads you to places you would never have imagined going. I, who could not control my drug use for a minute, now help other people who are trying to get clean.
Last August, She called me to return to the Mormon church. With the greatest trepidation, I began attending my Washington DC ward, only to be accepted with love worthy of our Heavenly Parents. At the beginning of this year, I was called as Primary music leader. Again, my great reluctance has turn (mostly) to joy.
As Carol Lynn Pearson says in her wonderful book The Hero’s Journey of the Gay and Lesbian Mormon, I am a gift to the Mormon Tribe, and the Tribe is a gift to me.
I would not presume to tell another person how they should interact with God. I can only say what it is like for me to worship Heavenly Mother.
I speak to Her every day as if She were standing next to me. She sometimes answers my questions, sometimes laughs or cajoles or scolds. She is always loving, but sometimes Her love is anger. When I am frightened or weary, She holds me. Sometimes, though, it is I who hold and comfort Her, as if She were my child.
I am aware that President Hinckley once said church members should not pray to Heavenly Mother. I can only say that for me, the fruit of Her love is the sweetest thing I have ever tasted. In the great day of judgment, I cannot imagine that the Heavenly Mother will condemn me for reaching out to Her to save my life.
Heavenly Mother is not explicitly mentioned in the scriptures. But for those with eyes to see, She is everywhere: She is the tree of life, Asherah, consort of El, Lady Wisdom, the true vine, the Queen of Heaven in the revelation of John, an olive tree nourished in a vineyard. She is everywhere in the ministry of Jesus, who was the perfect representative of both His Mother and His Father: She is the dove of the Holy Spirit who visited His baptism, the hen who gathers Her chicks, the woman who loses a coin and sweeps Her entire house to find it, Jesus’ tender concern for children, and His anger at injustice in the house of God.
She is unconcerned with hierarchies, divisions, quorums, laws, commandments, and categories of sin. The light and the darkness are the same to Her. She sees Her children coming from far away and rushes to meet us with open arms.
She bends the moral arc of the universe toward equality. She is the light of women equally as of men, the Mother of all races. Her love is the source of all love: between parents and children, brothers and sisters, friends and lovers. She is impatient at the denial of Her priestesses and prophetesses by the church of God. She is impatient at the church’s slowness to love to Her gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender children. She has called me to work in the church to remedy these injustices.
If you feel moved to learn more about Heavenly Mother, I can recommend these resources (chosen almost at random from among a great wealth of articles, books, and blog posts):
Wikipedia: Heavenly Mother (Mormonism)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavenly_Mother_%28Mormonism%29
The Finding Heavenly Mother Project-of which I am a part
http://www.poetrysansonions.com/p/finding-heavenly-mother.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/467349696664222/
Encyclopedia of Mormonism: Mother in Heaven
http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Mother_in_Heaven
Linda Wilcox, The Mormon Concept of a Mother in Heaven
http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=925
LDS.org website search for “Heavenly Mother”
http://www.lds.org/search?lang=eng&query=%22heavenly+mother%22
Articles by Margaret Toscano and Janice Allred in the March 2012 Motherhood Issue of Sunstone magazine
https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/magazine/premium-issues/
Daniel C. Peterson, Nephi and His Asherah
http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/display/pdf.php?table=jbms&id=223
Paulsen and Pulido, “A Mother There”: A Survey of Historical Teachings about Mother in Heaven
https://byustudies.byu.edu/showtitle.aspx?title=8669
Janice Allred, Toward A Mormon Theology of God the Mother
www.dialoguejournal.com/wp…/Dialogue_V27N02_27.pdf
James Olsen, In Praise of Heavenly Mother
http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2010/10/in-praise-of-heavenly-mother/
Margaret Merrill Toscano, If I Hate My Mother, Can I Love the Heavenly Mother?
www.dialoguejournal.com/wp…/Dialogue_V31N04_47.pdf
Kevin Barney, How to Worship Our Mother in Heaven (Without Getting Excommunicated)
http://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V41N04_133.pdf
Janice Allred, Jesus Our Mother (from God The Mother and Other Theological Essays)
http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=15264
Edward Jones
EdwardJ is an attorney and amateur musician living in Washington, DC. His interests range from Buddhist meditation and minimalist art to Mozart's music, the poetry of Walt Whitman, and Catherine Deneuve's films. He studied classics with Margaret Toscano, for whom he wrote a small volume of poetry. He is working on a theological project called The Mystical Body of God the Mother. EdwardJ blogs at www.gailymormon.com.
