Blog Posts

("Huike Thinking" by Shi Ke)

"The Door Of The Law" is a suite in six parts inspired by "A Parable About A Parable" from RAWilson's "Quantum Psychology," itself inspired by Kafka's "Before The Law." (There is also a video version by jackhalfaprayer.)

The second section of the suite is entitled "Plight" and presents the situation in which Simon Moon, a young American man studying Zen, finds himself after reading "Before The Law," a mystifying parable which can be found near the end of the Czech au

("Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji Meditation Hall" by Michael Dougan)

"The Door Of The Law" is a suite in six parts inspired by "A Parable About A Parable" from RAWilson's "Quantum Psychology," itself inspired by Kafka's "Before The Law." (There is also a video version by jackhalfaprayer.)

The 4th part is entitled "Pedagogue" and tells the story of the roshi's response to his student's plight.

Now I see
Dear Simon why you looked so weary

Don't worry
I will explain the allegory
And from its bind you will be

("Informaëlstrom" by poligraf)

1000 Radios is a two-part piece which explores the relationship between an individual and their reality, a subject and their objective world.

The second part, "Informaëlstrom," aims to depict this reality gone awry, a maelstrom of information as it were, and the struggle of the individual endeavouring to escape the chaos and finally break through the confusion to revel in understanding and effortlessness.

The piece is an instrumental, but I thought I'd write some rel

("Upward" - detail from an old kindergarten painting)

The Idler was born of a combination of concepts discovered while exploring various domains of knowledge during the second half of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s.

« The idler who does not arise when it is time to arise, who is full of sloth though young and strong, who is lazy and weak in thought and mind, does not find the path to insight. » – The Dhammapada

I was developing an interest in Buddhism, and from the works of Jung, in the c

("Tibetan Sand Mandala" by Mary Mueller)

The central theme of « In Our Space » is the idea of building, of perhaps finding or reaching, a space where one is free to simply be themselves and do as they feel they should.

At the personal level, this corresponds to finding true purpose and staying in alignment with it, remaining centered at all times in that ideal sacred space, or pure land.

Originally, the scope was limited to that level only, and the word space was referring to an individual’s mind s

"Reinfused" is basically a rehash of the material presented in "Lifeforce," but with an emphasis on shifting time, forward movement, and dynamism, to suggest the removal of obstacles from the path of a process which is then finally allowed to follow its course toward completion.

The piece is an instrumental. Here is the related poetry :

Tell me when are these times that I have dreams about
Are they mere memories of better days gone by
Unsubstantial fancies fated to fade away
Or horizons waiting to b

("In Search Of Lost Time" by bogenfreund)

« Lifeforce » is the story of a personal catastrophe, an individual end of the world, beginning from a state of inspiration and hyperactivity, through doubt, destabilization, failure, consternation, collapse, and then on to relativisation, assessment, the return of hope, and renewal.

The story is told in non-linear time, beginning just after the collapse, and its various stages are presented as objects of an introspection which will lead to appraisal and

("Artwork on the Anschutz Medical Campus" by Rinaldodsouza)

"The Door Of The Law" is a suite in six parts inspired by "A Parable About A Parable" from RAWilson's "Quantum Psychology," itself inspired by Kafka's "Before The Law." (There is also a video version by jackhalfaprayer.)

The conclusion of the suite is a short section wherein I present my interpretation of the parable. The music is basically a reprise of the introduction, with a very simple acoustic guitar and vocals arrangement, so as to

("Aurora Borealis" by Frederic Edwin Church)

I am a child
Of the Sky and the Stars
Loving and sweet as Venus
And fierce as Mars

I'm lucky as Jupiter
Each brand new day I
Bathe in a meteor shower
Under the Milky Way

Brothers and Sisters high
In a round of light
We paint the aurorae
On the canvas of the night

I am a child
Of the Sun and the Moon
I sustain the gull in flight
And soothe the crying loon

Porcupine petting - And
Rhinos meal at noon - Then it's
Off to the desert 'til the evening
Shift to shape the dunes

("Guardian Angel," sculpture by Josep Llimona, photography by P. B. Obregón)

Do you remember when
Things would happen
Have we wandered since then
Far from heaven ?
Seems to me

Roads to hell and
Good intentions, oh anything
For a taste of liberty
And a kiss from my
Guardian Angel

The door opens again
I still want in
If I had known back then
The price of sin
C'est la vie !

