The Talismanic “Gold” Plates of Joseph Smith

I suggest that the physical object that Joseph had in his possession was not literally ancient gold plates, but plates of his own creation which talismanically represented the "gold plates" of his visions, aiding his mystical translation of those visions.

A New Facebook Group “Reconstructing Mormonism”

We will be discussing how we may reinterpret the ideas of Mormonism (and Christianity) in the light of classic mysticism, interspirituality, modern science, psychology, and other progressive and constructive approaches.

The Mystical and Archetypal Nature of a “Heavenly Book” and Joseph Smith’s “Gold Plates”

A tradition of a "heavenly book" runs through many traditions, including Mormonism with its "gold plates." What spiritual reality might these traditions be pointing to?

Joseph Smith’s First Vision in the Book of Mormon: The Earliest Accounts?

The earliest known account of First Vision may not be the one in 1832, but many esoteric accounts in April-June 1829, in the Book of Mormon text itself.

Joseph Losing the “Plates” and “Interpreters” was Mystical not Literal

The "Urim & Thummim" were perhaps Joseph's own eyes, which in a mystical state of consciousness could "see" the visionary "plates." He lost these "gifts" for a time.

An Introduction to the BHT Translation of Joseph Smith’s First Vision

I introduce a new translation of Joseph Smith's First Vision, giving some background to this interpretation of his mystical experience, the nature of translation, its pseudepigraphal nature, how it was done, and more.

A Mystical Reinterpretation of the Mormon (Christian) view of the Nature of God

This is my response to a recent video produced by the LDS Church on the nature of God. My reinterpretation moves away from the supernatural dualistic interpretation, towards a more immanent nondualistic interpretation of the Divine.