Fawkes, Fox, and Outlaws

There are a lot of things to probably catch up on, but for this post I am going to try to focus and prioritize the theme of "Outlaws".  I am going to miss some threads here for sure, but just wanted to get a few thoughts down.

Yesterday, while swimming with my kids in the pool at our rental house, we decided to play a game where we would all go underwater, one person would speak, and the others would try and see if we could understand.  After one time through, we were done, but my youngest son wanted to be the speaker one more time.  He sang a song that I couldn't quite place, but my daughter got it:  "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean".  I am not sure why that song got in his head - I have never heard him sing it - but that name "Bonnie" caught my attention.  Actually, at first I was pretending that I thought the song was "My Body Lies Over the Ocean", and my kids kept yelling at me "It's Bonnie!".

After we were done swimming, I think I stumbled on why Bonnie stood out to me so much.  I remembered that it showed up in my 2020 words.  I actually loosely referenced these words in an earlier post, but didn't actually include them, at the time saying that I didn't have really any good interpretations at that time but if I did, I would include them.  Here are some (not all) of these words from May 25, 2020:

Old valley
Help bring to pass the greatest scriptures known to man
Small and simple things/means
Confound the wise
Bring to pass much restoration
Bonnie and Clyde (outlaws?)
North
Of greatest evil is this: to say and not do
Greater light being made manifest

My guess on the "Old Valley", for what its worth, is that this refers to Adam-ondi-Ahman, but I am not sure.  The parts after that seem to refer to this theme of new records or scriptures, with some phrases and references from both Alma 37 and 2 Nephi 3 here (both chapters have been very relevant in my story).

Then there is this strange reference to Bonnie and Clyde.  I wrote "Outlaws?" in parentheses because at the time I was trying to make sense of why that reference.  Bonnie and Clyde were famous bandits in the U.S. during the Great Depression (1930s).  They were not only bank robbers, but serial murderers.  So, it was strange to see their names here, as I didn't consider them to fit for those reasons.  The best I could come up with was that they were fugitives from the law, or outlaws.

I think that guess makes sense now, this notion of outlaws, but in the good outlaw kind of way.  Let's look at Bonnie and Clyde's names.

So, obviously in Bonnie we have what my son was singing about, in saying that the person lies over the ocean.  That reference should be an obvious one, since we have Eowyn as the woman who crossed that ocean and is on the other side of it at the present time.  Bonnie means "Pretty, Fair, Beautiful", which is another wink to Eowyn, given commentary about her from LOTR.  To round it out, the actual bandit/outlaw Bonnie's middle name was Elizabeth, which is a name we've also directly tied to Eowyn.

So, if Bonnie - the one who lies over the ocean (Somewhere, beyond the sea...) - is Eowyn, then Clyde must represent Faramir.

The name Clyde has a Gaelic meaning of "The Cleansing One" or "Washer".  This would be an extremely appropriate name for Faramir given that I have identified him as the Holy Ghost.  Pretty straightforward.

As a sort of reverse sync or wink, by the way, about an hour after trying to understand each other underwater, my kids were watching the 4th Harry Potter movie, "The Goblet of Fire".  I walked in for the scene where Harry is sitting in the bath with his dragon egg.  In order to understand the voice coming from the egg when he opens it, both he and the egg must be underwater.  A reference to Baptism, I suppose, and being able to understand or hear things coming from an "Egg" once that has been done, perhaps.  It was just interesting to see that scene so soon after we had all tried to speak to each other underwater, which is not a game I ever remember us having done in the pool.

But back to Outlaws.

The night previous, they had watched the 2nd Harry Potter movie, "The Chamber of Secrets" (in case you were wondering, part of our vacation included Universal Studios in Orlando where Harry Potter's Wizarding World is, so they are on a bit of a Harry Potter kick at the moment).

I joined them toward the end, when Harry is facing the Basilisk.  To his aid flies Dumbledore's Phoenix, named Fawkes.  When I heard Harry say that name, it was like I heard it again for the first time, only this time as Fox.

I mean, say it a couple times.  Fawkes = Fox.  They are phonetically identical.

This struck me as extremely interesting.  Earlier in the week, a Fox had entered my dreams, and I had even written a post about it, in the form of the actor Michael J. Fox (who had been eating a croissant).  Both the actor, as well as the character Marty McFly in Back to the Future, I have linked to Gim Guru-Faramir.  And look at the appearance of Fawkes:

He is Red and Gold, just like Alvin, another Faramir link.

Further, the Phoenix is a Being of Fire, known for being consumed in flames, but then rising from the ashes.  This is another fit for our Faramir character, who was burned alive by Noah and his priests (as Abinadi), was previously attempted to be burned alive by Denethor, and is connected to the Fire that will ultimately consume this Earth sometime in the future (as foreseen by Denethor in the Anor Stone).

