(« Watching The Arrival Of The Mothership » by Mark Brumfield)

The Lepufology Project started as an instrumental composition meant as a tribute to Robert Anton Wilson's book « Quantum Psychology » in which he coins the word lepufology to refer to the study of rabbit-related UFO encounters.

As the composition was intended from the onset to remain instrumental, I decided to write a basic synopsis, more a list of scenes actually, in order to give the piece direction and structure :

1. Alert ! Possible Alien Leporids Spotted In The UK
2. Pre-Trip Frenzy
3. Cab Ride To The Airport
4. Uneventful Flight Over The Atlantic
5. From Heathrow To The Discovery Scene
6. Identification - The Formula Is 3.0.3.3 + 1.0.2.3
7. Back To The Airport
8. Mild Turbulence Over The Atlantic
9. Finally Home

From that starting point, the work progressed and I quickly found myself developing the story further and further until I finally ended up with a short story in four chapters, along with the music to go with it.

So, The Lepufology Project is also the story of Jack Babbitt, regarded as one of the world’s most trustworthy investigators of the paranormal, and whose unfaltering curiosity for the mysterious leads on an international chase seeking bizarre rabbits of extra-terrestrial origin that finds its resolution in the tar sands deposits of Alberta.

« Lepufology 101 » is the first episode of Jack's adventures, and its full title is really « Lepufology 101 - Identifying Alien Leporids. » Leporids are the approximately 50 species of rabbits and hares which form the family Leporidae.

Jack is at home in New Hope, Minnesota, working in his office. He is filing documents and writing his observations relative to a crop circle investigation near Fosston, about 450 km northwest from where he lives, that he completed the day before. He receives an email from a British friend located in Brighton informing him that somebody has found a very strange looking and unusually-long-legged dead rabbit near the town of Christchurch, in the Dorset area.

As he has been aware of reports of such creatures lately, which are deemed to be of extra-terrestrial origin, he is very excited by the prospect and packs his stuff as quickly as possible so as not to miss the next flight to the United Kingdom.

He takes a cab to the nearby Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport. He has to rush to catch the plane, but finally makes it on time.

Over the course of the flight, Jack works on his laptop, revisiting old reports of rabbit-related cases.

He lands at Heathrow where his friend waits for him. He gets into his car and they drive to Christchurch. While driving, his friend tells him more about the circumstances of the discovery.

They arrive at the scene. Jack starts looking around and takes photos. He is shown the dead creature. He takes more photos, put gloves on, and examine the animal. He notices the size of the rabbit’s legs and that its eyes have a weird shape, but it’s nothing new for him as he had already read about those characteristics in earlier reports. He further inspects the carcass until something odd strikes him : the rabbit appears to have extra teeth. He puts the body in a bag and takes a last look at the scene before returning to the car. He fires up his laptop and starts searching for more information, until he finds what he wanted : the dental formula of the dead rabbit is different from that of most leporids found on Earth, as this one has two more incisors than normal. He feels he’s onto something, smiles, and shares his discovery with his friend.

They put Jack’s stuff into the car, and they drive back to the airport. While driving his friend reminds Jack that crop circles have been observed near Christchurch in the past, one near Ripley in April 2005, and one near Waterditch Farm in June 2006. Jack recalls those events as several of his past investigations involved crop circles in England.

Jack leaves his friend at the airport and boards the next plane back home. During the flight, Jack resumes his work on the case, writing his observations. The feeling that he has found something significant deepens, and he reviews the reports of rabbit-related incidents, this time with more attention.

Jack leaves the airport in a cab, rides home, and goes straight to his office where he unpacks and resumes working.

As a side note, the impression I was under when reading the neologism was that it's only a fictional discipline created by Wilson as a way to demonstrate the power of words in stimulating the imagination. Or maybe there are lepufologists out there, who knows really.

(« Maitreya the Conqueror » by Nicholas Roerich)

I read the The Tibetan Book of the Dead twice. I started with a French translation, and then read the Robert A. F. Thurman version. My motivation back then was to learn more about the death process and what comes after.

The text is traditionally read to the dead, and is intended to guide them through what the consciousness experiences during the interval between death and the next rebirth, in order to help them attain liberation. But at the time when I first read it, I was agreeably surprised to discover that it was also very rich in knowledge that could be applied to my own life, for instance in terms of understanding my own inner workings.

