The Shadow in "The Pot"

[]v[edusa]

Im sorry if someone already talked about this. I tried looking for someone else that talked about this and only found one thread on the “mirror” but no one went into depth of what it means.

Mirror- The mirror does not lie, it faithfully records the experiences of life which can be understood as the sum total of conscious and unconscious memory. The mirror actually means “shadow caster”.

Maynard is singing about the shadow again (im not surprised). For those who don’t know what the shadow archetype is, the shadow is an unconscious part of the personality containing characteristics and weaknesses which one’s self esteem will not permit one to recognize as one’s own.

Who are you to wave your finger?
You must have been outta your head

Foot in mouth and head up ass
So whatcha talkin' 'bout?

A lot of people believe that they are unjust but that belief is a blockage that casts a shadow which blinds them to the cruelty within their ego that is hidden. The shadow holds up a mirror showing you what you judge yourself not to be. When you make judgments to another, you are projecting your own shadow onto them.

Now you're weeping shades of cozened indigo
(Musta) got lemon juice up in your eye

whoever “you” could be- he could be referring to the government, us, maybe even himself- this specific person or party is/are living a lie by persuading others that they are right by leaving fake acts of weeping. They are emitting a light that was obtained by deceit, projecting a shadow.

Eye balls deep in muddy waters

As I said before, people who believe that they are unjust are blind of all the cruelty that is within.

Liar, lawyer - mirror, for you what's the difference?

Its that mirror again that Maynard has being singing about in many other songs. Whenever hes singing about the mirror it usually symbolizes the ego self or the shadow. By projecting your shadow onto others you are seeing a reflection of your own inner judgments. It’s the dark mirror of karma.

i believe that maynard is singing about this once again in hope that people will face or contront their shadow.

[Inner_Eulogy]

Im sorry if someone already talked about this. I tried looking for someone else that talked about this and only found one thread on the “mirror” but no one went into depth of what it means.

Mirror- The mirror does not lie, it faithfully records the experiences of life which can be understood as the sum total of conscious and unconscious memory. The mirror actually means “shadow caster”.

Maynard is singing about the shadow again (im not surprised). For those who don’t know what the shadow archetype is, the shadow is an unconscious part of the personality containing characteristics and weaknesses which one’s self esteem will not permit one to recognize as one’s own.



A lot of people believe that they are unjust but that belief is a blockage that casts a shadow which blinds them to the cruelty within their ego that is hidden. The shadow holds up a mirror showing you what you judge yourself not to be. When you make judgments to another, you are projecting your own shadow onto them.



whoever “you” could be- he could be referring to the government, us, maybe even himself- this specific person or party is/are living a lie by persuading others that they are right by leaving fake acts of weeping. They are emitting a light that was obtained by deceit, projecting a shadow.



As I said before, people who believe that they are unjust are blind of all the cruelty that is within.



Its that mirror again that Maynard has being singing about in many other songs. Whenever hes singing about the mirror it usually symbolizes the ego self or the shadow. By projecting your shadow onto others you are seeing a reflection of your own inner judgments. It’s the dark mirror of karma.

i believe that maynard is singing about this once again in hope that people will face or contront their shadow.

Nice interpretation but I think it's a liitle more at face value here. This album is not related to Lateralus or Aenima. "Liar, lawyer, mirror for ya' what's the difference" isn't about his (ie. Carl Jung) shadow. It's syaing lawyers are liars and good liars are lawyers, what's the difference? Saying you (whoever that may be) is a fucking hypocrite.

[]v[edusa]

Nice interpretation but I think it's a liitle more at face value here. This album is not related to Lateralus or Aenima. "Liar, lawyer, mirror for ya' what's the difference" isn't about his (ie. Carl Jung) shadow. It's syaing lawyers are liars and good liars are lawyers, what's the difference? Saying you (whoever that may be) is a fucking hypocrite.

youre kidding right? how could you think that this album isnt related to Lateralus or Aenima?

youre missing my point. if you resist the shadows reflection then it takes over and you perform hypocritic acts.

i thought that this song was at face value too, but then i took a second look.

The Pot is showing you that you shouldnt think that you are some sort of perfect being that does no wrong and that you should realize that you have this shadow side to yourself because resisting can cause unjust acts. these people insist that they are gentle people simply because their aggression is hidden under an ego of "good intentions".

[Inner_Eulogy]

youre kidding right? how could you think that this album isnt related to Lateralus or Aenima?

youre missing my point. if you resist the shadows reflection then it takes over and you perform hypocritic acts.

i thought that this song was at face value too, but then i took a second look.

The Pot is showing you that you shouldnt think that you are some sort of perfect being that does no wrong and that you should realize that you have this shadow side to yourself because resisting can cause unjust acts. these people insist that they are gentle people simply because their aggression is hidden under an ego of "good intentions".

