Genealogy, Temple Work and Understanding Ourselves

I'm not sure I (individually) can ever be perfect (complete, whole, fully developed) without an undersdtanding of how I came to be who I am - and that is possible, to a large degree, only by knowing something of my genetic heritage. 

That's why adoptees usually long to know of their birth parents - and why those with traumatic amnesia flounder until they rediscover themselves - and why orphans and only children often are the most enthusiastic genealogists. There is a deeply embedded drive in humans to know who we are.

Temple work, in my opinion, takes that drive and channels it universally - and I really do believe the symbolism can be powerful and must be taught explicitly. 

I also believe temple work really isn't about the dead but rather about us - but that's a topic for another post.