Today we have a guest post from Simon C.:
My friend and I walked through the beautiful gardens to the entrance and into the quiet of the building. Passing the reception desk, a worker gave us our packet of clothing and our white slippers and showed us to the changing room. Workers and patrons, dressed in white, some still in their robes, wandered about peacefully, looking relaxed. What first? We decided to have our feet washed. Then moving from room to room, we spent the next several hours in quiet contemplation and relaxation, stopping only for a delightful lunch in the canteen. It was so calming I could easily have taken a nap at several points during the day. (Okay, I’ll be honest and admit that I did manage to sneak one in.) The whole day was a restorative experience for both body and spirit!
It was a great day at the spa.
Of course, I initially spent most of the morning chuckling to myself over the similarities to a certain Mormon institution but as the day wore on it suddenly occurred to me that I felt the same way at the spa as I used to feel at the temple. Either that says great things about the spa or not very great things about the temple. On reflection it says much about the nature of ‘ritual’, both religious and secular, and the power of taking yourself away from the day-to-day bustle of life and plugging into a parallel universe for a few hours. And at £150 for the day, and going two or three times, the spa is an awful lot cheaper over the course of a year than paying tithing and probably only going to the temple once, if at all. Plus, if the church wanted to make a smart business move and go into the spa and health club sector, they already have 315 high-end facilities around the world either in operation, under construction or announced. Just a little bit of retro-fitting or tweaking of blueprints and they’ll be good to go…
So, what do you think? Temple or spa? Or both?
What other things do you do to bring about a peaceful, restorative and connected experience in your life?
Should the church go into the spa business? What else could you convert a temple into?
Discuss.
Wheat & Tares 
I think you’re spot-on about the value of ritual and taking oneself away from daily routine and obligations as a way of restoring and recharging oneself and yes, feeling peace. And for members who believe temple attendance is the only way to experiment such, well, I guess at least they have that. Imagine how much richer lives could be if there are such experiences in other ways and places and with other people! When we only allow ourselves to have “temple experiences” in the temple, that’s where they’ll be. And I think that’s a short-sighted view, robbing us of the depth and breadth of life’s beauty (beauty being found in both good and bad, to put it simply.)
Peace isn’t exactly what I found in the temple.
What I found is that I’m still a second class citizen— in need of a male between me and God.
A great religion should have sacred places free of hustle and bustle that allows it’s disciples a few hours of quiet contemplation.
The stained glass and beautiful architecture of many Protestant and Catholic sanctuaries serve this end well. The “warehouse of souls” approach of LDS chapels, not so much.
I think the OP is right that it would be easy to better adapt the LDS Temples for this purpose by removing the need to kiss the ring and pay high fees just to enter,. You could still have a ritual using the nature video parts of the old endowment videos and readings from the New Testament with long periods of quiet between. Let people dress in non-Masonic robes of a few different colors in addition to white (maybe vary by season and follow some sort of liturgical calendar). Let the sealing rooms be used for quiet meditation.
If I based truth on how I felt, I’d worship running because nothing makes me feel more at peace with myself.
@josh h. Reminds me of the line from Chariots of Fire. “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”
For whatever reason, many LDS individuals seem reluctant to embrace meditative practices as spiritual unless they are labeled as “true order” or “covenant”. Yet such meditative practices are often more God-filled that any of the worship rituals typically practiced in a contemporary LDS setting. I believe this has been one of the most important things I have learned from the past few years.
When I was in college, I was so stressed that I never slept well. Except for in the temple celestial room. I always appreciated the fact that not once did a temple worker wake me up from my celestial room nap. I napped sitting up, though it was very tempting to lie down on one of those big plushy sofas. Very peaceful place. It was the only place where I could turn my brain off and function on auto-pilot for a couple hours.
I get a very nice spirtual feeling when I am sitting in the trees near our pond next to our meadow full of flowers.
And I do not need to have answered any questions asked by a male sitting across a desk in a room where I am alone with him.
I always found that to be weird and unpleasant.
I also do not need to drive for hundreds of miles to a busy, asphat/cemet covered city.
Heavenly Fathers beauty is all around me and I feel His presence easily.
It is restful and spriritual.
I have several friend’s who tell me much the same about their experiece of sitting by the river flowing past their house or sitting in their yard looking out toward the mountains.
Going into a building built by humans is not the place I feel free and comfortable and spiritual, it seems un-natural and artifical and forced.
There I feel cut off from the beauty and quiet that our Heavenly Father has given us.
