God reveals and teaches truth to mankind in a variety of ways. Some of these truths were spoken, written down for future generations or expressed in symbols through stone, metal, fabric, glass and ritual.
Common shapes like circles, squares and octagons to more complex motifs like pentagrams, trees or rainbows have been observed in nature and used throughout time by a variety of cultures and groups to communicate different ideas.
For example: an upside-down cross is used as a negative symbol by some people to indicate their opposition to Christianity or religion in general. The Catholic Church, on the other hand, uses an inverted cross as a positive symbol that is associated with St. Peter who, according to tradition, was crucified upside-down. Symbols must be understood in the context of the group using them otherwise we risk misinterpreting what is actually being communicated.
In the English language you can say almost anything using 26 letters, but there is another more universal language that can be understood through number, shape, light, color, sound and more! Symbols and archetypes can be “read” as they occur in nature, scripture and especially sacred structures like temples.
Exploring and understanding the language of Latter-day Saint symbology will allows one to benefit from a much more rich understanding of sacred truths and powerful teachings all around us in plain sight.
This site represents an attempt to share knowledge and modern applications of ancient wisdom. This site will never be comprehensive enough to truly capture the infinite possibilities that symbols can communicate, but at least we have a place to begin.
What is most important is not understanding every meaning, but realizing how symbolism works and how it can still provide a rich benefit to the modern individual. If this site fosters the smallest interest or a fresh view on this subject, then it has accomplished it’s purpose. My hope is that people will go beyond what is here and explore and discover new and exciting things.
The meanings behind the symbols referenced on this site are constantly being explored and expanded. The rights to the photos on this site are reserved to their respective owners and are referenced only as they help shed light on some of the potential meanings of a particular symbol.
The colors associated with each symbol are loosely connected to their potential meanings. For many symbols, a connection to color was not readily apparent so a color that seemed suitable was used mostly to help link similar themes. These colors are subject to change based on new research.
ldsSymbols.com is not owned, controlled, or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called the Mormon Church or LDS Church). LDS Symbols claims sole responsibility for the content presented, and should not be interpreted as official statements of LDS doctrine, belief or practice. Official statements from the Church can be found at LDS.org or Mormon.org.