The Ritual, Divine or Sacred Embrace

LDS Scholar, Bruce H. Porter in The Egyptian Ritual Embrace Is The Temple Embrace And Means "Atonement."

Dr. Stephen D. Ricks (LDS) in his article, The Sacred Embrace in Egyptian Religion and Art tells us, “These are all examples of the deity facing the king foot by foot, knee to knee, hand to back, mouth to nose to ‘inspire’ (breathe life) into him.

“At the gates of the horizon Re will ‘[wind] his arms around’ the person and take him to his heart. (Miroslav Verner)
“Scenes of sacred embrace in ancient Egyptian religion occur in the most sacred precincts of the temple.
“While scenes of embrace are confined exclusively to royalty in the early period of Egyptian history, they come to be used of other classes in Egyptian society.
“Sacred embrace is preparation for entrance into the presence of the gods.”

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw (LDS) in his excellent article called, Freemasonry and the Origins of Modern Temple Ordinances, explains in more detail the significance of “The Sacred Embrace”:

In ancient temple ritual, the gesture of the embrace could be seen as a stronger form of the symbolism represented in the handclasp. Whereas a handclasp can be used as a symbol of an unbreakable bond between two individuals, an embrace is an even more powerful symbol that can signify absolute unity and oneness between them. 

Notably, both the handclasp and the embrace can be used to represent not only mutual love and trust, but also a transfer of life and power from one individual to another. In what Willard Richards called “the sweetest sermon from Joseph he ever heard in his life,” the Prophet described a vision of the resurrection that included a handclasp and an embrace: 

So plain was the vision. I actually saw men, before they had ascended from the tomb, as though they were getting up slowly. They took each other by the hand, and it was, “My father and my son, my mother and my daughter, my brother and my sister.” When the voice calls for the dead to arise, suppose I am laid by the side of my father, what would be the first joy of my heart? Where is my father, my mother, my sister? They are by my side. I embrace them, and they me.

Those familiar with the Bible will also recall relevant temple symbolism in the story of Jacob. Speaking of Jacob’s dream of the heavenly ladder in Genesis 28, Elder Marion G. Romney said: “Jacob realized that the covenants he made with the Lord were the rungs on the ladder that he himself would have to climb in order to obtain the promised blessings — blessings that would entitle him to enter heaven and associate with the Lord.” Thus, in what may be a deliberate play on similar teachings in Freemasonry, the Prophet Joseph Smith correlated the “three principal rounds of Jacob’s ladder” with “the telestial, the terrestrial, and the celestial glories or kingdoms.” Later Jacob wrestled (or embraced, as this may also be understood an angel who, after a series of questions and answers in a place that Jacob named Peniel (Hebrew “face of God”), gave him a new name. [Genesis 32:24–30.]

See: Freemasonry and the Origins of Modern Temple Ordinances

This is the longer video version of the above video called, Inside Knowledge of Ancient Egypt, The Temple, and The Book of Abraham with LDS scholar, Bruce Porter (LDS) where he talks about the Ritual Embrace and other related Temple elements.

 With life so chaotic at times and uncertain, this ancient temple imagery of an embrace, a hug from diety can bring great comfort today, just as it did to men and women anciently.