I agree with Chloe. I feel closest to God out in the world he created. My husband teases me that the Celestial kingdom is anywhere above 7,000 ft altitude. So for me, forests in the mountains, a mountain stream, a meadow of wild flowers, the barren struggle of life in the desert, those are the places where I feel closest to God. Never in a man made building, where people are marched through an assembly line endowment process, where women are placed below men in an artificial power based hierarchy, where things have to be said perfectly or somehow it doesn’t work. I have never felt further from God than I did in a Mormon temple.
For people who seem to relate to ceremony, maybe the temple has meaning. But I have never been impressed by things that have to be done just so, with a specific order like some kind of magic spell. I had a friend once who left Mormonism for Catholicism. She explained that the ceremonies made her feel close to God. She said that to her, the temple ceremony was what she had felt best about with Mormonism, even though the actual words of the ceremony were all wrong. To me, that just did not compute.
Nice post.
josh h: Totally agree. I love running. Even when my back is acting up like it is now and I can’t really run much, I pass the time watching old video clips of Pre and Sebastian Coe.
I think 10ac is spot on with the comment about being reluctant to embrace meditative practices. We’re all at different points on our spiritual journey, and I’d not criticize folks who are just trying to find God the best way they can, but I think in a general sense, LDS belief and practice has become (perhaps in large part because of the age of correlation) a lot more prescriptive. And the temple recommend questions fit right into that; we’ve essentially got a list of questions that, if we answer them “correctly”, means that we’re spiritually fine (i.e. “worthy”). And because the temple is such a vital part of LDS theology and practice, it’s easy to see how LDS folks can think really narrowly about what it means to be “spiritual” and what a life spent searching for God looks like. And therein lies the tension between orthodoxy and anything else that doesn’t strictly adhere to that orthodoxy. I’ve always thought that the main reason non-members aren’t allowed in the temple is because they’d see it’s, IMHO, absolutely bonkers and full of cult-like indoctrination. But of course, many believing LDS members think that it’s the highest spiritual experience one can have on the earth (“sacred”, not “secret”) and so it makes sense that they’d eschew other forms of spiritual seeking, even as someone like me (who’s becoming more of an atheist with every passing hour) sees such an approach to the divine as limiting and limited. I do think, generally, that there is an astonishing sense of the universe unfolding, of things expanding, of ways to connect to people that we can’t even articulate; some would call those the mysteries of God. In my own experience, LDS theology has proved too limiting to really be able to illuminate those mysteries and to help me connect with others in ways that I really want to. And that’s really okay. My gradual waning of belief/faith in LDS teachings used to really freak me out, but I love my wife, my children, my job (parts of it, anyway), and I’ve got both running and Saturday nights on Lower Broadway in Nashville to sustain me as well, and so far, all of that’s been enough. Good luck to all of us on our various journeys.
I don’t think I am particularly spiritually sensitive. But.
The most spiritual place I have been is Uluru. An aboriginal sacred site in the centre of Australia.
Recently a daughter bought a tesla. Accelerating in it has a spiritual element.
Next would be some of the rocky mountain national parks. We never come to America without going to Yellowstone.
On my mission on most days we would stop for a while in the catholic Church.
Our home is usually silent and has interesting angles and curves that are uplifting/spiritual?
To some extent this discussion is about what spirituality is.
I do not understand the running is spiritual people, to me it is torture. At school I was put in a 800m (2 lap) race and was lapped. So different for different people.
Is all beauty spiritual? Or is there something added? Are waterfalls all spiritual? Is sex spiritual sometimes?
My wife and I walk along the beach beside the pacific ocean, and one of us will usually comment on how blessed we are.
I think there is also a spiritual element to creating something practical, and if it is beautiful as well. I designed and with my wife’s and some tradesmen (electrician, plumber and plasterer, built our home. The angles, curves, and light, and its practicalicality, are perhaps more spiritual to me than to a visitor.
One of our daughters fights forest fires. Her description of being overtaken by a forest fire has a spiritual element, and is not peaceful or beautiful. They carry foil blankets, remove anything from the ground that might burn under them, then lay down and cover themselves with the foil blanket, tucking it in so the wind can not tear it away, and wait for the fire to pass. That period when the fire is near is spiritual? If they can get to their fire truck which has foil blinds on the windows to keep out radiant heat that is better. She has done this half a dozen times. At present she is fighting a fire in Canada.
I do not have any suggestions for repurposing temples.
Really appreciating this comment thread. Thank you to each of you for your sincere and honest reflections, with both the sweet and bitter elements of spiritual practice and fulfillment. And thanks to Simon C. for giving us such a wonderful discussion prompt!
@Brother Sky
By having Saturday nights on lower Broadway to sustain you, do you mean Preds games and concerts at Bridgestone, the Ryman and Schermerhorn? Or are you talking more the Robert’s Western & Tootsie Orchid Lounge scene with the pedal taverns and bachelorette parties? I don’t want to sound too JCS, but I have to say unless it’s a really good show, going to lower Broadway on a crowded Saturday night just stresses me out. Give me Warner Park, Shelby Bottoms, and the Harpeth or the Cumberland any day over lower Broadway for spiritual sustenance. I am admittedly an introvert. I get that extroverts draw spiritual energy from crowds.
