Hyrum, Merry, and the Brass Plates

I touched on Hyrum in the earlier post, named him as Merry from the LOTR, and then promptly forgot about him.  That seems to be the way of things with Hyrum as to how Mormon history has treated him - he is hardly mentioned on his own without Joseph, and when he is, Joseph still takes the lion's share of attention.

So, I will remedy that, and give Hyrum some overdue attention.  

First, I actually find that I don't have much to say on the Merry connection part, other than perhaps a few observations.  I would call out and emphasize what Eowyn said to Eomer about him after waking in the Houses of Healing:

"Eomer, you shall make him a knight of the Riddermark, for he is valiant!"

And that is what Hyrum-Merry was and is - valiant, steadfast, and never one to abandon his family and friends in need.

His temperament seems to be a nice compliment to Joseph-Pippin in both of their lives together.  Pippin just couldn't keep himself out of some kind of trouble or impulsive behavior, even if well meant (e.g., dropping stones down wells in Moria, stealing glances in the Orthanc Stone, pledging fealty to a Lord he'd literally just met, etc.), a trait he later as Joseph would still lament - a lightheartedness to things that he sometimes felt should be taken more seriously.

Hyrum-Merry, on the other hand, is a bit more of a planner and thinker - more deliberate in his actions.  Merry is the one that actually studied the maps in Rivendell and so knew generally where they were following their escape from the orcs (while Pippin just couldn't be bothered).  As Hyrum, Joseph would look to him and take his advice on many things.  

And, of course, there was Merry's his selfless act of heroism with Eowyn against the Witch King.  His driving thought was that she should not die alone, unaided.

This same trait, of course, is what led him to be in Carthage with Joseph and to die with him.

But here I am again talking about Hyrum-Merry in the context of Joseph-Pippin.  Let me briefly give him his another story that is his own:

The same being who was born as both Hyrum and Merry, was also born as Nephi, the son of Lehi, whose account is found in the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon.

I won't recount Nephi's story, as his seems to be most well known in Mormon scripture (and the most controversial) but will say one thing about the future.

Nephi's retrieval of the Brass Plates is an event that will become evermore important in a coming day.  As he recounted in his reasoning for killing Laban, he knew the Brass Plates were important, but didn't know the full extent as to why until he and Lehi had a chance to look through them.   On those plates they found a correct account of the creation of this world as well as many prophecies.  He initially had assumed that he was gaining these plates for the benefit of his own children, but Lehi and later Alma discussed the much larger purpose of those plates in saying they (or the words on them) would one day go to every nation and people and reveal mysteries to all Men.

As Nephi is the one that did this heroic deed (as well as having to do other things that he would have rather not done), it will be him, the same individual, who will have the blessing and privilege of fulfilling the prophecy and mission that the Brass Plates were preserved for.

I have written before of a stone and a seer while will reveal words from that stone.  The Brass Plates are additional words that will also come forth in that same period as the words on the stone - adding an additional witness as to the accuracy of those words, as well as restoring other lost stories and truths.  Meaning, Merry-Nephi-Hyrum (and there are other names for this being also, I believe) will work in partnership with the seer in bringing redemption and salvation to the Family of Light - which is a family they both belong to.

This of course means that Hyrum will have another go around on this Earth, and may in fact already be doing so.

As Hyrum was told in what is now D&C 11, he was to "wait a little longer until you shall have my word" and "seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed".  The words on the Brass Plates are the words Hyrum was and is to wait for, and once he has them, he will speak great things "with the Power of God, unto the convincing of Men".

Great things are meant to come forth, and it will be great beings who will bring them.  The being who has been known as Merry, Nephi, and Hyrum and other names besides those, is one of the greatest.

A few clarifications

 Re-reading my last post on Joseph and Hyrum made me want to clarify a few things in general.

1.  Evidence vs. interesting insights or observations.   

A reader might infer that I am making certain connections because of the additional points I am making relating to those connections.  For example, with Joseph and Pippin, I mentioned Egypt, seer stones, and dressing up in military uniforms... those would be very strange and weak points, indeed, if I was using them as evidence of that connection.  Meaning, if I was saying because I noticed those things that I then came up with the thought "Joseph must be Pippin!", then I don't think that would be very good reasoning or thinking overall on my part (or on the part of others if someone agreed with the conclusion just because of those points).

Rather, it has worked the other way for me, basically.  The thoughts, and other experiences that have built these thoughts, have come first - sometimes quite powerfully and surprisingly.  This does not mean the thought or the connection is correct, however, as I have stressed before, but merely that is what comes first.  It is after seeing things in that light - again, for example, having this thought or belief that Joseph is Pippin, among other names, that I then will notice certain other details that become interesting to me in light of that primary first thought.  I then include a few of those in the post about the connection because just saying Joseph is Pippin in a sentence and leaving it at that is not very interesting.

So, the observations aren't meant to be explanatory or comprehensive.  Readers might take note of them and see other interesting connections that come into their own mind, or, perhaps just as likely, have other insights or observations that might cast doubt on my own original thoughts.

2.  Focus on characters/ beings vs. concepts

I am spending time on characters and beings (including in that definition stones and other 'objects'...), I suppose, more so than general concepts at this point primarily because that is what I find interesting right now.  Stories, almost by definition, are comprised of beings and their interactions and relationships with each other, and I believe we are in a very great story.  I have a narrative floating around in my head, but as I said I don't think I can or am able to really try and lay that out in this format in a way that makes sense.  In addition, some stories already exist - the stories of Tolkien and Joseph Smith, to name two - and so my thought is to write of the characters, objects, etc. within and bridging these stories.  In doing so, rather than having to rewrite any stories or lay anything out (and likely get it wrong anyway), the hope is that readers might be able to develop their own narratives, or at least perhaps begin seeing stories they thought they used to know in a different way.

3.  Areas of focus

I think I will find that I return again and again to various characters and the stories surrounding them in this rethinking of stories and our reality.  The danger is that these characters and situations will not resonate with other readers.  They reason they resonate with me is that over the past few years their stories have become unexpectedly and surprisingly personal to me, and thus my interest lies with them.  It would be expected that this personal connection might not exist as strongly with others.  In this case, the hope would be that these writings can be used as examples, or perhaps give a sense of 'permission', for people to begin exploring their own different ways of looking at these and other stories and find their own personal interests and connections.  We are all unique individuals, and have unique stories, and so what interests me or draws me in may be very different than others, and that is neither better nor worse, but just is.

The primary hope in terms of having my thoughts in a public place like this (vs. just keeping them in a private notebook) is that readers can become more open to new ways of looking at things, and also that others can either build on these thoughts or let me know where I might not be correct and some rethinking is in order.  I wouldn't blame anyone for being skeptical of my own thoughts on these things - that should probably be a natural position to take.  I am skeptical of them in my own way.  I should have been more skeptical of certain things over the past few years and it would have saved me some grief.  But in being skeptical of these things, perhaps readers can also reassess their own traditions and start looking at things with new eyes. 

 At this point, I think being 'correct' is less important than the way in which one comes to the story.

Joseph and Hyrum . . . Pippin and Merry

 In my post on reincarnation, I mentioned that I believe individuals such as Joseph Smith and JRR Tolkien have had other lives and thus been known by other names.  I will pick up on that again here, and mention not only Joseph but his brother Hyrum and my own thoughts regarding their potential connection to Tolkien's stories.

As the title of this post states, my own belief is that Joseph was Peregrin Took (Pippin) and Hyrum was Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry).  These are not the only additional roles these two played, but they are the ones I am highlighting in this post.  

This belief also means, interestingly, that given what I wrote about Denethor being not only Lehi but also Joseph Smith, Sr., you have a situation where Pippin is reunited with Denethor (in obviously a different relationship than that of the LOTR, but also perhaps in some continuation of the same generous feelings Pippin had for Denethor that had him take his oath of fealty at Minas Tirith in the first place).

Here are a few observations with respect to this, that may seem random but might be worthwhile connections for some.

One has an inkling of Joseph Smith's significant interest in Egyptian history, language, and culture from what has now become writings in the Pearl of Great Price in Mormon scriptures - specifically, the Book of Abraham.  The Book of Abraham is a strange book, and has fallen out of favor in terms of being an accurate translation of anything Egyptian according to both Mormon and non-Mormon scholars.  I am not addressing any of that here, but just highlighting that Joseph was interested in Egypt, and specifically the accounts of the great patriarchs Abraham and Joseph as their stories related to Egypt.

The Book of Abraham is a well known book, but what is much less well known is a document titled "Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language".  One of the few items of the Kirtland Egyptian papers that was written in Joseph's hand, it doesn't get much press or attention frankly because I am not sure anyone knows what to do with it.  It is a lot of strangeness, and not a lot of context or even a purpose as to what Joseph was trying to do.  One of the few documents that we know Joseph wrote himself, and it wastes away in relative obscurity.