Well I still disagree that it's related to Aenima and Lateralus but, I do see your point about how the shadow comes into play but, only if you overanalyze it to that point. Yes, you could correctly make the reference that you did above but, I still don't think that's what it was about. And I'm not being a pessimist here because believe me, I've dug til no end with the previous albums and still dig on this one but, this album is just obvious that it was meant more at a "face value" than the previous albums.

[]v[edusa]

I do see your point about how the shadow comes into play but, only if you overanalyze it to that point.

overanalyze? i did some analysis but i never analyzed to the extreme. if you already had knowledge of a subject then there really isnt much analysis involved to make a connection. if you read or have read books on certain subjects then the tool song meanings are just plain obvious.

[Eight]

It does seem to go with the re-occuring theme. I can see where one would think that this record is different and should be taken at face value, but I beg to differ. I truely believe that this album was made less complicated to allow us to continue thinking on the other ones. Maybe there are a few reminders, like for instance lllvllledusa's shadow idea, but we aren't really given new material in hopes that we will continue with the older stuff. That's just my thought. I see this track as being yet another "take it your own way" oportunity. The political hypocrisy idea makes just as much sense to me as this. In fact, maybe its a mix of the two.

[Chai_nese]

It does seem to go with the re-occuring theme. I can see where one would think that this record is different and should be taken at face value, but I beg to differ. I truely believe that this album was made less complicated to allow us to continue thinking on the other ones. Maybe there are a few reminders, like for instance lllvllledusa's shadow idea, but we aren't really given new material in hopes that we will continue with the older stuff. That's just my thought. I see this track as being yet another "take it your own way" oportunity. The political hypocrisy idea makes just as much sense to me as this. In fact, maybe its a mix of the two.



That's exactly what I was wanting to say whilst reading the previous posts. I don't think Tool are the type of band to force their personal values on people, but those values do seem to show up repeatedly throughout their work (arguably not so much in 10k, as you said).

Also, reading a song on 'face value' is a kind of weird idea. Like lllvllledusa said, if you already possess knowledge on a particular subject, it's not easy to avoid relating back to it everynow and then. So 'face value' might be read by those who can't attach any of their knowledge/experiences (other than that expressed in the song) to it, but to others, it could mean a lot more.

[]v[edusa]

It does seem to go with the re-occuring theme. I can see where one would think that this record is different and should be taken at face value, but I beg to differ. I truely believe that this album was made less complicated to allow us to continue thinking on the other ones. Maybe there are a few reminders, like for instance lllvllledusa's shadow idea, but we aren't really given new material in hopes that we will continue with the older stuff. That's just my thought. I see this track as being yet another "take it your own way" oportunity. The political hypocrisy idea makes just as much sense to me as this. In fact, maybe its a mix of the two.

well yah i totally agree with you. plus i really do think that this album is just old ideas from other albums made less complicated. i dont think we have been given much new material. ive seen in a few songs on 10k that certain subjects have been brought up again just like this one... and 46 and 2 isnt the first and only song to meantion the shadow archetype. he also meantions it in H., reflection, etc.. Just like there seems to be a theme of unity consciousness or human evolution in a lot of tools songs. whether your in a religion or not everyone has this shadow and i dont understand what the problem is here with this song relating to the shadow.

we cant deny the fact that we arent perfect beings here. we have all pointed our fingers before and whats important is that we should realize this shadow side to us. sure hes talking about politics but we have this problem too and we have to face it.

[Inner_Eulogy]

overanalyze? i did some analysis but i never analyzed to the extreme. if you already had knowledge of a subject then there really isnt much analysis involved to make a connection. if you read or have read books on certain subjects then the tool song meanings are just plain obvious.

Well Captain Obvious, if you knew that then you wouldn't be linking this album to Aenima or Lateralus now would you

[Inner_Eulogy]

That's exactly what I was wanting to say whilst reading the previous posts. I don't think Tool are the type of band to force their personal values on people, but those values do seem to show up repeatedly throughout their work (arguably not so much in 10k, as you said).

Also, reading a song on 'face value' is a kind of weird idea. Like lllvllledusa said, if you already possess knowledge on a particular subject, it's not easy to avoid relating back to it everynow and then. So 'face value' might be read by those who can't attach any of their knowledge/experiences (other than that expressed in the song) to it, but to others, it could mean a lot more.

I already know what everything is about on Aenima and Laterlus, 46&2, the shadow, anima, animus, fibbonacci, read Bob Frissell's book, etc etc Yeah yeah yeah...I'm well informed on all of those subjects and yet I'm not tying them into this album because they simply aren't there. Again, as I SAID...if you overanalyze the song then what you said holds water but only a little bit. The Pot is pretty self explanatory here and outright put, it's about hypocrites, whether they be political, religous or government...simple as that DOOOD!!

[]v[edusa]

.... sometimes i wish i could hold a mirror up facing towards people as they are talking to me.

