Sometimes some of the greatest mysteries are right in front of our eyes every day. This morning I came across this YouTube Video called “The Mystery of Magenta” and was really interested in how this guy approached the subject of how the brain perceives color.
You’ll have to check it out and ponder the implications. I was blown away at how the color magenta is different from all the other colors and how it might be the answer to some things I have experienced. All I can say about it is that I think there is something to the color magenta and the veil; perhaps someone out there will know what I am talking about.
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This is a really long editing of three I shared with a friend earlier, any less and context is removed.
“The soul, then, touched with the love of Christ the Spouse, and longing to attain to His grace and gain His goodwill, goes forth here disguised with that disguise which most vividly represents the affections of its spirit and which will protect it most securely on its journey from its adversaries and enemies, which are the devil, the world and the flesh. Thus the livery which it wears is of three chief colours–white, green and purple–denoting the three theological virtues, faith, hope and charity. By these the soul will not only gain the grace and goodwill of its Beloved, but it will travel in security and complete protection from its three enemies: for faith is an inward tunic of a whiteness so pure that it completely dazzles the eyes of the understanding. … And in order to gain the grace of the Beloved, and union with Him, the soul cannot put on a better vest and tunic, to serve as a foundation and beginning of the other vestments of the virtues, than this white garment of faith, for without it, as the Apostle says, it is impossible to please God, and with it, it is impossible to fail to please Him. For He Himself says through a prophet: Sponsabo te mihi in fide. Which is as much as to say: If thou desirest, O soul, to be united and betrothed to Me, thou must come inwardly clad in faith. … This white garment of faith was worn by the soul on its going forth from this dark night, when, walking in interior constraint and darkness, as we have said before, it received no aid, in the form of light, from its understanding, neither from above, since Heaven seemed to be closed to it and God hidden from it, nor from below, since those that taught it satisfied it not. It suffered with constancy and persevered, passing through those trials without fainting or failing the Beloved, Who in trials and tribulations proves the faith of His Bride, so that afterwards she may truly repeat this saying of David, namely: By the words of Thy lips I kept hard ways.’
Next, over this white tunic of faith the soul now puts on the second colour, which is a green vestment. By this, as we said, is signified the virtue of hope, wherewith, as in the first case, the soul is delivered and protected from the second enemy, which is the world. For this green colour of living hope in God gives the soul such ardour and courage and aspiration to the things of eternal life that, by comparison with what it hopes for therein, all things of the world seem to it to be, as in truth they are, dry and faded and dead and nothing worth. The soul now divests and strips itself of all these worldly vestments and garments, setting its heart upon naught that is in the world and hoping for naught, whether of that which is or of that which is to be, but living clad only in the hope of eternal life. Wherefore, when the heart is thus lifted up above the world, not only can the world neither touch the heart nor lay hold on it, but it cannot even come within sight of it. … And thus, in this green livery and disguise, the soul journeys in complete security from this second enemy, which is the world. … For this reason, because of this green livery (since the soul is ever looking to God and sets its eyes on naught else, neither is pleased with aught save with Him alone), the Beloved has such great pleasure with the soul that it is true to say that the soul obtains from Him as much as it hopes for from Him. Wherefore the Spouse in the Songs tells the Bride that, by looking upon Him with one eye alone, she has wounded His heart. Without this green livery of hope in God alone it would be impossible for the soul to go forth to encompass this loving achievement, for it would have no success, since that which moves and conquers is the importunity of hope.
… Over the white and the green vestments, as the crown and perfection of this disguise and livery, the soul now puts on the third colour, which is a splendid garment of purple. By this is denoted the third virtue, which is charity. This not only adds grace to the other two colours, but causes the soul to rise to so lofty a point that it is brought near to God, and becomes very beautiful and pleasing to Him, so that it makes bold to say: Albeit I am black, O daughters of Jerusalem, I am comely; wherefore the King hath loved me and hath brought me into His chambers.’ This livery of charity, which is that of love, and causes greater love in the Beloved, not only protects the soul and hides it from the third enemy, which is the flesh (for where there is true love of God there enters neither love of self nor that of the things of self), but even gives worth to the other virtues, bestowing on them vigour and strength to protect the soul, and grace and beauty to please the Beloved with them, for without charity no virtue has grace before God. This is the purple which is spoken of in the Songs, upon which God reclines. Clad in this purple livery the soul journeys when (as has been explained above in the first stanza) it goes forth from itself in the dark night, and from all things created, kindled in love with yearnings,’ by this secret ladder of contemplation, to the perfect union of love of God, its beloved salvation.
