Swampy Key Holders: Thomas B. Marsh and Pokelogan

I capped off last night by writing about Usher's halftime show, and showing some of his production elements and how they related to the story I have been exploring.  

The direct linkage I explored was the Faramir-Eowyn story element, even using Usher's full name (Usher Raymond) combined with some of my words/ phrases from 2020 to help support this theme.  Faramir, it seems, will have some capacity as a doorkeeper, for lack of a better word or description.  To get where some of us will want to go, we will perhaps need to pass through a door, and in some way Faramir may hold the key and authority to that door (as symbolized by the cross between the horns of the White Stag, or White Rabbit).

But, I don't think he will be the only one operating in that capacity relative to doors, passageways, and access to other worlds.

Enter Thomas B. Marsh to the conversation.

Thomas B. Marsh

Thomas B. Marsh was not on my radar as of 48 hours ago.  Leo, who comments on this blog and has resurrected his own blog over at Reimagining the Book of Mormon, brought him to my attention through two posts that he wrote there last week.

Those two posts are The Curious Case of Thomas B Marsh and God's Word to the Gentile Dwarves.

I have to say right upfront that I currently don't see or have been able to align myself to Leo's narrative that equates Dwarves with Gentiles.  I have other ideas for these Gentiles as of right now.  I also don't see these Gentiles making their way to the Promised Land/ Eressea #2 as of yet (where in his post he suggests they may have gone there as early as the 1850s).   Where he writes that Thomas Marsh may have already opened a door for Gentiles (whatever their identity) to go to Eressea #2, I think this is something yet to be.  In my story so far, all doors from this world to another either remain closed or yet to be found.  Part of the work that still needs to happen is opening those doors.

He may be on to something, though.  I don't know.  We are all just guessing and exploring, so I will be interested to see where he takes that story and see if I will need to rethink some things on my end.  We will see.

While he hasn't quite succeeded in convincing me of these points, he has, however, successfully convinced me that Thomas B. Marsh is going to play an important role.  Very much so.  Marsh has gone from not even on my radar as of 48 hours ago, to very important as a result of Leo's thinking and exploration.

For those not aware of Marsh's story, he was the very first President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during Joseph Smith's time.  He would end up leaving the church, however, while Joseph was still alive.  The commonly accepted story is that Marsh was offended over some milk and left, painting him as a fairly petty individual.  Leo does a good job of calling that narrative into question.   It was likely not milk that caused Marsh to leave the Mormons, but rather their increasingly violent and aggressive actions in Missouri, including the formation of the group known as the Danites.  

Anyway, you can read Leo's posts for his summary and backstory on Marsh.

Marsh, as President of the Twelve, was given some fairly specific promises, as captured in what is now D&C 112.  Leo highlights some of these promises in putting forward his hypothesis on Marsh's potential actions involving Dwarves among the mountains.  I am going to explore a bit of a different alternative reading, or something at least with respect to a role or mission of Marsh that has yet to be fulfilled.

I have mentioned before that I believe Brigham is once again alive among us.  As is probably Eliza Snow, Heber Kimball, and others from that time period (see my post Saruman's last chance, and some Brigham accomplices).  So why not Marsh?  That is the thought I had as I reflected on Leo's post.  And if why not Marsh, why not have these promises that were given to him apply in this go around, and not just the last one?  Meaning, his promises and keys have stayed with him, through life and death, and what we read of in Section 112 could be interpreted as being both still valid and yet to be fulfilled.

Some of these promises, conveniently, map very well to the story we have been exploring here.  For example, in vs. 6, the Voice that is speaking to Marsh through Joseph (this Voice potentially being Faramir here, keep that in mind, as alluded to in my post Completing the picture of Joseph Smith's First Vision, where I have penciled in Faramir as the second personage, as being the male Holy Ghost), says:

... for I, the Lord, have a great work for thee to do, in publishing my name among the children of Men.

Well, I don't think Thomas Marsh published a lot of things that came among Men back in the 1800s.  So either this great work was given to someone else (but I must have missed those great published works also) or this is something Marsh has yet to do.

The 'publishing' part of that promise caught my eye.  Recall that this word has come up in both the passage of scripture that Abinadi-Faramir was interrogated over by Noah and his priests, as well as in Jesus' words to those at Bountiful.  I brought up both of these quotes in my post "Ho!", and here again just for reference is what Jesus says:

And then shall they say: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!

And then shall a cry go forth: Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch not that which is unclean; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.

For ye shall not go out with haste nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel shall be your rearward.

I immediately connected Thomas B. Marsh with this statement by Jesus.  Indeed, Abinadi in his discourse before Noah-Brigham states very directly that this phrase not only points to Jesus, but to Jesus' servants and prophets who 'publish peace', both that have done so in the past, as well as those that will do so in the future.