Years later, I came to the realization that the text could also be interpreted as a metaphor for life, or more precisely, as a symbolized depiction of the process of moving from where one currently is to the next stage in their life. In that perspective, and in a way reminiscent of the interpretation of the death card in tarot, the death process can be seen as the transition from one's present self to one's future self, for instance in terms of changing careers, relocating, moving on to a new love relationship, or similar transformations, which are represented by transmigration and rebirth.

As hinted in the text through numerous mentions of not giving into fear, and recognizing post-death experiences as one's own mental projections, the quality of this rebirth is determined by the degree to which one is able to recognize the extent of their power, their very nature and their true purpose, and to shed the elements of the past that are not compatible with this recognition.

The audio clip above presents the finale of the whole suite. Below is an excerpt taken from the first ever live performance given by Poligraf, playing an early version of « Between Worlds » back in April 2002 :

Hey! Now when the life between dawns upon me,
I will abandon laziness, as life has no more time,
Unwavering, enter the path of learning, thinking, and meditating,
And taking perceptions and mind as path,
I will realize the Three Bodies of enlightenment!
This once that I have obtained the human body
Is not the time to stay on the path of distractions.

(Taken from "The root verses of the six betweens" - see near the bottom of the page)

(« Akshobhya Buddha » by VanemTao)

The last section of « Between Worlds » is entitled « Determination » and is intended to depict the intermediate state of rebirth, known as the « sidpa bardo, » the bardo of karmic becoming or transmigration.

According to Wikipedia, this bardo features karmically impelled hallucinations, typically imagery of men and women passionately entwined, which eventually result in rebirth.

The title of the section was chosen to reflect the main characteristic of this state, which is the determination of the dead's next incarnation. Basically, the person will experience the rebirth that corresponds to the hallucinations to which they feels attracted while in this state of consciousness. Thus, one who has learned to distinguish between what is truly beneficial and what is not in this present life will be able to enjoy a most beneficial embodiment in the next.

The clip presents the end of « Deliberation » followed by the beginning of « Determination. »

(« The Dhyani Buddha Akshobhya » - Unknown Artist)

« The Dance Of The Archetypes » culminates with an encounter with the Lord Of Death, a fearsome demonic deity appearing in smoke and fire, who subjects the dead to a judgment based on the karma accumulated during their lifetime. If the person is still not liberated after this judgment, they proceed to the next bardo.

« Deliberation » refers to this subsequent experience and depicts a fluid state wherein the dead hovers about the world, observing the surroundings and other beings, but without committing to any specific course of action. Eventually, the soul will recognize and be drawn to something in the environment, perhaps a being, or what looks like a feature of the landscape. The object of this attraction will in fact become the entrance toward their next rebirth.

Currently the section is instrumental only, but lyrics will possibly be added to better describe this particular intermediate state.

The clip presents the culmination of the « Dance Of The Archetypes, » followed by the first half of « Deliberation. »

(« Dance of the Lord of Death » by Jean-Marie Hullot)

« Dissolution » is a very short section which represents the moment of physical death itself. It corresponds to the first « between world, » or first bardo :

The first bardo comes at the very moment of death, when there dawns the Clear Light of the Ultimate Reality. This is the very content and substance of the state of liberation, if only the soul can recognize it and act in a way to remain in that state.

If the dying person can recognize that their own mind and self is identical with the Clear Light, implying that they themselves are the Ultimate Reality, while in this supreme state at the moment of death, they will attain liberation – that is, they will remain in the Clear Light forever.

The following section, « Dance Of The Archetypes, » is a longer instrumental that is intended to depict the potentially overwhelming experience of the second bardo.

If the soul is still not liberated after the first intermediate state, it will descend into the second bardo, which is said to last for two weeks, and is divided into two parts :

(...) in the first, the soul of the deceased encounters what are referred to as « the Peaceful Deities. » On each of the seven days, a particular Buddha-being will appear in radiance and glory, with a bevy of angelic attendants.

In the second week of the second bardo, the soul meets seven legions of Wrathful Deities: hideous, terrifying demons who advance upon him with flame and sword, drinking blood from human skulls, threatening to wreak unmerciful torture upon him, to maim, disembowel, decapitate and slay him.

