Advertise on podcast: THINNING OF THE VEIL

Send us Fan Mail Can a Latter-day Saint (LDS) struggling with religious OCD and scrupulosity find peace with God again? Sariah was a returned missionary who served in the Dominican Republic. On her mission, anxiety made prayer, scripture study and even a picture of Jesus feel frightening. She spent months unable to feel God. After she came home, a few seconds of light and hope came to her while she sat in the backyard with her mom. That moment led her to serve as a temple ordinance worker, and there Jesus Christ began to heal her by showing her mission experience through the lens of His love. Sariah and Tia Smith talk about why a checklist gospel can never save us, and how Sariah came to see that covenants are about connection with Christ, not about doing everything "right." Sariah also shares thinning of the veil experiences from gathering Israel. She saw a weary mother standing on a cobblestone street, and that vision led her to an Austrian family on FamilySearch. Names have come to her at the temple prayer roll. In the temple she realized that no one is outside the Savior's saving reach. Sariah is now a Temple and Family History leader in her young single adult (YSA) ward. She tells how she started a second-hour class that teaches doctrine and shares experiences, not just how to attach sources. She explains how rending the veil of unbelief (Moroni 7) opened the heavens for her friends. Tia also introduces the new YSA playlist of short classes: parting the veil, discerning voices, the pattern of revelation, unbelief and the ministering of angels, and the Second Coming and the Millennium. If you are a Latter-day Saint facing religious OCD, anxiety or spiritual darkness, this LDS testimony of healing through temple service is for you. Q: Can temple service help with religious OCD or scrupulosity as a Latter-day Saint? A: For Sariah, it was essential. After her mission, the temple felt triggering, yet she received a clear impression that serving in the house of the Lord would be part of her healing. As a temple ordinance worker, she felt Jesus Christ heal what she thought was a broken covenant connection. He showed her mission experience through the lens of His love. Q: Can young single adults receive names of ancestors through revelation? A: Sariah learned that she can pray to know who on the other side of the veil needs her. Then she makes space to listen, in quiet moments, in dreams, or at the temple prayer roll. Once, as she was falling asleep, she saw a vision of an exhausted mother on a cobblestone street. That vision led her to a related family from Austria on FamilySearch. Q: What is the "veil of unbelief," and how do we rend it? A: Sariah explains that besides the veil we passed through to come to mortality, there is a veil of unbelief that doesn't have to be there. She had to choose to believe she could have these experiences herself before they began. She watched the same pattern unfold with young single adults in her ward. ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Is there a real photograph of Joseph Smith? In this Latter-day Saint (LDS) episode, Tia Smith sits down with researcher Patrick Bishop and forensic artist Joseph Brickey to examine a daguerreotype hidden inside a family locket — passed down through Joseph Smith's own descendants — and their 25-year forensic case for whether it truly captures the face of the Prophet of the Restoration. This episode released on September 22nd, the anniversary of the angel Moroni's appearance to Joseph Smith,  traces how Joseph Smith's great-great-grandson Dan Larsen inherited the locket among Smith family heirlooms in 1992, thought it was a pocket watch, and finally opened it in 2020 to find a man's face inside. Bishop and Brickey walk through why the earliest daguerreotype photography (invented in 1839) makes an image of Joseph even possible, how Brickey built a 3D forensic reconstruction from the 1928 skull records and the death mask to test an anatomical match, and the artistic evidence from Sutcliffe Maudsley's portraits and Emma Smith's missing locket. Their findings are their own and are not endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — they invite you to weigh the evidence and decide for yourself. Both men also open up about the thinning-of-the-veil moments they experienced along the way, and Joseph Smith's own words: "By proving contraries, the truth is made manifest." Their documentary, Brother Joseph Again, releases in theaters October 9, 2026. If you've ever wondered what the Prophet Joseph Smith really looked like, this LDS conversation on the Joseph Smith daguerreotype will change how you picture him. WANT TICKETS?!!!- Brother Joseph Again Website: https://brotherjosephagain.com/ Q: Is there a real photograph of Joseph Smith? A: There is no universally accepted photograph, but a daguerreotype found inside a family locket handed down through Joseph Smith's descendants is the leading candidate. In this episode, researcher Patrick Bishop and forensic artist Joseph Brickey present their 25-year case that the image is an anatomical match for the Prophet — findings that are their own and not endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Q: What is the Joseph Smith daguerreotype and where did it come from? A: A daguerreotype is the earliest form of photography, invented in 1839. This one was hidden inside a locket that Dan Larsen, a great-great-grandson of Joseph Smith, inherited among Smith family heirlooms in 1992 and only opened in 2020, discovering the image of a man inside (Patrick Bishop & Joseph Brickey, "Joseph Again," Thinning of the Veil, September 2026). Q: How did forensic experts test whether the daguerreotype is really Joseph Smith? A: Forensic artist Joseph Brickey built a 3D reconstruction of Joseph Smith's skull from the photographs and measurements taken when the Prophet's remains were exhumed in 1928, then compared it against the death mask and the daguerreotype. He concluded the image is an anatomical match — while inviting viewers to examine the evidence and decide for themselves. Q: What does the search for Joseph Smith's face have to do with the thinning of the veil? A: Both researchers describe spiritual, veil-thinning experiences during the project and tie them to Joseph Smith's teaching that "by proving contraries, the truth is made manifest" — the idea that truth is revealed line upon line, through testing. For Latter-day Saints, coming to know the Prophet's face is framed as one more way of drawing closer to him. CHAPTERS 0:00 Is There a Real Photograph of Joseph Smith? 