In March of 1991, R.E.M. released their 7th studio album titled, Out of Time, which included their most notable song Losing My Religion. Although never released as a single, the 7th track off that album, Belong, is the starting point for a very complicated and painful story.
R.E.M. frontman, Michael Stipe, reportedly met River at a PETA benefit in January of 1990 where the two became close friends. Not long after River’s death, Stipe would refer to him as “my brother” and has gone on to maintain a close friendship with River’s sister, Rain Phoenix.
The lyrics to the song eerily foretell of River’s death when he collapsed early Sunday morning outside of the Viper Room. The lyrics refer to a woman who gets up from the kitchen table, folds the newspaper, and silences the radio. The creatures jump the barricades and head for the sea. She begins to breathe at such freedom and whispers to her child, “belong.” The song ends with the beginning lyric, “her world collapsed early Sunday morning,” she holds the child tight and opens the window, “a breath, this song, how long, and knew, knew, belong.”
Belong Her world collapsed early Sunday morning She got up from the kitchen table Folded the newspaper and silenced the radio Those creatures jumped the barricades And have headed for the sea, sea Those creatures jumped the barricades And have headed for the sea She began to breathe To breathe at the thought of such freedom Stood and whispered to her child, belong She held the child and whispered With calm, calm; belong Stood and whispered to her child, belong She held the child and whispered With calm, calm; belong These barricades can only hold for so long Her world collapsed early Sunday morning She took the child held tight Opened the window A breath, this song, how long And knew, knew; belong
If I may take creative liberty, I would conclude that River’s mother, Arlyn “Heart” Phoenix, saw the signs embedded in her son’s movies. The woman folding the newspaper is symbolic of her seeing the signs from the golden gods or the news. The kitchen table represents that, she too, is linked in with a dying god. The creatures jumping the barricades symbolize the fruition of the word. They are heading for the sea, the o-zone, or the spirit realm. She opens the window and speaks the words aloud, “a breath, this song, how long?” River collapsed early Sunday morning outside of the Viper Room and went on to belong.
If we go back to the scene from Stand by Me, we see that Chris Chamber’s older brother, Eyeball Chambers, is dressed in similar clothing: white shirt and blue jeans, but Eyeball also has a sleeveless blue jean vest hanging off his left arm. To “vest” is to place authority or property in the control of a person or group, especially to give someone an immediate right to present or future possession. Also, Eyeball is wearing Gordie’s hat (the one that his dead brother had given him).
Here’s the translation: Michael Stipe essentially became Gordie (the word). After singing about what he knew (we can assume that River told him), he became the Pied Piper of sorts, and so the seed blossomed through his music. He, like Eyeball, was the older brother (think Masonry) who was given control of a future possession. In other words, he became the author, the gospel singer (so to speak), and the finisher of River’s fate. Linked into the golden gods himself, Stipe was led by his god (and by the prophecy in his DNA) to be the Eyeball (or the all-seeing eye) of River’s coming fate.
After River’s death, his actual brother (Joaquin Phoenix) would go on to wear the hat of his dead brother. That is to say, his career picked up where River’s came to an abrupt stop.
My Own Private Idaho
River began filming My Own Private Idaho in November of 1990, roughly three months before the release of Out of Time. In the film, he portrays a gay prostitute named, Mike Waters, who lives on the streets with his good friend, Scott Favor (Keanu Reeves), who is also a prostitute. The film begins with Mike standing on a deserted road where he states, “I’ve been on this road before. This is my road.” At the end of the film, Mike, again, is on a deserted road where he collapses into a narcoleptic fit. So, we have the completion of the circle. River, like Mike, collapsed on the sidewalk (or road) outside of the Viper Room where his body was wracked by seizures. Once again, we have the Stand by Me prophecy coming into play with the depiction of a road – or more to the point, a path of which to follow.
In the above scene, Scott and Mike are seated in front of a water fountain in Rome, Italy. Scott, dressed in black and white, holds Mike as he awakens from another narcoleptic fit. Scott represents the word, like the skunk on the trees in Stand by Me, he represents the word written on the table of the initiate’s heart. The lion statue spitting out water also represents this concept. Like the Lion of the Tribe of Juda worthy of opening the book, it represents the unfolding of prophecy and the completion of the water cycle. The water rains down, the earth soaks it up, it runs off into the ocean, and rains back down again. In other words, after his death, River becomes the water or the word of the golden gods.
