Heavy Rotation: The Lotus Chapters by Above, Below – A contemplation on life

in MEDIA, Metacore, Metalcore, Music, Music: Heavy Rotation, Mysticism, Philosophy, Poetry, Zen

While many are spending this time of year revealing their favorite (recent) annual releases, I ask exemption from the rat race to instead focus attention on a recently discovered personal favorite.

The Lotus Chapters is a record by Above, Below conceived as a narrative about life in its entirety told across three chapters, each chapter paired with a mantra revering one of Hinduism’s Trimurti:

Chapter 1: Birth & Childhood. Revering Brahma (The Creator). “Om Kham Brahma”
Chapter 2: Adolescence & Early Adulthood. Revering Shiva (The Destroyer). “Om Namah Shiviah”
Chapter 3: Mid-Life and Life’s Closure. Revering Vishnu (The Sustainer). “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya”

The record is teeming with references to Hinduism. One may disregard these appellations to religious traditions as just another means by which the New Age Movement has co-opted a deeply nuanced practice, but the tracks where these mantras are featured reveal an intimate understanding of the subject matter.

Hinduism maintains that life is a play we participate in. A play that is acted out for what may seem like an eternity, through countless lives¹, lived by us.

We are all one experience.

Track 1. Chapter I: Seed

The first track concerns itself with awakening²: An individual, upon inception.

The record cuts in with soaring vocals from lead Jacob Wilkes, who vocally channels a calm hopeful melancholia reminiscent of Sameer Gadhia(Young The Giant) to exclaim:

“Bathe in The Sun³, bloom⁴ as One⁵.”

Consciousness blossoms from primordial forms as a self-deterministic act of creation and beauty.

As the soft lush undertones introducing the record draw out, Wilkes pairs his initial instruction⁶ with a mantra offering gratitude to Creation.⁷

”Om Kham Brahma.”

Brahma is the godhead from which everything emanates, including you.

The strings in the track eventually resolve⁸ into ominous tones.

Reality comes into focus.

A transition is realized.

Darkness lingers in this new reality full of possibilities.

Track 2. Eternal Sunshine

The strings join the ambient arrangement of the previous track and are soon backed by the full band complement which harmonizes into a tone of defiantly caring rage. In a literal sense, the song’s narrative addresses a coming of age marked by the realization of imminent death.

We sip from the fountains of innocence

And slip through the confines of existence⁹

And as The Sun¹⁰ peers down upon us all¹¹

Its glow evades the eyes¹²

Of the ones grown old

It is as if The Band reveals its response to existential dread, originally found in the innocence of youth: Dream. Create. Play.

The Darkness is consumed by light

And my dreams, elated, take flight

A lesson learned which, when young, seems to require abandonment in favor of maturing/growth:

But our underdeveloped is our limbic system

And all of these visions will be lost

An esoteric contemplation

On what we’re meant for in this life

Yearning to grow but still confined to a seed.

The defiance calms as growth is realized, but at the expense of relatively carefree action.

The mind of a child, so sublime

Blissfully ignorant

Leaving roses at the devil’s shrine

So unaware of the dark out there

Without realizing it, we had been courting darkness all along, and now we find ourselves adrift in the proverbial dark forest…

Track 3. Labyrinth

A standout (even) among the (sublime) early tracks on the record, Labyrinth, is where the band’s vision for the record comes into full view.

The band narrates a vivid scene of a person priming themselves ahead of scaling the vertical labyrinth full of obstacles, which serves as allegory for ascending¹³ the Tree of Life towards a veiled destiny.

With silken hands¹⁴ placed upon the lungs of the earth

I scale the labyrinth

Although challenged with hardship, it’s through the protagonist’s persistence that they are able to see, then sense, and finally touch the light¹⁵ peering and reaching out to them below the tree’s full canopy. The connection with the light results in an ecstatic vision.

I reach up, hold hands with the energy

All fear collapses as I dance with ecstasy

The experience convinces the protagonist to move forward and with each subsequent obstacle, the elements from beyond the canopy provide consolation, and more importantly: affirmation.

The evening breeze soothes my frail mind

The setting sun breathes through the bitten leaves

Enticing our hearts toward the unseen

[…]

Through the ordeals one lesson is repeated: Trust yourself. Divinity lies within.