If the person awakens to the fact that all these creatures are not real, but are merely illusions emanating from their own mind, the creatures will vanish and the dying will be liberated. If they can't, they eventually wanders down to the third bardo.

(« Buddha painted on a rock wall in Tibet » by Unknown Artist - photography by onwardtibet.org)

« Between Worlds » is a suite in five movements that started as a song entitled « Requiem » which was written in response to the deaths of my father and maternal grandmother, both due to cancer, at the beginning of the 1990s. The original draft eventually became what now constitutes « Departure, » the introductory section of the whole composition.

A few years later, after discovering Buddhism, I acquired an edition of « The Tibetan Book of the Dead » (« Bardo Thodol » in Tibetan) which I read with great interest, and wholeheartedly recommend. At that point, I had already toyed with the idea of extending the song to include a hint at after-death, and the book provided both the inspiration and substance needed to turn the piece into a suite intended to present the successive stages of the death process as described in Tibetan culture.

The composition begins with an illustration of physical decay, presented as a plea for euthanasia coming from someone in the throes of a degenerative illness. This depiction is followed by dissolution and passage into the successive « between worlds, » or intermediate states (« bardos » in Tibetan), finally leading to rebirth.

The lyrics to « Departure » follow below. Although they work in their current form, I'm not totally convinced that telling this part of the story from the vantage point of the dying is the wisest way to proceed, so the words might go through a complete overhaul before they receive the « Definitive » stamp and get recorded.

Talk to me, tell me it's you
Clear sight has gone astray
All is dark outside and in
I’m sure glad you made it today

No word still of even a slight chance
It gets harder every day
I feel it won't be long before
It takes my mind away

Is there a point in trying to find
Reasons to keep going ?
I’ve seen a lot through this lifetime of mine
No fear of death keeps me waiting

What’s left for me but this life of dependence
And fading memories of freedom ?
I do accept that my time here is up
I want to know where we all go

Don't be sad my friend
This life is all behind me
Stay on for a while
Listen to my plea

Don’t be mad my friend
There’s not much that we can do
I’m reaching the end
Just help me through

I trust you can understand what I'm going through
This body, numb, is a jail
I know it’s no easy task that I ask of you
Promise me that you won’t fail

Don't be sad my friend
This life is all behind me
Take me to the end
With dignity

Please be strong my friend
Give me the shot that’ll kill me
Save me all this pain
Do it for me

(« Artwork on the Anschutz Medical Campus » by Rinaldodsouza)

The conclusion of the suite, « Epilogue, » 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 give all the space to the lyrics :

There is no wall confining you
There used to be, but you've left it behind

There is no guard here to stop you
The one you fear is a voice you designed

No obstacles in front of you
The ones you see are only in your mind

There is no law preventing you
To live your dream free yourself from your bind

The roshi has slammed the zendo's door in Simon's face, causing him to reach awakening. It isn't said to what Simon was actually awaken, so there's plenty of room for interpretation. Here's mine :

In my view, the man at the door of the law commits the mistake of choosing the reasonable approach, and, as Kafka puts it, « decides that it is better to wait until he gets permission to enter. » The man sees that the door is guarded, he is being told that he cannot pass, and that there are even worst difficulties ahead, but in fact the gate is open, and moreover the guard has stepped aside. The man attempts to be admitted by bribery, but he doesn't try to simply walk through the door.

So, in this perspective, by slamming the door in his student's face the roshi effectively signifies « here's a closed door. »

That being said, I think Wilson's point is that different readers will have different explanations, just as it is with koans which require one to find their own answer for themselves. What is yours ?

Is there such a door of the law in your world at this very moment ? A situation from which you want to move on, but which looks as if it won't change no matter how much effort you exert. Why don't you give it another try ?

(« The path to enlightenment » by rohit gowaikar)

As instructed, Simon follows his roshi to the meditation hall. When they reach the door of the zendo, the master steps inside quickly, turns around, and slams the door in his student's face. At that moment, Simon experiences awakening.

The fifth part of the suite is thus entitled « Awakening » and is intended as an instrumental illustration of the process Simon goes through when the door is shut in his face.