All posts by Edward Jones
I love what I read until I read the end.
Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! You can’t be a fan of Catherine Deneuve. This is just sick and wrong. You look up Fanny Ardant.
Back to serious.
I know what you mean because I have gone through “the opposite experience”.
I also have been taken back to the LDS church through a powerful experience that was about our Heavenly Father. I got very interested in our Heavenly Mother and what she is may be like.
I know our Heavenly Father. I mean I am not talking about God, I am talking about who our Father is. “God” is a title, an honor, a calling, a job but it is not who He is. God is not our father. Our Father is God.
I got very curious about our Heavenly Mother and I so wanted to know her as much as I know him.
So I started praying to Him first and then I would pray to Her.
I got the very kind and loving answer that this was not for me, not now. Not that I was a rebelious and blasphemous child, just that I was not one to get this kind of relationship right now. Maybe latter in this life, maybe on the other side. I really don’t know. I am happy for you that you have this experience and relationship with her.
Yet, I get the same feeling as you do about our Heavenly Father concerning our LGBT brothers and sisters. More like He is irritated by how we put words in His mouth that He would have never said. Not that being gay is right or wrong, this idea is pretty much out of touch with what He expects from us and this binary way to look at them (and us) is preventing us from growing the way we should.
Anyway, you’re lucky. Not “blessed”, I really mean “lucky” to be one of those who can have this special relationship.
Elder Theodore M. Burton said that when says the word “God,” he’s thinking of Heavenly Father & Heavenly Mother together, & it’s clear, I think, from the teachings of Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Eliza R. Snow, Orson F. Whitney, Rudger Clawson, all the way up through EVEN Bruce R. McConkie AND THE TEMPLE ORDINANCES collectively, that there’s a divine eternal companionship behind “God” that goes beyond the orthodox Christian definition of the godhead. “If any [Latter-Day Saint] have ears to hear, let him hear.” When I pray as an individual, when my wife & I pray together, when we have family prayer with our children, we pray to our heavenly parentS. When we pray publicly (in church, that is), we know it would freak out the majority of our brothers & sisters–& freaking people out is not the function of prayer–so we say “Heavenly Father” out loud, & to ourselves, silently, we add “Heavenly Mother.” Perhaps this is cowardly, but I don’t see the point of swinging Heavenly Mother around like a rhetorical/political mace or something, you know? We DO talk about her openly in other church contexts, & some day, in this stage of development or the next, our more orthodox brothers & sisters will come around to knowing & appreciating BOTH heavenly parents. I do know that this parentS-&-child relationship has profoundly, immeasurably enriched & blessed my life, & to deny it or backtrack from it would be ungrateful to a dastardly degree, & blasphemous.
This is beautiful and touching. . . Your journey out of hell and the mother who bore you – in every way. Thank you for this, Edward. What a gift.
The Lord taught many things to many people by employing stories and parables. These conveyed to the heart and mind of the hearer a true sense of things even if every detail may not have been related. The following relation speaks of times before times, when men and women worked their way to exaltation following an ancient and set path. The players in the relation are our own relations. Each of us are also included in the story. Therefore, it is our story as much as it is theirs. All my relations!
For clarity, we have translated names into their corresponding English meaning. Some of the names are difficult to translate. For example, “Elohim” means “Heavenly” and is a plural, feminine denominative. In Nemenhah, “Pa Elowe” means Mother in Heaven, and “ShiElowe” means Father in Heaven. “Elohim” means
God the Father and God the Mother in Their united sense and connotes the Sealing Power. We have, therefore, sought to make the names correspond to something more meaningful to the English speaker.
There are several voices in this relation. When the ordinances of the High Place are performed by the people, each voice is represented by a separate person. This avoids confusion. The voices are:
Narrator Eve
Elohim Heavenly Mother Satan
Elohim Heavenly Father Peter
Holy Ghost James
Holy Ghost Elders John
Jehovah Preacher
Lucifer The Voice of the Mob
Adam
Those who participate in the ordinances ought to have good and clear intention, for God will not be mocked.