The lion is spitting out water just as River (in his white shirt) was spitting out water in front of that old blue truck in Stand By Me. Engraved in the statue are the words, “The coming of the white man,” with the statue itself looking like a stone coffin. Here, we have the symbolism of the dying god, alive but dead, and calcified like stone. Here, we have an image of the human idol proclaiming that River (in white pants, black shirt, and a red jacket) will soon be one of them.
How these dying gods remain in a constant state of falling, alive but dead, is complicated at best, and while I’m no scientist, I suspect it all goes back to the flood, the pineal gland, and neurons in the brain. The pineal gland (sometimes called the third eye) is key to the body’s internal clock because it regulates the body’s circadian rhythms which control our sleep/wake cycles. These biological rhythms are actually entrainable and can be reset by exposure to external stimuli like light or changes in temperature. The external stimulus used to entrain a rhythm is called the Zeitgeber, a German word literally meaning “time giver.” These dying gods are essentially the Zeitgebers, or in a sense, God, to whomever they fall into synch during fornication. Their bodies are calcified like stone, hence, the coming of the white man. They themselves become like whited sepulchers.
The fact that River’s character suffers from narcolepsy (a neurological disorder that affects sleep/wake cycles) exemplifies this concept as does the character’s name. Mike or Michael means “who is like God” and “Waters” equals the word of the golden gods. The fact that he’s a prostitute represents the idea of connecting and reconnecting with a dying god during fornication. Hence, the phrase “the coming of the white man” also holds a sexual innuendo.
River’s character also brings to mind the Michael Stipe connection with “Waters” equaling the word (Stipe’s lyrics) and Michael or Mike Stipe being “who is like God,” or more to the point, a prophet for the golden gods.
The color yellow also holds significance. R.E.M.’s album cover for Out of Time shows a yellow banner with an ocean in the background. Streaks of lightning can also be seen in the left-hand corner. Like the fool being scorched by the sun, it signifies the need to reconnect with a dying god before the yellow turns to gold, i.e. death. It represents the need to start the cycle over again and wipe the slate clean before the yellow leaf falls of the tree. Like the yellow yolk of an egg, it symbolizes being born again of corruptible seed and transitioning into a golden god.
In the image above, Mike Waters is confronted in the street by a German suiter. He stands by the passenger side of his yellow car waiting for Mike to get in. He represents the Zeitgeber, the time-giver, or the golden god who has come to collect his fruit. The yellow car represents the yolk of the cosmic egg. Mike looks to the sky before passing out from another narcoleptic fit.
Surrounded by dead leaves, Mike Waters holds a yellow flower signifying his transformation into a golden god. A man in the background holds a wooden staff in his left hand with his right hand in his pocket. He represents death and traveling on to another realm. The person seated to the right represents the mercy seat.
In the Book of Exodus, the mercy seat is constructed out of gold with a cherubim on each side. Flip that upside down and you get the golden god. The person is dressed in dark gray with purple shoulders. In the Bible, the color purple symbolizes royalty. So, here we have a picture of the godhead with the purple shoulders representing wings (cherubims, or in this case, aliens) and the gray body representing the dying god. The person has red hair with a black and white headband signifying the word in the blood, or more specifically, neurons in the brain. They are sitting backwards in the chair representing the translation of that word.
Mike Waters stands against a yellow building under a sign that reads “Parking 30 minutes.” Dressed in white pants and a red jacket, he holds his right arm with his left hand. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa. The left side of the brain is responsible for logic and analytical thinking while the right side is more imaginative and creative. The right side of the brain is also more susceptible to non-verbal cues and hypnosis. The subliminal messaging here is that the right brain is in control. His shadow is seen on the yellow wall representing his coming fate or death. Like the boy on the tree with the blackface theatrical makeup, it symbolizes that his shadow has caught up with him. He is out of time.
His white pants signify purity, that is to say, his unwillingness to reconnect with a dying god via masturbation. This is the process that leads to passing through the fire (the flood) and being “born again.” The idea of passing through the fire is complicated at best, but it is a physical sensation that often causes loss of consciousness. When initiates wake up, they are like a blank slate, free of the subliminal messages, free of the word written in their flesh, and so the cycle starts over.
The white pants also signify a build-up of salt (or sodium) in the body. After passing through the fire, the physical transformation disrupts normal bodily functions as the RNA virus takes over.
Because River had not started the cycle over, his body turned into a ticking time bomb. Like turning water into wine, or salt water into a highly conductive molten brew, the RNA virus began the translation process. This is exemplified by the “Parking 30 minutes” sign. Because of his refusal to comply, he is in the red. “Minutes” can actually be interpreted as “minutes of a meeting or MoM” which are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. So, we have the 3 (the godhead), the 0 (the fool), and parking (not resetting the clock) as the written record of what’s to come three years from when My Own Private Idaho was filmed.