As a quick call out, recall again why Thomas B. Marsh left the Mormons - it was because of a lack of peace.  The spirit of peace was gone, and so was he.

I have also put forward my own alternative definition for what 'mountains' are, specifically it seems as to when and how Isaiah uses them (see this post).   As in, by mountains I understand this to mean "worlds".  Keep that in mind, and the Isaiah reference as well, as we go to the continuation of Marsh's promise found in the next verse (v. 7):

Therefore, gird up the loins for the work.  Let thy feet be shod also, for thou art chosen, and they path lieth among the mountains, and among many nations.

I had to laugh when I saw the reference to feet being shod.  In my posts on Xanadu, I have referenced the roller skates as something analogous to the new footwear required to 'walk' to other worlds, including Valinor, Eressea, and I imagine other worlds.  And here we have Marsh being told to let his feet be shod (something that will be done for him... 'Let' meaning to allow).  When his feet are properly shod with roller skates, his path will then be among the mountains and many nations (meaning, other worlds).  To state more clearly, Marsh is being told that he will be engaged in interstellar travel to other worlds.  That is what I see here, and it is consistent or analogous to the calling I have also laid out for Faramir, you will note.

There is a difference, however, between Marsh's job and Faramir's job, and even that of Joseph and Hyrum,  although they will all be complementary.  Part of this is laid out in D&C 107, in which the mission of the Twelve is specifically laid out.  In that section, multiple 'leadership' bodies are mentioned, including the Presidency of the Church (consisting of 3 individuals) and the Twelve.  They are said to be in equal authority with each other, but that their specific missions or roles are different.  The Twelve are specifically called to be a 'travelling' group, going among the many nations and to be special witnesses of the 'name' of Jesus.  They will first go to the worlds/ lands of the Gentiles, and then to the worlds/lands of the Jews.

So, one could potentially envision that whereas Faramir holds the keys directly of access to 'Xanadu' (the dual Holy Places of Jerusalem-Tirion and New Jerusalem), Thomas Marsh will hold the keys of access and travel to the worlds that comprise the Gentiles.

What that means in practice, and how many worlds that entails, I don't exactly know.  It just seems that Marsh, as still holding the keys of the travelling Twelve, will be involved in not only the publication of words and stories, but also in leading the effort to take these stories to multiple world and lands, specifically among the worlds of the Gentiles.  In this capacity, as it relates to access and pathways to other worlds, Thomas B. Marsh will also act as a complementary 'doorkeeper' (Usher!), and I imagine that all of the work that entails travel to and from these lands will be under his guidance and direction.

As another aside, this will in some ways mirror or recall, I think, Jesus' own work and the Twelve were used.  If Jesus was actually born and lived in Tirion (and not this Earth), how did we on Earth even find out about Jesus, even if it is in a very corrupted Bible?  Well, I am guessing that the Twelve were sent out from Tirion-Valinor to the lands of the Gentiles.  Our world world would be considered on of those Gentile lands, so at least one of those Apostles would have come here to teach about Jesus.  The same would have been been done by other Apostles on other Gentile worlds.  Jesus himself, however, would go to all of the lands where "Israel" was found, which included Bountiful/ Eressea #2.  It seems that these Twelve were given the 'keys' to come to worlds like our own, but not keys with respect to the lands of Israel.  Jesus tells those at Bountiful that in fact those Apostles had no knowledge of these other lands of Israel, and assumed that when Jesus was going to visit another world, it would be a Gentile world, just like they were called to visit.  But Jesus said that the Gentiles would never hear his voice, for reasons I will potentially bring up in another post.  In any case, if a Gentile is to hear about Jesus, it will be through voices and Beings that are not Jesus, but represent him, it appears.

Anyway...

Leo brought up the account of Marsh's return and reconciliation with Brigham and the Mormons in Utah in his posts.  I had never read this account, neither his words or Brigham's response.  If you get a chance, you should read it.  It is shocking, specifically Brigham's response.  Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised.  It pretty much summarizes my view of Brigham fairly well.  I haven't been shocked by some quote or action attributed to Brigham in a long time, but I was surprised at his words here.

In Marsh's blessing and promise, the Voice (maybe Faramir) states that through Marsh "many high ones shall be brought low, and by they word many low ones shall be exalted".  I consider Brigham to be among those high ones that Marsh will both expose and bring down.  What we see in the speeches of Marsh and Brigham are the signs of two very different men.  Marsh was willing to absolutely abase himself, probably even condemning himself and repenting for crimes that likely were not really there, or at least to the extent that he saw them.  Brigham, meanwhile, saw the opportunity to exalt himself - quite literally.   You have the old President of the Twelve (Marsh) vs. his replacement who would go on to make himself King (Brigham), and I think their natures and dispositions are on full display here.  Marsh placed himself at the mercy of Brigham, and Brigham responded by letting Marsh know how and where he views him.