There should not be any manner of ill-will between those who participate together in the re-telling or reenactment of this relation. Only the best of feelings should prevail.
The ordinances of the High Place are specifically designed for the Living. Because of this verity, they are distinguished from the vicarious ordinances performed for and in behalf of the “Dead” in holy temples. This distinction does not intend to denigrate the sacrifice for the dead, but great emphasis is placed upon what
Telestial people may do in this life in order to be introduced into the Terrestrial World and receive revelation and instruction from Angels, the Spirits of Men and Women made perfect in Christ, and even from the Savior Himself, preparatory to being introduced at the veil to converse with the Father. The vicarious work for the dead is carried on in another place, by other people of good intention, and the Holy Ghost does attend their sacrifice for the sake of deceased family members.
It should always be remembered that the Nemenhah lived in a different time than we do and they received from God that which was expedient for them. That they wrote specifically so that we in these days might learn from their experiences makes these records of some little importance to us.
The Relation of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother
Chapter One
1) Elohim Heavenly Mother: Ponder the deep, Elohim. Is it not a great question?
2) Elohim Heavenly Father: Look out into the deep, Elohim, and tell Me what You see.
3) Elohim Heavenly Mother: I see space there – space to fill, space to build, space to do a great thing.
Long have I pondered the deep and wondered why it remains so dark and empty. Should it not be filled with light? Should it not be filled with wonder and beauty? Where We are, there is light and truth. Our own parents provided this for Us and We rose up by line and by precept to become like them. Why do We look out upon the deep and see emptiness? It is a thing that should not be.
4) Elohim Heavenly Father: We look upon where We are and see what is real. Out yonder there is no one to see Us. Indeed there is no one to see at all. What need then, has the deep of light, and wonder, and beauty? Our work is for the world in which We find Ourselves. Why should We ask for more than what is?
5) Elohim Heavenly Mother: I am not “no one,” Elohim. I look upon the deep and I would see what I would see.
6) Elohim Heavenly Father: That is right, Elohim. Now, because someone sees the deep, I perceive that there is substance there which fills the expanse and the emptiness. It is matter but it has no order.
7) Elohim Heavenly Mother: It is the same as the world in which We now labor except that, unto the matter with which We do Our labor, someone has given order. Therefore, the question still exists – why should the deep remain so? What ought to be done with the matter? Why should not We venture to do the
same there as has been done heretofore? Or shall We remain always here to act upon another’s work?
8) Elohim Heavenly Father: To act upon what has always been is not a bad work, Elohim. Indeed, it has brought Us to exaltation. In this way all spirit children do arise, line upon line and precept on precept, even unto the state and stature of their parents. This is the Everlasting Covenant. Do You think to rashly abandon that which We have learned from Our own experience?
9) Elohim Heavenly Mother: I do not wish to abandon anything, Elohim. But let Us cause light and truth to expand and grow. Else, why should We be endowed with power at all?
10) Elohim Heavenly Father: It is right, Elohim Heavenly Mother. Let Us leave that which We now know by virtue of another’s work and make works of Our own.
11) Narrator: Then Elohim Heavenly Father and Elohim Heavenly Mother separated Themselves from each other for a season and set about the work of organizing matter. Elohim Heavenly Father found the task easier than Elohim Heavenly Mother, for His endowment was to create by combining matter into organized unions. He made stars, worlds, moons, and other astral bodies. He caused all of these to coalesce into great swirling formations and clouds. He experienced all this creation first hand by placing Himself within the creation – giving of His own substance by way of pattern and form, and the deep matter willingly obeyed. Then He stood back and observed His work and pondered it.
12) Narrator: Elohim Heavenly Mother found creation more difficult, for Her endowment was in becoming a wellspring of life unto matter. She caused the deep matter to recognize itself as a living soul, and taught it to seek patterns of order, and the matter did live; but, without experience, it could do nothing but ponder itself. Then She too stood back and observed Her work and pondered it.
13) Elohim Heavenly Father: See, Elohim, that I have been able to cause the matter to become organized. I
have made moons, worlds, and stars, such as We have heretofore seen. But the bodies have no life. Organization alone brings no real order to the matter.
14) Elohim Heavenly Mother: It is so, Elohim. Look how I have given self knowledge to the deep matter and it does seek patterns of order. But the matter does only ponder itself and is confused. Life and existence alone brings no real order to the matter.
