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Old 12-01-2009, 01:53 PM   #1
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Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

Having trawled several different TOOL pages discussion boards, including this one, I've yet to come across anyone that has made the connection of the album Lateralus to the process of Kundalini Awakening.
Does anyone here have any thoughts on the subject?

I find myself somewhat bothered and all consumed by this question recently and would appreciate some insight and perhaps a discussion on the connections, by way of Alex Greys artwork, the re-shuffling of the tracks to coincide with the Fibonacci and the story that unfolds therein.

Thanks!
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Old 12-01-2009, 07:14 PM   #2
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

The band have stated that the tracks re-shuffled do not fit their intention.

This thread is also pointless.
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Old 12-01-2009, 07:36 PM   #3
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

very interesting topic, but where are the connections?
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Old 12-02-2009, 04:51 AM   #4
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

I'll believe it when I see it. There are plenty of Americans who claim to work with Kundalini energy but I suspect they are all full of shit.
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Old 12-02-2009, 04:55 AM   #5
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

Quote:
Originally Posted by meriter View Post
There are plenty of Americans who claim to work with Kundalini energy but I suspect they are all full of shit.
Hah, you think? I just looked this up; it's just another hilarious spirituality bullshit concept with no meaning or relevance.
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Old 12-02-2009, 09:50 AM   #6
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

Wow...
How awesome to find you all so open-minded to other peoples opinions!
Was actually prepared to say more but somehow no longer feel the need.
Almost typical...
I'll keep my opinions to myself in future

Cheers!
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Old 12-02-2009, 09:58 AM   #7
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

nah, just find a forum with more gullible users who are interested in that sort of stuff. there are probably plenty.
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Old 12-02-2009, 10:29 AM   #8
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

I dont think its anything to do with being gullible.
Its not as if I was looking to find beleivers, far from it. Afterall, kundalini doesn't have any direct connection to Metatrons Cube, but its right there on the artwork, yet the spiralling out on the Lateralus track and also contained in Alex Greys art can be attributed to the combination of energies (Ida, Pingala and Shushumna) that kundalini practitioners state begin somewhere around the sacral area and spiral upwards toward the crown chakra. But hey, forgive ME for reading too much into it!
I had an opinion so I shared it, partly to do with what I've read up about kundalini. Of course, whatever I have read/researched etc doesnt just rest on that, but simply based on what I've read I made simple connections. I dont particularly think thats any different to the hundreds of other 'concepts' that get thrown around/discussed on this site.
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Old 12-02-2009, 11:43 AM   #9
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

The secret lies in the flaming feathers of the pink phoenix.
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Old 12-03-2009, 09:47 PM   #10
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

im interested to hear what you have to say about kundalini. i see the obvious links in tool's music and the artwork. let's hear some more about the connections you see with kundalini
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Old 12-04-2009, 04:16 PM   #11
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lateralareallofus View Post
im interested to hear what you have to say about kundalini. i see the obvious links in tool's music and the artwork. let's hear some more about the connections you see with kundalini
There are plenty of connections, if you're familiar with kundalini, its not difficult to see/hear them. The obvious place to start would be with the artwork. Virtually all of Alex Greys artwork depicts a process of chakra/internal energy work.
The CD inlay shows to obvious connections, the 3 spiralling energies, Shushumna, Ida and Pingala, I can only guess that if the entire body were painted, the spiral would begin somewhere in the sacral region. As you can see it spirals upward and through the top of the head from the Crown chakra point.
The eyes rotating around the figure I am guessing is an interpretation of the root of the Microcosmic orbits vertical rotation.
The 3 flaming eyes you can see on the figure, 1 is in place at the Heart chakra, 1 at the Thorat chakra and 1 at the Third eye. The fourth eye is in the hand which is lesser known chakra point but still relevent as it is in the right hand, menaing the right hand of god and seeing as God is depicted in the mind god is the self.
As for Metatrons Cube, surrounding the head and also depicted internally at the throat chakra metatron was an angel whos name means Voice of God hence why it is placed in the throat. in sacred geometry, Metatrons Cube contains 5 platonic solids which make up 'life' and everything within. With Kundalini, the basic idea is that we are all and everything, no duality, all as one, interconnected. With all five platonic solids (cube, tetrahedron, icosahedron, dodecahedron, octohedron) this is infinatly possible. The sixth solid is the Star Tetrahedron also known as the Merkaba, or chariot.