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

After Simon tells his roshi the story of the man who waited at the door of the Law, the student begs his master to explain the dark parable. The teacher replies that he will explain it, if Simon follows him into the zendo.

The fourth part of « The Door Of The Law » is entitled « Pedagogue » and tells the story of the roshi's response to his student's plea.

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 free

Come with me
I know just the thing needed for thee
Follow me

The meditation hall holds the key
But the answer is one you must see

(« Ganjoji in Izushi » by 663highland)

The third part of « The Door Of The Law » is entitled « Parable » and presents the part of the story wherein Simon, the Zen student, reads to his master the bewildering parable.

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 to withdraw

There was a guard at the summit
Right on the path leading to the entrance
Duty was his to keep the wall
And greet the man who would seek admittance

The sentry said "I cannot let you in
At this moment but in time you might see
The day when your prize you're allowed to win
Permission to move onward and past me"

Thus the man sat and waited on and on
Day after day hopefully restlessly
Staying up late and waking before dawn
Struggling to retain his sanity

Out of patience the man would take his chance
And his way in he would attempt to buy
But the other would not alter his stance
No matter how often the first one would try

"It is no use giving your properties"
The sentinel responded politely
"I only consent to your briberies
So you do not give up hope entirely"

Then came a day when the man felt too old
Fearful that death was about to claim him
Resigned himself having spent all his gold
Took one deep breath and expelled one last whim

"Pray tell me whom else might this door enthrall
So many years flew by in mystery
I have been told that the Law is for all
How come no one made it here but just me ?"

"I will explain" said the guard in return
"This door was made for no one but for thee
As you now die your last spark I thus spurn
The door I close and complete my duty"

(« Huike Thinking » by Shi Ke)

« The Door Of The Law » is a suite in six chapters 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 adaptation 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 author's masterpiece « The Trial. »

Simon finds Kafka's fable so disturbing, that it ruins his meditations, scatters his wits, and distracts him from his study of the Sutras. The more Simon broods on this allegory, the more he feels that he will never understand Zen until he first understands this strange tale. Eventually, near breakdown from sheer mental fatigue, Simon goes to his roshi (his Zen teacher) and tells him Kafka's story of the man who waited at the door of the Law — the door that existed only for him but would not admit him, and was closed when death would no longer allow him to enter.

The audio clip presents the first section of the suite, « Prologue, » followed by « Plight » which begins at 1:37. Here are the lyrics :

Please help me
Oh Roshi won't you help me to see

Pray tell me
What is the point of this story
To my progress necessary

Mercy me
This parable is a mystery

Haunting me
Distracting me of my study
In meditation it disturbs me

(« De Profundis 1 » by Kate Parry Evans)

« De Profundis » is the fifth and final movement of « Lifeforce. » I discovered the title when time came to name the various sections of « Between Worlds. » I opened my encyclopedic dictionary and started looking for words beginning with « d » in the hopes of finding five suitable titles all starting with the same letter (I already had « Dissolution » and « Dance Of The Archetypes » at that point). I stumbled upon this Latin locution which means « out of the depths of misery, » or simply « out of the depths » according to some sources, and instantly thought of the present movement, as it aptly expresses its mood of looking forward with hope after hitting rock bottom.

The lyrics have been quite harder to come up with though, as I had too many good ideas to fit in the existing musical structures. After much pondering and a lot of almost-but-not-quite-satisfactory versions, I finally decided on the words which follow below. Please note that the melodies you can hear in the clip haven't been updated to match the final phrasings.


Holding in your hands the gift of miracles
Resolving yet again to elude all misery
Far yet so close, wise yet so blind
Will you ever stop and see ?