10ac: I mean Robert’s, Tootsie’s, Layla’s, etc. Not Ryman unless Marty Stuart’s playing, although that place really does give off cathedral vibes. I might brave it for Brooks and Dunn, too. I’m generally an introvert as well, but I really like small bars where really good music is played. And because places like Robert’s feature pretty traditional country/honky tonk music, and there’s not a ton of room for dancing, the tourists and bachelorette parties don’t stay long. There’s something about live music played really well (musical standards are generally pretty high on lower Broadway, especially for guitar and fiddle players) that makes me feel connected not only to other people, but to whatever great beyond may be out there. And I find that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become really (unintentionally) emotionally stunted, which means traditional country music, which many people regard as overly sentimental or sappy, is one of the few musical genres that can still really stir my emotions. Check out Kelley’s Heroes if you’re ever at Robert’s. Wed. – Sat. from 6:30 to 10:00. Guitar player is extraordinary and they put on a great show. Plus Jack’s Barbecue is right next door. Agree that Warner Park and the Cumberland are terrific. Sorry for the Nashville threadjack, everyone!
@Brother Sky
Alright, I’ll have to give Robert’s another try some time. I do agree that a good band in a small venue is pretty inspiring.
Back in the 70s I saw Joe Pass play solo at a dive called The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach California. I sat on the front bench (yes, bench) just a few feet away from him. I could see him wince and hear him swear when he’d make a mistake–though I couldn’t hear the mistakes. It may not compare with what the temple has to offer–but sitting that close to a master jazz musician when he’s busy about his craft certainly has a refining effect on the soul.
My dad was “Mr. Outdoorsman” himself and he taught my four younger sibs and me to love the outdoors. One of his favorite sayings was “The woods were God’s first temples.” and I have to agree with him. When I’m outdoors, especially in the mountains, I feel incredibly close to Deity. Thanks Dad.
I’m a professional musician and have had my fair share of sacred experiences performing or attending performances of beautiful and inspiring music. (An excellent production of Shakespeare can also be a spiritual experience for me.) Exactly one year ago my husband, younger son and I went to NYC to see the final night of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Ahknaten” by Phillip Glass. Akhnaten was the “heretic” Egyptian pharaoh who did away with the pantheon of Egyptian gods and worshipped the Aten, or sun god, exclusively. He is the first recorded monotheist in history. It was one of the most profound spiritual experiences that my husband, son, our friends from home who happened to be in NYC that weekend and I ever had. We found a quiet place after the opera where we could just let our experience wash over and through us. None of us spoke out loud for a very long time and yet our souls were truly communing with each other and with the Divine. There just are no words to begin to describe that incredibly sacred experience. (Check out the Metropolitan Opera’s marvelous Grammy winning recording from 2 years ago on any music streaming service.)
Ditto for the recordings and live performances of Jordi Savall, one the world’s greatest viola da gambists, ethnomusicologists and conductors. He is a very wise, beautiful and spiritual person and you can feel that spirituality when you talk to him as well as through listening to his music-even the upbeat, joyful pieces. His recordings and performances have the same effect that “Ahknaten” did. I feel like I’m in the presence of the Divine.
Coincidentally, yesterday (Saturday) afternoon I spent two glorious hours at a choral concert of sacred music in the Community of Christ Temple sanctuary along with peobably cloae to a thousand other folks. It was the 20th anniversary of the Liberty (MO) Community Chorus and happened to include two arrangements by Mack Wilberg (Tabernacle Choir director), one a world premiere of his “This Is My Song” and the other, “Amazing Grace” with drummers and a bagpiper (plus it’s pretty rare to have a female piper, no less). Organist Jan Kraybill and a brass ensemble also were featured.
The guest conductor was Craig Jessup (former Tabernacle Choir director), who made a point in his brief remarks to thank Community of Christ for providing such a sacred space that is open to all and in which he strongly felt the presence of Divinity.
This was certainly not the first sacred music concert I’ve been privileged to witness at the temple since its dedication in 1994, and it represents one of the reasons for the temple’s existence in Independence, Missour, as well as one way the Spirit continues to uplift and bless people there.
For those who might be interested, the concert will be made available later this week on the chorus’s YouTube channel.
I thought about commenting here on Saturday night as I sat in a room with about 50 people watching a performance of original songs by a standard ensemble: lead guitar, rhythm and bass guitar, and a drummer. The amps were set perfectly to the space and the performers well practiced, and were expressing from their spirit, and I couldn’t remember the last time I was so peacefully energized by musicians performing live.
