Chaordic
Anamnesis Track 3
ANAMNESIS
In philosophy, anamnesis (/ˌænæmˈniːsɪs/; Ancient Greek: ἀνάμνησις) is a concept in Plato’s epistemological and psychological theory that he develops in his dialogues Meno and Phaedo and alludes to in his Phaedrus. The idea is that humans possess innate knowledge (perhaps acquired before birth) and that learning consists of rediscovering that knowledge from within.
In 2003–2004, I made my first record with 1 SM57 mic, a small three-piece drum kit, an acoustic and electric guitar, an Access Virus analog synth, and Ableton 2. The nine tracks each represent the stages of Consciousness, as proposed by Spiral Dynamics and Ken Wilber’s work. Here’s a quick overview story. Each of my next nine posts will be dedicated to telling the story and meaning of each track-stage. Enjoy!
CHAORDIC
See what you believe
believe what you perceive
perceive whatever you need
to breathe
believe
believe
believe
to breathe
no matter where it goes
no matter how it comes
no matter if it's not matter at all
we all can’t help but
fall
believe
believe
believe
to breathe
believe
believe
believe
to breathe
they say what to do
they say how to be
they say they know Truth
they say we are
Free
“Chaordic” is the synthesis of “Chaos” and “Order,” the turbulent duality of the third stage of Being. This stage sees the introduction of “magical” thinking, as best represented by the Voodoo Doll. The ego has so much power over the Universe that it can single-handedly manifest this power throughout space and time. For a child, we have the “Terrible Twos,” where the kid now has such a defined sense of self that they begin attempting to wield this newfound power over everything in sight. Chaoric is the stage where worshiping many different gods begins to emerge, from the Sun to the Moon, to the Stars, Wind, Water, and the birth of Mythical creatures who rule us all. This stage remains prevalent in more adults than I care to admit, with an array of magical thinking ranging from Authoritarian power trips to the deep commitment to the Zodiac. Indeed, these seemingly disparate personality types may be born of the same stage of Consciousness, among many more.
This magical thinking is wrapped up in the attachment to “belief” in some form of dogma, wrought with the trappings of symbolism and Myth. This is the core meaning in the song’s lyrics, focusing on the refrain “believe to breathe.” In other words, belief is so essential to this stage, it is an act of pure survival. “Finding a voice” becomes essential to this stage, in the most literal way. A baby begins to cognate and produces words, as represented by the introduction of lyrics for the first time. My singing voice isn’t exactly perfect, and the fact that I had the courage to sing at all on this record is still impressive to me. Finding my voice, indeed!
See what you believe
believe what you perceive
perceive whatever you need
to breathe
I’m most proud of this quatrain that picks up the last word as the first of the following line and is the most concise expression I could have come up with to highlight this stage, based first and foremost on the cliche “see what you believe,” and building off it.
“The They,” in the most Heideggerian sense, is introduced here, with They telling you what to think, what to do, how to be, and are the arbiters of Truth. The ominous “The They” are the undefinable, shadowy figures that seemingly move the chess pieces throughout the board, be they magical beings, Gods of Nature, or the invisible hand that controls all. This incredible NYT interactive experience shows how Fox News’ Tucker Carlson uses The They to chilling effect.
I used acoustic guitar to give this tune an organic sound, building up to the giant bass drop at 2:40, representing the myth of “freedom,” as “free” is the final lyric here. The big distorted bass got tamped down a bit in mastering. If I could go back, I’d make this sound much nastier. The reverse electric guitar loop builds tension throughout the song, and climaxes in this free-for-all moment, leading to Hearth, the next track and stage.
