Wendy Watson Nelson is a BYU Family Therapist. She has been involved with and spoken at many Women’s Conferences, which BYU sponsors. She is married to Elder Russell M. Nelson.
Speaking at a Women’s Conference in 2000, she spoke about Celestial Therapy. You can read this great talk here. As I read this talk, I found myself underlining madly, nodding my head repeatedly, and thinking, thinking, thinking.
She asks a very simple question: “Where is the temple in our lives?” If we are dissatisfied with life for any reason, if life has stolen our happiness, if we have gotten too “caught up”; because we are women of God, we need to think about the answer to this question.
“As we look for solutions to our problems, I’m afraid that far too many of us are far too content to live beneath our privileges as women of covenant. Arise is a holy and familiar word for covenant-making women. Sisters, as we seek to heal our hearts and homes, it’s time to arise and benefit from the privileges of the temple. In fact, I believe it’s time for each of us to make sure we are engaged in what could be called ‘Celestial Therapy’”.
These words, ARISE and COVENANT-MAKING WOMEN are what sparked my idea for a blog in the first place. Those are strong and motivating words.
This is one type of therapy you never want to get over. In D&C 109:22, which is the Dedicatory Prayer for the Kirtland Temple, Wendy lists “four priesthood blessings that accompany faithful keeping of temple covenants—1) armed with His power, 2) with His name upon us, 3) with His glory round about us, and 4) with His angels having charge over us. Through these blessings, we can do the otherwise impossible in our lives, so that we can build marriages and families that will build Zion. That’s the power of Celestial Therapy.”
Wendy points out that we can ask ourselves “temple symbol meaning questions” when we go to the temple. Symbolism, which is open to us for our understanding, is often the answer we need at that particular time. I have recently been thinking about the value and meaning of “One”, which I wrote about in a recent post. As I continue to ponder about it, from the scriptures and the temple, there is no end to the connections I am making and how they make me feel inside. I have found that the path of discovery and revelation allows for my healing, resubmission, and fulfillment.
Celestial Therapy can set us free from man-made issues and raise us up from the sludge of the world. “We are freer when we leave the temple than when we entered. Freer to do what the Lord requires of us and to discern good from evil. Freer to fill the measure of our creation and experience joy. Freer to solve our problems, and freer to freely give our will to the Lord.”
Through Celestial Therapy we can hear what Heavenly Father is trying to tell us. We can even accept things that we find difficult to accept. Our weaknesses may be pointed out to us. We might gain an insight as to why someone is a thorn in our side. Or that a childless woman indeed has children waiting for her, but they are willing to wait for the next life.
The temple is where we come to know the Savior; the Savior who saved us. We learn how we fit in the plan and what we must do to stay fit in the plan. We learn that we are never alone. We learn first-hand that when we go through the temple, we are not only saving someone else, we are learning revealing things about ourselves, the Plan, and what will surely come. Let us arise and be covenant-making women.