15) Elohim Heavenly Father: Our work alone does not accomplish anything. Our previous work was fruitful because there was organization and life brought together by fathers and mothers. When one is without the other, the matter remains in chaos.
16) Elohim Heavenly Mother: Why should We work thus alone? Why should We not combine Our work together?
17) Elohim Heavenly Father: It is right, Elohim. I shall work by the endowment of My power to bring together the deep matter and organize it into all the astral bodies We have heretofore seen, and I shall consecrate all that obey Me unto the endowment of Your power. 18) Elohim Heavenly Mother: I shall work by the endowment of My power to give Your organizations self-knowledge and they shall become living beings capable of perception.
19) Elohim Heavenly Father: I do covenant with You, Elohim, to share all My creative works with You, that the endowment of My power may be combined with the endowment of Your power.
20) Elohim Heavenly Mother: I do covenant with You, Elohim, to share all My creative works with You, that the endowment of My power may also be combined with the endowment of Your power.
21) Elohim Heavenly Mother: Then were Elohim Heavenly Father and Elohim Heavenly Mother bound by
Their covenant one to another, and They became one in heart, one in mind, and one in purpose. This is the first covenant made by our Heavenly Parents. We desire that all do likewise. All arise.
22) Elohim Heavenly Mother: Each of you do solemnly covenant to share your work in this life and in the life hereafter with your own spouse. Each of you bow your head and say “Yes.”
23) Elohim Heavenly Mother: It is enough. That will do. You may be seated.
Break for Instruction
(The participants now pause in their re-telling or re-enactment in order to receive instruction from the Peli about the nature of the covenant and bond between men and women in this creation.)
Resume Session
24) Narrator: Then did Elohim Heavenly Father and Elohim Heavenly Mother become truly united, essentially bringing into being living things in the deep that could both perceive and be perceived, beings that could act and be acted upon – the Father, by causing deep matter to coalesce into astral bodies such as He had theretofore seen, and the Mother, by giving the bodies life. Thus, they were bodies indeed because of the Truth bestowed by the Father, and they were bodies indeed because of the Light bestowed by the
Mother.
25) Narrator: The Father placed His own matter in the bodies so that all things became His. The Mother placed Her own understanding in the bodies so that all things became Hers. Therefore, were all things of the Father and of the Mother, and all things were one.
26) Elohim Heavenly Father: Elohim, behold My relations!
27) Elohim Heavenly Mother: Elohim, behold My relations!
28) Narrator: And They stood back and observed Their creation and saw that a portion of the deep was now filled with light and beauty in abundance, and They rejoiced in Their accomplishment.
29) Narrator: Then the Father and the Mother begot spirit children after Their own kind and They did populate Their creation and They did begin to teach them to become like unto Themselves by line and by precept. From the smallest particle to the largest astral system, the Father and the Mother taught Their children to learn and to grow by participating in the creation personally. They bestowed upon Their own children portions of Their own Endowment of Power, that they also might create worlds and thereby progress toward the state and stature of their Parents.
30) Narrator: And when they had received these great gifts, and when they had each undertaken the work of creation, the children no longer enjoyed the presence of the Father and the Mother. For, they had all entered into the Everlasting Covenant and the matter of their creations could not abide the presence of Celestial Beings until those creations had progressed into that glory. Should any of them come into the presence of a Celestial Being before such progression had taken place, their matter would disintegrate and they must begin that portion of creation again. Therefore, the Father and the Mother refrained from making Their presence known unto them, but waited upon the plan to bring them together once again. Notwithstanding, They could still observe from a distance the creations and works of Their children without disrupting them.
31) Elohim Heavenly Mother: Each of you created worlds in the pre-earth life. In the creation of these worlds, you participated in every step of development.
32) Elohim Heavenly Father: When the first atoms combined to form the clouds of matter from which worlds were made, each of you lived in that creation. Your matter was part of it, and it was part of you. Because of this, in the face of great faith, the atoms respond and miracles take place. They know you, for they are your relations.
33) Elohim Heavenly Mother: When the first atoms combined into molecules, each of you lived in that creation. Your matter was part of it, and it was part of you. Because of this, in the face of great faith, the molecules respond and miracles take place. They know you, for they are your relations.
