Beyond the Veil – A Poet’s Interpretation

Have you ever read a poem, (Or Shakespeare, or something from classic literature, either because you had to for school or because you simply love the arts like me) and you thought to yourself, “Gee that was really pretty, but . . . wait, what?”

This was my first reaction to watching the amazingly stylized cinematic experience for Lindsey Stirlings video for her brand new song, “Beyond the Veil.” Recall my first reaction to her song having heard the music, but not seen her vision:

The violin ballad captivates me immediately. It is simplistic in nature, with a mournful introduction that builds into something of a battle. The nature of this battle is triumphant, but a sense of longing never leaves the song. The violin “cat calls” in this song twice, and at the bridge there is a harsh sawing of the strings much like the devil’s song in “The Devil went down to Georgia.” I look to the title for clues for meaning. A veil hides something from the world. Often it hides the innocence of a bride, but it can also hide the identity of a knight. In the case of this song, whatever lies beyond the veil has a deep longing to get out, to be free. The battle for freedom rages and victory does not seem to come without cost. The motif of the struggling journey is ever present in this piece and louder than ever, and it holds a heroic theme throughout. It’s a song that upholds some primal truth, and it promises to be one of Lindsey’s most popular works.

It took some thought, but the motifs in the video became more clear to me by watching the video and then listening to the song again on its own. It seems I was pretty close in my initial gut reaction to the song itself, but this video adds new insight.

The primal truth is self-acceptance, and comes at the end of the heroic journey. Also present is a new motif of old life versus new life, which can be found in both the chorus and  the way the song reveals a long build up to a triumphant crescendo. I found it easier to break down the various symbols, and let the journey in the video speak for itself.

Symbols

 

Ocean and Waves - The physical Veil, hiding the world Lindsey must journey through to find herself.

White dress – The prominent color of the video, representing hope, innocence, or purity. One Lindsey wears a gold exterior armored corset. (The Lindsey that dives in the water). The dry forest Lindsey wears a forest green shawl, and the Lindsey that remains on the beach or on the cliff is in the white dress alone. It looks damp and somewhat tattered.

New Life Imagery - There is a shot of new life as spores fly from the leaf and Lindsey releases white flower petals. New Life Lindsey dances in twirls or circular motions and wears green. This is the current Lindsey who wrote the song, and can be thought of as the narrator of the story through music.

Old life Imagery  - Ruins, old Gods, Old Forest both underwater and on land. Old life Lindsey dances in linear motions rather than circular, and plays in the storm. Old life Lindsey is ever present in the video because sometimes we all revert and all must continue to struggle. 

Transitional Lindsey – This Lindsey wears gold armor and undergoes the journey.

Storm – beach weather is in constant state of approaching storm, further hiding the calm beneath the waves

Treasure – Lindsey discovers treasure in the ruins of an ancient city in an underwater forest. She opens it, and the treasure floats upward like bubbles, rather than staying heavy like metal. I feel this represents the letting go of needless desires in the old life, but treasure could be interpreted as either new or old life imagery.

Mirror – Reminiscent of the Mirror in Harry Potter, the mirror reflects the true self. Touching the mirror in the video sets the true self free. The mirror sequence represents acceptance of the true self.

Child Lindsey – Represents both Lindsey’s spirituality and connection to God, and her true self. Lindsey spends the entire video searching for and following this true self on a journey. She was not able to simply accept who this child was at the beginning.

Musical Childlike Voice “Hey” – Lindsey’s child/true self calls to her in the song with this voice, masterfully placed into the music.

Awakening – The visual of waking up is not so much as from a dream but in waking up to a better reality. The video starts and ends with a wake up.

Cosmic Beauty – The Nirvana achieved when finally connecting with the true self. The Video starts and ends in the same and reveals the true self was always trying to reveal the cosmic beauty to Lindsey from the first awakening.

Violin – Somewhat self-explanatory but Lindsey’s device for connection to her true self. The one belonging to childlike Lindsey is older and worn looking, and could be viewed as both old life and new life imagery

Make sure you check out the new video at the link, and if you have not already like and subscribe

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyC_4jvPzLiSkJkLIkA7B8g

 

Beyond the veil is also now available on itunes and the entire album for preorder.

http://smarturl.it/ShatterMe