More On The Feminine Divine
I had a really disappointing conversation with a priesthood holder recently that reminded me just how unreceptive many otherwise solid members of the church are to discussing the importance of the feminine divine. It got me thinking about just how essential these truths are to exaltation, and how we cannot become like God without understanding them.
There is an important difference between salvation and exaltation. Exaltation is impossible without salvation and builds upon it. If we look at the temple as a metaphor, the foundation is our salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ. But exaltation comes from the sealing blessings, the highest rooms of the temple, equal in level to the celestial realm, where God dwells. The idea being, that the relationship of marriage, and therefore, gender relations including understanding the feminine half of divinity, are some of the mysteries of the kingdom whereby we become like our Heavenly Parents.
ValHud in her book talks about how it is the role of Eve and every woman to entice men to partake of mortality (the fruit), and the great work of mortality (family). It is by this work that men come to know the nature of the feminine divine and by protecting, loving and honoring that divinity as righteous men, they become like their Father in heaven.
I think its really interesting to think about this side of our mortal experience because it makes it so clear why the man is not without the woman neither the woman without the man. Just as women come to the Father by priesthood ordinances and righteousness, so men come to know their Mother and also their Father by honoring what you might call the priestesshood, or feminine divine in their wife. By valuing her and sustaining her in her work. Only then will the Holy Spirit of Promise seal all the blessings of godliness on a couple.
This is definitely deep, meaty doctrine, but we're not talking Kolob here. Jesus Christ is the foundation, the way, the medium, but this is the pinnacle. And we see it everwhere, if you have eyes to see. Its in the proclamation, the temple, the scriptures and the words of the prophets. This is the essence of celestial marriage: two indispensable and equally important halves making a greater whole. You can't make that whole if you think one of the halves has no importance to your spiritual fate.
Furthermore, in order to be a Christlike Priesthood bearer, one must seek to become like Christ. The men of the church have been told by modern prophets that, "they will not be able to achieve the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom without their wives standing at their side equally beside them," (-GBH) and "Every man ought to regard his wife as a Daughter of God, a daughter who is his equal,"(GBH) and that "motherhood is as divinely called, as eternally important as the priesthood itself." (-J Reuben Clark)
And now my favorite,
"No marriage of family is likely to reach its full potential until husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, men and women work together in unity of purpose respecting and relying upon each others strengths."
We cannot reach our potential until we learn to value and understand the spiritual gifts that we have as men and women. How could a man become like God if he doesn't value or understand the importance of his wife's contributions?
And that is why it is so important for us to learn more about the feminine divine.
There is an important difference between salvation and exaltation. Exaltation is impossible without salvation and builds upon it. If we look at the temple as a metaphor, the foundation is our salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ. But exaltation comes from the sealing blessings, the highest rooms of the temple, equal in level to the celestial realm, where God dwells. The idea being, that the relationship of marriage, and therefore, gender relations including understanding the feminine half of divinity, are some of the mysteries of the kingdom whereby we become like our Heavenly Parents.
ValHud in her book talks about how it is the role of Eve and every woman to entice men to partake of mortality (the fruit), and the great work of mortality (family). It is by this work that men come to know the nature of the feminine divine and by protecting, loving and honoring that divinity as righteous men, they become like their Father in heaven.
I think its really interesting to think about this side of our mortal experience because it makes it so clear why the man is not without the woman neither the woman without the man. Just as women come to the Father by priesthood ordinances and righteousness, so men come to know their Mother and also their Father by honoring what you might call the priestesshood, or feminine divine in their wife. By valuing her and sustaining her in her work. Only then will the Holy Spirit of Promise seal all the blessings of godliness on a couple.
This is definitely deep, meaty doctrine, but we're not talking Kolob here. Jesus Christ is the foundation, the way, the medium, but this is the pinnacle. And we see it everwhere, if you have eyes to see. Its in the proclamation, the temple, the scriptures and the words of the prophets. This is the essence of celestial marriage: two indispensable and equally important halves making a greater whole. You can't make that whole if you think one of the halves has no importance to your spiritual fate.
Furthermore, in order to be a Christlike Priesthood bearer, one must seek to become like Christ. The men of the church have been told by modern prophets that, "they will not be able to achieve the highest degree of glory in the celestial kingdom without their wives standing at their side equally beside them," (-GBH) and "Every man ought to regard his wife as a Daughter of God, a daughter who is his equal,"(GBH) and that "motherhood is as divinely called, as eternally important as the priesthood itself." (-J Reuben Clark)
And now my favorite,
"No marriage of family is likely to reach its full potential until husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, men and women work together in unity of purpose respecting and relying upon each others strengths."
We cannot reach our potential until we learn to value and understand the spiritual gifts that we have as men and women. How could a man become like God if he doesn't value or understand the importance of his wife's contributions?
And that is why it is so important for us to learn more about the feminine divine.
https://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=8669
ReplyDeleteYou can download this article about Heavenly Mother for $2. It is very worth it! I learned so much.