The heart of the elm beats with me synchronously

[…] if we close our eyes and feel the gravity

Put our faith in intuition

We’ll breach the canopy

The band’s declaration serves as a prescription to fear. Have faith in sincerely approaching obstacles and reunion with The Eternal Light will be eminent.

”Oh Kham Brahma.”

Track 4. Kensō

Relief from the intensity of the previous track, Labyrinth, is not offered in Kensō, as the band doubles down on themes of (self-) discovery.

Deeply mystical themes are integrated into the experiential narrative that is this full record. If it wasn’t clear before, it should be now: The protagonist of this record is you.¹⁶

The track has a sophisticated structure broken up into four parts over four minutes to address the complex theme of the track’s namesake: Kensō.¹⁷

Part I. The First Thought concerns itself with and desire for knowledge and the urge to actively seek it.

I bid my mind and body to drop off¹⁸

To rise clear of even the finest dust¹⁹, the finest dust

Part II. The Kenshō involves receiving wisdom from beyond. The eternal self challenges the protagonist to feed their curious nature and seek deeper understanding.

Would you believe that this subtle dream²⁰ // Has more truth than reality could ever deem?²¹

Water the seed, let the lotus breathe²² // It reveals the true nature of you and me

Part III. The Attempted Understanding portion of the track concerns the effervescent nature of the Kensō. A quality typically associated with transcendental (or “ecstatic”) experiences.

What is this mystery that slips away as these words spill from my lips?²³

Why do you grant me, why do you grant me these mosaic eyes? ²⁴

Part IV. The Exodus describes returning to the original state of consciousness but being transformed by the recently experienced vision²⁵. The experience pushes the protagonist into another stage in life; a stage of life resulting from a new awareness of self, and the desire to understand one’s place in life. As the protagonist ventures forth darkness is at first sensed, and then directly felt.

So blinded by the sun, my eyes refused to see the night

Perhaps if I embrace the elder moon, I’ll understand what’s wrong and right

I’ve felt the wisdom of the Kenshō, I hold faith in what was told

But as I leave the seed, my once mothering womb, for the first time I felt the cold

We emancipate and then suffocate

The strings in the track eventually resolve into ominous tones.

Our perception of the reality we’ve been inhabiting changes

A transition is once again realized.

Darkness lingers in this new reality full of possibilities.

Track 5. Chapter II: Flourish

Chapter II opens with an interlude utilizing Phrygian Scale, teasing that threats are imminent. The interlude contains a mantra often associated with the banishment of negativity and courageous intent.

Om Namah Shiviah²⁶

Track 6. Mantra

The darkness sets in and the protagonist has a confrontation with their shadow, represented in the track by the Ancient Greek personification of Sorrow: Achlys. Band Lyricist Zac Adamson notes Achlys is also known as “The Mist of Death” – strongly implying a confrontation with one’s mortality.

The structure of the track is highly varied but satisfyingly resolves with each transition. The track starts with a calm ambiance and transforms into steady defiance containing undertones of vulnerability. Vocalist Jacob Wilkes masterfully controls the subject matter with each successive plea for help, understanding, and grace respectively containing one of the five stages of grief.²⁷

Numina²⁸: hold my hands, whilst I dance with entropy

I can’t bear to feel your sultry grip slip away from me

Please don’t let go, don’t let me fall

Into the darkness

Into the angst and woe

The protagonist is advised not to resist the darkness, but to integrate it.

”Breathe, ” she says “Breath in the night…”

The cold air will open your eyes

To the other side, the other side of the divine

The Integration of darkness allows for a fuller understanding of happiness via the promotion of gratitude. Making peace with one’s mortality will allow them the wisdom and grace to appreciate the fleeting beauty of life before inevitable death – A death which should not be feared because it punctuates life.

The protagonist questions the advice as it contradicts many of their intuitions, and they finally plead for understanding.

Everything I loved was merely the shadow of youth

My soul’s voice calls out to Shiva

Present to me your eternal mantra

Track 7. Blood Wine

Blood Wine sits smack in the middle of the record serving as its climax.

