Some stuff to think about.......

[TheJuiceOfSatan]

The song reflection holds a very important concept behind it. It describes to me that ultimate realization of enlightenment.

Buddhists sometimes go on meditation retreats to further their mind practices and this song almost is like a description of what happens when everything clicks, so to speak. They dig deep inside their minds and face all of their most darkest feelings and thoughts. After this, at their most weakened state, when it all seems hopeless, it hits them. They separate from the ego, seeing how the ego doesnt exist, your thought of yourself doesnt exist. Read the lyrics, its quite an eye opening experience and the part where maynard starts singing "and as i pull my head out, i am without one doubt......." always gives me chills and brings a tear to my eye with its spiritual light and beauty.

[Emericana]

that is the same exact way i feel about this song almost 100%

reflection has quite possibly been the most life changing songs i have ever listened to

[TheThirdEyeofVisnu]

Hindus have a meditation of this type also.

[ween69]

The song reflection holds a very important concept behind it. It describes to me that ultimate realization of enlightenment.

Buddhists sometimes go on meditation retreats to further their mind practices and this song almost is like a description of what happens when everything clicks, so to speak. They dig deep inside their minds and face all of their most darkest feelings and thoughts. After this, at their most weakened state, when it all seems hopeless, it hits them. They separate from the ego, seeing how the ego doesnt exist, your thought of yourself doesnt exist. Read the lyrics, its quite an eye opening experience and the part where maynard starts singing "and as i pull my head out, i am without one doubt......." always gives me chills and brings a tear to my eye with its spiritual light and beauty.

yeah i used to meditate a lot but i kind of got out of it. it was crazy how far you can get into your mind

[win]

The song reflection holds a very important concept behind it. It describes to me that ultimate realization of enlightenment.

Buddhists sometimes go on meditation retreats to further their mind practices and this song almost is like a description of what happens when everything clicks, so to speak. They dig deep inside their minds and face all of their most darkest feelings and thoughts. After this, at their most weakened state, when it all seems hopeless, it hits them. They separate from the ego, seeing how the ego doesnt exist, your thought of yourself doesnt exist. Read the lyrics, its quite an eye opening experience and the part where maynard starts singing "and as i pull my head out, i am without one doubt......." always gives me chills and brings a tear to my eye with its spiritual light and beauty.

agreed and I love that line too

[BlanketEffect]

yeah i used to meditate a lot but i kind of got out of it. it was crazy how far you can get into your mind

Yes - to the inifinite and unbounded void and womb of creation. Pretty interesting how far the finite mind can reach when not clouded by the ego.

I've meditated many a time to Reflection. It's a beautiful focal point of where I'm trying to reach in my mind's eye. The climax of the end (as well as several other places in the song) usually brings a tear to my eye. All I can think of is, "Goddamnit, how can people not get it?"

[Phudson]

I think it's the sort of song to listen to when you feel like crap. It's got a very sort of uplifting quality about it, particularly towards the end. I wonder if that's what they wanted to achieve?

[TheJuiceOfSatan]

The song also has a very hypnotic feel to it, how the drum beat is particularly. And it also has a tribal feel, i sometimes imagine people around a fire at night just swaying to the music as the shadows of flames dance on their naked bodies.

I;ve also wondered if maynard or any of the other band members practice eastern religions, seems they have a certain interest in them. And to it also seems their relationship with alex grey is more than a merely business but of two artists coming together to bring a more enveloping experience to people.

[AFX2W1N]

I have come curiously close to the end, down
Beneath my self-indulgent pitiful hole,
Defeated, I concede and
Move closer
I may find comfort here
I may find peace within the emptiness
How pitiful

A man psychologically spiraling downward toward neurosis and perhaps eventual psychosis. However,

It's calling me...