There is some symbolism in "The Chamber of Secrets" in relation to the role Fawkes plays for Harry in his fight against the Basilisk (remember that Harry is symbolizing Peter here, so we have 2 of our 3 Chip Monks interacting with each other in the scene), but I am going to stay focused on the Outlaw theme and save that for another post.

The name Fawkes, besides being a word play for Fox (which I have plenty more to say about here in a moment), is famous for it belonging to Guy Fawkes.  This Fawkes is another Outlaw from English history.  He would ultimately be executed after the failed Gunpowder plot back in the 1600s.  His crime was High Treason, in which he planned to assassinate King James I and blow up the House of Lords.

Interestingly, the word "Guy", which I've highlighted before on this blog, originated with Guy Fawkes.  Fawkes was also known as Guido, which is a relevant name for us here as well.  As one might have been able to infer, it means "Guide".  This is a proper term for the Holy Ghost from several scriptural references.  For instance, in D&C 45, Joseph Smith recorded God as saying that it is those who took the Holy Ghost as their guide that will not be cast into the fire:

And at that day, which I shall come in my glory, shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake concerning ten virgins.

For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived - verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.

So, it might seem strange at this point of my post that I have likening a Being I consider to be literally the Holy Ghost to such outlaw or fugitive-type figures as Clyde or Guy Fawkes, but I think it should make sense here shortly.  By they way, in Harry Potter, Fawkes the Phoenix also operated as an outlaw of sorts.  During the movie, Dumbledore is removed as Headmaster of Hogwarts, and not allowed on the ground.  Fawkes was there in his name (as Dumbledore explained to Harry, help will come to all who ask for it, and Fawkes coming to Harry demonstrated that he had remained loyal and faithful to Dumbledore) but, belonging to Dumbledore, was there against the rules.

Back to Fox.  This was a somewhat tricky as the Red Fox has come up before, but primarily as a negative symbol.  For instance, the Red Fox that was setting up camp next door to my chickens.  But, as recently as the time when I saw the Red Fox riding that wave at Wisconsin Dells, I've been thinking that this must be a dual symbol, and we actually have a Red Fox as a good symbol as well - or, maybe stated more accurately, we ought to change the symbol of the Red Fox to that of Good.  I think Disney seals the deal for me here.

With Fawkes the Phoenix, we have a Red Bird (which has come up before with the Red Turtle Dove) that is named as a Fox.  A Fox and Bird combination.  

Where have I seen this before?

Oh, yes - in the Disney cartoon "Robin Hood".  I mentioned this movie before when I wrote about Football Loving Chicken (who, alas, is no more), but only in the context of Lady Kluck, and not really mentioning its main character.

In the Disney adaptation of Robin Hood, Robin (the name of a bird) is played by a Fox.  So, once again, we have this Bird Fox combination - to me an extremely direct tie between Fawkes the Phoenix and Robin the Fox.

And, of course, Robin Hood is famous because he was an Outlaw.  In the absence of King Richard, Prince John usurped the throne and, along with the Sheriff of Nottingham and his assistant Hiss (the snake), makes life miserable for its inhabitants.  He taxes and steals from the poor to increase his own wealth.  Enter Robin Hood, who becomes the champion of the poor by stealing from the rich and giving it back to the poor.  In the Disney version, it is loyalty to the true King that also makes Robin an outlaw.  In other words, the Usurpers have made him an outlaw because he poses a threat to them and their authority.

What I am getting at may be more clear as we look at the example of Robin Hood.  The startling implication in my story is that the Holy Ghost himself is or will be named an outlaw or enemy by those who currently sit in power, not only on this world, but in the world that governs over our own and keeps us in the dark:  Eressea #1.  This would include Pengolodh, Lore Masters, and anyone else who, in the absence of the true King (Jesus), and his Family of Light, have usurped power for their own.  Remember my quoting of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, in which I also brought up CS Lewis' expansive view as portrayed in the Space Trilogy that when we speak of High Places, we speak of worlds "above" our own:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

These wicked rulers will not want to relinquish their power, nor be exposed for their unrighteous deeds.  And thus, even the Holy Ghost will be named an Outlaw - misrepresented as an Enemy to Good.  Perhaps just like King Noah and his Priests they would want to try him for his supposed blasphemy or other crimes against whatever laws they have devised, but I don't think that is how the story goes this next time, as I've suggested before.

This idea of those in power labeling the Holy Ghost as an Outlaw might actually help us understand a little more about what is meant by or involved in sinning against him, the one thing Jesus said won't be forgiven.

Lastly, this notion of being an "Outlaw" as one who breaks the rules or goes against authority is a theme we have already identified in other characters who represent this Holy Ghost-Faramir character.  For example, with the Maverick and Captain Kirk characters, they were both constantly reprimanded by those in the "Chain of Command" for disobeying orders.  These characters did not hesitate to act outside of prescribed rules or laws if the action itself was the right thing to do (as they saw it, I suppose).

Anyway, there are some additional tangents and points to make off of this, but I am going to close this out for now.