There are a lot of interesting connections between ancient esoteric teachings and Joseph Smith's revelations. In particular, the doctrine of eternal marriage has parallels to Hermeticism, Alchemy and Kabbalah. Read my article to find out how these philosophies overlap with Church doctrine.
We often think of Joseph Smith’s teachings on marriage as entirely novel. But what if he was simply reiterating a truth that had existed from ancient times? Many of the esoteric teachings from antiquity bear uncanny similarities to Joseph’s revelations. Dr. Harold Bloom, literary critic and humanities professor at Yale University, commented on these similarities as follows:
“I…do not find it possible to doubt that Joseph Smith was an authentic prophet…I can only attribute to his genius or daemons his uncanny recovery of elements in ancient Jewish theurgy that had ceased to be available either to Judaism or to Christianity, and that had survived only in esoteric traditions unlikely to have touched Smith directly.” (Harold Bloom, The American Religion, 101.)
The more I study esoteric philosophy, the more I am convinced that Harold Bloom is right. Joseph Smith’s teachings about the nature of God and the path to exaltation seem to harken back to Gnostic Christianity and Jewish mysticism. In particular, I have found that Hermetic, Alchemical, and Kabbalistic teachings support Joseph’s revelations on marriage.
The Bold Doctrine of Eternal Marriage
Within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is a unique emphasis on the importance of marriage. While most religious traditions celebrate marriage and view it as an important part of mortal life, the Church teaches that marriage is as essential part of the life hereafter. In fact, it is the only Christian religion that views Godhood as a partnership between a male and female entity, and marriage as a prerequisite to obtaining the highest honors in the next life. For those who are not able to marry in mortality, it is believed that the opportunity will be given in the hereafter.
While the Church’s doctrines on marriage may be unique among religions, they are surprisingly compatible with several ancient, esoteric philosophies. Within Hermeticism, Alchemy, and Kabbalah, there is a common belief that gender plays an essential role on the spiritual plane. These esoteric traditions teach that all generation, spiritual and physical, is accomplished by the pairing of male and female entities, and that balance and perfection can only be achieved through the union of the masculine and feminine. While God is perceived in the singular, He is seen as having a dual nature that encompasses the characteristics of both genders.
Mercury, the Planet
In an investigation of the history of male-female duality, the best place to start is…the stars. To the ancients, all of the lights in the sky were stars, including the sun, moon, and planets. What we call the stars, they called the “fixed stars,” because they did not move relative to each other. The other “stars” (the sun, moon, and planets) where referred to as “wandering stars” or “planets” (the word “planet” is derived from the Greek word for “wanderer”). There are seven classical planets: the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Uranus and Neptune were not known to the ancients because they are not visible without the aid of a telescope. Of the seven classical planets, the sun is obviously the most prominent, followed by the moon. The sun was therefore seen as a representation of the supreme deity, who was perceived as male. A male deity needed a female consort, and the moon was viewed as a symbol of this feminine deity. The next logical step was that these male and female deities would produce an offspring: this was the planet Mercury. Why would Mercury be chosen over the other planets? The ancients realized that Mercury remained closer to the sun than any other planet. They could not identify the reason for this, but they assumed an affinity between the sun and Mercury as a result. The sun, moon, and mercury became a symbolic trio. Mercury was sometimes seen as a symbol of divine offspring, and it was sometimes seen as a synthesis of the masculine and feminine, represented by the sun and moon. As an intermediate between the masculine and feminine, Mercury signified that balance and perfection can only be achieved through a cooperation of the sexes.
The Greco-Roman God Hermes/Mercury
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| Transportation, or The Glory of Commerce, Jules-Felix Coutan (1914), Grand Central Station, New York |
The planet Mercury eventually came to be personified as the Greco-Roman god known as Hermes or Mercury. Many aspects of this god reflect his planetary origin. Hermes is the son of Apollo, the god associated with the sun. He is portrayed as a messenger of the gods, probably because of the way his planet follows the sun so closely, like a servant or attendant. As a messenger, Hermes passes frequently between the world of men and the world of the gods; therefore, as an inhabitant of both realms, he was seen as a mediator between the two. Being a messenger also gave Hermes the reputation of being swift; that is why he is usually portrayed with wings on his hat, sandals, and staff.