34) Elohim Heavenly Father: When the first molecules combined into cells, each of you lived in that creation. Your matter was part of it, and it was part of you. Because of this, in the face of great faith, the cells respond and healing takes place. They know you, for they are your relations.
35) Elohim Heavenly Mother: When the first cells formed into tissues, each of you lived in that creation. Your matter was part of it, and it was part of you. Because of this, in the face of great faith, the tissues respond and rejuvenation takes place. They know you, for they are your relations. In every stage and step of development – from mineral, to plant, to animal, to human being, each of you lived in that creation. And, in every advancement in development, your matter was part of it, and it was part of you – particles, and worlds without end – lives and deaths without end – joy and sorrow without end – light and darkness without end. All this because the Father gave organization to the matter of creation, and because the Mother gave thought to the organized matter. Because of this, an atom may recognize itself as well as that part of you in it. Because of this, all the matter of creation may recognize itself and that part of you in it.
36) Elohim Heavenly Father: This is the continuation of the deaths and the Everlasting Covenant, for through it all things become subject unto they who transcended from the matter into the fullness of light. And ages and ages of lives of men, even eternities, are consumed in this everlasting progression. And immense is the joy, and also the suffering. Nevertheless, eternal life is finally attained in this way, line upon line, precept on precept.
37) Narrator: And the Father and the Mother knew that Their work was good, for it is by this Everlasting Covenant that They attained to Their stature and to the endowment of Their power.
38) Narrator: And Elohim Heavenly Father and Elohim Heavenly Mother were not alone in the bosom of eternity. There were others like Them, as well as Their own Spirit Children. But a time came when all Their children were occupied in making their own creation and following the path of the Universe. It was in that time that Elohim Heavenly Father and Elohim Heavenly Mother took counsel with each other:
39) Elohim Heavenly Mother: It is long since I have traveled about and observed the many creations of Our children. I know that We will not be able to speak with any of them personally, lest We destroy their work because of Our own glory, but would it not be interesting to go and watch them in their labors?
The Book of the High Place
The Sacred Temple Writings of the Nemenhah, as recorded by the
Prophet, Ougou
With Appendices Added
Translated from the Original
With translations carefully compared
By the Translation Council:
Hemene Ot To Oh Yelo Akekt (Phillip Cloudpiler Landis) of Moroni, UT, Cesar Padilla de Ramarra of
Guatemala, Tui Xiu of Guatemala, Menemi Shen of Taiwan, and Porfiro Munoz de Xiu of Ethiopia
Copyright © 2005, 2006 Numi’Pu Tsu’Peli Chopunish, 2006, 2007 Nemenhah Band and Native American
Traditional Organization
All rights reserved
Posted in Temple Endowment; Covenant of Elohim | Leave a comment
Jesus Christ visits the people of Corianton; and ordains women
The Other Book of Mormon-Greater Things
Mentinah Archives vol. 1
The Second Book of Shi-Muel ( Samuel the Lamanite )
Page 78
Chapter Six
1) Now, it was while I labored as High Priest to the people of Corianton, before the year wherein my father returned unto our fathers, that the signs which I had prophesied unto the people of Zarahemlah concerning the birth of the Christ were accomplished. And when my son Corianton and I did labor together in that capacity the signs of His death came, and the people were amazed and affrighted.
2) But behold, the Spirit did whisper peace to our minds and to our souls so that we did patiently bear the day, the night and the day of darkness. For, though the occurrence was frightful, still, the Spirit did sing a song of sweet redemption to our souls. And many dreamed dreams and saw visions. And even some few did receive commandments as to what should be done when the Lord did come to visit the people of Corianton.
3) And He did come unto us, in accordance with the visions that I too had received when I was but a young man. For, we had gathered together to worship when the signs came. Yea, and all the people in the cities had gathered to Corianton. And all the people in the forests had gathered, and also from the lakes and rivers. And we were all together, a great concourse of people awaiting the coming of the Lord.
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4) And we did hear His voice from afar off and we did shout with joy when we heard it. For, it caused our hearts to leap. Yea, our hearts did leap within our breasts and nothing could haveprevented us from crying out our joy when we heard His voice.
