A turquoise stone; and suns, moons, and armies with banners

I've been reading Laeth's novel Phantasia, the title of which refers to an ability to "manifest" objects by visualizing them clearly while one's head is immersed in a bowl of water. All last night I had a long dream in which some female Beings -- possibly including Claire, I'm not sure, but at any rate Beings of her general type -- were showing me a large turquoise-colored crystal ball and making the point, again and again as if they wanted to make sure I would remember it, that this "Stone" was related to Laeth's concept of phantasia in three different ways. First, I would have to manifest the Stone by visualizing it. Second, the function of the Stone was to induce preternaturally clear mental images. Third -- but I'm afraid that, despite their having taken the trouble to spend all night repeating themselves to pound it into my head, I've forgotten the third connection.

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For some reason, my post  "Further notes on the Tirza dream" is getting tons of views -- about seven times as many as "To Tirza," even though the "further notes" wouldn't make much sense if you hadn't read the dream itself. Maybe it's just because it spent a few days as my most recent post and was thus the one that appeared on blogrolls and such. Or maybe it's just Google stats being bonkers again.

Anyway, the dream had me thinking about Tirzah in the Bible, including this line from the Song of Solomon:

Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners (6:4).

This is echoed a few verses later, with beautiful [yafah] Tirzah and comely Jerusalem corresponding to the fair [yafah] Moon and the clear Sun, respectively:

Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners? (6:10)

Although Joseph Smith declared to Song of Solomon "not inspired," he, or those who spoke through him, really liked that line, which is quoted or paraphrased three times in the Doctrine and Covenants.

And to none else will I grant this power, to receive this same testimony among this generation, in this the beginning of the rising up and the coming forth of my church out of the wilderness -- clear as the moon, and fair as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners (D&C 5:14).

But first let my army become very great, and let it be sanctified before me, that it may become fair as the sun, and clear as the moon, and that her banners may be terrible unto all nations (D&C 105:31).

That thy church may come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners (D&C 109:73).

Each of the three renders the key line differently, with only the last following the Song of Solomon exactly. In the other two, it is the moon that is clear and the sun that is fair. A clear moon and a fair sun make me think of Claire Delune and Juliet, respectively. (Juliet, you will remember, recently appeared in "The blue flamingo and the golden stair.")