Blindfolded
But the seer says everything
Is the way it needs to be
On the wings of my
Guardian Angel

And if at first you don't succeed
Just wait fo

("Lifeforce" by poligraf)

« Lifeforce » is the story of a personal catastrophe, an individual end of the world, beginning from a state of inspiration and hyperactivity, through doubt, destabilization, failure, consternation, collapse, and then on to relativisation, assessment, the return of hope, and renewal.

The story is told in non-linear time, beginning just after the collapse, and its various stages are presented as objects of an introspection which will lead to appraisal and peace and wil

("Ganjoji in Izushi" by 663highland)

"The Door Of The Law" is a suite in six parts inspired by "A Parable About A Parable" from RAWilson's "Quantum Psychology," itself inspired by Kafka's "Before The Law." (There is also a video version by jackhalfaprayer.)

The 3rd part is entitled "Parable" and presents a reading of the story by which Simon, the Zen student, is bewildered.

Once was a man who had made it
Up all the way to the Door of the Law
No obstacle had made him quit
No one burden had caused him

("Masculine Wave" by Katsushika Hokusai)

"Ocean" is the concluding part of "The Dam" and symbolizes the dream, the goal, the calling.

The ocean is calling.

The Music Of Poligraf series are reposts of writings and audio clips that have been originally published on The Goal Was So Near from November 2008 to April 2009, made available for those who missed the original Clip Of The Day series.

Please note that poligraf.net will be offline for a few days while our servers are being relocated and upgrade

(Tobyo from the Bakemono-Dukushi - Unknown Artist)

"Uncoiling I" was originally written in September 2002, elaborating on drafts dating back to September 2000, and a first version was published in 2004.

The title of this miniature fugue for quartet comes from Kundalini energy, one of my subjects of interest at the time. From Wikipedia :

(...) literally "coiled". In Indian yoga, a "corporeal energy" - an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal force or Shakti, envisioned either as a goddess or else as

"Introspection II" is the fifth section, and second with vocals, of "The Chrome Lake." And as is the case for its almost-but-not-identical twin "Introspection I," the subject matter is pretty much self-explanatory.

Verse
I see you feel restrained, mechanized, dehumanized
I see you feel estranged, incomplete, dissatisfied
Anything for a refuge, an island for your mind, a flight, a break
No amount of diversion or substance will ever dissolve the lake

Low confidence, you can't make a move without a guide

(Erie Steam Road Roller scanned by Andy Dingley from the "New Catechism of the Steam Engine.")

“Steamroller” is probably the most busy piece of poligrafic music that I’ve written up to now, and features my new personal record of odd meters with an organ riff in 23. It is intended to hit hard and convey a feeling of inexorable mercilessness. In the “Juggernaut” storyline, it represents the apex of pain, and the metanoia.

The Music Of Poligraf series are reposts of writings and audio clips that have

("Between the waves" by Ivan Aivazovsky)

The seventh chapter of "The Dam" is entitled "Flow" and presents our protagonist/narrator having passed the test, overcome the obstacle, levelled the dam, and moving forward into the dream, responding to the calling of the ocean.

The lyrics are almost done, although I'm not completely satisfied with the choruses :

1st verse
Have I ever been here ? / Memories I'm recalling
Of similar currents / And one ingenuous starling
Only doing the things / That kept his hea

(Pocket Stereoscope by Joaquim Alves Gaspar )

“Stereoscopy” is the definitive title of a song which I used to refer to as “Point Of View.” I changed my mind about the title while writing and singing the melodies, thinking that the word doesn’t get the chance to be employed very often. Well, not around me that is. Until now.

The underlying idea of the song is that of the benefit of sharing perspectives, for instance to get rid of old oldness or discover new newness.

Stereoscopy means : three-dimensi

("Introspection" by Alberto Baumann)

"Introspection I" is the third part, and first vocal section, of "The Chrome Lake," which itself constitutes the core middle chapter of the "Entering The Stream" trilogy.

The title of the whole suite was inspired by Voivod's "X-Ray Mirror" from their "Nothingface" album :

I can't believe I am the image
Within the mirror
Into the chrome lake
The glass is broken
But I look the same

The present part's subject matter is, as implied by its title, looking into oneself. Her

(Daniel-Johnson's Manic 5 dam in Quebec, Canada - photo by Pierre cb)

Part 4 of The Dam is entitled simply “Dam.” In the storyline, this is when the obstacle is recognized and the necessity of dealing with it is accepted.

Once again the lyrics are pretty much ready, so better let them tell the story.

1st verse
The feeling is getting stronger / I'm aware of a dam
Building internally / This is not who I am
Conflicting directions / Identity crisis
Time has come to make a choice
Quiet the fearful voice

Thi