It is highly energetic, melodic, and direct. Blood Wine deals with defining appropriate boundaries in all types of relationships to maintain balance with one’s immediate social environment. The song is divided into two parts:

1. Elegy (Self-blame // Self-reflection)

Writing scriptures of hatred about the ones I love –

How is this the person that I’ve become?

What have I become?

2. Diatribe (Verbal attack // Emotional Release)

You’re just a fucking snake, spitting words of venom

Infecting those you love, enraging those who hate you

You’re toxic – and alone

You sit upon a serpents throne

Eventually, the protagonist realizes their role in perpetuating the toxicity they find in their lives, revealing the main lesson of the track: We have the ability within ourselves to harm others the way they have harmed us; we have the power to liberate ourselves from abusive relationships²⁹.

… But it’s my greatest shame

I’m exactly the same

A willful player in this devils game

Track 8. Beyond The Mosaic Garden

Beyond The Mosaic Garden is a track centered on pluralistic thought.

It explores how personal (Internal and Subjective) experiences are regarded as deeply authentic by the individual experiencing them. The record contends that unique individual experiences are varied perceptions (sensed) and interpretations (reflections) of the fundamental underlying essence we all emanate from.

From within this void, we are all reborn

The vines constricting your thoughts are now torn

Dimensions break and reshape to show,

that there is more to life than meets the eye

We exist in an elaborate lie…

Lyricist Zac Adamson explains³⁰: “Who are we to judge someone else’s delusions as fake when it may be wholly realistic to them?”

The band challenges the listener to shed their ego in favor of conceiving new perceptive paradigms. In turn, this shifted perspective will promote creation – implicitly eliminating oblivion.

We must destroy this panoptic delusion

Create reality

Maim the travesty

Begin extrapolating

Stop evaporating

Track 9. Chapter III: Bloom

Knowledge is now synthesized, and a calm falls over the scene

One last major life transition is realized.

Darkness is accepted and now synthesized.

It should be balanced alongside one’s creative energy to achieve internal harmony.

Stop Evaporating…

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya³¹

Track 10. Equilibrium

Band Lyricist Zac Adamson draws inspiration from William Blake and Aldous Huxley in this track³², two mystics who devoted substantial energy to formalizing beliefs espousing the dual nature of reality.

William Blake: “If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is: Infinite.”

Namely that without death, life cannot exist. Without differentiation and contrast, not even individualization would be possible.

Take a breath, fill your lungs, equalize the soul

There could be no light without the dark

There could be no yin without the yang

And finally, a key point of wisdom is arrived at: relaxing into the current of life, rather than resisting the current of life is essential to the act of living.

We must become the balance

Close your eyes, lean back, and just float

Track 11. The Gradient Lake

The thematic dove makes an appearance once more evoking the ephemeral nature of memory and experience.

Like a dove, sitting on a branch, reflecting on existence

I peer upon my former self and interpret our affliction

The track pairs with the earlier Kensō(Track 4)³³ as the accumulated knowledge of life is synthesized and shortly thereafter actualized (in the attainment of enlightenment).

The songwriters ultimately resolve the darkness encountered in their lives with a positive outlook that ultimately praises the opportunity for consciousness and awareness

This is an ode to the sun

[…]

Perception is our greatest gift in life

Embrace the dark, lose yourself in the sun

Breathe the sky deep into your lungs

From a procedurally perspective one should relax the mind, and allow their respective intuitions to manifest

Let comatose become your god, and your dreams become your being

Ultimately one will find that everything is an extension of their existence just as they are an extension (and part) of everything³⁴

You are anything and everything

A never ending ebb and flow

You are your own creation

Touch your heart and feel it glow

Expand your mind across all time

And indulge in the elation

Merge your dreams with reality

And become imagination

The track abounds with positive messages of self-realization and communal integration predicated on one’s attentiveness (which drives release from pain, psychic or otherwise).

Break free from despondency

And grasp your impeding sagacity

Eradicate the hallucination

Uncover the illumination

Observe

Observe yourself from beyond the void

Track 12. Lotus

The journey from seed to full bloom is finally realized on this track.

Inside us all rests a lotus, yet to bloom

Attempting to flourish on it’s own, misconstrued

And there also sits, a wilting leaf

Content with falling from the seed

The Lotus is now on full display.