5) But the voice was first a voice of warning unto all those who did wickedness. And from this we understood in our hearts that not all the wicked were destroyed. But behold, many were destroyed, even the most part, and that so that all might have one or many accounts to tell of the signs that preceded the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the voice was as the voice of an Angel, not of a trump or of thunder. But it did pierce us to the core. And behold, the voice did also separate the good from the bad. For, those who feared the retribution of a just God, trembled and sought to hide themselves. Yea, and they were
filled with great loathing to see Him. But those who did good works were filled with joy and they ran out into the streets and clearings to see what was about tobefall. Yea, they welcomed their Lord with praise and singing.
6) And in the day that He did come amongst us, and it was not long after the signs of His death had abated, we did according to the things we had been commanded in the visions and revelations that many had received during the days of darkness.
7) Behold, we did greet Him as our King and our High Priest. And I did take Him by the hand and I did lead Him to the seat of the High Priest. And I did place upon Him the robes of the High Priest and He did sit upon the seat. And behold, I did declare to all the people that this was the Christ, the Son of the Living God; He who was killed by His own; He who had paid the uttermost price for our redemption and who had sealed it with the sacrifice mostdear. And the people did gather to the Temple to see Him and to hear His words.
8) And behold, my son Corianton did approach the seat and, bowing himself down before his Lord, he did wash His feet, hands, and head, and he did anoint Him with oil most precious. And when he had done this, the Lord did place His hands upon the head of Corianton and blessed him, and bid him arise.
9) And behold, Pa-Sabel approached also the seat and bowed herself down before the Lord. And she did break bread and blessed it, as she had been taught to do upon the Way. And she offered it to the Lord, and He did eat. And she did pour out pure wine into a grail and blessed it, as she had been taught to do upon the Way. And she offered it to the Lord, and He did drink. And when this was done He took her by the hand and arose from the seat. And He said in the hearing of all the people gathered there:
10) Behold, this is well, what these two have done unto me. For they did approach me upon the Way. Yea, they did seek My face and I did acknowledge them. And behold, I did teach them these things upon the Way when I did show Myself unto them who sought Me. Let them be an ensample unto all those who would come unto Me and diligently seek Me. Unto such shall I give My kingdom. Yea, of such shall I make up My jewels.
11) And behold, when He had said these words, He did join the hands of Corianton, my son, and Pa-Sabel and presented them together to the host, saying:
12) These two have become First Man and First Woman. Surely, they shall always administer My sacraments together. For, the one is not without the other in Me. Wherefore, I shall bless and sanctify all that they do.
13) And unto the two, He said:
14) Go now and do like as you did unto Me also unto all this people, teaching them to do likewise unto every person. And they went straightway and ministered unto the people, teaching them the ordinance of these two sacraments.
15) And when they had done this and returned again, He turned again unto me and said:
16) Are there any sick and afflicted among you? Let them come up unto Me and I will bless them. And by their faith, they shall be made whole.
17) And we did cause that all those who were sick and afflicted to approach Him and He was pleased. For there were not so many who were sick and afflicted because of the many healers that worked their gifts among us. But there were some who had met with accidents who were halt and some who had complaints that they had borne for many years for which the Healers had no cure. But behold, these were not many.
18) Now, when they had approached the Lord, He did lay hands on them and blessed them. And behold, they did arise and were free of their afflictions. And thiswas a great confirmation of what we had always
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believed about the Lord, that He is mighty to saveboth quick and dead. And we rejoiced in this affirmation.
19) And when He had blessed all the sick and the afflicted, He turned again unto me and said:
20) Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.
21) And we did suffer all the parents to gather the little children and bring them to the Lord. And He did teach them many things that cannot be written. And He raised His hands into the air and He blessed all the little ones. Now when He had done this, a great light was seen in the sky above their heads and they were all enveloped in light. And it was to be seen within the light that Angels descended and did minister to the children. And voices were heard that we did not understand, and songs were voiced that we did not know.
And all the people marveled at this thing. And when the Angels had again ascended and the light had gone away, behold, the countenances of the children shone still and they did prophecy.
Chapter Seven
1) Now, after all these things had taken place, Jesus turned once again to me and said:
2) Behold, the people of Corianton are Nemenhah indeed. Great should be your joy and also your cause to give thanks and rejoice. For, you have listened toMy voice and you have soughtMy face. Wherefore, I have manifested Myself unto you at many times, and you are not surprised nor too much amazed by My appearance unto you this day. This thing does please Me very much. Now I go unto the Nemenhah of Mentinah again to teach them. Continue faithful and I will visit you often to teach you also.