1:49 Why Release It on Moroni's Visit Day, Sept. 22 3:42 Meet Patrick Bishop & Joseph Brickey 5:39 What Did Joseph Smith Really Look Like? 12:21 What Is a Daguerreotype? 16:41 How Joseph's Descendant Found the Locket 21:06 Testing the Image Against the Death Mask 27:01 The 1928 Skulls & a 3D Forensic Reconstruction 33:26 "By Proving Contraries" — The Doubt That Flipped 35:56 Emma Smith's Missing Locket 39:29 The Researchers' Thinning of the Veil Moments 43:30 How the Locket Parallels Joseph's Story 46:58 How the Veil Thins Through Testing 52:17 A Prayer in the Sacred Grove 55:16 Why Knowing Joseph's Face Matters 1:01:01 Knowing Joseph Through the Martyrdom 1:07:06 Why It's in Theaters & How to Watch Oct. 9 1:11:02 Film Preview ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #JosephSmith #BrotherJosephAgain #Daguerreotype #LDS #LatterDaySaints #ChurchHistory #MormonHistory #PersonalRevelation #GatheringOfIsrael Support the show

Send us Fan Mail What is the "formula" for receiving personal revelation, and how can a young single adult actually learn to hear His voice? In class 3 of this LDS (Latter-day Saint) course for YSAs, host Tia Smith breaks down the Revelation Formula — the specific principles and doctrines that, when you live them, open the heavens and thin the veil. Starting from President Nelson's teaching that in coming days we will not survive spiritually without the constant influence of the Holy Ghost, this class turns "hear Him" into something you can practice. You'll walk through each part of the formula — scripture study, prayer, listening, recording, daily repentance, and fasting, all multiplied by family history and resting on the Holy Ghost — and see each one through the lens of the gathering of Israel. Along the way: the pattern in Lehi's life (why studying his fathers' genealogy filled him with the Spirit to prophesy), how the sons of Mosiah gained the spirit of prophecy through prayer and fasting, and why family history is the "multiplier" that makes parting the veil a normal part of your life. Drawn from President Nelson's teachings in "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives," "Let God Prevail," and his January 2021 message on how the Spirit speaks, with scriptural patterns from 1 Nephi and Alma 17. Taught by Tia Smith — Former Institute teacher, author of Patterns of Revelation, and host of Thinning of the Veil podcast. Missed a class? Watch the full "Parting the Veil Through the Gathering of Israel" course series for young single adults at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLJzJRqQ0h88 How have you learned to receive personal revelation and hear His voice? Share your experience in the comments or email [email protected] — with permission, it may be featured. Q: What is the "Revelation Formula"? A: It's a way to remember the principles that increase personal revelation, taught by Tia Smith from President Nelson's teachings: scripture study, prayer, listening, recording, daily repentance, and fasting — multiplied by family history and grounded in the Holy Ghost. Lived through the lens of the gathering of Israel, this is what "growing into the principle of revelation" looks like in practice. (Source: President Nelson, "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives.") Q: How can young single adults hear the voice of the Holy Ghost more clearly? A: President Nelson taught that we won't survive spiritually without the constant influence of the Holy Ghost, and that the way forward is to let God prevail, learn His voice, and help gather Israel. This class shows how everyday habits — pausing to listen after prayer, recording impressions in real time, and fasting with a purpose — make promptings more recognizable. (Source: President Nelson, "Let God Prevail.") Q: Why is family history called the "multiplier" for revelation? A: Because family history work requires revelation — ancestors can't tell you in person what they need, so seeking their records necessitates a thinning-of-the-veil experience. Elder Melvin J. Ballard and James E. Faust taught that those beyond the veil help guide you to their records, and that the veil will part so the work can be done. (Source: Melvin J. Ballard; James E. Faust.) ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail How can you tell the difference between the Holy Ghost, your own thoughts, and the adversary when you're seeking revelation? Class 2 of this LDS (Latter-day Saint) course for YSAs is about discerning the voices — how to recognize the Light of Christ, how Satan opposes it, and where your own voice actually fits — so you can hear Him faster and stop second-guessing every prompting. Host Tia Smith starts with President Nelson's witness in "Hear Him" (April 2020) that he has seen the Lord's elect gathering Israel across the world, and that the elect, as Doctrine and Covenants 29:7 promises, hear His voice. Then Elder David A. Bednar's freeing counsel: stop agonizing over "is it me or the Holy Ghost?" — anything prompting you toward Jesus Christ comes by the power of the Holy Ghost. From there, the tool that makes discernment simple: the law of opposition. Drawing on Moroni 7:16–17 (the Light of Christ, or conscience, given to everyone), Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's reminder that a force is determined to oppose every good thing you try to do, and a vivid picture of the adversary from the BYU devotional "Cliff Walking," you'll learn how the Savior speaks — simply, quietly, with a plainness we cannot misunderstand — while Satan's messages are loud, bold, and boastful. The practical key: when a soft prompting comes ("say your prayers," "go say hi to that person," "clean your room"), the loud railing that follows can actually point you back to the prompting you almost missed. You'll see this pattern in Moses' life (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3) — line upon line, from small promptings to parting the Red Sea by the spirit of revelation — and finish with a practical