Past endeavors were not wasted
Nor was your pain borne in vain
With you remain, all the things that you need for the way
A brand new day, every chances to show us your best
Don’t mind the rest

See that your goal is near
All that you need is here

Let the music move your body
Endow with will and way
You’re here to play, not to think of more shackles and banes
Loosen your chains, and be free to return to the game
Show your true flame

See that your goal is near
All that you need is here

(« A free body diagram of a mass on an inclined plane » by Mets501)

How long have I hankered
For the right way to go
How far have I wandered
To know what I now know

Laying under the moon
Rising up with the crow
And the wail of the loon
In the rain or the glow

How many ups and downs
I had to lose the count
Just as with forms and nouns
To keep climbing the mount

How many times I slipped
Escaping restriction
Expecting to be tripped
By disguised protection

To hell and back again
I journeyed so often
The tempter of his den
Titled me denizen

And all the times I yelled
At the gates of heaven
Why was freedom withheld
Why were no signs given

Through trials I learned the laws
Governing ascension
And got rid of the flaws
Hampering progression

Never I thought I'd shed
This world that never was
Yet where my path has led
Suddenly there I was

Trembling on highwire
Goaded under duress
Across straits so dire
That I had to witness

Known doors becoming walls
So walls could reveal doors
To magnificent halls
And infallible floors

(« The Sea of Ice » aka « Polar Sea, » aka « The Wreck of Hope » by Caspar David Friedrich)

« Derelict » is the fourth chapter of « Lifeforce » and is a completely instrumental section intended to evoke a dark, chaotic, threatening mood, and to suggest a painful descent.

In the storyline of the suite, the passage depicts the period when things start to go awry. Inspiration is ignored or resisted and activity slowly subsides. The goal is put aside, only for a while, but long enough for doubt to invade the process and destabilize it.

The first demo clip presents the transition from « Infused » to a first guitar solo which is intended to be angular and to convey awkwardness and difficulty.

The first part of the second demo clip presents what is intended as an accompaniment for the second guitar solo. The band's original lead guitarist (Louis Fiset) used to shine here with a very effective gut wrenching slide guitar solo that sadly very few people have had the privilege to hear thus far (but don't worry, I still have tapes). The ending of the section used to feature a distorted guitar playing a funerary melody, which has evolved with time and is now harmonized and arranged for two clarinets and a trumpet.

Hoping it's not such a day of dereliction for you, here's the associated poetry :

Defeated
Unwilling to go through
This door of innovation
Not knowing the courage
For more transformation

Disjointed
Unwilling to believe
This voice of intuition
Not knowing the virtue
Of its revelation

Defensive
Unwilling to concede
These proofs of divination
Not knowing the release
Of exoneration

Depleted
Unwilling to receive
This gift of inspiration
Not knowing the reward
Of the culmination

Delinquent
Unwilling to honour
These walls of limitation
Not knowing the insight
That they are instruction

Degraded
Unwilling to resist
This sweet song of temptation
Not knowing the setback
Stemming from transgression

Deflated
Unwilling to elude
This pull of gravitation
Not knowing the lightness
Of high elevation

Derelict
Unwilling to go on
This road of liberation
Not knowing the distance
From here to completion

As I reread the verses, I am reminded of this quote by Carl Gustav Jung :

The foundation of all mental illness is the unwillingness to experience legitimate suffering.

(« The Crystal Ball » by John William Waterhouse)

« Uncertainty Principle » gets its title from Heisenberg's quantum mechanics principle which states by precise inequalities that certain pairs of physical properties, like position and momentum, cannot simultaneously be known to arbitrary precision. That is, the more precisely one property is measured, the less precisely the other can be measured. In other words, the more you know the position of a particle, the less you can know about its velocity, and the more you know about the velocity of a particle, the less you can know about its instantaneous position. But the subject matter of the song has little to do with science, some might say quite the opposite in fact.

The intent here is rather to convey the difficulty and the value of keeping an open mind while waiting or working for a particular outcome to a process. This is not so hard when the process in question is of short duration. But as the length of time increases so does the temptation to decide that the desired effect will never come to pass, and that it is better to terminate the process, stop exerting efforts and investing resources, and forget about the whole thing. The uncertainty can become harder and harder to bear with time.

But what if this uncertainty is the only door through which the wanted result can come about ? This is especially relevant when one is engaged in a creative process or trying to bring about innovation. Holding on to a vision, nurturing the faith that an experience wasn't instigated in vain, and that the reward for keeping the door open will come, can turn into a tremendously demanding struggle in some instances. But when it's the only way to go, then having the capacity to sustain uncertainty becomes a determining factor in the fight between hope and actuality.

The music is still at the draft stage. The arrangements, for the chorus in particular, will have to be developed, but for now they mostly serve the purpose of capturing the melodies and chordal structures.

