Truthster013
20th October 2016, 19:05
I'm frequently picked on for seeing connections to things "occult" or esoteric all the time but today I'm going to do it again. I was listening to the newest song by the Lumineer's titled "Ophelia" and was struck by a line in the song that seemed totally out of place. "Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl since the flood...Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love". Before I made any other connections I found this line odd. What does the "flood" have to do with anything? After just a little bit of research I started to find all sorts of "odd" things about this song, album, and band which I'll share here. And trust me, I'm prepared to be picked on again.
So let's start with the band name itself, "The Lumineers". A luminary is a celestial body, particularly the sun and the moon. It is an adjective associated with light or illumination. This also harkens back to the infamous Illuminati and those in the occult seeking "light" or to be "illuminated" by esoteric wisdom.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A18mpobgSRL._SL1500_.jpgThe album on which "Ophelia" appears is titled "Cleopatra". The album cover (seen here) features the famous silent movie actress Theda Bera dressed up as Cleopatra in her most famous movie and role. Those even remotely familiar with western esotericsm will recognize the importance of ancient Egypt in the occult. Theda here is wearing an Egyptian headress with the horns and disc symbolizing the sun god (a luminary) as well as a serpent (wisdom) thus depicting esoteric illumination by the high priestess (fitting for a band calling themselves Lumineers?).
While there is no known surviving copy of this movie in existence today, here are some tidbits from wikipedia about the film.
"Cleopatra (1917) was an American silent historical drama film based on H. Rider Haggard's 1889 novel Cleopatra and the plays Cleopatre by Émile Moreau and Victorien Sardou and Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare."
I'll discuss William Shakespeare's role more in a moment but here is a bit more about the plot:
"As described in a film magazine, Cleopatra (Bara), the Siren of Egypt, by a clever ruse reaches Caesar and he falls victim to her charms. They plan to rule the world together, but then Caesar falls. Cleopatra's life is desired by the church, as the wanton woman's rule has become intolerable. Pharon, a high priest, is given a sacred dagger to take her life. He gives her his love instead and, when she is in need of some money, leads her to the tomb of his ancestors, where she tears the treasure from the breast of the mummy. With this wealth she goes to Rome to meet Mark Antony. He leaves the affairs of state and travels to Alexandria with her, where they revel. Antony is recalled to Rome and married to Octavia, but his soul cries out for Cleopatra. He sends her a message to arm her ships and meet him at Actium, where they battle the opposing forces. They are overpowered, and flee to Alexandria. There they are captured by Octavius, and Antony dies in Cleopatra's arms. Before Cleopatra is to be dragged behind the wheels of Octavius' chariot, Pharon the priest, who has never ceased to love her, brings her the serpent that she joyously brings to her breast, dying royally with her crown on her head and scepter in her hand as becomes Egypt."
So here we see that the plot of the movie Cleopatra (featured on the cover of the album by the Lumineers) depicts Cleopatra as a priestess of ancient Egypt along with her sun and snake symbolism still popular in the modern western esoteric.
Theda Bera, the actress, was one of the most popular femme fatales of the silent film era and was popularly known as the "vamp" (or vampire) based off of a collection of films she made depicting her as a vampire of sorts. The first movie in which is is credited as playing the role of the vampire is a 1915 movie titled "A Fool There Was". The plot, according to wikipedia, goes like this:
"John Schuyler, a rich Wall Street lawyer and diplomat, is a husband and a devoted family man. He is sent to England on a diplomatic mission without his wife and daughter. On the ship he meets the "Vampire woman" (Theda Bara) who uses her charms to seduce men and leave after ruining their lives. Completely under the influence of this woman, he loses his job and abandons his family. All attempts by his family to get him back on the right path fail. And the life of the "idiot" degrades more."
While the band publicly states that the song "Ophelia" is about their sudden rise to fame, perhaps the lines make more sense when you think of Theda Bera:
"Oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl since the flood
Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love"
About the movie "A Fool There Was" wikipedia says:
"The film is one of the few movies with Theda Bara that still exist today. It popularised the term "vamp" (short for vampire), referring to a femme fatale who causes the moral loss of those she seduced, and about how a vampire fascinates then exhausts its victims."
