In 1948, Annalee Skarin had just published a book she said was written by the power of God. She was very soon excommunicated from the LDS Church. But then a few days later, eyewitnesses said she was translated. She wrote eight more books after that, becoming nationally famous. In this episode, Samuel W. Taylor and Skarin’s daughter Hope A. Hilton give two very different perspectives on Skarin’s life and legacy.
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Stephen, another EXCELLENT episode! About six months after my baptism into the LDS Church, in February 1978, I accompanied a friend to the Edgar Cayce Association for Research and Enlightenment in Virginia Beach–about a half-hour drive from my hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia. This particular friend was a big fan of Edgar Cayce–a popular early 20th century clairvoyant, teacher and writer, dubbed “the sleeping prophet.” I had no interest in Cayce but went with my friend primarily to check out the center’s library and bookstore, which were both devoted to books on world religions, mysticism, and what would be dubbed in just a few years New Age Spirituality.
While in the bookstore, the title of a white and blue paperback caught my eye: “Ye Are Gods” by Annalee Skarin, published by Philosophical Library (New York, NY). During the two years that I studied Mormonism before contacting the LDS Church in 1977 and being baptized, Joseph Smith’s radical theology regarding the shared nature of the Divine and the Human and the human capacity for Eternal Progression had become foundational to my personal faith. I was quite familiar with Psalm 82 and John chapter 10–the two scriptures from which the title of the book came, so I picked it up out of curiosity. There was no info about the author in the book except a brief editor’s note saying that soon after the book’s first edition was published, Annalee Skarin had undergone “a physical change known as ‘translation,’ such as did Enoch in Biblical days.” Of course, I dismissed that claim as crazy–an opinion I maintain 47 years later. I had no idea that the book had any Mormon connection until I began to casually flip through the pages: they were packed with long extended quotes from the D&C, The Book of Mormon, and the teachings of Joseph Smith. And yet, oddly, there were no references to any church and no explanations regarding the origins of these scriptures or who Joseph Smith was. THAT intrigued me, so I purchased a copy.
That evening, I began to read the book, assuming I would find it interesting and amusing, and then put it back on my bookshelf after two or three pages. I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN! Skarin’s writing style was flowery, dramatic, and very much in line with that of early 20th century devotional works, but her ideas were a compelling mixture of Mormon theology and what I can only term Catholic sensibilities. In short, that night, I–a 19-year-old Mormon convert–knew I had stumbled across an authentic Mormon mystic. I devoured “Ye Are Gods,” and began reading all of Skarin’s other books.
There were things in Skarin’s book that I found interesting but of no personal value to me. The celibacy that she and Reason Skarin embraced after their marriage struck me as too eccentric, boarder line nuts (okay, totally nuts), and more in line with medieval Catholicism than Mormonism. And, of course, I didn’t take her ideas about translation seriously. But her overall theology with its emphasis on humanity’s Divine potential, Eternal Progression, the Light of Christ, and the centrality of personal revelation in one’s life–these ideas seemed to embrace the very essence of Classical Mormon Theology. In short, Annalee Skarin’s books had a HUGE impact on my spirituality and personal theology. They cemented in place (maybe “sealed” would be a better word) my convictions regarding the distinct beauty, power, and, yes, truthfulness of Mormonism’s distinctive theology. In the disillusions with the LDS Church that came my way just a few years as a student at BYU, I would have probably walked away from Mormonism completely had it not been for Annalee Skarin’s lovely, heartfelt writings about the Light of Christ, personal revelation, and Humanity’s Divine potential.
I read Samuel Taylor’s “Sunstone” article in the 1990s, when I returned to the LDS Church after a decade away. Until then I knew absolutely nothing about Annalee other than what she shared/claimed in her books. Taylor article clarified much about Annalee while not changing the effect her writings had on me as a young adult and now. (Two years ago, I bought a copy of her self-published, now very rare, first edition of “Ye Are Gods” for $100 from Benchmark Books, but I haven’t reread her books since I was a BYU student in the early ’80s.) The one thing I found troubling in Taylor’s article was his rather terse statement about Annalee’s daughter. Thank you for reading her actual statements about her mother. After Taylor’s article, I found Hope’s statements about her mother extremely understandable, sensitive, and loving.
After listening to your podcast, I am convinced that Annalee probably did suffer from mental illness.
And yet, I’ve always been convinced that all true prophets (like all true artists) are probably more than a little mad.
Stephen, I first learned that Minerva Teichert was Annalee Skarin’s sister over a decade ago. That blew me away! So, the woman who was, arguably, Mormonism’s most successful writer on non-fiction/inspirational works was the sister of Mormonism’s most successful artist.
Artists, mystics, and prophets. There’s a link there.