way to invite more revelation as you gather Israel: bearing your testimony to those you're doing temple work for. This is Class 2 of a 5-part series for young single adults on parting the veil through the gathering of Israel. Go back to Class 1 on how to part the veil, or continue to Class 3 on the Revelation Formula. Missed a class? Watch the full "Parting the Veil Through the Gathering of Israel" course series for young single adults at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLJzJRqQ0h88 Which voice have you learned to recognize first — the prompting, or the railing against it? Share your experience in the comments or email [email protected] — with permission, it may be featured. Q: How do I know if it's the Holy Ghost or just my own thoughts? A: Elder David A. Bednar taught not to spend a lot of time worrying about it — anything you think, say, or do that is directed toward following Jesus Christ comes by the power of the Holy Ghost. If a prompting invites you to do good, it's from God; your own voice is usually the one in the middle deciding whether to act on it. (Source: Elder David A. Bednar; Moroni 7:16–17.) Q: How can you tell God's voice from Satan's? A: President Nelson taught that the adversary's messages are loud, bold, and boastful, while the Lord speaks simply, quietly, and with a plainness we cannot misunderstand. Because of the law of opposition, every good prompting draws an opposing one — so the loud "railing" against doing something good can actually help you recognize the quiet prompting that came first. (Source: President Nelson, "Hear Him," April 2020; Moroni 7:16–17.) Q: What does the story of Moses teach about receiving revelation? A: Moses grew into revelation line upon line — obeying small promptings long before he parted the Red Sea by the same spirit of revelation described in Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3. Like Moses, young single adults are gatherers, and consistently acting on small promptings builds the capacity for greater spiritual insights, dreams, and visions. (Source: Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3.) ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail How can young single adults learn to part the veil and receive revelation through the gathering of Israel? Class 1 of this LDS (Latter-day Saint) course for YSAs lays the foundation: what "parting the veil" really means, why the Lord opens the heavens to you specifically, and how to turn a revelation into real temple work — step by step. Host Tia Smith, who taught this subject for years to young single adults including at Utah State Institute, begins with President Nelson's promise — repeated in "Hear Him" and "Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation" — that spiritual doors will open and you will learn to part the veil between heaven and earth. From there, why the veil parts for you: your foreordination and "holy calling" described in Alma 13, and how it applies to both young men and young women as priests and priestesses. Along the way: the pattern of the great high priest in Hebrews 5, how intercessory prayer (the same kind missionaries offer to find people to teach) lets you ask who needs your help on the other side of the veil, and the difference between "hunting and fishing" (from the fishers-and-hunters prophecy in Jeremiah) — why growing into revelation takes more than pressing "ordinance ready," and how answers come through promptings, thoughts, dreams, and visions, just as Joel prophesied. Then a practical walkthrough: once a name comes to you by revelation, how to use the FamilySearch Family Tree app to find that person, check whether you're related, see whether their temple work is needed, and reserve it to take to the temple. This is Class 1 of a 5-part series for young single adults on parting the veil through the gathering of Israel. Continue to Class 2 on discerning the different voices as you seek revelation. Missed a class? Watch the full "Parting the Veil Through the Gathering of Israel" course series for young single adults at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLJzJRqQ0h88 Have you received a name or a prompting for someone on the other side of the veil? Share your experience in the comments or email [email protected] — with permission, it may be featured. Q: What does it mean to "part the veil"? A: President Nelson taught that in the temple we learn to part the veil and communicate more clearly with heaven, and that spiritual doors will open and we will have insights and awakenings we've never had before. In this course it means having real revelatory experiences — promptings, thoughts, dreams, or visions — as you take up your role in the gathering of Israel. (Source: President Nelson, "Hear Him" and "Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation.") Q: How can young single adults receive names for temple work through revelation? A: By offering intercessory prayers — the same kind missionaries offer to find people to teach — but asking who on the other side of the veil needs their help. Answers can come as a feeling, a recurring thought, a name that stands out, or a dream, which you then search in the FamilySearch Family Tree app to confirm the relationship and reserve the temple work. (Source: Class 1, Thinning of the Veil.) Q: What is "hunting vs. fishing" in family history? A: Drawn from the fishers-and-hunters prophecy in Jeremiah, "fishing" is the easy route — reserving names already marked ordinance-ready — while "hunting" takes more effort and grows your capacity for revelation as you seek out those who still need their work done. (Source: Jeremiah 16:16; Class 1, Thinning of the Veil.) ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail How can you have more spiritual experiences and learn to part the veil? It's the question host Tia Smith is asked most often, and in this episode of Thinning of the Veil she answers it for Latter-day Saints (LDS) by studying a pattern from the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith — the visit of the angel Moroni, who appeared four times on September 21-23 to teach a 14-year-old boy how the heavens open. Because God is no respecter of persons, you can follow the same pattern of revelation Joseph did: discerning spiritual promptings, learning to hear Him, receiving dreams and visions, and ultimately coming into the presence of the Savior — each experience building confidence for the next. Tia walks through the scriptures Moroni quoted in sequence — Malachi 3 and 4, Isaiah 11, Acts 3, and Joel 2 — and shows how they reveal God's highest priorities: preparing for the Second Coming and gathering Israel through temple and family history work. She weaves in President Russell M. Nelson's teachings on growing into the principle of revelation, along with Elder David A. Bednar and President Jeffrey R. Holland, and closes by unpacking why Moroni came exactly four times, and what the number four teaches about the gathering of Israel. YSA REGIONAL FIRESIDE: Sept. 20, 2026@7pm- 368 West Aspen Hills Blvd., Saratoga Springs. Q: How can I have more spiritual experiences or learn to part the veil? A: Tia Smith teaches that the pattern is found in the life of Joseph Smith. Moroni taught a sequence that builds step by step — first discerning spiritual promptings, then learning to hear Him, then receiving dreams and visions, and ultimately coming into the Savior's presence. Each experience builds confidence for the next, and the invitation is open to anyone gathering Israel, because God is no respecter of persons. Q: Why did the angel Moroni appear to Joseph Smith four times? A: Moroni repeated nearly the same message four times, on the night of September 21 and again the next day. In this episode Tia explores why the number four matters — in Hebrew the letter for four, dalet, means "door," and four is tied throughout scripture to the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, the four matriarchs, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the sealing work of the temple. Q: What did Moroni actually teach Joseph Smith? A: Moroni quoted Malachi 3 and 4, Isaiah 11, Acts 3, and Joel 2 in a deliberate sequence. Together they teach the purpose of revelation — preparing the world for the Second Coming — and the method: temple and family history work, so that the hearts of the children turn to their fathers and both sides of the veil are prepared. ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Can Latter-day Saints (LDS) really part the veil and feel deceased ancestors near them? President Russell M. Nelson promised we can — that as we do temple and family history work, spiritual doors will open, God's angels will attend us, and we will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth. In this episode, host Tia Smith plays President Nelson's own words from talks including "Hear Him" (April 2020), "Spiritual Treasures," "Rejoice in the Priesthood Keys," and "The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation," then reads real experiences sent in by listeners and drawn from ancestors' records: a great-grandmother seen during a temple session, a crying baby that led to completed ordinances, a name given in the night, and a vision of the Savior asking, "Will you help me?" These are testimonies of the gathering of Israel — and of how the thinning of the veil happens in ordinary lives through temple and family history work. Q: Did President Nelson really say we can part the veil? A: Yes. In "The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation" and again in "Hear Him" (April 2020), President Russell M. Nelson promised that as we increase our temple and family history work, spiritual doors will open and we will learn how to part the veil and communicate more clearly with heaven. He repeated this promise across his presidency. Q: Can ordinary Latter-day Saints see or feel their deceased ancestors? A: This episode shares firsthand accounts from listeners who did — including a woman who saw her great-grandmother during a temple session and later recognized her from a family photo, and another who felt angels beside her during a sealing. Tia Smith frames these as fulfillments of President Nelson's promise that God's angels will attend those engaged in the gathering of Israel. Q: How does temple and family history work open the heavens? A: President Nelson taught that regular time in temple and family history work does more to open the heavens than almost anything else, bringing increased knowledge, power, and revelation. The listener stories in this episode show that pattern in real lives — promptings received, names given, and ancestors drawing near while the work was being done. ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Are LDS (Latter-day Saint) temple workers cherubim? In this episode of Thinning of the Veil, host Tia Smith traces a pattern she had never noticed until just days before recording: the ancient cherubim of the Old Testament and the temple workers serving in the House of the Lord today share the same sacred calling. Cherubim were placed to guard the way to the tree of life; temple workers stand as sentinels at the veil, guarding sacred space and helping God's children return to His presence. Drawing on Genesis, Ezekiel, Alma 12, and Moses, along with teachings from Brigham Young, Bruce R. McConkie, and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk "The Ministry of Angels," Tia walks through the many roles cherubim fill in scripture — facilitating the plan of salvation, ensuring the correct sacrifice is offered, restoring priesthood keys, serving as messengers of the covenant, protecting sacred records, and strengthening — and shows how temple workers echo each one. She closes with a perspective shift: to those on the other side of the veil, every patron and temple worker is a mortal angel, ministering on both sides of the veil. If you have ever thought of temple service as merely "the work," this reframes it as literal angelic ministration — and an invitation to prayerfully consider serving as an LDS temple worker. Q: In LDS belief, what is the role of a temple worker? A: Latter-day Saint temple workers guard sacred space, reverently administer and witness ordinances, and help patrons make and keep the covenants that allow them to return to God's presence — the same duties scripture assigns to the cherubim who guarded the way to the tree of life. This episode traces that pattern through Genesis 2:15, Ezekiel, and Alma 12, with teachings from Brigham Young and Jeffrey R. Holland. Q: Are temple workers considered angels in LDS doctrine? A: This episode draws on Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk "The Ministry of Angels," in which he teaches that not all angels come from the other side of the veil — some we walk and talk with here every day. Tia applies this to temple workers, describing them as mortal cherubim who minister to patrons and to those awaiting their ordinances on the other side of the veil. Q: Why should Latter-day Saints consider serving as temple workers? A: Tia teaches that temple service is not simply "work" but a sacred, angelic responsibility — standing as a sentinel at the veil and helping God's children on both sides return to His presence. She invites listeners to prayerfully consider applying, sharing that many report thinning-of-the-veil experiences while serving. ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Can our deceased ancestors visit us from the spirit world? In this LDS (Latter-day Saint) family history message, President Russell M. Nelson and Sister Wendy Watson Nelson share a remarkable account of a father who returned after death to visit his living son — and teach why temple and family history work is so urgent. Recorded at RootsTech Family Discovery Day on February 11, 2017 (when President Nelson was serving as President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), this beloved address uses a game of Scrabble to walk through the spirit of Elijah, the sealing power, and the "sacrifice of time" that opens the windows of heaven. Inside this message: - The journal account of Andrew Clarence "A.C." Nelson — President Nelson's grandfather — whose deceased father appeared to him on the night of April 6, 1891, describing missionary work in the spirit world - Sister Nelson's story of her ancestor Sarah, "The Power of Sarah's Prayer," and how family history stories turn hearts across generations - Why preserving photos and stories is not enough without completing temple ordinances for our kindred dead - How family history opens natural doors for missionary work - President Nelson's challenge: make a sacrifice of time for temple and family history work this year — "and then watch what happens" Whether life feels full of joy or heartbreak right now, this teaching on LDS temple and family history work offers a path to more peace, more revelation, and a deeper connection to loved ones on both sides of the veil. ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Should we keep our spiritual experiences sacred, or share them? It's one of the most misunderstood questions among Latter-day Saints (LDS) — and in this episode, host Tia Smith works through it using scripture and prophetic teaching to show that the answer is both. After a tender, personal thinning-of-the-veil experience involving her children on the other side of the veil, Tia received a public comment insisting that such things should always be kept private. That comment sparked this study — because while keeping certain experiences sacred is absolutely part of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, so is sharing them when the Holy Ghost prompts us to. Tia uses the image of an umbrella: some experiences are meant to be guarded and kept private. But when we shove EVERY spiritual experience under that umbrella, the umbrella that shields us from rain also blocks out the light — leaving whole generations who no longer believe that dreams, visions, and the ministering of angels are a normal part of life in this dispensation. The scriptures and latter-day prophets show a consistent pattern: sacred experiences are often shared — when the Spirit directs — to build faith, bring joy, testify of Christ, and gather Israel. This episode looks at both halves of the principle: why some things must be guarded, and how to recognize when the Lord is asking you to testify — including the truth that sometimes we're to share only a portion of an experience and keep the rest sacred. Q: Is it wrong to share sacred spiritual experiences publicly? A: Not necessarily. Latter-day prophets teach that spiritual experiences should be treated with care and generally kept private — but also shared when the Holy Ghost prompts us to, for the blessing of others. Both keeping sacred and sharing are part of the same principle; the key is being guided by the Spirit. Q: How do I know when to share a spiritual experience and when to keep it private? A: Ask why you want to share it. If it's to be seen, praised, or to lift yourself above others, it likely should stay private. If the Holy Ghost prompts you to share it to build another's faith, bring them joy, or point them to Christ, that's the invitation to testify. It takes inspiration to know the difference. Q: Are dreams, visions, and ministering angels really part of the Church today? A: Yes. Prophets and apostles have taught that these experiences are not uncommon and are part of what the Lord has revealed in this dispensation. Latter-day teaching is that we live in an especially intense period of revelation, and that the greatest manifestations are still ahead as we prepare for the Savior's return. Q: Why does sharing spiritual experiences matter? A: When we testify as the Spirit directs, it helps others feel that God knows and loves them, assures them their own prayers can be answered, and helps them recognize spiritual experiences in their own lives. Silence can breed unbelief; Spirit-guided testimony builds faith. Q: What can I do with the spiritual experiences I've been given? A: A helpful pattern taught by Elder Neil L. Andersen: embrace them, believe them, write them down, and share them when prompted. With that, the promise is that more will come. 👉 Full episode of David B. Haight's Experience: https://youtu.be/7sMVK3DOqns?si=FHylpc6p_NbgiHC6 Full Episode of Harold B. Lee's blessing from the other side of the Veil: https://youtu.be/egK9zWkEYgM?si=DQC513IsxXB6HmsX ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritualExperiences #PersonalRevelation #MinisteringAngels #SacredOrShareable #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #ComeFollowMe #Testimony Support the show