Mike Waters stands on a sidewalk just outside the entrance of a building. The street address reads 303. Again, we have the number 3 (three years from now), 0 (the fool) and the 3 right above his head representing the godhead (the fulfillment of the word). A yellow light (or a golden light) shines in the red background.
In the last scene of the film right before he collapses, Mike Waters stands on a deserted road wearing a blue shirt (the water) with a yellow ring around the neck. Here, we have the completion of the water cycle. Like the symbology found in Indiana Jones (the two yellow stars, the clown with the golden ring around its neck, the yellow sash around Young Indy’s neck, and the backwards writing with the red letters and yellow banner), the color yellow symbolizes being out of time. It represents the need to reconnect with a dying god before the yellow turns to gold. It represents the hanged man, thus, the placement around the neck.
In a 1991 interview with the Village View, River described his analysis of My Own Private Idaho and even called to attention his awareness of the subliminal messaging found in the film:
“I saw the film for the eighth time last night. The finished version. And on the eighth time, I finally got everything. I got everything about it. The editing … everything. The sound cues, every bit. I felt like I was God. I was a psychic. I knew it well enough to be just one step ahead and take in all this stuff I hadn’t seen before. You know how you know a picture well enough? It was a great feeling. I felt like I was creating a movie just by watching it. It was like a science experiment, a hands-on project. We talked about that, Gus. This thing has a lot of lives … um, layers? [River laughs] Words like that sound so lame. But, it’s really textured. The lighting smells.”
The further along we go, the more obvious it becomes that River was aware of his coming fate as his life began imitating his art. And, like the skunk in the Stand By Me forest, the lighting does, indeed, smell.
In the scene below, Mike Waters sits transfixed in front of the television watching The Simpsons. The episode, titled, Hungry Are the Damned, is from their Treehouse of Horrors series released each year for Halloween. The episode is a parody from a Twilight Zone episode called, To Serve Man, in which aliens from outer space feed on human beings. Mike Waters is watching the part where Homer Simpson gets abducted by the mother ship while eating a sandwich. Given that River died early Halloween morning by passing through the fire, which is, essentially, an alien abduction, it’s an eerie scene.
So, we have an example of the subliminal mind being programmed as River sits transfixed in front of the television. We have the concept of the dying/golden gods feeding off humans, and we have an alien abduction. Is it a coincidence that it’s a Halloween episode, and how much did River know at the time? It would seem those lines, those lines that separate the driver from the passenger, became blurred the closer he sped towards the finish line.
In the backdrop of the scene, we see a red curtain drawn open exposing a window highlighted by balls of blue light. A pyramid shape can be seen in the upper left-hand corner with a line of blue lights at the base and a cross located in the center. Here, we have the mother ship coming to abduct River and take him into the fold Halloween morning. The window symbolizes the spirit realm, or space (the o-zone), and the triangle represents, not only the godhead, but also the pyramid scheme behind this grand conspiracy. Like bees or ants that are of a hive-mind mentality, this is the concept behind the aliens and the golden gods. The mother ship can be thought of as the queen of heaven. River would be the cake:
“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.” (Jeremiah 7:18 KJV)
Early Halloween morning outside of the Viper Room, River was the cake that fed the flock. The fire was kindled and the drink offering poured out like wine unto the queen of heaven. Just like The Simpson’s episode, Hungry Are the Damned, hungry were the dying gods to whom the aliens are linked.
We also see the number 4 on Mike’s shoulder signifying the fourth dimension, and of course, it is yellow. In the background we see that the wallpaper is paisley print which is a design concept originating from Eastern cultures. The ornament, called a boteh or buta, is an almond or pine cone-shaped motif with a sharp-curved upper end. This design brings us back to the pineal gland, the word “pineal” derived from the Latin word “pinea” meaning “pine-cone.” Sometimes described as “the third eye” or the “principal seat of the soul,” the pineal gland is key to how these dying gods remain in a constant state of falling. Like bulbs on a Christmas tree, these lost souls decorate the mother ship in a grand pyramid scheme. The diamond on his shoulder (like the masonic square and compass) symbolizes the coming together of two worlds to produce the golden god.
