Millennial Avatar

I recently saw the movie Avatar and enjoyed it quite a lot. It is an amazing 3-D experience not to be missed. James Cameron has made some extraordinary movies and this one may be his best. Although there is criticism that the concepts for the story are a mixture of Dances with Wolves, Return of the Jedi and Pocahontas, I must say that it really was an elegant portrayal of some profound spiritual principles. Much like George Lucas for Star Wars, James Cameron pieced together many historical and mythological principles in a science fiction form that creates a timeless quality to the story.

There are the usual demonizations of the military and corporations. Greedy corporations run by white males with no shred of decency, combined with a collusionary military to enforce the desires of the corporation are all too frequent themes that tend to be tired and worn. But if you can move past the typical left wing political ideology and see beyond the cliches then you can truly find some impressive symbols that point towards a millennial frame of reference. Not to mention that the special effects in this movie are extremely impressive.

Jake Sully is the main character. He has left Earth which is no longer green and beautiful but has been "killed" and is presumed to be an environmental wasteland. His twin brother has died and Jake is taking his place as a "driver" for an avatar body on another planet. The planet "Pandora" is filled with life and has a sapient native population called the Navi who are ONE with their environment and the planet. Jake is a disabled marine who is despised and rejected by his own kind but has the DNA to drive an avatar that has the form of the Navi. His initial goal is to assist the corporation and military in pacifying the Navi and moving them away from their home so the corporation can continue to mine the planet for a rare mineral. If he succeeds, Jake will be paid handsomely and the military will also pay for him to have his disabled legs replaced. As he makes contact with the native population and learns their ways, he recognizes that their way of life is more beautiful and more harmonious than the one that he has. As he integrates deeper into the Navi culture and falls in love, he leads the Navi in an epic battle to turn back the tide and defeat the military-industrial alliance.



This movie is a visually stunning reverse parable of the garden of Eden story. Jake (Adam) lives a Telestial existence where all things are fragmented (including his body) and everything is a great threat. It is a place where the pursuit of money and power provides illusory carnal safety and security. Jake describes how they had "killed their mother" Earth and now history would repeat itself on this new planet. In spite of his carnal condition and beliefs, he leaves the lone and dreary world behind. He is saved and guided by a female Navi named Neytiri (Eve) who helps Jake to let go of his fragmented beliefs and embrace oneness and unity in a garden of Eden paradise.

The journey is challenging. Netytiri's mother wonders if Jake's "insanity" can be cured and describes him as a cup that is already full (of fragmented beliefs). Jake's world is turned backwards and upside down as his physical life fades and his spiritual life with the Navi becomes supreme. As Jake unlearns what he has learned and lets go of illusion, Jake and Neytiri become one flesh and live in harmony with each other, the tribe, and all life on Pandora. The Navi are said to believe in "two births". Jake is born again as a Navi when his spirit is miraculously transferred from his disabled human body to his Avatar Navi body at the "Tree of Souls".


Jake in many ways is also a Christ figure who is anointed through sacred signs and "ordinances" to lead the Navi (Spirit) in a battle to conquer the carnal humans (Body). Jake is not of Pandora just as Jesus said that he was "not of this world" (John 8:23). Jake is despised and rejected by his own kind just as Jesus was (see Isaiah 53:3). He is Navi and Human but over the course of the movie his Navi self comes into a fullness until he gathers all the Navi people from various tribes (dispersed Israel) across the planet to himself and leads them in battle and saves the planet from the carnal invaders. Jesus went from grace to grace until he received a fullness (see D&C 93:3-4). He gathers all his people unto himself and fights their battles (see D&C 98:37). The wicked (carnal man) perishes and the millennium is ushered in after the conclusion of "Armageddon".

Temple themes are also abundant in the movie. There is a sacred space where the Navi finally retreat. At the center of this sacred space there is a great white tree called the Tree of Souls that brings healing and unity. The tree is their greatest connection to Eywa (their deity). The natives will encircle the tree and interlock hands and arms with each other and pray and sing as ONE in order to call for miraculous healing to take place for those who are dying.

The Navi have a unified relationship with all the creatures of Pandora. This millennial existence provides sharp contrast to the humans who see everything as a threat. The prophet Joseph Smith had this millennial perspective in mind when he chastised the brethren on their Zion's Camp march. He said: "“We crossed the Embarras river and encamped on a small branch of the same about one mile west. In pitching my tent we found three massasaugas or prairie rattlesnakes, which the brethren were about to kill, but I said, ‘Let them alone—don’t hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose his venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless, before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious dispositions and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can dwell together, and the sucking child can play with the serpent in safety.’ The brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek. I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or an animal of any kind during our journey unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger” (History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2:71-72).



Avatar is an excellent movie and I would definitely recommend you see it. It is also a helpful example of leaving the Telestial world behind and can provide you momentum to take the steps you need to take to begin a new day. As we turn away from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and embrace the Tree of Life, we will come out of our "insanity" and the Telestial world of illusionary threats and carnal security will fade as it did with Jake Sully. We too can see that "all things" testify of Christ. We too can begin a dawning of an internal millennium within ourselves.



Peace and blessings to you until next time my friends.