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What is your perspective of the effect of the veil on one's "spirit self" being revealed in this life? How much of our pre-mortal personal development is (temporarily) erased while under the veil? Most? - Very little? If a person were to have all of their life's growing experiences erased from their mind as to not benefit from any teaching they may have received to that point (similar to what happens in someone who is severely demented) would their personality be considered the same as when have access to all their past memories. In other words, isn't it true that who we are now is, at least in part, the sum of all of our past learning line upon line. I would think that this would affect things like our "likes and dislikes", the way we talk, what we find pleasurable and things we find repulsive, our skills and talents etc. If all of that was erased as an effect of the veil, in terms of our developing experiences, we cannot remember them, then that would change also how developed our spirit is as we enter this life. We could not benefit from some learning that we cannot remember. If that is the case, wouldn't it be that our spirit personality would not necessarily shine through while under the effects of the veil. Just as a simple example, what if a person developed a talent or liking for music in the pre-mortal world (if such a thing was possible). Under the veil of forgetfulness and memory of those experiences being not available, wouldn't that make it so that trait could not shine through in this life, unless of course it was reformed while here? But if we take that one example as a trait that would have to be reformed while here, there would be no way that we could reproduce our total personality, traits and talents while here for such a short time in a less than Celestial learning atmosphere that was accomplished over thousands of years in the presence of God. In other words, our personality as a result of the veil would seemingly make us, temporarily, different than our true selves. All of this depends on how strong a person thinks the veil is. When people have amnesia for example, it is not a complete loss of memory, they can still talk for example, they didn't forget that experience. Even when we call it "total amnesia" a person can still speak typically. The only setting in which someone looses pretty much every past experience is that of severe dementia. And I think anyone who has been around someone with dementia would say that their personality has changed, they don't act like themselves. They not only loose factual memory but also executive function (how to act). If the veil does that kind of thing to our spirit, I think it is important from a gospel doctrine and plan of salvation standpoint to realize that our spirits would have also lost the "how to act" aspect if there really is complete forgetfulness. So, this really makes me wonder whether the forgetfulness is complete, which I doubt. But even if it is not complete, it has to be quite severe and with it would come a "quite severe" change to our personality, even if it is not a 100% forgetfulness. President Monson said “How grateful we should be that a wise Creator fashioned an earth and placed us here, with a veil of forgetfulness of our previous existence so that we might experience a time of testing, an opportunity to prove ourselves in order to qualify for all that God has prepared for us to receive.” And President Eyring; “Before we were born, we knew God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, personally. We could see Them and listen to Them as They taught and encouraged us. Now a veil has been placed over our minds and memories. Satan, the father of lies, has an advantage because we must see the reality of who we are through the eyes of faith, while our bodies make us subject to carnal temptation and to physical weakness.” and "It won’t be easy to remember. Living as we do with a veil over our eyes, we cannot remember what it was like to be with our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the premortal world; nor can we see with our physical eyes or with reason alone the hand of God in our lives. Seeing such things takes the Holy Ghost. And it is not easy to be worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship in a wicked world. That is why forgetting God has been such a persistent problem among His children since the world began. Think of the times of Moses, when God provided manna and in miraculous and visible ways led and protected His children. Still, the prophet warned the people who had been so blessed, as prophets always have warned and always will: “Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life.”3 And the challenge to remember has always been the hardest for those who are blessed abundantly. Those who are faithful to God are protected and prospered. That comes as the result of serving God and keeping His commandments. But with those blessings comes the temptation to forget their source. It is easy to begin to feel the blessings were granted not by a loving God on whom we depend but by our own powers." In summary, it seems the reason the veil is needed for the test is that it creates a situation in which it is difficult to think or remember that who we currently are, in terms of our traits and talents and personalities, are things that are given, and likely does not directly reflect our real self in a specific or outwardly expressed measurable way and especially not linear way as the intrinsic properties of "self" have been covered by the veil. It is easier to give credit to God and remain in humility when we realize that our current set of what we call "self" is a temporary stewardship and not the "real self" covered by the veil. If one thinks they are a great musician or a great scientist or even a spiritual rock or a great orator etc. because that is their "spirit self", they may want to ponder really what the veil does to the "spirit self" and the reason it is being done - to create this test of pride; is it me or is it just my temporary stewardship. The prideful thought is, 'I am able to do the things I do because this is who I am' as opposed to 'I am able to do the things I do because this is what God gave me as a set of temporary talents for this test'. Of course, this is not an all or nothing situation. I think some of our "spirit self" comes through and more so when we are faithful and can in essence 'thin the veil'. And, of course, their are helps as to understand those real spiritual traits such as the patriarchal blessing and the promptings of the Holy Ghost. This would be consistent with the way that those that are low will be made high, etc. Even for the most faithful though, the percentage of "real self" revealed in this life must be a very tiny portion of ALL the things learned in the thousands if not millions of pre-mortal personality development years. Those that learn to love the 'temporary self' which is part of the treasures of this world, will struggle with their lost identity, their lost inheritance based in faith of who they really are.