Mike Waters spends the majority of the film in search of his mother. During his narcoleptic fits, he dreams of her comforting him while home movies of his childhood play through his mind. We can liken this to the minutes of a meeting or “MoM” which are the instant written record of an event. In other words, it is the prophecy in the blood or the word written on the table of his heart. Hence, the arrival of the “mother ship.”
At the end of the film, his best friend abandons him while in Rome and goes on to collect an inheritance. When Mike and another homeless friend (Bob Pigeon) see Scott in a restaurant, he turns his back to them.
Scott Favor’s inheritance (or gift) represents the fruition of the word, the restaurant represents the Viper Room, and his very large friend, Bob Pigeon, represents the word of the golden god. The name “Bob” is a palindrome which symbolizes the translation of the RNA virus. So, like a homing pigeon, the word finds its way back home (much like a yellow Homer getting abducted by aliens).Scott turning his back to them in the restaurant also exemplifies this concept.
We also see Bob Pigeon’s prevalent right hand which symbolizes the binding contract. Like the ill-fated 27 Club, or 27 bones in the human hand, the scene above foreshadows River’s death on the sidewalk outside of the Viper Room. He is literally seated in the corner like a sitting duck. With his arms folded giving him wings for hands, his eyes closed, and his blue jean (gene) jacket covering his torso, River’s yellow collar turned white as he transcended death and went on to another realm. He was born again of corruptible seed, exemplified by the oval-shaped sticker on the window behind him, the yolk of the egg nourished by the word as it evolved into a new life form.
During the filming of My Own Private Idaho, River went on to form a close friendship with Flea and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. R.E.M. released their album, Out of Time, in March of 1991, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers released their album, Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic, in September of 1991. In a song featured on that album, titled, Give it Away, River’s name appears in the lyrics, once again, an eerie foretelling of his coming fate:
There's a river born to be a giver Keep you warm won't let you shiver His heart is never gonna wither Come on everybody time to deliver
How much did River’s friends know? And why does it sound like he was set up to be some sort of Christ-like figure, born to give his life for the sins of others? Was his death a planned sacrifice to appease the Babylonian gods? And if so, why did he go along with it? Did he have a choice in the matter? Could he have walked away? The answers to these questions are complicated at best. What is certain is that River was part of a Satanic system, one in which many from his inner circle still serve to this day.
My Own Private Idaho premiered in Hollywood in October of 1991, and in that same month, River appeared in a spread for Rolling Stone magazine. The below photo shoot was taken from that issue released on October 31 – Halloween.
River stands with his right hand over his heart displaying the Masonic Hidden Hand. His left hand covers his left eye forming a right angle (the square). The hidden hand can be likened to the hidden word in the flesh of the initiate, or the word of a god written on the table of the heart. The symbolism implies that River was aware of his coming fate. Like his song In the Corner Dunce, or the Blue Point Diner in Stand by Me, or R.E.M.’s Belong, or his character Mike Waters, or the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Give It Away, River knew his time was short. Because of his refusal to reconnect with a dying god and wipe the slate clean, he was cornered by his fate.
In the top left corner of the photo, River’s name appears in red with the words, “River Phoenix plays it cool, on and off the screen,” which is another reference to his death. He plays it cool like a dying god, on and off, alive but dead, hot but cold with his name in red. He is dressed in black and white (the word) with a large red coat symbolizing the word in the flesh coming to fruition.
The words “Let it Flow” pasted across the middle of the photo reference being passed through the fire. The long exaggerated “F” forms an “X” across River’s abdomen, and of course, it is a yellowish gold. The “X” represents a chromosome (which are x-shaped) which is a long DNA molecule made up of nucleic acids and protein responsible for carrying genetic information in the form of genes. In other words, the RNA virus responsible for the word written on the table of his heart. The “X” marks the spot of where this virus will emerge: the stomach.
Think of the stomach like a cauldron. After connecting with a dying god, the digestive system is hijacked turning the stomach into a pressure cooker (the belly of the beast so to speak). This is where the chemical transformation takes place. The stomach turns the breakdown of organic matter into a highly acidic mixture of gastric juices, however, instead of the body disposing of these wastes, the RNA virus harvests and recycles it into energy. Think of Macbeth and the three witches gathered around the cauldron chanting “double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble” – this is the concept here. The stomach literally gives birth to the god within. And it is that god (that word) that caused River to collapse early Sunday morning.
Using Back to the Future as an example, River’s body was turned into a time machine, and like the DeLorean, used garbage as fuel. His last departed time (in yellow) became his destination time (in red), and as the time machine reached 88mph, he vanished in a flash of white light.
The Apple and the birdcage 