Here is a link to this document:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/grammar-and-alphabet-of-the-egyptian-language-circa-july-circa-november-1835/1

I will not solve the riddle of what he intended it for here, either.  I bring it up to reinforce that Joseph was really into Egypt, or something he knew or referred to as "Egypt".

What does this have to do with anything of Joseph being Pippin?  Maybe nothing, and it is a very loose connection in the best case, perhaps.

Following the events of LOTR, Pippin went on to, among other things, become very interested in Numenor, ultimately establishing a library at Great Smials full of Numenorean history, tales of Elendil's heirs, and other things that he collected from Gondor.  One can potentially guess that in spending more time with Faramir, in particular, Pippin gained an interest in the tale of Numenor .  This library was used in conjunction with other materials that Merry collected to produce what is essentially Appendix B of the LOTR - "The Tale of Years".

It is with Egypt that Tolkien drew the closest parallels in understanding Numenor, at least through their descendants of Gondor.  In a letter to Rhona Beare (Letter #211), he writes this of Gondor

"The Númenóreans of Gondor were proud, peculiar, and archaic, and I think are best pictured in (say) Egyptian terms. In many ways they resembled ‘Egyptians’ – the love of, and power to construct, the gigantic and massive. And in their great interest in ancestry and in tombs. (But not of course in 'theology’ : in which respect they were Hebraic and even more puritan…) I think the crown of Gondor (the S. Kingdom) was very tall, like that of Egypt, but with wings attached, not set straight back but at an angle. The N. Kingdom had only a diadem the difference between the N. and S. kingdoms of Egypt"

The Numenoreans can best be compared to Egypt.  And I will go one further on this statement, in saying I believe that the ancient culture of Egypt drew in many important ways on the even more ancient culture and civilization of Numenor.

And I believe this is where Joseph's "Egyptian" interest comes from.  We are seeing some of the Numenorean knowledge accumulated by him as Pippin long ago (and forgotten) start coming to the surface as he engages with Egyptian beliefs, artifacts, and stories of the 19th century.

So, there is that - what else?

Well, there is the matter of seer stones and seer-ship.  Pippin was the one who just couldn't be kept away from the Orthanc stone, being drawn to it for unknown reasons.  As Joseph, even before he received the Gold Plates, he was known for being someone who sought out seer stones in the ground that he would then use to find lost things, including treasure.  If the definition of a seer is one who looks into seer stones, both Pippin and Joseph not only were seers, but they were drawn to being seers.

One other detail I think is kind of funny to think on:  Pippin and Merry loved to parade around the shire in their armor following the War of the Ring, with Pippin still being a Knight of Gondor, and from all accounts seemed to love playing that role.  Later, as Joseph, he would also love being General of the Nauvoo Legion, and would frequently parade around the city in his full dress uniform.  An anti-Mormon newspaper, The Warsaw Signal, had this to say about Joseph and Nauvoo:

"How military these people are becoming! Everything they say or do seems to breathe the spirit of military tactics. Their prophet appears, on all occasions, in his sp[l]endid regimental dress signs his name Lieut. General, and more titles are to be found in the Nauvoo Legion, than any one book on military tactics can produce; ... Truly fighting must, be a part of the creed of these Saints!"

Other sources concur that Joseph preferred to be addressed by his full military title and took great pride in the Legion and his role in it (including his uniform).

While there are many interpretations and commentaries on Joseph's character and motivations from these accounts, I frankly see the same Being who paraded around as a military hero as Pippin of the Shire, doing the same thing as Joseph of Nauvoo.

Anyway, there are a few things to consider, I guess.  I haven't really said anything about Hyrum-Merry, but may need to leave that for another post at this point.  It is said that Hyrum is the forgotten prophet, with all of the attention going to Joseph, and I am afraid I have fallen into the same trap here.  But, I won't forget about him in a future continuation of this, and may even add a few other names/ characters for him to be considered as playing. 

Sawtooth Mountains and the Stone

I had indicated in my earlier posts on the Stone (I am not sure what else to call it at this point) that I believed that the part of the prophecy that it would be cut out of a mountain without (human) hands had already occurred.

I thought I might put down a thought or two on that since it seemed like a good time to return to the topic.  As with other things, this isn't necessarily a comprehensive or completely accurate accounting of things - just me trying to piece some things together.

It also sounds absurd, so that is another reason to put this down sooner in my thought downloads than later - at least any reader who comes across this collection of writings will know what they are getting into from somewhere closer to the start.  

On March 31, 2020, a fairly significant earthquake struck within a semi-remote mountain range in the state of Idaho known as the Sawtooth Mountains.  Aftershocks continued in the area throughout the summer and into August.  I believe it is within those mountains that the Stone was found and recovered, having been buried there prior to even the first age of this earth, as I understand things - going all the way back to the Years of the Trees.  In other words, it is a very old stone.  It was prepared in the very first of days to come forth in the very last of days.

How it would come to be in Idaho, of all places, or at least understanding why that would be the case is just a matter of understanding what (and who) used to reside over the North American continent in the days of old.  Certain lands used to be here, associated with the Earth, but were taken away as a result of the Numenoreans' mad assault on both Eressea and Valinor.  These lands I will simply group together as part of the continent known as 'Aman' in Tolkien's writings.  This continent lay to the west of Middle Earth, and for our purposes, I will place it roughly or associated it with where the current North American continent is.

As Silmarillion readers would also know, the Years of the Trees ended with Melkor and Ungoliant destroying the trees, as well as many other things of light.  I think there is potentially significant symbolism here with the light of the trees representing truth and knowledge, and when these things were destroyed, there was a darkness - even in heaven - that would never fully be cured.  Yes, there were the Silmarils, containing the light of the Trees, and the thought was that planting these might in fact replace the Light lost, but that did not come to pass.

And so a void came to be made greater, and certain things were lost.  As Joseph Smith wrote (in words he associated to a heavenly messenger) - light and truth forsake the evil one, but the evil one takes away light and truth.  I wrote previously on the Fall of Men, but with the destruction of the trees, we have here the very real and terrible reality of the Fall of Heaven, where even the Gods were left with diminished light (a loss of truth and knowledge that has yet to be fully restored).

I believe that the Stone was prepared prior to the destruction of the trees, in Valinor itself.  Since Valinor used to reside over the North American continent, it then just naturally follows that the Stone, if left behind (which I believe it was), would be found here.  Idaho just happened to be where.

So, it was found, but not without difficulty extracted.  The redemption of the God's children and the destruction of their enemies is written on that Stone, and although I would guess a majority of evil beings are not aware of this fact, yet there are some who were and are.  There were delays in obtaining the Stone (once it was located), with evil and seemingly very powerful Beings holding up forces of Good in bearing it away.

Ultimately, the Holy Ghost herself (I am speaking of the female individual in this case) condescended to overthrow those who were blocking the Stone, thus enabling those entrusted with its care to remove it.

This is my guess at events during that 2020 time period based on things I was working through, more or less.  I was not aware of the earthquakes overlapping that time frame until later, and I have included them in my overall narrative 'after the fact', assuming that they were both associated with the struggle between Beings, as well as perhaps the movement of earth and elements in order to access the buried Stone.

I don't have a guess where the Stone is now, only that it isn't buried in its ancient burial place anymore.

The Burning of Faramir: A preview to Abinadi

Denethor finally sinks into a final despair and attempts to burn Faramir.

Why burn him?

To be clear, at this point Denethor is defeated - his mind is broken and he is in utter despair.  But he has determined to not only end his own life, but also Faramir's, and he is very particular that it will be by burning both of them alive.

One potential answer is because he is crazy at this point, and there is no other reason or rationale beyond that.    I disagree (about there being no reason or story as to why burning - not on Denethor's state of mind), and suggest that Denethor is clearly saying why he is burning Faramir, and where he learned this information from.  A more interesting riddle to me comes out of this, and I believe it has interesting implications.

When Faramir is first brought back to Minas Tirith on the verge of death, Denethor goes up to the secret room in the tower where the Anor Stone is kept and gazes in it.  It is not recorded what he saw, but whatever it was changed him and resulted in the final breaking of his mind.  What did he see?

I believe he saw fire and burning.  This seems to be his obsessive theme in his last hours following the Palantir visit.  And by this, I mean he saw multiple things relating to fire.  First, at a general level, he saw a 'great fire'  that would end all things.  Additionally, he saw Faramir being burned.  He saw these things in the future, and knowing that a Palantir does not lie, all hope finally left him.  The state of his son forced Denethor to gaze into the Palantir with a will to see the future - what would happen to his son - and that is what was shown to him.  I suppose if I were in his position, and believed or interpreted things as he did, his mental state at that point becomes more understandable, or at least something that can be viewed with more compassion.

