Through the Temple Glass

Just a short entry to record something I noticed at the temple last Saturday. I went to Mount Timpanogos for a ward temple session, and the temple was crazy busy. We were supposed to be on the 10:00 AM session, but the entire chapel was full when I got up there about 15 minutes early.


As soon as the 10:00 session was seated, they invited the last two rows where I was to move up to the front for the next session. As soon as we made our move, the rest of the chapel filled up behind us from people who weren't even able to make it into the chapel for the 10:00. So basically they could have done at least two full sessions at 10:00. Because the place was packed and we were all waiting for quite awhile, I figured I'd leave the insufficient supply of scriptures near me available for others and had time for seeing and pondering.

The windows in that chapel are the same as those in the celestial room, though they are arranged somewhat differently. During this extended waiting period, I had plenty of time to look at and think about those windows. The one I have always liked the best is the long one with a circular pattern at the top which flows into a waterfall pattern I've talked about before. On Saturday, I was thinking about the circle pattern at the top and noticed that there are really 3 circles there, if you look at it. Two are pretty obvious, there's a large outer one with a somewhat smaller one contained in it. What I hadn't thought about before was that there is actually a much smaller circle right in the middle of the other two thanks to the process by which the glass was created. I'm sure there would have been a way to create that same circle of glass without the small center circle in it, but they apparently used a specific method that left a center bubble.

To me, these 3 circles are a representation of the 3 degrees of glory. Usually you see these represented either by separated or stacked circles, but I think there is something beautiful and profound with the idea of them in the arrangement of ripples in a pond. The small Celestial circle in the middle is basically accessible to the other circles on every side, though there are separations between them. In a sense, this indicates that no matter where we are in the 2 outer circles, we have a direct line of access to the Celestial. The arrangement also gives a sense of both the Celestial influence pushing out into the other circles as well as drawing them back to the source. In the same way, we can feel the Lord's influence even in our Telestial condition. This in turn then draws us in toward Him.

I also like how in the outside circle of this window there is a very prominent section at the top that is the outline of a keystone in colored glass. The keystone is a well-known symbol of the Book of Mormon, which in conjunction with my other ideas, brings color and vibrancy to our Telestial existence.

It's not so easy to see the design features from the outside, but hopefully this will let you see a bit of what I'm talking about.

Inside of the keystone outline, there is another sliver of colored glass in what looks like the needle of a compass. This points directly down toward the middle Celestial circle. My interpretation of this is that it represents the Holy Ghost, which in conjunction with the Book of Mormon, points us to the Celestial Kingdom.

It was a pretty simple grouping of ideas borne of circumstance, but it was nice to have time to reflect on architectural details. Of course, what I saw might have no bearing on what was intended. Still, it was an idea that provided some value to me. I think that we often overlook the detailed work in the temples not realizing that they can teach us useful lessons. There's much that could be said about the circles in squares and squares in circles motiff that is predominant in the Timp temple as well, but I won't go into those online. Those symbols have powerful temple significance that it can be rewarding to think about.

There is so much we can learn from the temples. To me, they are like a visual, tangible version of the scriptures. In both, I find deep wells of meaning and revelatory value when I approach them eagerly seeking in humble prayer. Yet, the times when I approach them unprepared and un-seeking, they simply become a matter of routine that lacks the power to change me. The Lord in His wisdom has designed holy things in an interesting manner in that way. We always get out of them blessings proportional to what we are willing to put in. This both respects and enhances our personal power of agency and protects us when we are unprepared. It is marvelous to think of how perfectly God has designed all things for our benefit. His hand is truly all around if we will only lift up our eyes.