What is the Temple of Wisdom?

The Temple of Wisdom

In architecture, the temples of wisdom are like the old Grecian style, a long, wide building, square, sustained throughout by great arches and massive pillars, crowned by an immense circular dome. 

The façade is very grand and beautiful, the roof being supported by twenty-four majestic pillars, a large arched entrance in the centre, a somewhat smaller one on either side of the central one, these are also arched. 

There are twenty-four large windows on each side of the building, but none at the back―there are three steps extending the entire length of the front, leading on to a very wide porch, which also extends the entire length of the frontage.

Looking on the exterior of the edifice, there are forty-eight windows and twenty-four pillars, three arches, three steps, and an immense central dome. From the centre of the dome a flag-staff is waving gracefully. 

In the centre of each side of the roof stands an immense statue, making four in all. The flag appears somewhat as a large, white, satin flag of earth, and the letters upon it are shining and golden―the flag-staff is also of shining gold, and the words upon the flag are―Temple of Wisdom. 

This temple is but one, there are millions of others, even in this sphere.

The dome appears like shining gold, the statues and groups of statuary are almost life-like in their appearance. 

The one directly in front is a majestic male figure, apparently crowned with the sun, which appears to shoot forth rays of scintillating light that are almost blinding in their beauty. 

In one extended hand a large volume appears, the index finger of the other is pointing upward and the meaning is―

Man, know thyself, and all that about you lies―also, study that which is above thee.

As you face the building on the left side, which is at the right of the statue is a beautiful female form, exquisitely beautiful in all its proportions. She is crowned with flowers, and on one extended finger is perched a dove bearing an olive branch, with the other she is pointing downward, her eyes are also modestly cast downward toward the earth. 

The meaning is, the woman represents love, the dove peace, hope, and progress to all below.

The statue at the back of the edifice is that of a male crowned with thorns, in fact, almost an exact representation of Christ on the cross. The meaning is―

Error shall be crucified or conquered.

The remaining figure at the side is that of a female crowned with pale stars and pointing toward the horizon. The meaning is―

The morning breaks.

On each corner of the roof is a group of statuary, a family group of the four distinct races of men on the earth, the white, the black, the red and the copper-coloured―the father, mother, and two children of each. 

The Indian stands aiming with bow and arrow, while his squaw sits working at a beaded moccasin, the little maiden leaning upon the shoulder of her mother, whilst the boy eagerly and intently watches the point of the arrow.

The black man is kneeling in chains, whilst a huge bloodhound has seized the terrified wife. The little boy and girl cling to each other with starting eyeballs. 

The copper-coloured man kneels before a huge idol, fashioned by his own skilful hands, while his wife weaves straws and rushes into beautiful designs. 

The little girl is painting china cups and glasses, the boy is laden with cakes and fruit, which he is presenting to the idol—

Lastly, the white group. 

The white man stands with an open book in his hand, the index finger of the other hand marking a passage or line, but his eyes are turned upward. 

His brow is noble, his head massive, his limbs strong, well proportioned and supple. 

His beautiful wife caresses the golden curls of a fair boy, the little girl watches with large, sweet brown eyes, a singing canary perched upon her extended finger. 

The meaning conveyed by each group is easily deciphered.

The black man still wears the chains of ignorance and superstition, and on account of this, his wife is hunted by the emissaries of those who desire her subordination, and her children are also appropriated. 

The red man sends an arrow into the heart of his enemy to protect his wife and children, as well as his own freedom and his hunting grounds.

The copper-coloured man is so creative and industrious that he actually turns and worships the art created by his own handicraft―

His wife works out her beautiful and dainty fancies with rushes and straw, being filled with domestic virtues.

The white man seeks to perpetuate his wisdom in books and legends, and still his eyes seek the realms of space for more. 

His wife desires that her boy be like his father or greater still, while the girl wishes to be like a beautiful soaring, singing bird, with swift wing cleaving the unknown.

The dome, which is a half-sphere resting upon a square, signifies that wherever this form is found wisdom is not complete or perfect, but is striving toward it. 

The flagstaff reaching upward toward heaven signifies that wisdom descends from above as lightning from the clouds. The dome being golden, gold is less precious than diamonds, yet very precious.

The body of this temple appears like veined marble, the windows of stained glass of every existing colour. 

If the marble was without veining, it would signify firm, unalloyed wisdom, white and shining, but in the sphere where the veining appears it is somewhat adulterated by error, not yet perfect. 

The stained windows, in all their various colours, indicate that each soul as yet perceives the same thing in a little different light.

The twenty-four pillars are of polished granite, indicating that wisdom is strong, enduring and beautiful, and that which upholds the Universe, together with all contained therein, being twenty-four in number, indicates that there are twenty-four primary elements of wisdom underlying all things in Nature, and the forty-eight windows, that these primary elements can be combined to bring forth forty-eight different results, chemically combined.

The three steps leading into the temple signify body, spirit and soul germs, the three arches have their names written over them, upon their keystones, the central one, Wisdom, the one at the right, Love, the one at the left, Truth.

Matter, Spirit and Soul lead upward to Wisdom, Love and Truth. 

When these are once attained, happiness or heaven is the result. This temple is exceedingly large. 

The interior is supported by pillars and arches. 

There are twenty-four arches on either side, supported by forty-eight pillars, making forty-eight arches and ninety-six pillars. 

At the far end, opposite the entrance, is a raised platform or dais, and a pulpit or desk on which rests an exceedingly large book, together with a number of smaller books. 

There are very many beautiful chairs upon the platform, and a great scenic painting on the wall at the back.

The immense dome is filled by what might be called an electric clock, the great clock represents some particular system of worlds, oftener the system belonging to Earth's own sun, for within the spheres of Earth, the spirits and angels desire to teach of the system of worlds to which they belonged before branching into others that they do not know so much about, and this dome is filled by representations of the Earth's own sun's system of worlds. 

There are the two bodies of the sun, the moon, the Earth, all the various planets, together with their moons, all in motion, worked by electricity, precisely as they roll in space in their various orbits.

About one-half of the floor beneath the dome and in front of the platform is filled by rows of seats for listeners, visitors and students. 

The spaces nearer the windows inside the vast arches are given up to various branches of science, chemistry, and so forth, and on the key stone of each arch is written the name of the particular branch within that particular arch, and within these arches are all the different instruments and paraphernalia needed for demonstration, and within each arch an eminent professor presides.

The great painting at the back of the temple, filling the entire wall at that end represents the four great nations of earth, together with the country of each, its different animals, flowers and trees, and many other details too numerous to mention. 

This great temple is free to all and everyone who cares to visit it. It was erected by a large band of wise angels, wherein to instruct all who desire wisdom, all angels who do not inculcate error can give instruction here if they choose, but first they must pass an examination conducted by a large concourse of very wise angels so that false teaching and erroneous opinions may not creep in.

This temple is not a material temple built with heavy, cumbersome marble, and so forth, such as it represents, but is a spiritual temple, not made by hands, but by the constructive faculties or minds of the angels working with spiritualised matter or substance—

Their thoughts are tangible things, and take on tangible clothing, and are arranged by the will power of each, intently fixed on the one purpose, and it is precisely so in earth life.

Do not say that what we have herein related is a work of the imagination until you understand the full meaning of the word imagination. 

You must first image or imagine a house, hall or church on earth before it can be clothed with material substance, and it is precisely the same here. 

You must first image or imagine what you want, then clothe it with spiritual substance. You are real and tangible to you here. They are real and tangible to them there.