[ShadowLine]

I already know what everything is about on Aenima and Laterlus, 46&2, the shadow, anima, animus, fibbonacci, read Bob Frissell's book, etc etc Yeah yeah yeah...I'm well informed on all of those subjects and yet I'm not tying them into this album because they simply aren't there. Again, as I SAID...if you overanalyze the song then what you said holds water but only a little bit. The Pot is pretty self explanatory here and outright put, it's about hypocrites, whether they be political, religous or government...simple as that DOOOD!!

so you read the carl jung wikipedia page and bob frissels book, well done you big
pile of ego. oh and dont quote tool lyrics such as 'overanalyse' to make yourself feel intelligent. understand what she's saying, she isnt forcing this on you just saying it is there, even though you don't have to agree with it.
oh and learn some respect aswell, we are all human beings here and deserve the same treatment as everyone else.

chris
x

[Eight]

.... sometimes i wish i could hold a mirror up facing towards people as they are talking to me.

*laughs*
This made my day

[Chai_nese]

I already know what everything is about on Aenima and Laterlus, 46&2, the shadow, anima, animus, fibbonacci, read Bob Frissell's book, etc etc Yeah yeah yeah...I'm well informed on all of those subjects and yet I'm not tying them into this album because they simply aren't there. Again, as I SAID...if you overanalyze the song then what you said holds water but only a little bit. The Pot is pretty self explanatory here and outright put, it's about hypocrites, whether they be political, religous or government...simple as that DOOOD!!

If you've read up on all that, then fair enough. You probably know more about the songs than I do. But wouldn't it make sense to read up on 10k in as much detail first? Those readings could be there in a different form. Knowing everything about one of the subjects in a comparison doesn't really give out balanced readings.

[iAMtheMA!]

.... sometimes i wish i could hold a mirror up facing towards people as they are talking to me.
i, too, had a laugh at this one. geez, you're always "on", eh medusa? :)

[Inner_Eulogy]

oh and dont quote tool lyrics such as 'overanalyse' to make yourself feel intelligent.

LOL, yes of course, because Tool created the word overanalyze. I didn't quote any lyrics, but of course you're so intelligent that you created that theory of my statement all on your own.

[ShadowLine]

LOL, yes of course, because Tool created the word overanalyze. I didn't quote any lyrics, but of course you're so intelligent that you created that theory of my statement all on your own.

yea - that bit was sarcasm mate. i hate the internet so hard to make jokes.

chris
x

[jevons]

I invented a word, you wanna hear it. Ready.












































Fucksicle

[]v[edusa]

i, too, had a laugh at this one. geez, you're always "on", eh medusa? :)

believe it or not i like how this thread may be going. it might just prove my point.



you are what you judge yourself not to be. you are what you judge others to be. can you see your own reflection? do you see all the errors, all the things that you dont want to be? the mirror doesnt lie.

feel free to "wave your finger" around in my thread, but please read everything i just said in this thread before you do so.

[Inner_Eulogy]

believe it or not i like how this thread may be going. it might just prove my point.



you are what you judge yourself not to be. you are what you judge others to be. can you see your own reflection? do you see all the errors, all the things that you dont want to be? the mirror doesnt lie.

feel free to "wave your finger" around in my thread, but please read everything i just said in this thread before you do so.

I disagree

[Apachana]

The mirror never lies.

but YOU only see, what YOU want to see.



No t hin guh

[Apachana]

Basicly in my view,
this is a song about a bunch of NOTHING, which got realy really bored and materialized into these weird balls of communication. Then the small pieces of wave patterns formed into these tiny alien starfish living inside one of the balls. they then got bored too. then they started building great vessels later called animals, which they could use to taste the other wave balls with.
Then one day, A vessel named maynard; which had become highly appreciated by the other starfish vessels, due to his vessel's fellowships supply of really tasty wave patterns, made another tasty piece of wave balls, which was again highly appreciated, mostly because it was a meal of the deluxe already-known tastes, and also the almost new flavor of fuck--those-capatalists-bitches.
The new flavor was of course old, and had been called fairytale in before, which was also very popular in feudal times. Since most starship vessels had forgotten that they where really nothing, and now hated these other vessel lawyers, cuz they got so much taste, by doing the shit, everyone had been doing all along: lying.

The tale of course never ends. And the morale is just a lie.

:D

[author of bible]

starfish vessels pissing off in a black kettle,coz they had lemon juice in their eyes....
kinda makes sense...
lol..
eyes and balls deep in muddy waters...all this mud is here probably because the maynard vessel said he was praying for rain and tidal waves...
this shit is fun...

[author of bible]

now wave your finger!

[timjames111]

you said tasty wave patterns.
Sweet.

[]v[edusa]

The mirror never lies.

but YOU only see, what YOU want to see.



No t hin guh

Yah if you want to be a Narcissist...

[ShadowLine]

^thank god for you drea.

chris
x

[Inner_Eulogy]

This thread has gone to complete shit.

[Eight]

This thread has gone to complete shit.
Sadly, that's not uncommon with message boards as well as real life conversations.