But, if that is what he saw in the Palantir, and they don't lie, then what happened?  Neither the burning that ends all things, nor the burning of Faramir come about in the remaining story of the LOTR.

If we look at a much longer story arc, however, I believe the burning of Faramir did happen (though in a different life, under a different name), and the burning that will end all things has yet to happen.  Meaning, Denethor saw further into the future than he was aware.  The Palantirs cannot lie - even Sauron could not make them do so - but the truths they showed could be presented in a way as to twist their true meaning and make them subject to sometimes gross misinterpretation.  

In the case of Faramir, it would be later as an individual named Abinadi that he would meet a fiery death, and I will explore this in a later post.

As to the burning to end all things, that is what will happen to the earth in the time associated with Jesus' return in glory.  As Mormon said of what Jesus taught those at Bountiful:

"And he [Jesus] did expound all things, even from the beginning until the time that he should come in his glory - yea, even all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with a fervent heat, and the earth should be wrapt together as a scroll, and the heavens and the earth should pass away."

I have already written that I believe Denethor is also the same being who would be known as Lehi, and part of his redemption as well as a revelation of his character lies in that story.  I would also suggest that Denethor, with a great will born out of love and concern for his son during a time of extreme mental duress, was actually shown events far in the future that were related to Faramir.  They were shown in such a way, however, and his mind was so broken that he didn't understand what he was seeing.  He assumed he was seeing their own fiery doom at the hands of Sauron, and this fact adds to the tragedy of his own death.

The Holy Ghost as a dyad

It is possible that the Holy Ghost is a dyad - meaning 2 people, a male and female.  

If this is the case, when I wrote in my previous post that the 2nd being in Joseph's Vision could have been the Holy Ghost, it may be more accurate to say that it was the male component or representative of the Holy Ghost.

On the surface, if one were to assume that the Holy Ghost did consist of a man and woman, it would seem natural that this would be a husband-wife type relationship.  Or at least I probably initially thought so.  However, my current thoughts are that this isn't the case, and they dyad actually consists of a brother and sister.  I am thinking something like twins... kind of like Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker.

Further, their relationship with Jesus may be why the Holy Ghost is said to have the role it does in uniting Men back with him.

To say more, I think their relationship as brother and sister goes back to a time long before this one.  Who were their parents at that time?  Well, I think they were literal children of God (by God I mean Jesus, or Eru-Illuvatar, in other tales, which is a different view than would be found in traditional Mormon theology).  Each of them married a spouse joining other Houses or families to Jesus' own house, and then creating and extending God's literal family.  

In another age and time closer to our own, this brother and sister would also be born to beings we would know by the names of Abraham and Sarah, though we can't really look to the bible to really see this.  As such, Abraham's family also will be led back to and joined with Jesus' family through these two beings.

It is and will be their role to both restore God's family that was (and always will be!), and invite others to be 'born again' into that family, the drama of this Earth not only serving to vanquish evil but extend even further God's literal family through the Holy Ghost.

Rethinking the "Two Personages" in Joseph Smith's First Vision

In the last post I mentioned Joseph Smith's first known account of what became known of the First Vision.  There are multiple versions, with some differences among them in terms of what is emphasized, excluded, or even mentioned (See link below for the Joseph Smith Papers site that catalogues the accounts).

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/accounts-of-the-first-vision

For example, in the first version, only one being is mentioned as communicating with Joseph, whereas in ensuing versions the presence of two beings is consistently mentioned.

It is these two 'personages' as they are called in the most well known version (found in the LDS church's Pearl of Great Price account) that I am rethinking and will simply say that we may be taking too great a liberty in assuming that these two personages are 'God the Father and Jesus Christ'.

I guess "who else would they be?" would be the best question to that thought, and there is, I think, pretty good evidence that the assumption that has been made is correct.  For example, in Joseph's 1932 version, he specifically states the being introduces himself as the one who was crucified.  Additionally, in the accounts including at least two personages, only the Wentworth letter does not have the explicit reference of one being introducing by the other being as their 'beloved son'.  This would seem to match pretty well with how Jesus was introduced at Bountiful, and thus add support that the beings are who Mormons have always assumed them to be.

But what if they aren't?

The first tip-off that there might be something different going on here is the general reference to 'personages'.  Joseph had no problem using Jesus' name in other stories, lectures, sermons, etc.  Why not just come out and say that it was Jesus who spoke to him?  He seems to be deliberately not doing so - why?  Maybe he didn't know who they were, in fact?  Or maybe, to go into who they were would be confusing for everybody else, and so let everyone infer what they wanted to, and if that meant God the Father and Jesus then so be it.   Or perhaps he wasn't allowed to tell?  We do know that the glorious beings spoke many things to Joseph that he was not allowed to convey - perhaps their identities and purposes, and how that all fit in the story was one of those things?

If we are honest with ourselves, while we know there is a father and son relationship between the beings, we are making an assumption in defining who the father and son are.  Again, to be clear, the traditional reading may be right but it is an assumed reading, and that should be remembered.

Yes, there is the first account which has the heavenly being introducing themselves as the one who was crucified.  Is that proof?  I say no.  We do have other examples of beings speaking for and in place of other beings, including Jesus, having their authority to do so.  The being might have been delivering a message from Jesus, using those words, or even speaking as if he were Jesus, having been sent and authorized by him.

As support for this line of thinking, I would bring up in the other First Vision versions, the beings speak of God and Jesus seemingly in the 3rd person.  In the 1835 account, after the 2nd individual is introduced he then proceeds to forgive Joseph's sins and testified 'that Jesus Christ is the Son of God'.  It is an account that was written down by someone else, granted, but if taken at face value we see the 2nd individual (the one introduced as the son) having the power to forgive sins but also speaking of Jesus as someone not himself - testifying of another.

Further, in the Wentworth letter, the two beings tell Joseph that none of the churches were acknowledged by God as his church and kingdom.  Again, we have the beings speaking of God as someone else - not them.  I will grant that it could be a matter of using different perspectives or pronouns when recounting or recording their advice.  The beings could have said that none of the churches were approved by them, and it was summarized in the the 3rd person as told in the story.  That is highly possible.

But - I think there is enough here to at least support someone who is looking for or believes in an alternative interpretation of the story to not be dissuaded in exploring that further.  It is, in my opinion, not as definitive as assumed as to the identity of the two individuals.

I don't have any special knowledge, and have thus been sworn to no secrecy, so I don't mind hazarding a guess at least as to the identity of the "son" mentioned if it turns out that it is indeed not Jesus (and stress that this is fairly speculative, even by my standards).  I will also state that I believe this being has been known by other names, as I have indicated is the case for many beings (see my earlier post on reincarnation).

From the accounts we have of the Vision, this being can forgive sins, testifies of Jesus, is a son of somebody, can potentially even speak for and as Jesus, and is someone that Joseph needs to hearken to.  With this information, combined with other thoughts, references, and insights looping around in my mind, my guess for the 2nd personage is:

The Holy Ghost

It is the Holy Ghost that Joseph is perhaps introduced to in the grove that morning and given instructions to listen to; and not just to listen to during that morning's discussion, but throughout Joseph's mission.  I therefore also suggest that it is the Holy Ghost who is the primary speaker, and the one Joseph is listening to, in the various revelations he would go on to receive.

2 Nephi 27 and Martin Harris as not the man taking words to the 'Learned'

 If Joseph Smith is your 7 year old son, Martin Harris is the rich neighbor kid who you just don't want your son playing with because you know he is going to be a bad influence and get your kid in trouble.

Martin Harris was called a wicked man at one point by whatever voice was speaking to Joseph.  That could have been more out of exasperation on the part of heavenly beings than a real complete picture or condemnation of the man, but the fact remains that Martin Harris had terrible ideas that ended up causing a lot of trouble (e.g., the lost manuscript), and he seemed to have an inflated view of his importance in what Joseph was doing.

One role that Harris viewed himself as playing was the man who would deliver words to the Learned, and with all the events surrounding that, as prophesied of by Isaiah and Nephi in 2 Nephi 27.  Harris would take some sample characters to Charles Anthon, who would come to fulfill that prophecy according to Harris' account by both requesting the book to translate as well as stating that he could not read a sealed book.

Charles Anthon, I believe, contests Harris' account of the meeting, and where the truth of it all lies, I am not about to resolve in this post.

Rather, I would spend a minute suggesting that the events outlined in 2 Nephi 27 are still yet to come, and that the Harris-Anthon meeting is not a fulfillment of that prophecy.  

It is clear, though, that not only Harris thought this, but apparently Joseph also assumed so as well.  In Joseph Smith's earliest account of the First Vision written in 1832 (the only one including his handwriting), he also gives a brief summary of the Harris-Anthon account.  The way he writes of it clearly invokes the same language as the 2 Nephi 27 prophecy, and the matter seems settled in his mind.