Send us Fan Mail How do angels communicate with us — and why do we say it's through the Holy Ghost, even when we sense a specific ancestor? In this LDS (Latter-day Saint) episode, Tia Smith answers a listener's question by teaching that angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost (2 Nephi 32:3), so their messages reach us spirit-to-spirit through that same medium — whether we hear a name, feel peace, or see with the eyes of our understanding. She walks through Moroni 7:29–32 (angels have not ceased to minister), Elder Dallin H. Oaks on how the Aaronic Priesthood and the sacrament open the door to angelic ministration (October 1998 General Conference), the Guide to the Scriptures on the two kinds of angels, and Parley P. Pratt's testimony at the laying of the Salt Lake Temple cornerstone that Elijah's keys opened communication between worlds. Woven throughout are real listener testimonies of ancestors prompting temple and family history work from the other side of the veil. Q: How do angels communicate with us, according to LDS doctrine? A: Latter-day Saint doctrine teaches that angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, so their words are the words of Christ delivered spirit-to-spirit through that medium (2 Nephi 32:3). This is why an experience can feel like a specific ancestor is present while still coming "through the Holy Ghost" — the Spirit is the channel by which angelic ministration reaches us. Q: If I sense a deceased loved one giving me a name or a prompting, is it really them or the Holy Ghost? A: In this episode Tia Smith explains it can be both: a real ancestor may be ministering, but the message is carried by the Holy Ghost, which is why we perceive it as feelings, words to the mind, or impressions rather than a face-to-face conversation. An Ensign article ("Angels We Have Heard," 2014) notes that what we perceive as the voice of the Spirit may itself be the result of angelic ministration. Q: Have angels stopped ministering to people today? A: No. Moroni teaches that angels have not ceased to minister and are subject to Christ, showing themselves to those of strong faith and a firm mind (Moroni 7:29–32). Tia adds that the main thing holding us back from recognizing them is unbelief, and that living our covenants opens the way for their ministry. Q: What do the temple and the sacrament have to do with the ministering of angels? A: Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that through the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament we are cleansed and promised His Spirit — a promise that includes the ministering of angels, since angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost (October 1998 General Conference). Weekly, worthy partaking of the sacrament renews access to both the companionship of the Spirit and angelic ministration. Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail How do you recognize the voice of the Spirit — and know a prompting is really from God? In this LDS (Latter-day Saint) episode of Thinning of the Veil, host Tia Smith sits down with author Christina Dymock — writer of Hidden Holy Days and a student of the Gathering of Israel for two decades — to trace the patterns of personal revelation woven all through the Book of Mormon. Together they walk through the "pattern of three" (Nephi commanded three times before he obeys in 1 Nephi 4; the people at the temple in 3 Nephi 11 hearing the voice three times before they understand it), the question "Believest thou?" that comes right before nearly every vision and covenant, and the Liahona as a type of the Book of Mormon itself — a revelation tool that works by faith, diligence, and heed. Christina also shares tender thinning-of-the-veil experiences from her family history work: a mother's plea of "I want my baby," twelve forgotten children found and sealed to their families after a January cemetery visit, and hearing her grandmother's voice the morning after she passed through the veil. Along the way they connect temple and family history work to preparing for the Second Coming, and how — as President Nelson taught — this work helps us learn to part the veil between heaven and earth. Q: What is the "pattern of three" in the Book of Mormon, and how does it apply to personal revelation? A: It's the repeated pattern where a prompting or the voice of the Lord comes three times before it is obeyed or understood — Nephi is told three times to act in 1 Nephi 4, and the people in 3 Nephi 11 hear the voice three times before they understand it. In the episode, Christina Dymock describes using this same pattern to know when a prompting is truly from the Spirit. Q: What are the "hidden holy days" in the Book of Mormon? A: Christina Dymock's book Hidden Holy Days shows how the ancient Hebrew feasts serve as the outline Nephi followed in 1 Nephi, with each story matching a feast's theme — for example, the Feast of Trumpets, when the shofar is blown to announce the King, aligns with Lehi seeing God enthroned and then calling the people to repentance. Q: How is the Liahona a symbol for personal revelation today? A: In 1 Nephi 16 the Liahona pointed the way, gave understanding, changed its writing "from time to time," and worked according to faith, diligence, and heed. Christina and Tia explain that the same is true of the Book of Mormon — it becomes a personal Liahona that guides you by the Spirit each time you sit down to read. Q: How do family history and temple work relate to the thinning of the veil and the Second Coming? A: The episode teaches that vicarious temple and family history work is a work of miracles that opens the heavens, connects both sides of the veil, and prepares families for the resurrection. As President Nelson has taught, this work helps us learn to part the veil between heaven and earth as we prepare for the Savior's return. 📖 BOOK: "Hidden Holy Days",  Christina Dymock: https://plainandpreciouspublishing.com/products/hidden-holy-days?srsltid=AfmBOopsq6OKOQCiSfZOsg1vt2ZRHoFR-fu9T580ZvqUCtBZLiitmaak ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thinningoftheveil 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show