It is interesting to note that the wikipedia article on Theda goes on to say that critics stated that her portrayal of calculating, coldhearted women was morally instructive to men. Theda Bara alegedly responded by saying, "I will continue doing vampires as long as people sin."
How do the above lyrics have anything to do with the modern band's rise to fame? it seems very strange all things considered.
It is also interesting to note that wikipedia says this about Theda Bera:
"The studios promoted Bara with a massive publicity campaign, billing her as the Egyptian-born daughter of a French actress and an Italian sculptor. They claimed she had spent her early years in the Sahara Desert under the shadow of the Sphinx, then moved to France to become a stage actress. (In fact, Bara had never been to Egypt or France.) They called her the Serpent of the Nile and encouraged her to discuss mysticism and the occult in interviews."
Bera's real father was Jewish and the entire history the studios made up was to mystify her in the eyes of the public as a sort of goddess of royal blood. The fact that the studios labeled her the "serpent of the nile" and wanted her to discuss mysticism and the occult in interviews suggest that she was respected in the occult/esoteric community. Again, an interesting person for the "Lumineers" to pick for their album cover.
Earlier I had mentioned we'd discuss more about William Shakespeare. So far we have established that the woman on the cover of the Lumineers album titled "Cleopatra" is Theda Bera in her role as Cleopatra which was based in part on a play written by William Shakespeare. I was not familiar with it when I heard the song "Ophelia" but "Ophelia" is another character from William Shakespeare that appears in his play "Hamlet". Here is what wikipedia has to say about Ophelia in Hamlet:
"In Ophelia's next appearance, she tells Polonius that Hamlet rushed into her room with his clothing askew, and with a "hellish" expression on his face, and only stared at her and nodded three times, without speaking to her. Based on what Ophelia told him, Polonius concludes that he was wrong to forbid Ophelia from seeing Hamlet, and that Hamlet must be mad with lovesickness for her."
It is before Ophelia the Hamlet recites the famous lines "To be, or not to be..." and "Get thee to a nunnary". Later
"The next time Ophelia appears is at the "Mousetrap Play", which Hamlet has arranged in order to try to prove that Claudius killed King Hamlet. Hamlet sits with Ophelia and makes sexually suggestive remarks; he also says that woman's love is brief."
To be fair to the artists (the Lumineers), this perhaps gives support to their official explanation of the song "Ophelia" which they said symbolizes their quick rise to fame and the fact that this fame is fleeting and brief and soon people will forget about them. This reference to Ophelia may be to point to the suggestion that fans, like a woman's love, are brief.
Finally of worth mentioning from Halmet is:
"In Act 4 Scene 7, Queen Gertrude, in her monologue (There is a willow grows aslant the brook), reports that Ophelia had climbed into a willow tree, and then a branch broke and dropped Ophelia into the brook, where she drowned. Gertrude says that Ophelia appeared "incapable of her own distress". Gertrude's announcement of Ophelia's death has been praised as one of the most poetic death announcements in literature."
I'm not versed enough in the occult to interpret the deeper occult meaning of Ophelia but I did want to point out that it has long been discussed that William Shakespears plays were heavy with occult symoblism. For example, in an article titled "Shakespear and the Occult" by Helen Heightsman Gordon we are told:
"References to the occult pervade the works of many literary writers of the time, including William Shakespeare. While it is certain that the plays are filled with occult references, there is no evidence at all that William of Stratford ever studied or was involved with any such practices or was even widely read on the subject. On the other hand, there is considerable evidence, as will be discussed later, that Edward de Vere was a patron of the well-known occultist and philosopher Dr. John Dee and was a practitioner of the occult arts."
Much of the content and story lines in Shakespeare's plays were of a supernatural theme....and many of the ideas of the Rosicrucians and Freemasons are reflected in his plays and poetry. ,,,“Only by accepting the psychic content of the plays are we free to enjoy them in the spirit in which they are written.”