In that account, however, he highlights a critical detail that does not match up with the prophecy as outlined by Nephi, and at least opens the door to reconsider whether Harris was the man to go and take the words to the 'Learned'.  The detail is that Joseph emphasizes it was Harris' idea that he go and do this.  Apparently, the Lord appeared to Harris and stated that he should go into the eastern cities and visit the Learned with the words.  Harris then approached Joseph about the idea, who agreed to it, and off he went.

But this differs from how it was said it should have gone.  In the prophecy, the Lord speaks to the man who has the book, and instructs him that he should give the words to another, who will then take them to the Learned.  Do you see the difference?  Both Harris and Joseph say that the Lord spoke to Harris about the idea, when, if events matched up, it should have been Joseph that was spoken to on the matter, who would then have informed Harris.

It may seem like I am splitting hairs here, and one might argue that the Lord did speak to Joseph through Harris on this, perhaps, or maybe Joseph also had received instruction independently on the matter and just didn't capture it down.  I admit those are all possible.

I wouldn't actually be making a big deal about the difference if I didn't already believe that the prophecy doesn't point to Harris, Joseph, or the Book of Mormon, either.   Meaning, this one difference wouldn't (shouldn't) necessarily lead someone to overturn one's understanding of the events and their significance.  But, rather, when one might be open to understanding events differently, a misalignment of details like this might support that there is something more to potentially explore.

Harris had bad ideas, and was very persistent pursuing them with Joseph.   Again, the incident of the 116 pages ought to make that clear, and I go back to my opening paragraph and say you just want to scream at Joseph back in time to stay away from this guy.  In any case, the fact that what ended up becoming the Anthon visit was also Harris' idea gives me pause and question, at least, whether both this whole series of events happened as summarized by Harris and that it was the fulfillment of Isaiah and Nephi's prophecy.

In saying that, I don't have to mean Harris is a liar, or that Joseph was purposely shifting things to fit a narrative.  It seems to me a simpler things to say that both men were struggling to make sense of a lot of things, and making some guesses as to how what they were doing fit into the overall story (and perhaps desiring to play those roles) seems like something one would naturally do in that situation.  In doing so, they may have made some wrong guesses and been presumptive in thinking that what they were engaged in was the same thing that these prophecies described. 

Unfortunately, when wrong guesses are codified, correlated, and even added to scriptures themselves (as part of chapter headings) walking back from them and reconsidering can be a difficult thing to do.

National Rat Catcher's Day

Well, it's my birthday (July 22)... and also National Rat Catcher's Day, as it turns out.  This is the day that commemorates the Pied Piper leading the children of Hamelin out of their village and on to various fates, depending on which version of the story you read.  I prefer the one where they are led to a beautiful land (vs. other less desirable outcomes).

To be fair, I guess the town of Hamelin itself actually commemorates this day on June 26 based on their legends, and the Brothers Grimm tale also uses that date.  Robert Browning, however, used the date of July 22 in his poem and this is how that date became connected with the tale and ultimately made into a day celebrating the lofty profession of rat catchers.

Browning, for the record, also believed in and wrote of the beautiful land as the destination for these children.  Or, at least, that is what the Piper promised them through his music.  There is reference at the end of the poem to people many years later in Transylvania having a legend that their outlandish ways came from their ancestors who had come up out of a 'subterraneous prison', suggesting that these would have been the children who the Piper led out.  In the end, it is left to our imagination with respect to what happened to them.

It is a strange tale, to be sure, and I don't really have anything more to say on it other than to use it in light of some things I continue to think and write about to reinforce 3 core beliefs:

1. The Rats will be exterminated 
2. The Liars and Promise-Breakers will be exposed
3. The Children of Light will be set free and led to a beautiful land (for a time)

The man dressed in a white robe: Lehi's evil anti-guide

In Lehi's dream of the Tree of Life, the man dressed in a white robe is a bit of a baffling character.  The imagery of the white robe seems to suggest that he is good.  Lehi thinks to think so as well, initially at least, because when the man asks Lehi to follow him, he trusts the man and does so.

But his trust may have been misplaced, and rather than leading to Lehi to anything good, the man has led Lehi finds into a nightmarish world - a dark and dreary waste, in which he travelled for many hours.  It is only after praying to God for mercy that he is released, or at least shown the way that he should take, to be delivered from this misery.

I have read some creative explanations for the man in white to still be a good person in doing this to Lehi, with some writers even suggesting that the man is a very good person.  The Mormon apostle James E. Talmage suggested that this man was the Holy Ghost, for example.

It may be so - that this man was good - but my current thoughts are that this man who led Lehi into that terrible state was evil... very evil, both for where he led Lehi  to and for the fact that he did it deceitfully, pretending to be something that he was not.

Evil beings have robes of priesthood and power of their own (as Satan explained to a wondering Adam and Eve during the creation allegory performed in LDS temples).  They also have great power to deceive and appear as something they are not, as Joseph Smith suggested multiple times in various settings.  He went so far as to explain how one ought to engage with an angelic-like being (handshakes, etc.) so as to determine the true nature of just whom one was dealing with... no matter their appearance.  Further, we have his letter indicating that the devil appeared as an angel of light before being detected by Michael.

In other words, looks can be deceiving, and there are beings of great power that can cause great deception and harm in appearing as something they are not, as Lehi found out the hard way in his vision.

So who is this mystery man?

Well, in a macro sense, as alluded to above, one could interpret him as being Satan himself, with Lehi standing in for Men in general.  In Man's Fall, they were deceived (though perhaps some chose evil willingly, I suppose) by Satan and followed him, inheriting misery as a result.  But, as Lehi found out in his vision, all was not lost, and through the Condescension of God (as Nephi later was shown) there was a way out of that misery and darkness to once again taste of God's Love and be redeemed - thus the remaining vision of the Tree of Life that both Lehi and Nephi saw versions of.

And that is a general interpretation I think could be believable, I suppose.

But I would like to get more personal on this one, and take a guess at stripping away the anonymity of this misery-causing being.

My current guess is this man dressed in a white robe is none other than the same individual who would come to be known as Brigham Young in our day and age.  I know... I am back grinding an axe on Brigham again after my earlier short post about him (see that post here), but he deserves it and everything that is coming his way.

It would be Brigham Young's role in modern Mormonism to do just as he has done in other settings and ages (and as his dream-vision self in Lehi's dream did), which would be to lead people into a barren wilderness (literally and figuratively) in order to confound and trap them.  He was (and is) a being of great power going back to times before the creation of this earth, believe it or not, but the role he was given to play in the drama of this Earth was not the role that he craved.

It is the Holy Spirit that we are to take as our guide.  The experience of Nephi juxtaposed with his Father's illustrates why.  The 'Spirit of the Lord' (I will write a follow-up post with quick thoughts as to why I think this is the same being as the Holy Ghost) didn't need to lead Nephi into a barren wilderness and leave him there - he answered Nephi's questions in word and in deed, personally ministering to him when able, and ensuring another angelic being was there to guide when duties required that he be elsewhere engaged with the story that was being shown.

But Brigham (or, again, the individual who also was known as Brigham) wanted to be that Guide.  And in being frustrated in that ongoing desire, he has committed awful deeds, both against Men in general, as well as against the Holy Ghost, specifically.  It is the latter sins that will not be forgiven, and thus my commentary on there being no forgiveness for him.

And so, rather than this man in the white robe being the Holy Ghost, as Talmage assumed, we actually have the anti-Holy Ghost, basically ... everything the Holy Ghost is not.  Where the Holy Ghost brings light, answers, and Gifts, this wicked being brings darkness, confusion, and cursings wherever he is found in the story.

The Mormon church still lives under the cursings that Brigham and his helpers brought upon them collectively and individually, having chosen to follow the  wrong man as their guide for much of the 19th century, and left wandering far from the Zion they were promised and tried to bring about.

As in Lehi's dream, it will be through praying for mercy, repentance, forgiveness, and deliverance that a way might be found out of this mess.

The Seer from 2 Nephi 3 as the one who will use Daniel's stone

OK, taking a break from evil things for now... back to a better topic building on the earlier Stone post regarding Daniel 2.

So a Stone comes forth.  Someone needs to use it, however, and that person by definition would be a seer.  In finding the people of Limhi in their captivity to the Lamanites, Ammon gave that definition (the seers are those who use stone) to Limhi when they ask him about the records they found and whether he can translate.  Ammon says that there is a way to translate them, and it is through the interpreters or stones that the king of his people back in Zarahemla possesses.  Looking through them, one can interpret languages and records, but even more, one can see of the past and the future - all things will be revealed by seers, and they will bring hidden things to light.

The one who will use this stone cut out of the mountain, then, will be a seer.  My own perspective is that this seer will be the same one mentioned by Lehi in quoting Joseph (of Egypt) to his own son Joseph. 

