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Time and Eternity: An Egyptian Dualism

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King Tut's Burial Chamber - Osiris embracing Tutankhamun, "Giving all life for time and eternity." The ankh, neheh, and djet symbols are highlighted in yellow.As I was researching for the posts on the ankh, I came across some information which was interesting, describing the Egyptian concept of “time” and “eternity.” These concepts almost seem repetitive and redundant to our modern way of thinking, but to the Egyptians each of these terms represented something concrete and distinct, and both were invoked in certain rituals, texts, and illustrations.  It is clear that the Egyptians considered these two ideas as unique, but they often used them together, and so it seems difficult for our present Egyptologists to distinguish or disambiguate what the Egyptians meant by them individually.  There has been plenty of speculation.

The two symbols used for the commonly translated “time” and “eternity” are neheh (nhh) and djet (dt), respectively, and looked something like this:

from Kemet.org Daily Devotions (http://daily.kemet.org/archives/archive-052003.html)

Jan Assmann described the difficulty of pinning down an understanding of these hieroglyphics:  [Read more…]

Temple as a Scale-Model of the Universe

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Several scholars, both LDS and members of other faiths, have noted that the temple is a model of the universe:

  • The temple is a scale model of the universe… ((Hugh Nibley, Temple and Cosmos, 14-15))
  • …the temple represents the principle of ordering the universe. ((ibid.))
  • [The temple is] for the purpose of taking our bearings on the universe… ((ibid.))
  • …the temple reflects things as they exist in heaven-things as they really are. ((Andrew Skinner, Temple Worship, 2))
  • The temple embodies “the structure of the universe, so that ascent through the heavenly levels [is] also a journey ‘inward’ through the temple’s concentric areas of increasing holiness to the Holy of Holies at the center.” ((Qtd. in Matthew Brown, The Gate of Heaven, 7))
  • …the temple (whether earthly or heavenly) is a miniature imitation of the structure of the universe. ((ibid.))

God’s perception of time and space are incomprehensible to our mortal and finite minds (Isa. 55:8-9).  However, if the temple is an accurate model of the universe, then it should be possible to reproduce an approximate visual representation of the universe from what we learn from the temple, which is what I’ve attempted above. [Read more…]

Stonehenge: An Ancient Temple

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Stonehenge - by Frédéric Vincent (Wikimedia project)

A group of researchers has just begun a two-week excavation at the well-known Stonehenge site in England in an attempt to discover, once and for all, the meaning behind the mysterious ruins. According to current scientific dating, Stonehenge dates back to about 3000 B.C., but it has perplexed archaeologists for years as to the purpose of its creation. Who created it and why? Why was the structure a venerated destination for thousands of years, being built, taken down, rebuilt and expanded a number of times. [Read more…]

3D Salt Lake Temple in Google Earth

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Salt Lake Temple model

Salt Lake Temple model

One of my hobbies is 3D modeling with computers. A couple years ago, when Google acquired Keyhole and the Google Earth and Sketchup software, I chose to build the Salt Lake Temple in 3D for it, as a tribute to my love of temples and so all the world can see this unique temple’s architecture and majesty in Google Earth.

It took me a few days, and many hours of Photoshoping photographs of the Salt Lake Temple to get the textures just right and the structure built to scale. But I think it was a worthwhile experience and will give many people the opportunity to “virtually” visit the Salt Lake Temple on Temple Square.

When I was done I submitted my model to Google’s 3D Warehouse so that anyone in the world could download and see the temple in Google Earth. Just recently I noticed that my model has been given Google’s distinction of being one of the “Best in 3D Warehouse” and will show up in that layer of Google Earth if you have it.

You can view the model, download it into Google Earth, see rankings/reviews, descriptions, location, and other details at this link.

I guess you could say that I am continuing the tradition of my predecessors in a small way, since one of my ancestors was William Warner Player, the chief stone mason on the original Nauvoo Temple. I have built other temples in 3D also, which I will share on another day.

Temple a Model for Raising Children

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Today there was a great post on Times & Seasons about President Beck’s talk at the last General Conference called “Mothers Who Know“, and specifically focusing on how to make our homes as a temple. Julie Smith makes some good points about how we can integrate temple teachings into our home environment.

But I also thought a comment from Anita made an interesting point about how the temple can be a model for raising and teaching our children:

…in their initial years they are given a name and learn about the importance of bodies, body parts, about clothing and modesty, the nature of this world, creation, and opposites. As they are baptized and accountable, they learn to recognize Satan and his half-truths, and as they become teenagers, we focus on morality and chastity, and preparation for marriage. The temple can be a map through mortality and guide us in raising our children if we look at it that way.

On a related note, in some cultures the initiation of adolescents into adulthood only takes place by the sacred rites and ceremonies (i.e. the Hopi).