And so, while I cannot yet find further evidence of the occult yet (I haven't purchased the album to see if other songs give hints), I see at least support that SOMETHING is afoot!
So let's start with the band name itself, "The Lumineers". A luminary is a celestial body, particularly the sun and the moon. It is an adjective associated with light or illumination. This also harkens back to the infamous Illuminati and those in the occult seeking "light" or to be "illuminated" by esoteric wisdom.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A18mpobgSRL._SL1500_.jpgThe album on which "Ophelia" appears is titled "Cleopatra". The album cover (seen here) features the famous silent movie actress Theda Bera dressed up as Cleopatra in her most famous movie and role. Those even remotely familiar with western esotericsm will recognize the importance of ancient Egypt in the occult. Theda here is wearing an Egyptian headress with the horns and disc symbolizing the sun god (a luminary) as well as a serpent (wisdom) thus depicting esoteric illumination by the high priestess (fitting for a band calling themselves Lumineers?).
While there is no known surviving copy of this movie in existence today, here are some tidbits from wikipedia about the film.
"Cleopatra (1917) was an American silent historical drama film based on H. Rider Haggard's 1889 novel Cleopatra and the plays Cleopatre by Émile Moreau and Victorien Sardou and Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare."
I'll discuss William Shakespeare's role more in a moment but here is a bit more about the plot:
"As described in a film magazine, Cleopatra (Bara), the Siren of Egypt, by a clever ruse reaches Caesar and he falls victim to her charms. They plan to rule the world together, but then Caesar falls. Cleopatra's life is desired by the church, as the wanton woman's rule has become intolerable. Pharon, a high priest, is given a sacred dagger to take her life. He gives her his love instead and, when she is in need of some money, leads her to the tomb of his ancestors, where she tears the treasure from the breast of the mummy. With this wealth she goes to Rome to meet Mark Antony. He leaves the affairs of state and travels to Alexandria with her, where they revel. Antony is recalled to Rome and married to Octavia, but his soul cries out for Cleopatra. He sends her a message to arm her ships and meet him at Actium, where they battle the opposing forces. They are overpowered, and flee to Alexandria. There they are captured by Octavius, and Antony dies in Cleopatra's arms. Before Cleopatra is to be dragged behind the wheels of Octavius' chariot, Pharon the priest, who has never ceased to love her, brings her the serpent that she joyously brings to her breast, dying royally with her crown on her head and scepter in her hand as becomes Egypt."
So here we see that the plot of the movie Cleopatra (featured on the cover of the album by the Lumineers) depicts Cleopatra as a priestess of ancient Egypt along with her sun and snake symbolism still popular in the modern western esoteric.
Theda Bera, the actress, was one of the most popular femme fatales of the silent film era and was popularly known as the "vamp" (or vampire) based off of a collection of films she made depicting her as a vampire of sorts. The first movie in which is is credited as playing the role of the vampire is a 1915 movie titled "A Fool There Was". The plot, according to wikipedia, goes like this:
"John Schuyler, a rich Wall Street lawyer and diplomat, is a husband and a devoted family man. He is sent to England on a diplomatic mission without his wife and daughter. On the ship he meets the "Vampire woman" (Theda Bara) who uses her charms to seduce men and leave after ruining their lives. Completely under the influence of this woman, he loses his job and abandons his family. All attempts by his family to get him back on the right path fail. And the life of the "idiot" degrades more."
While the band publicly states that the song "Ophelia" is about their sudden rise to fame, perhaps the lines make more sense when you think of Theda Bera:
"Oh, Ophelia, you've been on my mind girl since the flood
Oh, Ophelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love"
About the movie "A Fool There Was" wikipedia says:
"The film is one of the few movies with Theda Bara that still exist today. It popularised the term "vamp" (short for vampire), referring to a femme fatale who causes the moral loss of those she seduced, and about how a vampire fascinates then exhausts its victims."