Joseph says that he has received a promise that a seer will be raised up who will be given specific commandments by God (which will be followed exactly, apparently) and ultimately what God will bring about by the hand of this seer will bring Joseph's people specifically, and Israel more broadly, to 'salvation'.  It will be a redeeming and restorative work.

Since very early on its inception, Mormonism has interpreted the seer mentioned as being Joseph Smith.  So prevalent is this interpretation that in their canonized version of the Book of Mormon, the section heading states that it is Joseph Smith being referred to.

These guesses came about, I imagine by the the fact that Joseph Smith had some stones, he interpreted the Book of Mormon by them, apparently, and his name was Joseph, just as Joseph of Egypt seemed to suggest his name would be.

It seems a reasonable guess.

However, what the seer was to accomplish, as briefly mentioned above and outlined more specifically in 2 Nephi 3, never really materialized with Joseph Smith, and this - the results, or lack thereof, in relation to what was promised - ought to at least give people pause in fully committing to this guess without exploring other possibilities.

What Jesus said about his own words that Mormon was including from his teachings at Bountiful also ought to make one reconsider whether the Book of Mormon is the same thing that Joseph of Egypt mentions as being the words that would accomplishing so many great things.  When Mormon thought of including all of what Jesus taught, the clear answer was that only a lesser portion be included with the intent of 'trying' the faith of those reading them.  Meaning, the Book of Mormon may have been more of an introduction, an opening salvo, to see and test just how ready Men were for God's work to truly commence, rather than being the book that signaled it has begun.

So, if not Joseph, then who?  I don't know, for sure, just that I think it is someone else, and that this seer along with this stone have yet to do the work that has been prophesied.  We are still waiting for the answer to that question, then.

I do, however, think that the identity of the seer is the same servant that Jesus talks about when he taught the people at Bountiful (see 3 Nephi, and perhaps Chapters 20 and 21 more specifically).  A servant that will be 'exalted and extolled [lifted up] and be very high' (meaning the same thing as 'raised up' as mentioned in Joseph of Egypt's words... a term I know Mormons assume means born or raised like a child, but they might want to reconsider that in this other light).  The servant/ seer will tell of things unknown and unconsidered, work wonders, be marred at some point, and will also lead a gathering of God's people out of the land (and be just as Moses in this way), as well as cutting off all of their enemies.

It will be by and through this Stone cut from a mountain (primarily, there will be other gifts and others bearing and using them, I think) that this seer will accomplish these things - a magical gift preserved and prepared for this purpose.

Orcs and Demons

 On the subject of evil...

A few months back I was invited to write a guest post on a blog the Notion Club Papers, named after a draft story by JRR Tolkien of the same name.  The blog is kept by a man named Bruce Charlton, and I have followed his writing over the past few years with some interest on where he is going with things.  He writes about or at least touches on a number of topics that interest me, specifically Tolkien’s writings.  He also does mention or bring into his writing (to a much lesser degree) Mormon philosophies and themes, though largely in fairly general strokes.

Anyway, he wrote a post about demons, and stated something to the effect that his belief was that demons were spirits that had never incarnated on this earth.  This follows fairly closely with Mormon theology, also, with the summary of that story being that a certain number of spirits chose to not follow Satan in a pre-mortal existence, were consequently denied an opportunity to be born on Earth and receive a body, and are now causing mayhem.

I explored a counter-story in the comment section of that post, postulating that it may actually be that demons did in fact incarnate on this earth, and they did so in the form of Orcs.  Dr. Charlton was interested in the idea, and extended the invitation to take the comments and try to pull them together into a post that he would publish on his site.  The idea was not to necessarily create a polished essay, but to try and combine all the comments into something of a cogent line of thinking.  It actually took me a little while to do it, as I didn't know if I wanted to get back into writing anything like a post on these types of topics again.  

I was glad I did, though, and it helped set the stage, I guess, for writing again in this format - for better or worse.

There are some things I would reword or emphasize differently, even just a few months later.  For example, in the preamble paragraph (that Dr. Charlton wrote to tag on to my post in order to help summarize and highlight) it mentions Sauron being referenced as a Necromancer primarily due to what happened with the Orcs.  While I do think that Sauron had a role in building on and expanding what Melkor did with the Orcs, I think it would be more accurate now to say that his Necromancer reputation may have had more to do with events on Numenor, overall.

But, as with the posts I am writing here, the whole thing was not meant to be final or polished, but really a thought starter or theory that could be explored and changed as needed, or discarded at some point if something else entirely proved a better explanation.

So, the link is immediately below (Rather than copy the entire text here, I thought it easier to just link to where it already exists).

The Notion Club Papers - an Inklings blog: Could Tolkien’s orcs be incarnated demonic spirits? An invited guest post by commenter WW

The wickedness of Brigham Young

 Just a brief pause in my thoughts on other things to make sure that my opinion on this one thing is clear, because it does relate to these other things I am writing:

Brigham Young was and is an evil man, and I believe his wickedness will be made fully known.  In conjunction with true stories on stones being restored, these stories will also bring to light hidden things of darkness.

As Alma appears to tell Helaman (in Alma 37), a stone is prepared that will make secret works of darkness, wickedness, and abominations known.  I equate this stone with being the same as mentioned in my earlier post on Nebuchadnezzar.  The righteous will welcome and love the stories that come because they will cause them to remember their righteousness and the Good of days past and the Good that is promised to still come.  The wicked, however, will fight against these stories because of what they reveal about them.

The Children of Light will know their enemies, and Brigham Young's name - and other names he has been, and is, known by - will headline that list.  And then his name will be no more - blotted out beyond any recall or mention.  

A Son of Perdition cast out to Hell.

The stone from Daniel 2: An actual stone yet to come forth

Even though I did call out the bible as a fairly untrustworthy source in an earlier post, I did also mention that there would be times that I would reference bible stories in order to maybe uncover a unique spin to the commonly accepted tale.  This will be one of those posts.

Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Daniel's interpretation of it as found in Daniel 2 is a widely cited and re-interpreted story in today's Christianity.  Mormonism is no exception, and became a foundational story in which the LDS church likens itself to the stone cut out of the mountain - a powerful symbol of both God's approval of the church and its mission, as well as the inevitability of its success.

I believe, however, that this is a case, as with the coats of skins, that Mormons along with other bible-believers haven't considered that parts of this story weren't meant to be just symbolic, but are described as literally the events that would happen.

It is the Stone itself from this dream that I am referring to.  Rather than assuming that this must be a symbol of something - a kingdom, a church, something (anything) that isn't a stone, it may be simplest to start with the assumption that what Daniel reported Nebuchadnezzar dreaming of is literally just that - a stone.

It shouldn't be a surprise to Mormons, in particular, that a stone could be an actual thing that would accomplish what Daniel interpreted or prophesied would happen.  Stones play a central role in Mormon theology, even if that has been somewhat forgotten or deprioritized by the church.  I won't call out all of the (many) specific examples of the impact of stones, but they range from scriptures being interpreted using them, visions being captured from and in them, people being guided to promised lands with them, the future and the truth of all things being made known by them, and even exalted Beings each receiving one as part of their taking up residence in the Celestial Kingdom, or Heaven.

Stones are everywhere in Mormon theology... except, of course, in use during our time today.  They are strangely absent, it would seem, both in terms of use as well as in discussion.  In some ways, perhaps, stones have become viewed as things that were used in times past, but not today - being no longer essential.

But Moroni proclaims a God of Miracles, and one that is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  If gifts that were available yesterday are no longer today, it is a sign of our awful situation, and not, as some imagine, that these gifts are done away or no longer needed.

So it is with stones.

And it is into this void - this stone-less, gift-less void - that the Stone from Nebuchadnezzar's dream, will come rolling in.  It is an actual Stone - as real as any other that has been mentioned - and it will be (has already, I believe, actually) removed by hands not belonging to any mere human from a mountain where it was buried long ago (from the foundations of this world!).

On this Stone is a story, and it is from this story and others joining with it, that a kingdom will be set up that will break into pieces the kingdoms of Men and stand forever.

Liahona follow-up: Lehi, Denethor (and Joseph Smith, Sr.)

One story element that I did not call out in my last post on the Liahona being the Anor Stone, but will do quickly right now, is my belief that the prophet Lehi was in fact the reincarnated Denethor, Steward of Gondor from LOTR.

A strange connection, perhaps, but one that makes sense to me, and I guess I will leave to it readers to look into and see if it might make sense to them.

In this scenario, then, Lehi-Denethor receives as a gift the same stone he would have been very familiar with (if only he had been able to remember!), in that the stone, or rather the conflict with Sauron he had through it, was the major factor in his ultimate fall to despair and insanity.  The story of Denethor came to a sad end for a great man who did as he thought he ought to in order to protect his people, but was ultimately overcome by the lies and dark power of The Enemy.