Send us Fan Mail What if understanding both sides of the veil — pre-mortal and post-mortal — is the key to making sense of mortality? Brent L. Top, retired BYU professor, author of more than 20 books, and sealer in the St. George Temple, returns to the podcast to teach two revolutionary doctrines of the Restoration: first, that we are literal offspring of heavenly parents with what he calls "celestial DNA" — spiritual capacities activated and refined by the Holy Ghost as we live the gospel; and second, that the work for the dead means every one of Heavenly Father's children will be given every opportunity to hear the fullness of the gospel and receive its ordinances, whether in this life or the next. "All are within the reach of pardoning mercy," Joseph Smith taught — a doctrine that, as Brother Top says, "is well calculated to enlarge the understanding and sustain the soul under troubles, difficulties, and distresses." Drawing on the three-act-play metaphor of Elder Quentin L. Cook, he teaches that walking into mortality without understanding pre-mortality and post-mortality is like arriving at the second act of a play with no knowledge of the first or third — and that the plan of salvation, when seen whole, answers the questions that otherwise make life seem arbitrary or cruel: why little children die, why people are born into vastly different circumstances, why faithful parents lose children to disbelief. As a sealer, he shares the deeply personal insight he calls "the as-if principle": in the sealing ordinance, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all the as-ifs of mortality — all wrongs, all handicaps, all injustices — are made as if they had never been. He testifies that sealing power is not only for the next life: it infuses marriages and families with a reclaiming, healing, strengthening power right now. President Joseph F. Smith taught that when God sends a messenger to any person, it is a family member — and Brother Top's witness is that those on both sides of the veil are working for our salvation, that our rescue attempts go beyond this life, and that the story is never finished being told. Q: What are the "two veils" in LDS doctrine? A: There is a veil of forgetfulness separating us from our pre-mortal life, and a veil separating us from those who have died. Brent L. Top teaches that both are veils, not concrete walls — and that understanding what happens on each side is essential to making sense of mortality. Elder Quentin L. Cook compared the plan of salvation to a three-act play: without the first act (pre-mortality) and the third act (the spirit world and resurrection), the second act (mortality) seems arbitrary and purposeless. Q: What is the "as if" principle in the temple sealing? A: In the sealing of children to parents, a phrase declares that the ordinance operates "as if" certain conditions had been met. Brother Top, a sealer in the St. George Temple, teaches that it is the Savior who makes all the "as ifs" of mortality possible: through the Atonement, a sinner can be made as if they never sinned, a person born with disabilities can be made as if those had never existed. The sealing links families to the Atonement of Jesus Christ so that all wrongs, injustices, and conditions of mortality are ultimately resolved. Q: Does the power of a temple sealing help families in this life, or only in the next? A: Both — and Brother Top emphasizes the "here and now" dimension. He teaches that sealing power infuses marriages and families with a reclaiming, healing, strengthening power in mortality: "Why I keep my covenants is not just so that I can be with my beloved wife and family in the next life, but that I can have the marriage and family I need in this life." He compares it to the gift of the Holy Ghost — the ordinance confers a power that those without it "don't have quite the same way." Q: When God sends a messenger, is it always a family member? A: President Joseph F. Smith taught that when God sees fit to send a message or a messenger to any person, it is a family member. Brother Top connects this to both veils: we have ancestors who knew us in the pre-mortal world, who are watching over us now from the spirit world, and who are — in his words — "rooting for us" from both sides. He shares Oscar McConkie Sr.'s final words to his children: "I am going now into the spirit world, but I will not stop loving you. I will not stop praying for you. I will not stop working for your salvation." ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thinningoftheveil 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: Support the show

Send us Fan Mail What if thinning of the veil experiences weren't unusual — but a normal part of how you grew up? Kerstin Ngatuakana  is a New Zealand Māori Latter-day Saint who didn't realize until adulthood that others didn't grow up hearing about ancestors' dreams and visions at the dinner table. In this interview, she shares a lifetime of spiritual manifestations — from seeing a girl beyond the veil at age four in the Cook Islands, to her father-in-law appearing in a dream to approve her marriage (saying "Look after my boy" — the exact phrase her husband confirmed he used), to her grandfather appearing to her in the celestial room of the Hamilton Temple and asking her to seal him to her grandmother. Kirsten testifies of the unique spiritual gifts of Polynesian people, whose cultural traditions of ancestral connection prepared them to embrace the gospel from the earliest missionaries: "When missionaries came, the Māori were already having visions and dreams. They were ready." Her temple service journey deepened when the Lord told her, "There is so much more I need to teach you" — leading her from family history research into daily service in the temple, where she witnesses miracles: a mother finally choosing to be sealed to the husband she once hated, for the sake of their son; families surprised with sealings they didn't know were possible; and the day she was asked to stand as proxy mother for nine men doing sealings — the very day her own heart was heavy over her sons' mission visas — and heard mothers on the other side of the veil, and saw them with their sons. She also shares a powerful revelatory name experience: after praying for weeks, the name "Annabelle" came in the night. Line upon line, the last name followed — Brown. On FamilySearch, she found Bessie Annabelle Brown, born in Los Angeles, related to her family, with no ordinance work done. At the completion of Bessie's endowment, Kirsten heard clearly: "Thank you, thank you, thank you." "I didn't realize others didn't have it until later. For us, this