The culmination of its growth is now evident after blossom

The beauty The Lotus exudes is a natural consequence of maintaining hope, gaining wisdom, and nurturing self-love through a difficult, yet meaningful life.

Initiating the bloom and the fall

Integrating the bloom and the fall

The seeds of the subsequent generations are dispersed.

The self is democratized.

One comes to find at the periphery of The Lotus the whole of an environment which The Lotus is contingent but wholly different from.

As the lotus thrives, we thrive together

We are the sum of one another

An eternal loop of reciprocity is recognized.

We are all one, the summation of our lives is an expression of The Eternal

When we allow the harm of others we harm ourselves

One mind, one flesh

One life, and one death

The Lotus’ death is imminent.

This stage contains within it the greatest possibility of renewed life.

We cry together

We bleed together

We bloomed as one

Bathed in the sun

Bathe in the sun

Bloom as one

I don’t care to numerically rate this album.

Nor should you.

It is a masterpiece.

Music Credits

The Lotus Chapter was released September 27, 2019 by Above, Below.

Above, Below is: Jacob Wilkes, Zac Adamson, Nicholas Bird, Dylan Mallia, and Isaac Ross

Watch/Listen to the band’s explanation of their work using the below links:

Watch/Listen to the band’s Making of The Lotus Chapters using the below links:

Post Script

This was a labor of love to prepare and write.

Thank you to the artists who produced this record.

Please remember to support the creative works you love.

Your support amplifies the mutual desires of artists and their audiences.

I appreciate your patronage and/or subscription.

Footnotes

In fact: every life to have ever lived and every life that will live. ↩
Inception and subsequent birth. ↩
The light of creation. The source of life. ↩
Like a lotus flower. ↩
The Monad. From Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia (Accessed: December 15, 2022, 11:31 PM): As originally conceived by the Pythagoreans, the Monad is the Supreme Being, divinity, or the totality of all things. ↩
Relax into Bliss. ↩
“Om Kham Brahma.” – Creation (and emanation) derived from the thought that creation is not a single event, but an ongoing process. This process is framed as an ongoing act, drama, or dance conceived of by Brahma (The Creator), produced and maintained by Vishnu (The Preserver/Sustainer), and acted out by Shiva (The Destroyer – although I personally conceive Shiva as “The Consumer” or as “The Perceiver”). ↩
Out-of-focus childlike banter is utilized to provide a sensation of Waking Up. ↩
An existence fundamentally limited by our perception of it. ↩
Surya – The Solar deity in Hindu Mythology who is considered The Creator of The Universe. ↩
The light of emanation. ↩
Apophatic Theology ↩
Refining perception and consciousness ↩
Inexperienced in life ↩
The supreme entity. ↩
[The Lotus Chapters | Lyrical Explanation – Chapter One: Seed] @9:17 ↩
A Zen concept (especially Japanese) describes one’s initial sight (an effervescent understanding) of the true nature of the world, which is the nature of mind and intellect. ↩
Transcendence ↩
Fundamental Matter ↩
This glimpse of true nature ↩
Panentheism: God pervades or contains the whole Universe, but is also more than the sum of The Universe’s parts. God extends beyond space and time. ↩
Prana ↩
Effervescence ↩
The eyes are the window to the soul. ↩
Supernatural Apparition ↩
Salutations to Shiva (Hindu Deity of Destruction & Perseverence) ↩
The Kübler-Ross model: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance ↩
The divine powers governing the world. ↩
Generally speaking. ↩
The Lotus Chapters | Lyrical Explanation – Chapter Two: Flourish @9:06 ↩
– Salutations to Vishnu – Sustainer and Protector of The World/Reality.
– Salutations and Praise to Krishna – The Divine Light of God present in all life ↩
The Lotus Chapters | Lyrical Explanation – Chapter Three: Bloom @ 3m 05s: https://youtu.be/RtOVB3iSpcY?t=185 ↩
The Lotus Chapters | Lyrical Explanation – Chapter One: Seed @ 8:24: https://youtu.be/PekyFIqSSqk?t=504 ↩
Panpsychism ↩

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