As Lehi, however, he was able to rewrite his story, and his greatness and goodness won through this time in a (somewhat) happier ending.  He faced great sorrow and afflictions, but did not ultimately give into the same despair that had taken his life before and remained true to what God asked him to do up until the end of his life.  This is a redemptive story, in part, for Lehi-Denethor, if not one still filled with some tragedy, loss, and sorrow.

Additionally, I propose that this same individual would also be born in our current age as Joseph Smith, Sr - father of Joseph Smith the prophet.  The dreams of Joseph Smith, Sr. are curious, and one has always stood out and been referenced as potential evidence of the Book of Mormon either being a fraud - a creation of the Smith family - or divinely inspired.  For those not familiar, Joseph Sr.  had a dream very similar to what would end up being published in the Book of Mormon as Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life.  Again, a lot of speculation as to why such close parallels, but my reason for the similarities is pretty simple:  Joseph Sr. was Lehi.

I am going to propose another connection here (why not?) and say that Denethor-Lehi-Joseph Sr. was also the individual known as Tar-Palantir, the 24th King of Numenor.  His identity as such may help solve or answer some of the wonderings that Gandalf expressed as to why the 'blood' of Numenor ran so true in Denethor vs the rest of his countrymen, so many years after that race had been in decline in Gondor.  

So that is 4 different turns at the wheel for the individual known by these names and lives.  Joseph Sr.  had another dream where he found himself sick and lame and almost too tired to go on.  He came to a garden of beautiful flowers, and in the garden were 6 wooden images that were the size of men.  As he passed each of them, the image would turn and bow to Joseph.  After he had gone by the last image, he was healed.

What is the meaning of this dream?  Joseph Sr. apparently tried to ask his dream guide, but didn't receive an answer.

My guess is that it relates to the topic I am writing on in this post.  As one can see in the lives of Tar-Palantir, Denethor, Lehi, and Joseph Sr., we are dealing with a man who lived in great times, and did great things, but was also pretty damaged as he went through those times.  As Tar-Palantir he sought to bring back Numenor to the side of good, to no avail, and then to have his only daughter's crown usurped by Pharazon who then destroyed what he had sought to make right.  As Denethor, he hoped to save his people and risked a direct conflict with Sauron that ended up costing him his mind and life.  He lost his wife and one son, and then almost caused the death of his last son in despair and insanity.  As Lehi, he lost everything he owned, and worse, two sons and their families would seemingly never be reclaimed from their evil ways, while living a life filled with sadness and affliction.  As Joseph Sr., he was broke, reportedly subject to chronic depression (and some resulting early alcoholism, it seems, though apparently resolved later in life).  

In the fight for Good on this Earth, this individual received more than his fair share of beatings.  I believe this dream suggests that after 6 lives on this earth, each having been lived in accordance with Good to the best of his ability, Joseph Sr-Lehi-Denethor will finally find his much needed rest and healing.

I've outlined briefly guesses for 4 of these 6... my guess is it will be up to the actual individual being highlighted in this post to both verify whether these are correct, as well as illuminate us on the remaining two, as part of a larger story he himself will share.

The Liahona as a Palantir (the Anor Stone)

Seven Palantiri, or Seeing-Stones, escaped with Elendil and those who fled with him from the destruction of Numenor in the 2nd Age.  As readers of Tolkien are aware, not all of them survived even to the events of the 3rd Age as recounted in the Lord of the Rings.  But some did survive, and my view is that some survived well into other ages (and stories) and were used by individuals in those times.

I propose that one of the Palantiri would actually later become known as the Liahona - the magical ball that led Lehi and his family to the Promised Land in the opening account of the Book of Mormon.

Lets get the first problem with this theory surfaced and dealt with first:  Nephi specifically states the Liahona is made of 'fine brass', which would seem to eliminate it being a stone.  But I am going to sidestep this one and say that Nephi is perhaps describing the appearance of the ball as being metallic.  They have the Brass Plates now in their possession, and those might have been the best point of comparison to be made.  This is a very curious ball that has shown up, and the materials it is comprised of very much resemble what those plates are made of.

I am not a metallurgist nor a stone/ minerals expert, but my understanding from what I have both read and seen, is that many types of stones, minerals, and crystals have a metallic luster, and many of these types of crystals and minerals contain metallic elements in their composition.  Here is a link for one such mineral or crystal:  Pyrite (or Fool's Gold, apparently)

Pyrite Mineral | Uses and Properties (geology.com)

I am not suggesting the Liahona was Pyrite, by the way.  I don't know what it was made of.  I am just using that as an example, since the description in the link above starts right off by calling Pyrite a 'brass-yellow mineral".

So, it looked metallic like brass, and described as 'fine' which I take to perhaps mean very polished and smooth.

This surfaces our second major problem, however, and it comes from Tolkien's description of the Palantiri.  They are all described as being a dark black, which obviously doesn't work well with a fine brass-like complexion.  I will sidestep this problem also by suggesting that the accounts might be wrong in stating that all Palantiri were dark black in color.  Tolkien was careful to note that the lore of the stones had been lost, and much of what was written about them was conjecture.   It could be that some Palantiri differed from others in their appearance.  My belief for various reasons is that the Liahona was specifically the Anor Stone - Anor meaning "Sun" - and a brass appearance seems much more consistent with the name than a dark black sphere.

Further, the Anor Stone had been kept secret and locked away by Gondor's Stewards for some time, and it was likely a very limited pool of witnesses or credible set of records verifying that stone's appearance.  The Orthanc stone, on the other hand, was seen by quite a few in the events of LOTR, and if I imagine a stone to be black and described by those who saw it as such, that one would be it.  Maybe it was just assumed that the other stones which had not been seen resembled this one that had been.

Aside from the problems (which I have left a way around for now at least to my own satisfaction), the Liahona as a Palantir makes sense on the whole.  Its 'curious workmanship' and the fact that writing appears on the surface of the ball and changes from time to time is more easily explained by these writings being images projected to the ball vs trying to imagine (as many Mormons have) brass/ metal literally being re-engraved through some magical means.  The capabilities of the Palantir more cleanly and easily explain this.

Similarly, I think the pointers that they describe as being in the ball are also projections or an image being cast to the Liahona.  This would also help explain the writing on the pointers themselves, it seems in addition to writing that appeared on the ball itself.  

Nephi describes one pointer as telling them the way they should go.  I think the second pointer (which goes unexplained by Nephi) was for the benefit of whomever is communicating the information and directions to the Anor Stone / Liahona.  The second pointer points back to the sender (or perhaps some other fixed point) so they know the relative position and orientation of Lehi's party and are thus able position the first pointer to get them where they needed to go that hour, day, etc.  A speculative thought, perhaps, but I haven't heard any better explanation for the existence of this second pointer, so why not.  

Lastly, Nephi explained that the Anor Stone / Liahona worked according to the "faith and diligence and heed" given to it.  Alma also reinforced that the Liahona worked by "Faith".  Similarly (at least to my mind) it was said that the Palantiri worked based on the will of the user, with only those of strong will and mind being able to use them effectively or for long.  Use of the Palantari was apparently exhausting, which may be why Nephi mentions diligence as being required.  Also, without being governed by a strong mind, the stones were said to be wayard, with haphazard visions, which may also speak to the heed Nephi also says was required.

Melchizedek and Numenor: Elros, Son of Earendel, as Melchizedek

It is my view that the Melchizedek that is referenced in various scriptures and stories is associated with the land of Numenor, and was in fact the first King of that land... Elros, the son of Earendel.

Elros re-established this Order as he was taught by Eonwe in the first years of his Kingdom.  The official name of the Melchizedek Priesthood is "The Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God", but, as Mormons are aware, the name was changed to bear Melchizedek's name so that God's name was not used too frequently.  Elros became the head of this order, ruling (quite literally) under his father Earendel who had been taken up from Earth with Aman (the point of Melchizedek ruling under his father being a point Alma emphasizes in the Book of Mormon).

Remarkably, I think Eonwe, also known by the name of Fionwe ("Son") as mentioned in another post, would have been the Son referenced to in the order's name... at least as far as these Numenoreans were concerned or had knowledge of.

Alma is careful to explain that the High Priests of this Order were ordained "in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption".  Eonwe/Fionwe would have played this role as a High Priest in his work with Elros and the Dunedain, standing in for and representing Jesus as he worked for their redemption.  It is to Eonwe that Elros and his people would have looked to in order to understand Jesus, and later, Elros that his descendents and his people would look to gain this same understanding.

And not just for some future redemption!  Something magical happened to these people that does not seem to have been fully recorded or captured in Tolkien's recounting of the Numenorean tale.   Rather than receiving instruction from Eonwe that had no redemptive power in the here and now, instead, as Alma also makes it clear, these people at the time of Elros-Melchizedek were "made pure, and entered into the rest of the Lord their God."  Alma puts the number down as not just a few, but an "exceedingly great many" souls.