The lyrics are almost complete at this point, but they might still need a little polishing before they receive the « Final Version » seal.

Advancing
Struggling
Not knowing
If there's a better way

Of living

This growing
Journey

It would be easy to decide
That there's no chance so save your pride
Is a promised prosperity
Worth the cost of security ?

But is there some indemnity
Against boredom and apathy ?
Better to live on the wire
Than die from fear of the fire

Reflecting
Wondering
Observing
All day - Hoping for a sign

Of presence
Of guidance
Divine

Sometimes it's better not to know
Maybe goes further than a no
The future's not for me to see
But I can wish wholeheartedly

Count on the unknown quantity
Nurture the possibility
Magic needs a way to get in
Let it begin

And when it seems unlikely
That you'll ever be set free
Before the brand new day
Your darkest hour

Forget about what can't be
The sacred, the worldly
Keep open the doorway
Of uncertainty

You may find
If you open your mind
That you're one of a kind
In your finest hour

Life loves a dreamer
Amazing discovery
Wildest reality
Your wish has come to be
For all to see

Creating
Evolving
Enduring
The wait - For the harvest

Of gnosis
Prognosis
This quest

Of knowledge
On the edge
Of this quest

Rise from failure to victory
Work from dream to reality
Jump at the opportunity
To spin the world differently

Restore justice so we may know
A life where all are free to grow
Where beauty is not contingent
On the whims of a president


And when it seems unlikely
That you'll ever be set free
Before the brand new day
Your darkest hour

Forget about what can't be
The sacred, the worldly
Keep open the doorway
Of uncertainty

You may find
If you open your mind
That you're one of a kind
In your finest hour

Life loves a dreamer
Amazing discovery
Wildest reality
Your wish has come to be
For all to see

(« Tea In The Studio » by poligraf)

« Infused » is the third movement of the suite and is intended to communicate the energy felt in the state of inspiration and hyperactivity, prior to the collapse.

The clip presents the solo on which the section opens, followed by verse, build-up, and first chorus.

The lyrics to the choruses were inspired by « Lift up your heads, O ye gates » from Handel's « Messiah » that I happened to hear while pondering the composition during the Christmas holidays a few years ago.

Heighten awareness beyond material
Question the sensing, master imagining
Guided by the quest, fired by the plight
Follow the insight, further the need to uncover

So many ways this could fail, so many pitfalls
Yet there would not be a point if not for these walls
All the difficulties of the world can’t make this fall apart
No hurdle is too high for the heart

Lift your head up – so much to be done, so much to be said
Lift up your head – confrontation is no reason to stop
Lift your head up – so much to be done, so much to be said
Lift up your head – opposition will only make you thrive - keep it alive

Heighten awareness beyond conventional
Question the meaning, master the reasoning
You are a life force, nurture your creation
Be elevation, foster the need to rise higher

So many claims challenging your intuition
Why should their voice speak louder than inspiration
All the cynicism in the world can’t make this fall apart
Intellect is no match for the heart

Lift your head up – so much to be done, so much to be said
Lift up your head – confrontation is no reason to stop
Lift your head up – so much to be done, so much to be said
Lift up your head – opposition will only make you thrive - keep it alive

(« Ashram » by Nicholas Roerich)

« Into The Ashram » is the opening chapter of the « Entering The Stream » trilogy, which also comprises « The Chrome Lake » and « Leaving The Ashram. »

This first chapter is intended to depict the progress of an individual getting fed up with their day to day life to the point of taking an extended time off for reflection and introspection.

The music is all instrumental and counts the following four movements :

• The Ordinary
• Running Out Of Breath
• Dweller On The Threshold
• Jambudvipa

In the cosmology of Buddhism, Jambudvipa is the name of the continent of the terrestrial world where human beings live, and this is also where one may receive the gift of Dharma and come to understand the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path and ultimately realize the liberation from the cycle of life and death.

The ordinary simply refers to ordinary life.

Both the ordinary and Jambudvipa can be taken to be coextensive, or sharing the same spatial extension if you prefer, as it is the mindset or attitude of the individual that determines in which they abide. In other words, the ashram that is referred to isn't necessarily a physical location, for instance some building located in India, but can also mean a mental construct, a mindset, or a way of approaching things.