Then I got home, tired, and busyness happened, but Poor Wayfaring Stranger jogged my memory with their apt description of Ahknaten. And I even wrote about that here, last month on Hawkgrrrl’s post Doubt & Creativity May 17. But it was so late that few read it. Here’s what I said, in response to Angela’s prompt:
I patronize a lot of art stuff, willy-nilly, so I may overlook something, but the one live performance that comes to mind is seeing, by sheer luck, a performance of Philip Glass’ opera Ahknaten at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The performances were interrupted by pandemic shutdowns. I would never have opted to see it on my own, without a push, and I was blown apart by it. The music was never-heard-before magic, the background story — hidden, erased Egyptian history, the staging! Live orchestra in the pit! Jugglers! I won’t explain because I can’t. I’m all worded out. But if you like opera, you gotta look into this one. I think it’s available to stream. I came home and listened obsessively to the score, and stalked it online, and was well rewarded with a ton of fascinating tangents. /end
I’ll add that we bought tickets late, and split our party of 4 to get best possible seats, one of which was row 4. We traded that one at intermission, and the sound of Glass’ music performed live at such close range, accompanying the performance onstage, is a layer of special I will never forget. And yes, the Met Opera does offer the performance streamed on demand to subscribers, along with many others. I still marvel at how a troupe of professional jugglers could generate such thoughts and feelings, along with sheer visual delight, in combination with the story and the score. I still go back and refresh that memory from time to time.
I’m glad that no institution can define how individuals may experience peace, because there are infinite ways, and it’s worthwhile to explore and find the ones that work best for you.
Aaaaannd good news! The Met is screening encore performances of 4 popular operas this summer. In HD in select theaters in the US and Canada. ‘Ahknaten’ will be shown July 26.
Worth it. Bring friends.
https://www.metopera.org/season/summer-events/live-in-hd-summer-encores/?utm_source=623HDSummerEncore&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2223_ss&utm_content=version_A
M Dearest, I bless your name for the news about Ahknaten!!! I’m thrilled to know someone outside of the people who went with me to the Met with last June loves it as much as I/we do. W&T followers and bloggers PLEASE do yourself a huge favor and go see the opera in the theater! We can discuss it afterwards. Even if you think that you don’t like opera this one is not your standard opera and is completely different. We were thrilled to see so many kids, teens and young adults in the audience. In talking to a few of them during the intermissions some of them said that this was not their first time seeing the opera and that they’d brought friends and family to subsequent performances who then told others about it until the last night when there was a large gathering of “Akhheads” (passionate fans of the opera who see it as many times as possible) a name I proudly bear now.
My husband and I saw Akhnaten twice in the theater in 2019 and had such an overwhelming spiritual experience both times that when we discovered that it was returning to the Met in 2022 we splurged and got some of the best seats in the house. As M Dearest and I can attest, it is an experience that you’ll never forget. And, because the subject of the opera is considered to be the first monotheist in recorded history it will give you a new perspective on religion and religious ritual with the aid of jugglers/acrobats and a steampunk set which will blow your mind! I defy anyone to stay dry eyed during Akhnaten’s hymn to the Aten (his sun god) at the end of Act 2. Take a couple of boxes of Kleenex for the 3rd act. It is so profound. When the curtain finally fell at the end there was a hushed silence for a couple of minutes in which we could hear sniffling and open weeping throughout the house. As a professional musician I’ve never experienced such a thing in my life. Then the audience arose as one body and cheered for 10 solid minutes. As it was closing night Phillip Glass was there and came on stage. Even he looked like he’d been moved to tears.
Oh well. I could rhapsodize for much longer, but I’ll spare you all. You folks can’t tell that I love this operatic work can you? As scripture states when two or more witnesses are able to corroborate a fact “it shall be established”. M Dearest, you and I should start an “Akhnaten” fan club. My husband, son and I along with our friends who attended with us sent letters of appreciation to Peter Gelb (the CEO of the Met) and begged him to program the opera again soon. May our and your wish be granted soon.
Wow, MDearest, APWS,
Thank you so much for alerting me to this. If ever it’s on over here I’ll make certain to go and see it. Meanwhile I’m having to make do with a recording. It’s fantastic. Must have been amazing to have been there in the theatre.
Got more into Opera during the pandemic, when the Royal Opera put out videos via YouTube for two weeks at a time. I particularly remember a performance of The Magic Flute.
If you’re in need of inspiration and wise words, these beautiful peace quotes will put you on the right track towards peace. The place is green, peaceful, and tranquil. It is a place where friends and family can plan half a day trip. It is very natural.
https://catalyticministries.com/