It is interesting to note that the wikipedia article on Theda goes on to say that critics stated that her portrayal of calculating, coldhearted women was morally instructive to men. Theda Bara alegedly responded by saying, "I will continue doing vampires as long as people sin."
How do the above lyrics have anything to do with the modern band's rise to fame? it seems very strange all things considered.
It is also interesting to note that wikipedia says this about Theda Bera:
"The studios promoted Bara with a massive publicity campaign, billing her as the Egyptian-born daughter of a French actress and an Italian sculptor. They claimed she had spent her early years in the Sahara Desert under the shadow of the Sphinx, then moved to France to become a stage actress. (In fact, Bara had never been to Egypt or France.) They called her the Serpent of the Nile and encouraged her to discuss mysticism and the occult in interviews."
Bera's real father was Jewish and the entire history the studios made up was to mystify her in the eyes of the public as a sort of goddess of royal blood. The fact that the studios labeled her the "serpent of the nile" and wanted her to discuss mysticism and the occult in interviews suggest that she was respected in the occult/esoteric community. Again, an interesting person for the "Lumineers" to pick for their album cover.
Earlier I had mentioned we'd discuss more about William Shakespeare. So far we have established that the woman on the cover of the Lumineers album titled "Cleopatra" is Theda Bera in her role as Cleopatra which was based in part on a play written by William Shakespeare. I was not familiar with it when I heard the song "Ophelia" but "Ophelia" is another character from William Shakespeare that appears in his play "Hamlet". Here is what wikipedia has to say about Ophelia in Hamlet:
"In Ophelia's next appearance, she tells Polonius that Hamlet rushed into her room with his clothing askew, and with a "hellish" expression on his face, and only stared at her and nodded three times, without speaking to her. Based on what Ophelia told him, Polonius concludes that he was wrong to forbid Ophelia from seeing Hamlet, and that Hamlet must be mad with lovesickness for her."
It is before Ophelia the Hamlet recites the famous lines "To be, or not to be..." and "Get thee to a nunnary". Later
"The next time Ophelia appears is at the "Mousetrap Play", which Hamlet has arranged in order to try to prove that Claudius killed King Hamlet. Hamlet sits with Ophelia and makes sexually suggestive remarks; he also says that woman's love is brief."
To be fair to the artists (the Lumineers), this perhaps gives support to their official explanation of the song "Ophelia" which they said symbolizes their quick rise to fame and the fact that this fame is fleeting and brief and soon people will forget about them. This reference to Ophelia may be to point to the suggestion that fans, like a woman's love, are brief.
Finally of worth mentioning from Halmet is:
"In Act 4 Scene 7, Queen Gertrude, in her monologue (There is a willow grows aslant the brook), reports that Ophelia had climbed into a willow tree, and then a branch broke and dropped Ophelia into the brook, where she drowned. Gertrude says that Ophelia appeared "incapable of her own distress". Gertrude's announcement of Ophelia's death has been praised as one of the most poetic death announcements in literature."
I'm not versed enough in the occult to interpret the deeper occult meaning of Ophelia but I did want to point out that it has long been discussed that William Shakespears plays were heavy with occult symoblism. For example, in an article titled "Shakespear and the Occult" by Helen Heightsman Gordon we are told:
"References to the occult pervade the works of many literary writers of the time, including William Shakespeare. While it is certain that the plays are filled with occult references, there is no evidence at all that William of Stratford ever studied or was involved with any such practices or was even widely read on the subject. On the other hand, there is considerable evidence, as will be discussed later, that Edward de Vere was a patron of the well-known occultist and philosopher Dr. John Dee and was a practitioner of the occult arts."
Much of the content and story lines in Shakespeare's plays were of a supernatural theme....and many of the ideas of the Rosicrucians and Freemasons are reflected in his plays and poetry. ,,,“Only by accepting the psychic content of the plays are we free to enjoy them in the spirit in which they are written.”
And so, while I cannot yet find further evidence of the occult yet (I haven't purchased the album to see if other songs give hints), I see at least support that SOMETHING is afoot!