was normal. Dreams, visions — this was how we grew up." — Kirsten Ngatuakana Q: Do Polynesian Latter-day Saints have special spiritual gifts? A: Kirsten testifies that in Polynesian culture, dreams, visions, and ancestral connection are a normal part of life — not extraordinary. "I didn't realize others didn't have it until later." Her mother, a convert at 18, grew up hearing her own mother (not a member of the Church) speak of dreams and visions. When early missionaries came to New Zealand, many Māori people were already having visions that prepared them for the gospel — including seeing people who would "eat with you in your homes" and "raise their arms to the square." Q: Can I receive an ancestor's name through prayer and revelation? A: Yes — Kirsten prayed for weeks for a name after hearing about the practice on this podcast. In the night, the name "Annabelle" came to her, with a specific spelling. Weeks later, the last name "Brown" came clearly. She found Bessie Annabelle Brown on FamilySearch — a relative with no temple work done. At the completion of the endowment, Kirsten heard: "Thank you, thank you, thank you." She later connected with a researcher in Colorado working the same line, and testified to him about receiving the name in a dream — something he had never heard of. Q: Can deceased loved ones appear in dreams to confirm family decisions? A: Kirsten shares two experiences: her husband's deceased father appeared in his mother's dream to confirm their marriage — after her husband had specifically prayed for it. And her grandfather appeared to her in the celestial room of the Hamilton Temple and asked her to seal him to her grandmother — work Kirsten's mother had not yet arranged. Both prompted immediate action and brought peace. Q: How does temple service change your relationship with the Savior? A: Kirsten testifies that daily temple service has deepened her love for Christ by teaching her about Him through the people she serves. On a day her heart was heavy over her own sons, she was asked to stand as proxy mother for nine men doing sealings — and saw the mothers on the other side of the veil with their sons. "Who cares about some stupid visa? This is eternal, significant stuff." She adds: "A friend said to me, 'It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.' She goes, 'That's because you go to the temple every day.'" 📚 SOURCES REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE Elder Richard G. Scott on claiming "both parts of the blessing" Elder Anderson on the law of witnesses (BYU-Idaho) Elder Renlund on sealing and healing power ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1429562078443774 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thinningoftheveil 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Can little children really see the spirit world? In this episode of Thinning of the Veil, two Latter-day Saint (LDS) viewers share sacred experiences of loved ones drawing near from the other side of the veil. Elaine Peterson tells how, after her 14-year-old daughter Charity died of ALS, her three-year-old son Josh saw angels around her, said goodbye to a departed grandparent, saw his sister sitting on the stairs, and even saw the Savior in their home — a witness that the veil is not completely closed to little children. Brent Edwards shares a lifetime of thinning of the veil experiences: his grandfather appearing the night he died, ancestors asking in dreams for their temple work to be done, and names placed in his mind that led him straight to family members who still needed their ordinances. Host Tia Smith shares these stories as a testimony that revelation and parting the veil are not reserved for prophets — God is not a respecter of persons, and these gifts can come to anyone engaged in the gathering of Israel through temple and family history work. Q: Can children see deceased loved ones or the spirit world? A: In this episode, Elaine Peterson shares that after her daughter Charity's death, her young son Josh saw angels around his sister, saw departed grandparents, and saw the Savior in their home. She was taught in a priesthood blessing that the veil is not completely closed to little children — a pattern echoed in 3 Nephi, where children are shown heavenly things. Q: Do deceased ancestors really ask for their temple work to be done? A: Brent Edwards describes several dreams and promptings in which ancestors urged him to complete their temple ordinances — including a fifth great-grandfather, Christian Benner, who said not enough was being done, and a grandfather who asked why his work wasn't finished. Each prompting led him to real names on FamilySearch whose ordinances were still undone. Q: Are thinning of the veil experiences only for certain special or spiritual people? A: Tia Smith teaches that they are not. She testifies that God is not a respecter of persons, and that revelation and experiences of the veil parting can come to anyone gathering Israel through temple and family history work — even though they come in different ways for different people. ▶️ WATCH & LISTEN 🎬 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thinningoftheveil 🌐 Website: https://www.thinningoftheveil.com 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thinning-of-the-veil/id1753511394 🟢 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jWCfMHkZXwnSwy2b98J4M 🎵 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a0a45561-d4c2-46d3-af8d-a1e967a21a25 📖 BOOK Patterns of Revelation — Spiritual Foundations for Hearing God's Voice: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW36MG9B 📱 CONNECT Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinning.of.the.veil Facebook Group (Gathering of the Gatherers): https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572121559456 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thinningoftheveil 💛 SUPPORT THE SHOW Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/thinningoftheveil PayPal: https://paypal.me/thinningoftheveil ✉️ Have you had a thinning of the veil experience? Email [email protected] — your testimony may be exactly what someone needs to hear. #ThinningOfTheVeil #SpiritWorld #TempleWork #FamilyHistory #LDS #LatterDaySaints #GatheringOfIsrael #MinisteringAngels #FamilySearch #PersonalRevelation Support the show