On the exterior of the Salt Lake Temple, there are many celestial symbols such as moonstones, sunstones, starstones, etc. On the central west tower of the Salt Lake Temple on the upper section is the constellation of the Big Dipper. Why?
All of these celestial symbols are reminders of the vision of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. In Abraham 3:1-13:
1 And I, Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord my God had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees;
2 And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it;
3 And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord thy God: I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.
4 And the Lord said unto me, by the Urim and Thummim, that Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord’s time, according to the reckoning of Kolob.
5 And the Lord said unto me: The planet which is the lesser light, lesser than that which is to rule the day, even the night, is above or greater than that upon which thou standest in point of reckoning, for it moveth in order more slowly; this is in order because it standeth above the earth upon which thou standest, therefore the reckoning of its time is not so many as to its number of days, and of months, and of years. …
9 And thus there shall be the reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord’s time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to the same border as that upon which thou standest. …
13 And he said unto me: This is Shinehah, which is the sun. And he said unto me: Kokob, which is star. And he said unto me: Olea, which is the moon. And he said unto me: Kokaubeam, which signifies stars, or all the great lights, which were in the firmament of heaven.
We learn that stars are people. Kolob is the person nearest to God the Father, hence Kolob is a symbol of Christ. The Big Dipper is famous for pointing to the North Star, the one star in the heavens that never moves and all the other stars revolve around. Therefore, the North Star is kind of like Kolob that Abraham spoke of. The Egyptians called the North Star “The Nail”, which for us has a very strong reference to the crucifixion and atonement of Jesus Christ. Also, notice that the Big Dipper is made up of seven stars or the seven prophets that head up each of the dispensations of time. From Adam, to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ (who led the dispensation of the meridian of time), and Joseph Smith (who introduced the dispensation of the fullness of times) they point to the North Star, Kolob or Christ.
So the Salt Lake Temple is oriented on earth pointing to the North Star, or “The Nail”, or Kolob for which all the ordinances of the temple are possible because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
(I have to thank my husband for writing this up for me. He will continue with more temple symbolism in the future. My purpose may seem vague at this point, but I will show you how all of this has to do with us, as women and daughters of God.)
Dear Author,
Thank you for all this insight. I was hoping by chance that you would be able to provide me with the sources of your information, as I have been studying much to find out these things but have found little sources. Any help you could provide would be appreciated. Thank You.
My husband wrote this post for me. He loves this kind of stuff, and I enjoy listening to his new discoveries.
Mostly, he just sits and thinks about patterns and relationships as he attends the temple, or reads his scriptures. He is always piecing something together.
But he has been reading some interesting books lately. The Day Star, Vol 1-2, by Val Brinkerhoff.
In this book, Bro. Brinkerhoff discusses various symbols seen all over the world. In Vol 2, pg. 46, he mentions specifically that the North Star is called “The Nail”.
I found your website looking up the word “retrenchment,” Clothing and appearance have been on my mind lately. I’ve read all you have on Modesty, and love the history and insights you give. Thank you! I am still amazed at how important everything we do is. It is our chance to show where we stand. What else would we do besides pay attention to our thoughts, words, and deeds? Join causes of social justice that don’t ask anything of your personal life? I don’t think so!
I would be interested in hearing more about how the temple is oriented to the north star. On all of our temples, the biggest door and the moroni statue face east from which direction Christ will return to earth and from which direction the sun rises, bringing light and life to each new day. Ancient Egyptians used pegs not nails so can you clear these things up for me?
North Star has been regarded as the most important star in the heavens. The polar star is the visible point in the sky where the axis mundi connects the Earth with the heavens. It is a cosmic pillar or column; the peg in the sky or the nail of heaven. The Arabs of old regarded Polaris as a hole in the sky in which the Earth’s axis found its bearing. The Norsemen and the Moguls looked on the North Star as holding the Universe together, Moguls calling it the Golden Peg. Astronomers of India called it the Pivot of the Planets.
See the second comment for the source on Egyptians calling it the Nail or Peg in the Heavens or sky.
The Salt Lake Temple was called the Grand Daddy of all temples by President Hinckley. As such, it is a symbol setting the standard for all temples as that connection between Heaven and Earth. It’s orientation is set up East to West as you stated. Moses’s ancient Tabernacle and Solomon’s Temple were also oriented East to West, entering via the East with the destination or the end being the Holy of Holies or Celestial Room in the West as is most temples. The entire Hebrew language is read East to West or Right to Left. The symbolism of the Big Dipper pointing to the North Star or Polaris is to remind us all that the Temple is the connection between Earth and Heaven via the Savior Jesus Christ, only through Him and no one else.
Contrary to what many members think, NOT ALL temples face the East. The Prophet chooses the layout and direction each temple will face based on the amount of land on which each is built.
If you pause and think of the importance of the north star to mortal men/women in guiding them and directing on earth. then pause to think of the Savior and His atonement and the role that plays in guiding and directing men/women to Heavenly Father in the Plan of Salvation. You can then begin to understand the eternal importance and symbolic relationship of how each son/daughter can then have a constants north star guiding us, leading us, and daily repent and apply the atonement in our lives. The temple is centered on the atonement of Christ. Everything hinges on it. Having this type of symbolic reminder on the outside of the SLC temple reminds those entering the purpose of the temple and should provide the added measure of the spirit when entering the house of the Lord.
Absolutely!