So, if (big if) the connection of Elros with Melchizedek is correct, and we also trust Alma's account of what is going on with the Order at this time, something is going on with Numenor that extends beyond the full accounting that we find in the Silmarillion and other writings.  Meaning, Numenor, it seems, was set up as a means for the instruction and redemption of Men, or at least Beings now being born as Men upon this new island.  If God's work and glory is to bring about the eternal life and immortality of Men, it seems that Numenor was meant to have a hand in this.  Making its ultimate corruption and downfall at the hands of Sauron and of other evil forces all the more tragic.

What this also means, ultimately, is there must be a lot we do not know about Numenor, its purposes, and the events that transpired there, but they might very well be worth knowing because those purposes may be set up again as part of a restoration or restitution of all things that Joseph Smith taught of.

One last note:  In Alma's tale of Melchizedek, and in other bible stories, we learn of a tithe that Abraham pays to Melchizedek.  How might this fit in?  Well, I believe that Abraham is the same Being that we would know from Tolkien's writings as Aule.  He and his wife Yavanna - known also as the Queen of the Earth - were Powers associated with the materials that this Earth was fashioned from and plants and trees growing on it.  The tithe that Abraham-Aule gave to Melchizedek-Elros may have simply been Numenor itself... the land and all of its wonders (a new Eden, in part!), these things being the 'possessions' from which he had to give.

3 Kingdoms of Glory: Once before and yet again

As recounted in Tolkien's writings, at the end of the First Age there existed 3 distinct worlds, lands, or 'kingdoms'.  The lands were inhabited by different types of people, depending both on the nature of their Being, as well as their own actions and choices prior to the ordering of these lands.

Aman is the first kingdom, and in it I call out 3 general sub-groupings:  First, Valinor where the Powers or Gods themselves (the Ainur) lived.  Second, the lands of the Eldar (Elves) who were not originally exiled, including the Vanyar, Teleri, and a portion of the Noldor.  Third, the island of Tol Eressea, which had been place back in proximity to Valinor at the end of the age and where the Noldor who had been exiled were invited back to live.

Numenor is the second kingdom, an 'island' specifically created for a few Houses of Men (who became known as the Dunedain) who had aided the Gods in defeating Melkor (Satan).  While still subject to death, they were given very long lives and were blessed with physical and mental gifts far superior to any other race of Men.

Middle-earth is the last and final kingdom, and the messiest of the lot.  Lower in glory than the other two kingdoms, it is also inhabited by a fairly wide variety of people.  One finds Eldar who have refused the summons back to Aman in various regions.  There are also the large remainder clans and nations of Men who did not aid Aman in their struggle against Melkor (with many having actively supported Melkor).  And other races and types of Beings.

I briefly introduce the Kingdoms because it is this whole construct that I have found to be one of the more fascinating connections with the teachings and visions Joseph Smith described.

A unique teaching to Mormonism is the concept of 3 Kingdoms of Glory that will exist after the resurrection and the judgment of Men.  While Joseph described these Kingdoms as a future state of affairs, I believe it will be an encore or a re-establishment of things that also once were.  Meaning these 3 Kingdoms will both be a new way but also an old way, and perhaps many of the details used to describe the future Kingdoms were taken from how things had been set up and governed before.  The historical rough mapping is:  Aman-Celestial, Numenor-Terrestrial, and Middle-earth-Telestial.

Mormon theology describes a state where Beings from these respective Kingdoms can visit those of a lower Kingdom, but those of a lower Kingdom are unable to visit above.  This was also how it worked in Tolkien's description.   The Eldar (it seems under the direction of Eonwe), were assigned to visit the Men of Numenor and teach/ minister to them.  Similarly, the Men of Numenor visited Middle-earth and ultimately ended up ruling over it and the other Men who inhabited it.  Just as in Joseph's version, Tolkien highlights a Ban that prevented the Numenoreans from traveling to Aman (the breaking of this Ban by Pharazon ultimately led to the entire destruction of the 3 Kingdom model of this world).

Also as in Joseph's descriptions, the inhabitants of these various lands in Tolkien's version differed in the power, glory, and attributes of their bodies relative to the inhabitants of the other Kingdoms.  This in fact seems to be the major reason why a Ban existed in visiting higher kingdoms in the first place... the bodies of those living in Numenor would be unable to live in a state of well-being in Aman without some significant changes taking place.

Touching on the person of Eonwe I find another interesting connection.  Eonwe was also known by the name of Fionwe, literally meaning "Son", and was the messenger of Manwe, the King of the Gods.  So, just as Joseph Smith envisioned the inhabitants of the middle Kingdom (Numenor-Terrestrial) receiving the presence of the Son, but not of the Father, so too did Tolkien, who stated that it was Eonwe-Fionwe - the Son - who taught them and blessed them with the gifts that they were given.

I bring that last point up because I will try and expand on it, if I can, on how this relates to Mormon doctrine of Melchizedek, the order or priesthood that eventually took on his name, and just what may have been going on during the beginning of Numenor involving that order.

I think I will close the topic here and touch on these other types of tangents or details in other posts.  The key concept I wanted to at least introduce is that in the writings of Tolkien we may have an accurate description of several kingdoms that once existed (and that were set up in that manner for a purpose!), and that Joseph Smith teachings represent a restoration or reestablishment of these kingdoms.

Reincarnation as something that ought to be considered within the context of Christianity

 Another topic to get out of the way upfront has to do with reincarnation.

For most of my life the concept of reincarnation wasn't really even considered, as it was definitely not a part of the belief system I was raised in specifically, or really part of Christianity as I understood it more generally.

The story I had been told was that we lived as spirits in a pre-mortal state before being born here on Earth, that we were born once here in order to both receive a body as well as to make good choices, before ultimately then dying.  At that time, our spirits would go to a spiritual plane or world to await the resurrection, at which time we would obviously be a spirit and a body again, never to be separated.

And this might be how the story goes for some, even many, but I don't think for everybody anymore.  I believe now that there are some individuals (I think it may be many, as well) who have at least a couple go-arounds on Earth, with a few having potentially many more than just a couple.  It depends, I think, both on the role of the individual in question, as well as their own innate Being.  In this story, some are asked to play multiple parts and do so because of their belief in and loyalty to those who ask them, while others may also have the power or ability to do this if they wish, whether asked or no.  I am not sure how it all works, however.

That being said, the concept of reincarnation was one that I fought fairly intensely for some time.  I didn't like it.  It seemed to me to be the loneliest concept I had ever heard of.  I love my family, and close friends, and the thought that all of that went away - was completely forgotten - as a person died and was reborn with another family just came across to me as a horrible.  It made me feel cold or something.

Two things helped, however, in my coming around to the belief that reincarnation is a thing, at least for some.

First, I actually don't think it works like I originally feared.  As in, I don't think it is a random shuffling of people and families, and that we forever lose what had been gained and nurtured during a life.  I think there is a continuation, and that those we love continue to join us along the path - the nature of the relationships may change in some instances, obviously, but that there is a guiding hand and a method to the madness that manages how relationships and ties are re-established in these cycles.

Second, I've come to believe that we existed in and as part of families long before this Earth was created, and that while those we love here are in many cases extensions or continuations of those families in the Great Before or whatever we call it, still it is not complete.  To say it another way, the great fear that I had about reincarnation was actually already a reality that I was experiencing unknowingly with or without me or anyone else being born here one time or fifty.  The fact was that I did have family and close friends in a time long before, these relationship existed for a very long time, but they are not all here with me now and I have completely forgotten them.  Heaven, as I see it, will include the reuniting of these first family relationships - a remembering of what once was, and is now again, and will never now not be.  And not just a reuniting, but also it seems potentially an expansion and new connections within and across these families.  So, what once was now made even better, perhaps.

Again, I bring this up because in some of the thoughts I will capture here, reincarnation and individuals playing multiple roles and being known by many names will be taken as a given.  I sometimes like to make connections and make a few not-completely-uneducated guesses about a Being and the many parts they might have played, and that will no doubt come out in my writing.

Two such individuals were mentioned in my previous post - Joseph Smith and JRR Tolkien.

The real strange and wonderful thought exercises open up at the intersection of reincarnation and the belief that Tolkien's imagined world is based in reality.   In the merging of those beliefs, one starts to place people like Joseph and Tolkien - individuals we know existed in our 'real' world - as also having played previous roles and had lives in the these other stories that are held to be fiction, and in seeing that, it helps bridge these two worlds and merge them into a much bigger and better story.  That is why I think about it and try to make those connections.

Other Stories

As I mentioned in my first post, my religious background is in Mormonism, and although I am no longer an active member of that community (specifically the LDS church), I still find myself thinking, speaking, and acting in that language and culture. 

I still feel that to be my foundation, in terms of beliefs, with the major caveat being that I think what Mormonism has become is a fairly confused and confounded (and cursed) version of what it ought to have been.

