This is a part of “part 2” to my post “The Robes of the Holy Priesthood“.
Meaning
The garments are one of the things that make us Mormons a “peculiar people”. I was taught growing up that they were a physical shield from evil, and I was even told of instances where people were caught in terrible fires and they had burns on them everywhere except where their garments were covering them. I found over the years people moved more towards a “spiritual protection” model instead. For many people, especially women, have a complicated relationship with them, as they have enforced a purity culture and been used as a tool to slut shame. More recently, the orthodoxy has started seeing the garments as an extension of the Temple veil, which itself they view as symbol of Christ.
As I mentioned in my previous article, I really only wear my garments when officiating an Endowment. That’s all I really feel the need for them.
However, one aspect of the garments that I love is the “The Four Marks of the Holy Priesthood”. These are the marks that are cut, embroidered, or screen printed onto the garments that look like this: ᒧ ᐯ – – . These marks were originally Masonic, but Mormonism syncretically incorporated them into its own tradition and also hermeneutically reinterpreted them. These marks have meant different things to different generations, and I’d like to illustrate how:
| Meaning Origin | Square (ᒧ) | Compass (ᐯ) | Navel (–) | Knee (–) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masonry | Square our actions | to circumscribe and keep us within bounds with all mankind, but more especially with a brother Mason. | The twenty-four-inch gauge is an instrument made use of by operative masons to measure and lay out their work; but we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of dividing our time. It being divided into twenty-four equal parts, is emblematical of the twenty-four hours of the day which we are taught to divide the twenty-four inch gauge into three parts, whereby we find a portion for the service of God and the relief of a distressed worthy brother, a portion for our usual avocations, and a portion for refreshment and sleep. |
|
| John Taylor (Mysteries of Godliness, pg 111/170) | a guide to the wearer as the North Star is a guide in the night to those who do not know the way they should go. | representing the justice and fairness of our Heavenly Father, that we will receive all the good that is coming to us or all that we earn, on a square deal; | meaning strength in the navel and marrow in the bones. | representing that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. |
| David O. McKay | Honor, integrity, loyalty, trustworthiness. | An undeviating course in relation to truth. Desires should be kept within proper bounds. | That the spiritual life needs constant sustenance. | Reverence for God, the source of divine guidance and inspiration. |
| Temple Ceremony | suggesting to the mind exactness and honor in keeping the covenants entered into this day. | suggesting to the mind an undeviating course leading to eternal life; a constant reminder that desires, appetites, and passions are to be kept within the bounds the Lord has set; and that all truth may be circumscribed into one great whole. | suggesting to the mind the need of constant nourishment to body and spirit. | suggesting that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is the Christ. |
| Evelyn T. Marshall | obedience | truth | life | discipleship in Christ |
| David Ferriman | the justice of Elohim | my mercy | for health in the belly, and as a sign and token of my Holy Spirit, and of temporal salvation; | every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that I, even Jesus, am the Christ: Son of the Living God. |
| Gileriodekel | serves as a reminder to act with exactness, honor, integrity, loyalty, trustworthiness, justice, and fairness. | serves as a reminder to chart an undeviating course to exaltation. | serves as a reminder that you need to be nourished physically and spiritually to have strength. | serves as a reminder to have reverence for those who are sources of guidance and inspiration. |
Usage
Part of the tradition of secrecy surrounding the Temple has made it to where these symbols aren’t well known. I haven’t exactly been quiet on how I think this part of the Mormon tradition needs to change, and I think these symbols deserve to be re-examined as well.
Many religions have several different symbols. Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism share the “Eight Auspicious Signs“, Judaism has the Star of David and menorah, Christianity has the cross and chi rho.
I have found that the more obscure symbols serve as really great conversation starters. I was at a party earlier this year, and I saw a friend who had “G > ∧ ∨ ” tattooed on her wrist I had never seen this before, and asked her what it means. It turns out this is a relatively popular tattoo with protestant Christians and is a simplistic reminder that “God is Greater than my Highs and Lows”. This tattoo served as an ice breaker to talk about her spiritual journey and relationship with Divinity.
Nauvoo-style Temple worship takes on many different forms. The Branch’s Temple looks drastically different from any of the LDS Church’s Temples, which themselves have a massive variety. When we also consider the “DIY Mormons” who are starting to create their own Temple ceremonies as well, it could be difficult encapsulating Temple worship concisely. However, the Four Marks of the Holy Priesthood are often shared by all of these groups, and roughly mean the same thing for the different groups. These symbols are already considered sacred, are strongly associated with Temple worship, and their meanings are relatively consistent amongst different groups. As an added bonus, they are quite simple to draw and their meanings are easy to memorize.
In light of this, I think we should start using the Four Marks of the Holy Priesthood as ice breakers for talking about Temple worship. I am going to follow the lead of my friend and get a tattoo of these symbols so it can serve as an ice breaker for what the symbols are, what they mean, and what my relationship is with Temple worship.