As for lyrical connections...
Lateralus is probably the most obvious track.
'...Black then white are all I see in my infancy.
red and yellow then came to be, reaching out to me'.
Black and white are simply metaphorical colours in this sense as they are simply the way we see things at an early age with nothing inbetween, the mind still in infancy doesnt grasp its power or is able to comprehend life and the self entity. Red then yellow then came to be, is interesting as these are the 2 colours of the more dominant chakras in everyone, red being the Root chakra and yellow the chakra found at the solar plexus.
However, in anyone uninitiated, or in touch with their internal energies, the Root, Solar Plexus and the Sacral chakra inbetween are the most dominating energies that concern emotion, ego etc, the energies that more often than not, if not controlled subdue the will to explore by feeding the mind with things it doesnt need... Fuelling things like, anger, hatred, jealousy etc, material needs, power and control, physical desires and addictions.
During any journey into chakra/energy work, it has been said that it is safer to begin with the Heart Chakra which is your centre and work upwards, then it is possible to put the rest in line, find balance.

'...to feel inspired, to fathom the power,
to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain,
to swing on the spiral
of our divinity and still be a human'.

The spiral is a referance to the 3 energies again, to bathe in the fountain is a direct reference to what Kundalini/Chakra practioners feel/see/visualise during meditation and generally when both the 3rd eye and crown chakra are wide open. And to swing on the spiral of divinity would likely be the fact that anyone that has had anything to do with chakra healing/meditation attributes the energies/powers/feelings to that of being one with God, but God meaning the self, the question he's asking is can he feel all this, be all this, as a God but still be human.

Just some connections.
Again, both lyrically and visually, there are hundreds of connections.
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Old 12-10-2009, 11:15 PM   #12
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

I am a novice at best when it comes to knowledge of the Kundalini, but I have come to think that Lateralus is indeed a tool (see what I did there) for expanding the way one views themselves in the world. To do this I think they employed a time tested method of personal transformation and chose to infuse the concepts of alchemy within the album. I will thoroughly explain my reasoning, but do keep in mind that at the end of the day everyone has the right to see things differently. This is merely what Lateralus has come to mean for me and I would not have it any other way.

There is no need to re-order any of the tracks. As was already mentioned, the band put them that way for a reason and I think that settles it. To me, TOOL has always seemed like a force that is out there waiting to guide you in a new direction. The songs and subtle knowledge therein are not going to jump out and bite you. For most of their songs I feel like it is a personal interpretation, but not on Lateralus. Here I believe we see purposeful direction given to the listener.

The Grudge begins with the sound of something accelerating upwards... an elevator is what I always imagine. A sign of things to come and generally what the album symbolizes, the act of ascension is clearly what is beginning here.

The song itself is immensely powerful and as this is the album's opening track the band leads it off with a bang. They want you drawn in from the start, ready to listen to more. The lyrics in the song deal heavily with the notion of being caught up in "the grudge". Now this is an area of interpretation but what stands out to me is an "all or nothing" attitude. You are holding the grudge and thereby being denied certain possibilities in life had you not been.

What I've concluded about The Grudge, is that it ultimately comes to correspond with the root chakra. That is, being consumed by the physical nature of reality and never acknowledging the many other layers that happen to be here. A little more than halfway through, the song slows and Maynard says rather matter-of-factly "...drags you down like a stone to consume you, till you choose to. Let this god choose to...". The 'let this god' line is repeated a few times for emphasis. This way of viewing yourself, as a god and not a product or result of the physical world, is a key message to take away from The Grudge.

"Give away the stone, let the waters kiss and transmutate these leaden grudges in to gold". Kicks off the chakra / alchemical symbolism in two ways. One, the "waters" are next up in the line of elements corresponding to the chakras. The Grudge was Earth, Water will be represented next. And obviously, transmutation is what happens in every alchemical operation. The idea is to take something that is imperfect and transform it towards perfection; gold in most cases, but in personal alchemy it is always the metaphor for self-improvement.

One final note about The Grudge... Maynard's Scream. I capitalize scream because it is just so powerfully awesome. He yells for 26 seconds... yells at us to "LET GO". What are we letting go of? THE GRUDGE! Our attachment to all things material and consuming. To begin the phases of self-transformation you must go through this as it allows the rest of the process to be initiated.