So, I am a bit of a free agent at the moment . . . which has its benefits and drawbacks.  One benefit is I get to be a bit more free to pick and choose, I guess, the stories that I believe in and explore (Mormonism has, it seems to me, trapped itself in certain traditions and chains for so long, extending all the way back to the time of Brigham Young, that I don't see any easy way out of it institutionally).  The drawback is that this is sometimes pretty lonely - I think the community, currently, is very small that would be willing to take the kinds of stories I attempt to integrate together seriously.  I do know of a few people - full disclosure - but I consider some of them to be potentially evil, so that obviously makes the problem worse, not better.

In any case, a reader should know that I take many of the writings and stories from JRR Tolkien to be something closer to real history than they are to fiction.  And yes, I acknowledge that this is likely crazy - I have accepted the terms of my potential insanity, if not initially gracefully, at least now more completely.  In my own thinking and developing beliefs, the stories of Tolkien combine with the stories and writings of Joseph Smith to create the beginnings of a fairly grand and true story, even if we only currently can catch glimpses or certain angles of it.

I just introduce this here since some of what I write about will make ties or connections between the stories of Tolkien and Smith, and some thoughts will just take as a given that the stories that Tolkien writes of are just as real as those one would find in the Book of Mormon.

One should also know that my thoughts on the bible are that it is not of much value in its current form as a whole, at best, and maybe should be actively avoided or at least forgotten for awhile if imagining a new story is of any interest.  Not to say there isn't much truth in there - there likely is, or has to be, in order for it to be so confounding (anything completely false would be easier to dismiss) - but my view is its not very helpful as a first articles kind of thing.  Meaning, it could very interesting once we have a better idea of what the true stories are, but of very little, to negative, value in actually uncovering them.  

If finding the true story is a ship setting sail for the horizon, the bible is perhaps the anchor that keeps it in port.

Having said that, I will likely reference bible stories in some thoughts to maybe put my own spin on what the underlying truth of the matter might be, or other types of bible references that are at least somewhat vouched for (e.g., Isaiah).  We'll see.

What's up with the name?

Coat of Skins... kind of a strange name, and wasn't really what I was expecting to title this blog as.  It kind of grew on me a bit, though, as I thought more on it.  Something about it kind of encapsulates the types of things I am interested in thinking about in a few different ways.

In the biblical creation myth, God makes coats of skins for Adam and Eve after they are found naked in the Garden of Eden following their Fall.

It is a strange part of an already (probably) very convoluted and corrupted tale... God personally tailoring some clothes for Adam and Eve as they are sent packing out of the Garden to toil in the lonesome and dreary world.  The story element becomes even stranger as it is literally lived out currently in the lives of temple-attending Mormons.

A quick aside:  I am no longer what most Mormons would consider an active member, in that I don't attend their church, but I do consider myself to be more Mormon than anything else, both in culture and beliefs.  I was raised as a Mormon, my family are all Mormons, and it is the group of people, both past and present, with which I have the closest affinity, if that is the right word.  As such, I also don't want to get into a lot of temple things that Mormons in general don't really want people discussing outside of the temple, and frankly I don't really see the need to do that anyway.  But, I will discuss a few things here that I think are common knowledge and aren't offensive to share in order to explain what I am thinking with regards to coats of skins.

Mormons who have been through a temple ceremony for themselves receive what is called a Garment.  This is given as part of a ritual known as the Washing and Anointing, which precedes the more widely-known or referenced Endowment ceremony.  As they receive the Garment, they are told first that it is meant to be worn throughout their lives, that it will be a source of protection from evil for them as long as they take care of it or do not defile it.  As part of this, they are also told that the Garment represents the same coat of skins that were made for Adam and Eve as mentioned above.

Consequently, this strange part of an already strange creation myth - the coat of skins - is literally and symbolically lived and enacted by Mormons as they go about their lives, daily activities, etc., while wearing this clothing.

Why?

I am convinced Mormons, as a whole, don't really know.  And not that I pretend to, but I do have some thoughts.

It can be interpreted, both from Mormon scriptures as well as other writings and traditions, that when we speak of Adam and Eve, we do not speak of just one man and one woman, but a (probably fairly large) host of men and women.  Adam meaning "Mankind" or "Many".  So, as we follow along in their allegory, we can try to remember that these two - Adam and Eve - actually stand in for or represent many others (a concept and practice that should be very clear to those who have participated in an Endowment ceremony).

In addition, these first Men were brought to Earth already possessing bodies - they came as living souls, and there was at that time no death for them (but not necessarily for other creatures that had been created up until that time).  There are both Christian and Jewish sources that hold that these bodies were radiant, having a glory or light about them.

But their Fall brought about death, and the separation of Men from these bodies.  In the Book of Mormon we have the unique teaching that it was God himself that brought about death, and that this death was an act of mercy.  Again, why?  

I believe it is because the Fall of Man involved Men making oaths to Satan and Evil, and that these oaths were unbreakable so long as these Men remained as souls.  Death - the separation of spirit and body, or the literal fracturing of their souls, was the only answer or way in which to free them of these terrible oaths.  

So, just as God had said (in the allegory), death did come upon Men as a result of their own choices, but this death was an act of mercy intended to free them from the consequences of those choices.  And not just eventual death, somewhere down the road... I think that this death came fairly swiftly to this Host of Men, on the very day or period of their Fall.

Thus, if this is correct so far, we have a situation where Men would now have been rescued by God from their oaths to Satan (through death), but yet remain as spirits - the bodies that they had come to earth with no longer able to be possessed due to their connection to the oaths.  And as spirits, not only would they be incomplete non-souls and not have a fulness of joy, but they would still not fully be free from Evil, being susceptible to their influence and falling under Satan's rule again.

The temporary solution, then, was that new bodies needed to be made for these now un-housed, naked spirits.  It is these bodies that were the coats of skins that God made for Adam and Eve in their nakedness (naked meaning spirits not having a bodies).  I say a temporary solution because, taken from the matter of this earth out of necessity and perhaps even derived from creatures already created, these bodies were susceptible to disease and death.  God as Jesus would need to bring about the Resurrection of Men to ultimately pave the way for the permanent fix to this original, and catastrophic, problem of incomplete souls or spirits with ill-suited bodies.

Coming back to the Garments that Mormons wear, it is my belief that that they have it somewhat backwards or inverted, and they have taken something symbolic and made it literal, while taking other things meant to be literal and making them symbolic.  For example, many Mormons take to heart and believe quite literally that the Garment is a source of protection, and from their various stories of Garment-provided divine aid you get significant ridicule from Anti-Mormons about 'Magical Underwear' and other things like this.  

But such as this magic exists, Mormons are ascribing is to the wrong thing.  The Garment given in the temple and worn afterward is a symbol of the physical body our own spirits are already 'wearing'.  It is our own physical bodies that were made by God and given to us after the first death and when our other bodies could no longer be used, in order to be a means of protection to us, and which our spirits are meant to wear continually throughout our lives.  The magic and protection for our spirits are in our bodies, not in the cloth adorning them, with the Garment also meant to remind Men of the covenants and promises given in conjunction with these new God-given bodies.  

This different interpretation of the coats of skins, in my opinion, is one example of a twist or change in assumptions or understanding that is part of a exploring a different story or myth than is commonly understood or believed.

And it is for this reason that I titled this collection of writings thus.

Writing out thoughts... take two

I wrote things down in a blog a few years ago titled "A Good Seed".  It was based on my own experiences, hopes, and thoughts as I tried to bridge or bring together various things from my own Mormon background with new things I was learning and thinking about.  For a few reasons I stopped.  I actually deleted all of those old posts and got rid of all of my notes associated with them, and was pretty determined not to write ever again.

But thoughts continue to ripple along in my mind and it is helpful to write them down rather than keeping them bottled up... and if I am writing them down, I may as well do it in a place like this which helps preserve the thoughts and allow others to engage with them if they want to and if it is helpful.  

The Story - for lack of a better word - is what is on my mind the most, and much of what I will try to write here relates to that.  I don't think that Story comes together here - at least, it is not my intention to try and write out a comprehensive and cohesive narrative in this format - but rather the topics I will more-or-less ruminate on tie into that Story in various ways, whether explicitly or implicitly.

I do believe that we ought to be open to new ideas and ways of looking at things, and much of what we believe about what the Story is may not be correct.  Instead of using writing in a way to try to convince myself and others that a certain view must be correct, I wish to use it as a means of exploration.  I do believe there is a 'true story' to be found, and I also believe that none of us have found it.  I don't believe that will forever be our fate - meaning, I do think that Story comes out one day, just as promised.  Therefore, I feel one of the best things we can do is put ourselves in a position to believe that Story when it comes.

In that light, given that I am open to much, if not everything, I write here being incorrect, comments and other insights are welcome.  This is all draft, thinking-out-loud content.