3) And after He had said this, a cloud did descend fromheaven and He was taken up in it and carried away with a great sound.
4) And I, and all the people, did stand in amazement and in joy. Yea, we felt a joy that could not find expression. And we could not find it in ourselves to depart one from another for the space of many hours because of the Spirit that was in us. For, of a sudden one person or another would burst forth in prophecy and we were loathe to be absent from such miracles.
5) Now, in three days time the people had meant to meet to worship together because of the signs that had been shown in the heavens. And now that Jesus had visited them and manifested Himself unto them, they were all the more anxious to meet and offer oblations unto Him. And it was while we were thus met and employed that we looked and behold, Jesus stood in our midst. And when we had seen Him, all the people bowed down to the earth before Him. And He sat with us and taught us upon the bench, saying:
6) Samuel, you who have been my mouthpiece in times past, be so now even unto this people. And take twelve of your people, of both men and women, and behold, I shall touch them and place upon them the priesthood. And they shall listen to My words and take them to the people. For the multitude gathered is great and My voice shall reach them all through Myanointed ones. And all those who are of the Nemenhah of Corianton who are not present must also hear My words. Wherefore, these whom you appoint and upon whom I lay this great charge, shall take other twelve from each city and region, to begin
the spreading of My gospel to all the people.
7) Then, when all the people have received of My word, let them all strive to obtain for themselves the anointing. And if they do this with singleness of heart, seeking My face, behold, I shall manifest Myself unto them upon the Way. For I am the Way, the Truth and the Light. If anyone seeks Me in this spirit, they shall find Me.
8) And I did all that the Lord commanded me, choosing out six men and six women who were known to me to be upright people with good intentions. And He took them one by one and touched them and called them to be His servants. And these are the words He used:
9) Upon you, my servant, I lay a certain charge and commission. And I give you authority to act in all things that the Spirit does manifest that I would do were I present to do them. Wherefore, be diligent in study, and also in fasting and in prayer. In this shall you know My doctrine. Yea, in this shall you know of Me, through the whisperings of the Spirit, that which isMy will and that which is not. And I give unto you power to command the elements as often as the Spirit dictates. Wherefore, pray always that you be not deceived and carried away in pride.
10) Then, casting His eyes about, He taught us concerning this priesthood, saying:
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11) Behold, I do perceive your thoughts. Marvel not that I have given mine authority to women and men alike. Yea, this thing has been of concern to some since the day that Pa-Sabel received word from Me of the ordinance she should perform when I came. Behold, I do confer the priesthood upon those men who
would follow Me and do the things they see Me do. And unto such is made an ordination, that they may speak and act in My name, and be justified in so doing. But I do not confer such upon the women, for they have of My Mother in Heaven that which I cannot give. Wherefore, I do ordain them. But the priesthood they have already cannot be given, nor taken away, but by that person who gave it. Wherefore, if there be any woman who desires to follow Me and do the thingsthey see Me do, they are authorized from the foundation of the world, and I do justify them.
12) For, the daughters of Eve do sacrifice of themselves freely for the sake of all living. For this cause did Adam call her name Eve. For she is the Mother of all Living. She does give of herself, even to the laying down of her life, in order that man might be, and in order that the purposes of heaven may go forward. She is a Priestess and Queen unto the Most High God forever.
13) Wherefore, if by the Spirit she is moved upon to take up emblems of My life and death, and bless them, and administer them to the people, what is that to you? She does it unto Me. Wherefore, restrain her not at all.
14) But behold, men received not such power by their creation and come into the world without the natural inclination to do good. Wherefore have I said, the natural man is an enemy to God. By the sweat of his face shall Adam earn his bread all the days of his life. And through constancy in service and in sacrifice shall he learn, order by order, line upon line, even precept on precept, to become like Me and do the things they see Me do. Wherefore, I confer priesthood upon men who would be My servants, and I give them
authority to minister. But woman are ministers from the foundation of the world.
15) And when a man wishes to engage in the work ofmy Father which is in Heaven, you unto whom I have given this authority may confer it unto him and ordain him to that stewardship that I shall provide for him. That he may also take up his cross and learn by the application of the Law of the Gospel to give freely of himself, breaking his heart and humbling his spirit. For,this is the sacrifice which I will accept of him.