In that sense, the piece depicts an inner journey beginning from over-activity and ending in temporary seclusion, where reflection and healing can take place.

In an effort to convey more clearly the intent that gave rise to the piece, I've written the following verses, even though at the moment I have no plans of upgrading the music with vocal melodies :


Always on the verge of spinning out of control
Going through the motions better than down the hole
Today I will not scream I am unsatisfied
Isn't this the mantra to become ossified

The things I bowed down to have me under their weight
I'm not sure I recall how it feels to stand straight
So many things I crave I think I'll never get
I may be warm and fed but my needs are not met

There must be something else I have been here before
But this time I'm fed up I won't take anymore
Others have stopped stooping and even learned to dance
When will it be my turn if I don't take the chance

I dream of India and of sabbatical
Simplifying my life to the canonical
Shed the superficial and leave it all behind
So I may figure out how I messed up my mind

I can't keep silencing that impulse forever
And let aspiration fade away to wither
That's no way to progress I need to introspect
And away from it all on my life to reflect

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.” – Buddha

(« In Search Of Lost Time » by bogenfreund)

In « Lifeforce, » the story is told in non-linear time. It begins just after the collapse, and its various stages are presented as objects of an introspection. Eventually, this reflective process leads to appraisal and peace, and allows the protagonist to determine their next direction.

In the picture above, the bottom timeline represents the protagonist's sequence of events :

1. Infused : inspiration and hyperactivity
2. Derelict : doubt, destabilization, failure, consternation, collapse
3. Forsaken / Flashback : introspection and appraisal
4. De Profundis : relativisation, assessment, the return of hope, and renewal

The top timeline represents the musical timeline, in which the sections are presented in the following sequence :

1. Forsaken
2. Flashback
3. Infused
4. Derelict
5. De Profundis

« Flashback » is a short instrumental passage which represents the beginning of the recollection process, the transition from present to past. It leads to the remembrance of the time when energy and inspiration were flowing in abundance, which is depicted in « Infused. »

(Detail from «Quarryman at work » by Unidentified Artist)

« Stonecutter » is intended as an anthem to perseverance and is based on one of my favourite citations, one which has helped me on several occasions, the following quote byJacob August Riis :

When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.

The main challenge of this composition was to have exactly 101 hits on the snare drum, with the 101st corresponding to the climax, the hammer hitting the rock one last time to split it in two.

The piece is an instrumental, to which I have written the following verses :
Don't mind me stone worker as I sit to watch you
There's a rock of a kind I need to cut in two
And I strain and I strive but when nothing will do
I come here to witness how it's going for you
Strike the stone sledgehammer in your tenacity
There's beauty to behold and much courage to see
Smash your rock stonecutter in your self-confidence
There is strength to be gained and much reassurance
It's not as if you were stronger than I can be
Your own rock shows no cracks though you keep bashing it
No it's more in the way that it appears to me
As if you know no doubt that monolith will split
Nail your test sledgehammer for your dedication
I have praise to offer and much admiration
Boom your block stonecutter sing your faith with that sound
It's the music one hears when this gem they have found
As the maul pounds the stone you are expressionless
Just focused on your goal in all seriousness
And when you deliver the bang that gets the win
On your face there's a grin as mineral gives in
Crush your foe sledgehammer know your mercilessness
Brings a warmth to my heart that melts all hopelessness
Hit your aim stonecutter in your decisiveness
There's a light shining bright that dispels all darkness
And although that last blow seems the critical one
It was no more crucial than any heretofore
No it was over time that this challenge was won
This outcome the feat of all that has gone before

(« 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 will allow the protagonist to determine their next direction.

The clip presents the introduction along with « Forsaken, » the first section of the suite, which consists in the lament of the protagonist being confronted to the sad turn of events. Here are the lyrics :


The goal was so near, yet there was no reaching it
The prize was so dear, yet there was no tasting it
Inches away, promise of a better day
Fading away, only agony remains

Nowhere to find, such elusive peace of mind
Nowhere to go, left abandoned to the flow
Endeavors over the years, disregarded in a day
Seeds of hope and fruits of tears, so high a price to pay