As a mediator between heaven and earth, Hermes was seen as a god of duality. He became the patron of every human activity involving a fair and equal exchange: commerce, trade, negotiation, diplomacy…. Due to Hermes’ speed and frequent transition between realms, he also became associated with change and movement. This is why he was seen as the god of transportation, illusion, and deception. Today we use the word “mercurial” to describe something that changes frequently, in reference to Hermes/Mercury.
The Caduceus
How does the god Hermes fit into the concept of male/female duality? The answer is found in Hermes’ signature staff, known as the Caduceus. This staff is topped with wings and has two snakes intertwined around it. (As a side note, the Caduceus is often associated with medicine, but this is actually a mistake. Hermes is not the god of medicine, and the proper symbol for medicine is the rod of Asclepius, which has only one snake winding around it.) As mentioned earlier, the wings of the Caduceus represent Hermes’ speed. The snakes, on the other hand, are a reference to the legend of Tiresias. In brief, this legend tells of a man named Tiresias who came across two copulating snakes while traveling. Tiresias struck these snakes with his walking staff and was instantly transformed into a woman. He (she?) remained a woman for seven years, until he came across another pair of mating snakes. This time, when he struck the snakes with his staff, he was transformed back into a man. It’s a strange story, but you can see how it relates to the theme of gender duality: the two snakes of the Caduceus are male and female, and they are connected to a legendary gender transformation. In short, the Caduceus, and Hermes, by extension, represent the balance of polar opposites: male and female, heaven and earth, etc.
One more note should be made about the Caduceus: it is often encountered as the astrological symbol of the planet Mercury. You may think that the astrological symbol doesn’t look much like the Hermes’ staff, but it should be noted that there were many different representations of the Caduceus in antiquity. In one of these versions, the two snakes make a single loop and then curve up in the shape of horns (see image below). You can see that this version looks much more like the astrological symbol. You will see the importance of this symbol later in this article.
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| Right: bronze Caduceus, made 450-420 BC, Left: astrological symbol of Mercy |
Hermeticism
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| Engraving of Hermes Trismegistus from Pierre Mussard, Historia Deorum Fatidicorum, Venice, 1675. |
Hermeticism is a philosophical system that derives it’s name from Hermes, and it dates back to at least the 3rd century AD. There are two approaches to explaining the origin of this school of thought: one is historical and the other is legendary. The historical viewpoint is that Hermeticism arose from the amalgamation of various religions and cultures in Alexandria, Egypt in Late Antiquity. The legendary viewpoint is that Hermeticism was begun by a sage in ancient Egypt, known as Hermes Trismegistus (Trismegistus meaning “thrice-great”), who was later deified by the Greeks.
Hermetic philosophy centers on the concept of duality, and it uses male/female duality as its archetype. To a Hermeticist, everything in the universe has gender. To be more precise, every being or object
contains aspects of both genders. For example, male creatures have a feminine side to their natures, and female creatures have a masculine side. The reason why gender is so important in Hermeticism is that all creation is accomplished by the cooperation of the masculine and feminine. To illustrate this principle, let’s say that you want to create something. For the sake of this illustration, we will focus on the mental act of creation rather than the physical labor. First, your masculine side, which is executive/active/conscious initiates the thought process. Next, your feminine side, which is passive/creative/unconscious innovates and fills in the details. In psychology, these masculine and feminine sides of the mind are referred to as the active and passive, or the conscious and subconscious mind.
Given the importance of gender duality in Hermeticism, it is no surprise that Hermeticists perceive God as equally male and female. This may not seem to coincide with our concept of a male God, but the Hermetic view is compatible with the restored gospel on some levels. For example, we believe that God is who He is because He has a female counterpart. Without being eternally married to a Heavenly Mother, our Heavenly Father could not be the exalted being that He is. Godhood is therefore a male/female partnership. In this way, the Hermetic view of God as having balanced gender attributes is essentially correct. In fact, Hermetic philosophy coincides with the LDS belief that perfection and exaltation can only be achieved through the male/female partnership of eternal marriage.
