j9britz

The first time I heard Parabol and Parabola, I interpreted the lyrics as a self-dialogue, or rather a conversation between different aspects of oneself – the physical self (mortal body) and the spirit (immortal being). Overall this dialogue seemed somewhat comforting and reassuring.
There seems to be three main themes in both Parabol and Parabola, which I summarise as the following:

The spirit finds comfort in the form (body or physical self) that holds it. This is because, the physical self reminds the spirit that:

1.We are mortal i.e. this life, this dimension, this physical form, energy and vibration, is only temporary. We will not be held/imprisoned/chained in our bodies forever. Any pain (whether it be physical or emotional) is not real (an illusion) as this is only a single dimension which our beings reside in. So don’t dwell on the negative – enjoy life, enjoy each experience, live in the moment (this theme seems to come through very strongly in Parabola). Keep reminding yourself of this. Learn to love yourself (not just your body, but who you are as a person). I am not sure what the significance is of “we barely remember what came before this precious moment”. Could he be referring to reincarnation? Birth? Rebirth? The significance of the word “this form I hold NOW” also suggests that he could be referring to reincarnation, as this is not the first body the spirit resides in. In Parabola, the terms “spinning, weaving round each new experience” almost sound like he’s referring to chakras and how they weave around us, also how our chakras become more “open” or “closed” depending on our experiences, our awareness, etc. But really I have no idea!
2.We are eternal/immortal. The fact that we have a physical body is like a reminder that again, this is only temporary. Our spirits are eternal, our energy cannot be created nor destroyed, even if we suffer, experience pain, and eventually come to pass away; our spirits are eternal.
3.We are not alone. This can be interpreted in many ways – we are interconnected, we are all part of the same energy condensed to a slow vibration etc. – or we (humans) are not alone because there is a higher power, like God, who is omnipresent. If you want to look at his from a Christian perspective, we have been created in the image of God, but also become more God-like by leaving our physical forms and the material world, or in other words receive eternal life. Please don’t crucify me (he he) for giving my view from a Christian perspective – I, like many of you am very spiritual and have many (unanswered) questions about our existence. I am not a fundamentalist Christian who ties everything back to the Bible in a close-minded sort of way, but I do get a strong sense from this song that the term “we are not alone” refers to the fact that there is a higher power, a creator, a God. To quote the famous Rabbi David Wolpe:“I did not become a rabbi because I believe. I became a rabbi because I committed my life to never giving up searching and yearning for God. I am a rabbi because there is in me as there is in you, a child, a child that knows that somewhere we are not alone, that this world is bathed in miracles, and that for every pain, there is beauty, and for every loss, there is love, and for every waste, there is wonder.”

Anyway, that’s my humble interpretation. Thanks to the band for being our “tool” for spiritual enlightenment!