I will continue my analysis and interpretation of Lateralus and post back here over the weekend. I've only really ever kept these thoughts to myself and in random notes scribbled here and there. It might take a couple days to get the rest out, but I think it's time I did, so thank you for creating this topic.

Hopefully there will be more discussion and less criticism for putting your thoughts out there.
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Old 12-11-2009, 02:16 AM   #13
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

Good points there jazo ! I'll patiently wait for some more.

Personally I've never thought that root chakra thing. I'm in to chakra meditation and a bit to kundalini too and this opened some new perspectives. I've had a strong opinion that the consuming, materialistic grudge would refer to ego but this makes more sense actually.

I'd like to hear your opinion on Parabol/a !
To me it's most self-explanatory but I find it to put it into words.
I feel that these are things that you need to feel and not understand conceptually.
"We are eternal, all this pain is an illusion."

What comes to the song Lateralus and those spirals I've been thinking that they might picture the fractal like being in the time of now. There is no psychological time existent. Everything is happening now. Future is only dreams and imagination and past is in our memory ie. nothing that is present. The Only moment we exist in is now, the now always continues like a fractal that you can zoom further and further to the eternity. Fibbionacci inspired spirals are this kind of never ending fractals just like the NOW-time. So when you stop in the not existent psychological time you'll take on this spiral ride.

A mate of mine warned me about kundalini syndrome and I've by now stopped experimentation with it. I can make it rise right up to the third eye and have once felt/seen gleaming melt white gold pouring from crown chakra to all inside my head and since that I have perceived everything in a "little more than 3 dimensional" view.
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Old 12-14-2009, 10:26 AM   #14
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

Sweet thread.
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Old 12-14-2009, 10:43 AM   #15
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

nice post jazo!
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Old 01-10-2010, 05:13 PM   #16
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

I know this is a bit of a bump but since no one posted the alternate order I thought I would do so:

6, 7, 5, 8, 4, 9, 13, 1, 12, 2, 11, 3, 10

Intentional or not it seems to fit quite well.

One cannot deny the Fibonacci sequence contained within the song creating a spiral.

The primary riff is in a 9-8-7 time signature which would be the 16th step starting from one.*

The lyrics themselves follow the same pattern

Black - 1
then - 1
white are - 2
all I see - 3
in my infancy - 5
red and yellow then came to be - 8
reaching out to me - 5
lets me see - 3

Notice that it follows the pattern?

The following verse starts at 13 moving down following the same pattern.

Again intentional or not it is a very interesting concept.

Add in the references to "spiral out" and it becomes more clear in my eyes. The sequence creates a mathematical spiral that is replete throughout our world and universe. Everything from galaxies to the ram's horn follow the pattern.

At the end we are told to keep going. Inspired by the sequence or not I still think it is a very unique song.

Give the album a listen in the alternate order. I find it rather enjoyable that way.

*The sequence is as follows

1 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 8 - 13 - 21 - 34 - 55 - 89 - 144 - 233 - 377 - 610 - 987

Interesting coincidence, if you believe in such a concept.
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Old 01-10-2010, 05:31 PM   #17
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

wow it feels like 2003 in here
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Old 07-08-2010, 05:01 AM   #18
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

hmm... I (someone else) experienced this last night on acid, the only way for it to happen. Lateralus is purely physical. They're pushing air throughout your body via sound. Jazo, you're right on the money about the whole Chakra thing. Since that is the direction that they spread sound throughout your body. Basically, the songs literally travel through your body.

There are parts where a huge amount of low tones get shot down through your body and you physically rumble from it. it is in a way, very scary, but at the same time... AMAZING! I can't get over how they did it. I'm guessing they used sound therapy kind of thing.

In sound therapy you put headphones on and certain tones get sent through your ears and go through your body to realign certain organs and things like that. At the end of the album, 'Faip' with all the craziness, the zaps and shit move down to your bladder and whatever it is that holds your crap and pushes it all down O_o (quite uncomfortable) .. preparing you to go 'cleanse' yourself in the bathroom.

That whole song list switching is complete bull. I don't understand why people would even attempt to butcher the album.

So those of you (no-body) that experience acid now and then, go to your ipod, put on your head phones and turn it up real loud.