Yea, he shall bend his own will and tame it, and do whatsoever I shall command him. And this he shall learn to do without coercion or compulsion, but freely ofhis own accord. This is the sacrifice of the heart and the spirit which I require of all those who would call themselves My servants.
16) And that man shall attend to do his duty unto the people, administering the sacraments unto them, keeping My Holy House, and teaching the people. This is the work that I shall require of him. And behold, he shall do all this freely and shall not be compelled to do it in any way. For, though the priesthood appear to be that by which service is rendered unto others, it is a service unto Me and unto My Father. Wherefore, let him do it with an eye single to the glory of God and not tohis own. And if he do this, he shall attain to that
state of happiness of which the prophets have spoken, both in this life as also in the life to come.
17) And when a woman wishes to engage in the work of My Father which is in Heaven, in addition to that great work which the Mother has given unto her by virtue of her very creation, you, unto whom I have given My authority, may ordain her unto that stewardship that I shall provide for her. And she shall apply that great gift, which My Mother which is in Heaven has given her, to the ministering unto the people as
the man does. She shall also bend her own will and do whatsoever I shall command her. But remember, whereas the stewardship that I shall provide for every man is a necessary thing for most men, in order that they might overcome the natural man, that which has been provided women by the Mother does already accomplish this end for them. Wherefore, priesthood, though a woman may officiate in the sacraments and
in every holy ordinance, is not requisite for her salvation. Whereas, men must have this device in order to truly come unto me. And where the priesthood is not available for them, surely I shall provide another means whereby men may overcome that which prevents them from the Way.
18) And these are the sacraments which I command you to administer unto My children:
19) You shall bless your little ones, calling upon My name. For, in the day that I began the work of Atonement for them, they were given to Me by the Father and the Mother. Wherefore, ye are My children, notwithstanding, I am also My Father’s son.
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Women’s Priesthood Daughters of Adam and Eve
Posted on April 18, 2014 by c j
For I Am the Lord;
Now, behold ye Nemenhah, the daughters of Adam are blessed from before the foundation of the world.
Behold, My daughters, by the nature of your creation, ye do serve all people. Yea, it is good that ye do organize yourselves in all your good and that ye do uphold this nation as ye presently do. But behold the orders of the priesthood are for the sons of Adam, to be an instrument unto them that they may train their natures to be more like unto the daughters of Eve.
Yea, that by the sweat of their face, even by their strength, they might learn to give of themselves for the sake of others. For how shall they become like Me if they do not that which I have done? But, ye Daughters of Eve, ye do it already.
Wherefore, covet not that which I have given unto men, but rejoice and know that ye may seek My face without other preparation than that which ye have received by your nature. For ye receive of the Mother even a more complete priesthood than the orders of the priesthood that I give unto men, in order that they may prove themselves thereby.
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It seems to me quite logical to equate Mary, Mother of God with Heavenly Mother and Joseph, her husband, with the being whom Mormons refer to as Heavenly Father.
The Lord, of course, is Jesus Christ.
There you would have three members of the Godhead. If you added Michael and Gabriel, you would have two more.
Anyway, in my opinion it is true that there is a Heavenly Mother, although you rarely hear much about her. And I do think Mormon leadership fails to examine her existence because it could lead them to admit that possibly the Catholic Church retains more truth in it than LDS doctrine.
About Heavenly Mother … If she is indeed Mary, Mother of God, which I believe to be the case, she would fit perfectly into the Godhead. Catholics already acknowledge Mary as our Mother and as the Queen of Heaven. She would be the one Goddess. Apparently, from what I understand, certain Wiccan religions acknowledge the existence of a Goddess, and perhaps some of them attribute this personality to Eve, who was given the title of Mother of All.
At any rate, in Mormon beliefs, it would not be hard to come to the conclusion that Heavenly Mother came to earth as Mary and Heavenly Father came to earth as Joseph. Jesus, is, of course, the Lord. If you add in Michael and Gabriel, you would have five members of the Godhead.
Interestingly, Catholics enjoy a close relationship with Mary. They pray to her and have their prayers answered. Throughout the centuries, some have even seen her and spoken with her. So, yes, I would not find it at all hard to believe that Mary is indeed Heavenly Mother.