Leo openly wondered why Marsh put himself through this if not as part of some ploy to get back into Utah and work among the Dwarves.  I guess that could be true.  Again, I don't yet see that in my own story, but who am I to say at this point what is correct here?  I do have other reasons for why Marsh did so, or why he visions and dreams led him to do so, and I think those reasons will become more apparent as time goes on.  Heaven, the Good Guys, and their strategies are in it for the long game.

Regardless of rationale, Marsh says something incredibly interesting in his reconciliation speech, given everything we have just covered here and in this overall story.  He mentions twice that all he wants is to be a doorkeeper:

I have come here to get good society—to get your fellowship. I want your fellowship; I want your God to be my God, and I want to live with you forever, in time and eternity. I never want to forsake the people of God any more. I want to have your confidence, and I want to be one in the house of God. I have learned to understand what David said when he exclaimed, “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” I have not come here to seek for any office, except it be to be a doorkeeper or a deacon; no, I am neither worthy nor fit; but I want a place among you as a humble servant of the Lord.

I think Marsh here is unknowingly speaking the truth, or prophesying even, that he will one day truly be a doorkeeper/ usher.  He worried that the keys had been taken from him and given to another, but he still sought reconciliation and desired no office or power among the Mormons other than being a doorkeeper.

I think Marsh will get his wish.  In fact, my guess is, that of all the words that came out of Marsh's mouth that day, those words - that desire to be a doorkeeper - came directly from Heaven itself, and the true meaning of those words will become very clear some day.

But, in order to be an effective Usher or doorkeeper, one must have the keys, and I believe Marsh has them, or at least still has the right to them once they are delivered.

This concept of holding keys then brings me, interestingly enough, to some posts by William Tychonievich, involving another 'key holder' with a Marsh-y or swampy name.

Pokelogan - the swampy, marshy keyholder

I mentioned that Leo wrote two posts about Thomas B. Marsh, both dated February 7.  William wrote two posts as well about a 'Being' he named Pokelogan, with the first on February 6 and the next on February 8.  Just keep that in mind as I will now make a connection between Pokelogan and Thomas B. Marsh.  

I his first post, "Pokelogan", WJT introduces us to Pokelogan, which turns out to be a Pokeman character in the form of a keychain.  William acquired the keychain sometime in the 90s, though doesn't remember how, and at some point named it Pokelogan, though doesn't remember how that came about either.

He looked up Pokelogan and found a direct hit in english (though with a silent e) from a word from New England that means:  "a usually stagnant inlet or marshy place branching off from a stream or lake."

I mean I think you can spot what I see (and what I bolded).  We have this keychain character - something that 'holds keys' whose name has something to do with a "marsh".  Thomas Marsh's name also has something to do with a Marsh (clearly) and he is said to hold keys!  And William and Leo are writing about their respective characters at pretty much the same time!  Or, as stated above, two posts each on their respective characters in a period of 3 days.

Further, in that first post, William finally finds the 'true' identity of Pokelogan, and finds a reference to Laplace.  William specifically mentions that Laplace is connected with Black Holes, being linked with the name of Pierre-Simon Laplace, one of the first thinkers to propose Black Holes as concept.  As readers will know, I have begun to associate Black Holes, or at least the concept of symbolism of them, as having something to do with these doorways or portals to other worlds.

Neat!

In his second post on Pokelogan, "Pokelogan is Elvish, because of course it is -- plus a note on Xanadu", William also highlights that this name in Elvish also has something to do with marshes, with the elvish word "logna" or "loga" meaning "soaking wet, swamped".  

If you look up Marsh on Etymonline, the first definition you will get back is "tract of water-soaked or partially flooded land; wet, swampy ground".  In other words, swamp = marsh.  They are synonymous.

So we have two Beings named Marsh/Swamp who both hold keys:  one is a person named Thomas B. Marsh who holds keys, and another is a Pokemon keychain named Pokelogan who also has the job of holding keys, obviously (though from the picture, it looks like he is key-less currently - but definitely able and willing!).  And they are being written about fairly simultaneously by two different bloggers that also comment on my blog.

Kind of interesting.

I mean, as crazy as it might sound, I pretty much think that William's Pokemon keychain represents Thomas B. Marsh, based on Leo exploration of the character, and the story I have tried to also articulate here.   By my own reckoning, it wouldn't be the first time that William has successfully named and even described (unknowingly) both the name and function of various characters.  This one is kind of similar to the Stripling Warriors, where a story or character and their associated name can be traced to the name and story of a Mormon-affiliated character.  See my post "Ammonites:  Milkom-men on the Promised Land" for that example.

Anyway, that was my "matchmaker" post for the day - it was fascinating to see those posts by Leo and William written at the same time (though I wasn't aware of Leo's post until this weekend), and to tease out that aspect of the story with Thomas B. Marsh, the other keyholding Usher (hopefully he keeps his shirt on, though).