Now. There IS a trick to the experience and they do not make it easy.
Close your mouth and keep it closed (and i mean clench your lips at all costs). About halfway (i think) through the grudge, you should feel what feels like a large ball being forced down through your body. Don't freak out. accept it and keep your mouth closed! :)

If you experience it (i hope you do) then..... you'll find out exactly what Lateralus is all about and there will be no more questions for anyone to ask anymore ;)

And come back to share what you just experienced and we can rejoice :D~~~

Remember to breathe!!!! (through your nose).

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Old 07-09-2010, 03:50 PM   #19
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

Kundalini is an interesting topic, but it should be discussed in S&P separate from Lateralus. Hear me out, I'm not bashing you.
Tool is a Band comprised of members that are interested in the esoteric, but are far from masters of the ancient practice or they wouldn't be in a rock band that is so far from the meditative life. If they really knew anything about this type of spirituality in practice they wouldn't be doing what they are doing. They use this shit to sell more records and perpetuate a mystery of nothing. They are Kids from suburbia that moved to LA to be famous, as much as they try to deny it and look above it. They fooled me for a long time and I think they are great artists that channel some very strange and interesting energies, but hey are not monks, ascetics, magicians of any kind, or anything else that they may make reference to. If anything, this shows up in there music because they Wish they were there instead of on tour. I personally think Maynard is the only one that even studies Buddhist and Hindu Philosophy and maybe Justin.
My point is that by saying that the band intended to make an album about Kundalini really just discredits the band and Kundalini, there may be crossover associations that can be made but, they are better discussed separately if you want either discussion to be a sober one.

Also, I think they are more or less promoters of these ideas than the actual holders and practitioners.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 5th Eye View Post
wow it feels like 2003 in here
lol

Last edited by TOD; 07-09-2010 at 03:52 PM..
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Old 07-10-2010, 03:13 AM   #20
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

The only part of Lateralus that was based around Fibonacci sequence is the song Lateralus. Justin came up with the idea before the song was written. Also, the album was written in about 2 months (as revealed in the 'Revolver' interviews). The rest of the time was spent in the studio.

Like i said before, this is purely physical, it's all about experiencing the human body through sound.
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Old 07-13-2010, 11:23 PM   #21
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

This is not so farfetched, there are techniques to do this kind of thing (opening chakras, meditation etc) with music/sound, eg:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainwave_synchronization

http://www.tantra-chakra-kundalini.com/ (could be bullshit, but hey whatever)

http://www.bwgen.com/ (Brainwave Generator software)


Would Tool be past doing this? Hmm...
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Old 07-15-2010, 12:27 PM   #22
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

Follow up:

Actually, considering 10,000 days is made with some kind of 3d positioning hardware/software i wouldn't be surprised if a more primitive version were used here. But, I speculate...
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Old 07-18-2010, 05:17 PM   #23
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

It's funny how people think this album is meant to be deciphered. It's really very simple. It's an album for those who care. The whole thing is a journey. There is no 'one song'. Maynard's voice is the guide.

I know I'm a bit up on the high horse, but whatever.

Tool have even shown us what this album can do. Just watch the Schism/Parabola videos.

I'm not sure if anyone else realizes that Lateralus and 10,000 days tie beautifully together as one long journey. But anyway. Could just be me hey?

If anyone's actually interested in what I experienced on this album, send me a pm and I'll inform you.

"I don't wanna be all alone when i tell this story" :)

aaahhh Rosetta Stoned is a great recap of Lateralus...

P.S. Forget the second half of my first post for this thread. Could end up causing someone damage. Do what maynard tells you to do.

Last edited by Samjoebob; 07-18-2010 at 06:18 PM..
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Old 09-14-2020, 01:29 AM   #24
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Re: Kundalini Awakening and Lateralus

What is Kundalini? What is Kundalini awakening stages? Right now I am writing. This is Kundalini. You are alert and reading. If you are alert and reading that is KUNDALINI. The flowers blossoming that is Kundalini. A dog is barking that is also Kundalini or in other words the fundamental life force in the existence we call it Kundalini.

Now within the human system. If you look at this as a kind of a life package. It’s a piece of life this piece of life is packed in a certain way with layers of this energy. One dimensional energy comes alive immediately because that is necessary for your survival process.
Please see Kundalini Awakening Stages
https://truecosmic.com/what-is-kundalini-kundalini-awakening-stages/
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