This, then, is the disguise which the soul says that it wears in the night of faith, upon this secret ladder, and these are its three colours. They constitute a most fit preparation for the union of the soul with God, according to its three faculties, which are understanding, memory and will. For faith voids and darkens the understanding as to all its natural intelligence, and herein prepares it for union with Divine Wisdom. Hope voids and withdraws the memory from all creature possessions; for, as Saint Paul says, hope is for that which is not possessed; and thus it withdraws the memory from that which it is capable of possessing, and sets it on that for which it hopes. And for this cause hope in God alone prepares the memory purely for union with God. Charity, in the same way, voids and annihilates the affections and desires of the will for whatever is not God, and sets them upon Him alone; and thus this virtue prepares this faculty and unites it with God through love. And thus, since the function of these virtues is the withdrawal of the soul from all that is less than God, their function is consequently that of joining it with God.
And thus, unless it journeys earnestly, clad in the garments of these three virtues, it is impossible for the soul to attain to the perfection of union with God through love. …
Wild. I love this stuff. Thanks for posting, it’s always intriguing to see how people attempt to explain concepts and views of things beyond the capacity of the temporal mind.
There is a lot to explore here, I’d like to read the full text sometime.
If you want to read the full text you will want the “Ascent of Mount Carmel.” It can offer a lot of keen insight into the temple ritual. He writes of two nights that we must pass through to enjoy the embrace of the unity of God. As we are also instructed in two ‘nights,’ (symbolized by the stars and the moon) we must pass through to return to the presence of God, it is a good direction to point your mind. With a nod in that direction, and as he works he way through the book (and as you gain an ear for it) he can also offer some good insight into the keeping of the covenants we engage in (and maybe some why and how they help us progress in ways that aren’t sunday school answers, it can make you ask some hard questions about yourself). There are a couple of other ways he speaks to the ritual that are interesting, but sometimes half the fun is finding them on your own.
ps, some translations are terrible.
St. John of the Cross in ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ wrote about three layers of vestments. White, green, purple. Some translations say red, others purple. It might be something that would add to your study and thoughts. Chapter 21.
That’s interesting. What else did it say about the vestments, what was the context?
And… I posted it above. That’s what I get for going this on a mobile device. Anyways, you’ll find it up there ⇧.
This answers a very important question I’ve had. Thanks for posting. All I can say is – Wow. And that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God.
I am not sure of the online etiquette, but I guess it’s polite to say thank you. It would be interesting to hear what you learn sometime. Who knows, eh?
Thank You for posting @forgetting:disqus While I was reading I had an epiphany regarding colors and modern temple vestiture. I guess I didn’t mention the insight because it was so directly related to personal temple experience. I’ll give you some ideas that I’ve been pondering though, and maybe you’d be kind enough to share some insight?
Celestial Rooms are mostly white or off-white. In the temple, we primarily dress in white. Those who have been endowed and have read the scriptures know about the color green. My question had to do with the color magenta and Brother Reed’s “veil” idea. I’ve always found it interesting that a lot of Terrestrial rooms I’ve seen have a bluish/purple theme, (especially in the older temples). Does anyone think there is anything to this?
I hadn’t noticed that about the especially noticed it as something unique, though I have only a handful of different temples to compare. I do have a few books that have lots of color photos, I will go back and check, it will be interesting to see. Thanks.
I suppose I don’t really have one specific insight I could offer with that, though all of those fine details do matter, the whole temple experience is aimed at teaching us, even on levels that might not be at first most obvious. In theatre purple and greens are often used together and against each other, both in light and color, to lend to the emotional experience. I wish I could offer more, and it might be I am misunderstanding. I do that.
I am mostly thinking about some of the older temples I have attended. For instance, take the two temples that still have live sessions – The Salt Lake Temple and the Manti Temple. The Salt Lake Temple features the bluish/purple color in the Terrestrial Room, and it is the very color of the drapes that cover the veil. Now some might say that this is coincidence, but as you said yourself, all of the fine details do matter. It has been my experience that NOTHING is just coincidence in the temple. Everything is there to teach us something. Everything, no matter how small, serves a purpose.
The Manti Temple even goes further with the bluish/purple theme. The entire Terrestrial Room is draped in this color scheme, so much so that the Temple workers often refer to that room as “the Blue Room.”
These are just two examples. There are PLENTY of other temples where there is no hint of this color scheme whatsoever. So the question becomes, what is the message that is trying to be taught in “that’ temple? I strongly believe that all the temples are different so as to teach us different applications of the same doctrine and principles.
It’s noteworthy that there are some things that never change in the temple, and nevertheless, each temple is at least somewhat different than any other. Sometimes the variation of difference is greater than others. I’m sure there are spiritual as well as practical reasons for this.
Kind of like a person – aren’t we all different, and yet the same? Are we not the Temple of God?
This online color test to check your “color vision” is interesting, and I had coincidentally just tried it prior to seeing your post: http://www.xrite.com/online-color-test-challenge