I remember watching an interview w/ Maynard and he mentions how nature is "throwing you a bone" whenever a synchronistic event occurs and he says something about like when college kids happen to look over and notice their clock 11:11 and then they will notice a similar happening later on that same day and they say to themselves "weird" (although he doesn't mention synchronicity in the interview, it's a Jungian Theory and Jung speaks of it in his autobiography 'Memories, Dreams, and Reflections' which is, perhaps not so coincidentally, on the Tool Recommendation Book Reading List) SO NEWAYZ its an inward calling toward an outward expansion of the mind (toward wat has been called Christ Consciousness) which is to, as we will see later, crucify the ego (liberation), or, in jungian terms, to reach individuation. This is why Jung and i believe Freud also make death the point of life because death is the ultimate putdown toward ones ego and so when a person fully accepts his/her death the ego is thus crucified/dissolved and he/she is then awakened to the reality of living and eternal present moment. And since liberation can only happen to a living body and not a corpse, this must be done before You/I pine away!

And in my darkest moment, fetal and weeping
The moon tells me a secret - my confidant
As full and bright as I am
This light is not my own and
A million light reflections pass over me -------------->(don't forgot every atom in you/I body was forged in the stars so they pass over the moon just as they pass through us literally! lol just a side note not part of my interpretation!)

Its source is bright and endless
She resuscitates the hopeless
Without her, we are lifeless satellites drifting

And when all hope seems lost forever, a confidant using lightwaves to take the form of the moon (it must be stated here that G.I. Gurdjieff speaks of all organic life being 'food' for the moon and I'm quite sure the band has been influenced by G's system. After-all 'The Fourth Way' written by P.D. Ouspensky (G's pupil) is also on the bands reading list.) the moon here, I believe, is a metaphor for a mystical teacher/ guru/ magician whom points you toward the way of liberation though a series of upaya or 'gimmicks' for getting a person to prick the illusion of their own ego or perhaps the moon is an enlightened friend/relative whom reminds you that the 'source' of life is metaphorically bright and endless and she resuscitates the hopeless person in beginning of this song! She gives life to what would otherwise be a lifeless world. Now that is important because it's not a material-less world because as he say's in the song, the satellites are still 'there' but never 'here' in this moment. it's bright, and endless, and it's eternally now. The 'Source' of this moment he speaks of is then God, or The Absolute, or The Ultimate Ground of Being, call it what you will. It must also be said here that we first notice the moon is actually having a conversation with THE EARTH/Us! It say's "we" are lifeless satellites w/o her. Also Maynard by using the analogy of space and of God as a female he sets up opposite imagery of God and replacing the idolatrous image of God The Father. The story goes that their was once an astronaut whom went so far out into space he had a meeting with God and upon his return the ppl asked him "have you seen God?" the man answers yes and the ppl ask "well wat of him?" and the man responds "Well She is Black!" lol

And as I pull my head out I am without one doubt
Don't wanna be down here feeding my narcissism.
I must crucify the ego before it's far too late
I pray the light lifts me out
Before I pine away.

So crucify the ego, before it's far too late
To leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical,
And you will come to find that we are all one mind
Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable.
Just let the light touch you
And let the words spill through
And let them pass right through
Bringing out our hope and reason ...
before we pine away.

And as I pull my head out (of the swamp) I am without one doubt (they say when you are enlightened you know who you really are...and their is no doubt about it, no inner trifling or a need for any outward stamp of approval)

And I pretty much explained the rest of it earlier... jus some more small things to keep in mind He recognizes his position of downward spiral and has a change of mind/heart saying he doesn't want to be "down here feeding my narcissism" picture perfect neurotic...

The way to "leave behind this place so negative and blind and cynical" is to crucify ones ego by going "Toward the Light" or "Toward the Within" and uniting oneself, or i should say being availed (enlightened) of the ignore-ance of ones previously neurotic state resulting chiefly from a false notion of oneself (who you really are) .In the songs case we are The Earth, as we are in reality, plus a great deal more.

Also, And you will come to find that we are all one mind
Capable of all that's imagined and all conceivable. Seems at first to be a Bill Hicks reference however it seems to me to be slightly incidental (although you never know) because Hicks version is a little different, it's the part where the news is supposed to be doing a positive drug story lol and it's great!.. and the all imagine/coneivable is similar to the end of a Hicks performance when he talks of exploring outer space together i believe

P.S. Bill Hicks Biography on Nexflix baby! it's amazing watch it! I believe its called "American A Bill Hicks Story" or somethin like that!

Thank you for your time/attention... :)