Pay Lay Ale

Prior to 1990, the LDS temple ceremony included the phrase Pay Lay Ale as part of its endowment ceremony.  For reasons I am not fully aware of, and haven't really looked into, that phrase was removed from the ceremony and replaced with a an English phrase.

Since the church discontinued use of this phrase 8 years before I went through an endowment session, and it is no longer considered a part of that religious practice, I didn't see any problem using it here.  I had to think about that, though.  This post is a result of thinking a bit more on this phrase after I responded to a comment from William Tychonievich on my last post.  He had brought up "pay" as a tie to Pi (through the Hebrew word "pe", I guess), and also brought up "ale" as a form of "el".  Seeing two of the three words that comprise Pay Lay Ale, and the fact he asked if I got his drift, seemed to me to indicate that he was referring to this phrase without writing it.  So, I responded by also referring to the phrase without actually writing it (he may have actually not been referring to this - that was just my guess).

But I thought later that this didn't make much sense - if the LDS church stopped using it, and it wasn't part of any ceremony or promises I made at whatever point, then it seemed that there wasn't an issue with using it here that would offend anyone.  In other words, it seems like it is in the public domain.

In his comment, William noted that Pe means 'mouth', and the letter for Pe is what Pi is derived from (I will take his word on it  - I myself don't know and haven't independently looked that up).  In response I noted that this would work out well with Pi, since I had thought that the symbol of Pi looked to be a gate, door, or passageway, and that one meaning of 'mouth' is exactly that.  I also noted that Pe in Elvish also means 'mouth', which is interesting.  

It turns out several people assume Pay Lay Ale is based on the Hebrew Pe le-El, which would mean "Mouth to God" in Hebrew.  This would seem to fit with the English words the Mormons replaced the phrase with post-1990, and in something like speaking to God, and having God hear you.

However, given the fact that mouth can mean an opening, door, or gate, perhaps the 1990 change or revision completely removed one layer of meaning to that phrase, which could be an important one.  Turning mouth into a door, we have that phrase mean something like "Gate to God" or "Door to God". 

For those familiar with the temple endowment, and where this phrase was said in that ceremony, and also where the new phrase that replaced it is still said, interpreting Pay Lay Ale as meaning something like a door or gate to God actually fits quite nicely.

Indeed, there seems to be two components that are involved in Adam's final redemption in the temple ceremony.  One is to be able to converse with the Lord through a veil, and the other is to actually be admitted into his presence.  To speak, and then to enter, to put it simply.  The current phrase that replaced Pay Lay Ale in 1990 gets at the first part (conversing with the Lord, or requesting to be heard), but misses the second (does not discuss a gate or door to enter through).

What I am suggesting is that, just taking the phrase of Pe le-El in its Hebrew form, we may have a double-meaning that gets at both of the required events in Adam's salvation.  The first is to be able to actually engage in a conversation with God, in which words from one's own mouth are heard in Heaven, and similarly Heaven's words are heard on Earth.  Mouth to God.  The second is to be able to actually enter the place where God resides - entering in by the door that leads there, this door being the other meaning of Mouth to God.

It gets even more interesting when we look at these words as Elvish (of course!), or having additional Elvish meaning.

As mentioned above, in my response to WJT, I noted that "Pe" also means mouth in Elvish.  This inspired me to look at the other two words and see what we get.  Here is what I have:

Pe = Mouth

Le = with (OR method/ manner)

El = Star

In this view, we will keep the double meaning of Mouth - a thing to converse with as well as an opening or door in which to enter.

We then have 'with', and method or manner work here as well (meaning the way in which something is done), because El becomes the thing that enables or is the manner by which the Mouth is either used or entered.

On this blog "star", at least in specific contexts, is synonymous with a Stone.  Thus, in this case, I think we can have star mean stone without really any gymnastics or creative twisting (it is at least consistent with how I have used it in the past).

I have also had Stones, specifically El-Anor, as part of communication (i.e., linking with the Ithil Stone and conversing directly between Heaven and our world) as well as travel (represented as a car and also as a key that unlocks doors or gates).

In other words, we have already been discussing here, quite literally, at least one Star-Stone as a method or means by which one both 'mouths' to Heaven and also enters it.  Pay Lay Ale.

Joseph Smith taught that every one who enters the Celestial Kingdom receives their own stone.  Perhaps it is then through many such stones that Pay Lay Ale becomes a reality for many?  It could be, but I guess that depends on whether such stones are received before or after such an entrance occurs.

Also of interest, the LDS temple endowment ceremony and drama follows a man named Adam, who is identified as Michael (Adam seemingly can refer to one Man or to many Men).  It is Michael's journey we follow as he goes to converse through the veil, and then go through it.  In my story, it is Faramir who is known as Michael (see the post Michael Jackson and the Stone, for one example), and so understanding Pay Lay Ale/ Pe le-El as referring to a Stone that allows for conversation with and entrance into Heaven is consistent and makes sense in that framework as well.

Anyway, just some quick thoughts I had, and the overall gist seems to tie very well to recent posts, including the Kirtland Temple and Pi.