The dualistic themes within Hermeticism are illustrated using a variety of symbols. The image below is a prime example of such symbolism:
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| Rebis from Theoria Philosophiae Hermeticae (1617) by Heinrich Nollius |
Note that male/female duality is represented by both a male and female head on one body. Above and directly between the two heads is the astrological symbol of Mercury representing union, balance, and harmony. To each side of Mercury are the sun and moon as masculine and feminine archetypes. One of the most interesting aspects of this image is the square and compass in either hand of the two-headed figure. The square and compass are used in Hermeticism to geometrically represent polarity: one creates curves and circles, and the other creates lines and right angles. The two couldn’t be more different, and yet they are both necessary.
Alchemy
Hermeticism had a profound influence on the concepts of alchemy. In fact, the alchemists of the Middle Ages revered Hermes Trismegistus as the founder of their craft. They respected Hermes so much that, when they learned how to make a container airtight, they termed their discovery a Hermetic seal.
Given the alchemist’s regard for Hermes Trismegistus, it is not surprising that the planet Mercury played an important role in their philosophy. In alchemy, each of the seven classical planets are associated with a metal, and the plant Mercury was assorted with (no
surprise) the element mercury. In the Medieval period this element was known as quicksilver; it is perhaps because of the alchemists that we refer to it as mercury today.
So, what does the element mercury have in common with the god of the same name? First of all, the element mercury is... mercurial; it flows and changes shape, it’s elusive and difficult to contain, and it transitions to the gas phase at a lower temperature than other metals. It also has properties that seem dualistic: it is a liquid at room temperature, and yet it has many of the properties that are usually associated with solids. Finally, mercury fits the theme of unity and synthesis because it will dissolve most metals and form an amalgam.
Kabbalah
A discussion of male/female duality would not be complete without mentioning Kabbalah. Kabbalah is a system of esoteric teachings within Judaism. It goes back at least to the Middle Ages but could be older. Kabbalah differs from mainstream Judaism in its conception of God: mainstream Judaism teaches that God is unknowable, but Kabbalah seeks to explain the nature of God. Although Kabbalah teaches that God is knowable, its conception of God is extremely complicated! All of the attributes and emanations of God are mapped out in a famous image known as the Kabbalistic Tree of Life:
You can see that the circles, called sefirot, are arranged in three columns. The left column contains feminine attributes of God, the right column contains masculine attributes, and the middle column contains attributes that are a synthesis of masculine and feminine. One implication of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life is that the perfection of God involves a balance of male and female attributes. As with Hermeticism, this principle is compatible with the doctrine of Godhood as a partnership between an exalted man and woman.
Conclusion
Based on the esoteric philosophies reviewed in this article, it is clear that Joseph Smith’s teachings on gender duality weren’t new innovations. Although these concepts were known in the past, they were restricted to an enlightened minority because they were considered too sacred to be proclaimed to the masses. In teaching these hidden truths, Joseph was proclaiming the mysteries that had been sealed from the foundation of the world, as explained by God in the following revelation:
“And I have sent forth the fulness of my gospel by the hand of my servant Joseph; and in weakness have I blessed him; and I have given unto him the keys of the mystery of those things which have been sealed, even things which were from the foundation of the world....” D&C 35:17-18)
In our day, we are seeing a fulfillment of what Jesus prophesied: “That which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” (Luke 12:3) It is, therefore, no coincidence that modern prophets have issued “The Family, a Proclamation to the World,” which openly states truths that were once hidden. Note the formerly esoteric truths contained in this proclamation:
“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”
In conclusion, let me add my witness that Joseph Smith was truly a prophet and seer. The doctrine that he established contains a combination of truths from all previous belief systems. The more I learn about ancient religions and philosophies, the more connections I find with the restored gospel. I am convinced that, as Joseph Smith taught, all truth is one.
Further Reading:
For more on the symbolism of male/female duality, see my article here:
For more about Alchemical symbolism in the Bible and Book of Mormon, see my article here:
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