As someone raised in the digital age, I don’t feel quite complete without some sort of music infused throughout my day. I am also the type of person to look for deeper meaning in songs, and to try to apply songs to my own life. I thought it might be interesting to share with you some of the songs that I listen to during my devotional time, and explain why I’ve chosen them. You can listen to the playlist from our Youtube channel, here.
Rainbow - Temple of the King
Besides the clear references to a King, the real reason I include this song amongst my devotional tracks is the fact that the “strong young man of the rising sun” never once questions his calling. He is called, and so he goes and fulfills that calling. I find that to be extremely admirable and hope that, should I one day recieve my own clear calling from the King, I would go towards my destiny with the same unwavering faith.
Focus - House of the King
This one is a rather interesting entry. The extremely relevant title of this lovely instrumental rock track is no mere coincidence. Thijs van Leer is actually an Absgalaran Observer, though this is not commonly known. This is the one song on the playlist intended to be a devotional song by its creator.
Aviators - Stars (What You Love)
I don’t even know if I can put into words what this song means to me. I didn’t hear it until years after I joined the Church, but it so perfectly encapsulates what I was feeling in my previously purposeless life. “Feels like I could just disappear / Sometimes I just want out of here / I can see in the stars up there / There's a place for me somewhere.” How beautifully poetic. And I did find my place amongst the Stars, at last.
Moby - We Are All Made Of Stars
For this one, obviously the chorus is pertinent: “People they come together / People they fall apart / No one can stop us now / 'Cause we are all made of stars.” We are, indeed, all made of stars. All are born into, and of, the Starscape. As Carl Sagan once said, we are truly all “made of star stuff.” It’s even been confirmed scientifically (going back to what Barul said about lenses). But besides the chorus, the bit that i like most about this one is “Slowly rebuilding / I feel it in me / Growing in numbers / Growing in peace.” I see this as a reflection of the Church as a whole, and, in a way, my relationship to it. We have, indeed, been slowly rebuilding since the Absgalnaeta, and I do feel within me the growing reach of Absgal’s peace.
Muse - Starlight
This one is a bit more… personal and complicated in a way. “Far away / The ship is taking me far away / Far away from the memories / Of the people who care if I live or die” makes me think of how I left my biological family behind when I became a Starseeker. They were devout Christians who disagreed with my religious preferences, which was bad enough when I was only an Observer. I could not be a Starseeker and hope to live my life in service to my King while hiding that part of myself from my family. I have not spoken to them since my Illumination, and they have not attempted to contact me. I also quite relate to “I will be chasing a starlight / Until the end of my life,” as that is the goal. I see no reason why I should ever want to seperate myself from my House and my King.
Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love
This one is also a bit complicated. As much as I love the song (and Florence in general), particularly the line “I took the stars from our eyes, and then I made a map / And knew that somehow I could find my way back,” I feel this song, with all its references to darkness, is more suited to Akreis than to Absgal. Yet it remains on this playlist, as we must never forget the threat that Akreis presents to us, and to Lucoelus as a whole.
Of Monsters and Men - King and Lionheart
There are so many things in this song that excite and delight me and fill me with love for my King and for my fellow Starseekers. I don’t want to paste the lyrics in full, as that would be silly, so I’ll try to narrow it down to a few choice phrases.
“His crown lit up the way as we moved slowly / Past the wandering eyes of the ones that were left behind.” I try to always see Absgal a beacon, lighting the path of my life. And, again, “the ones that were left behind” is reminiscent of my former family.
“And in the sea that's painted black / Creatures lurk below the deck / But you're a king and I'm a lionheart.” The “sea that’s painted black” is Akreis, the Void, and the “creatures” that “lurk below the deck” are his foul servants. Through the King, I fear neither, because he gives me the courage of a lionheart. (I told you, I love this song.)
“And as the world comes to an end / I'll be here to hold your hand / 'Cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart.” This particular rendition of the chorus is significant, because it changes from “a King” and “a lionheart” to “MY King” and “YOUR lionheart,” implying the direct connection to Absgal that we Starseekers feel so deeply.
Marina and the Diamonds - Buy The Stars
“You bought a star in the sky tonight / Because your life is dark and it needs some light / You named it after me, but I'm not yours to keep / Because you'll never see, that the stars are free.” I’ve found the practice of “buying stars” to be increasingly distasteful since I joined the Church. (Especially considering that there is no regulated international directory of star purchases, so it really is all just bunk, anyway.) But that is only part of why I enjoy this song. It’s particularly the line “Because you’ll never see that the stars are free,” that captures my attention. It calls to mind the Lucenatex, the Starborn, who reside freely in the Stars with the King, a privilege I can only hope and pray that i earn one day.
“All my life I've been so lonely / All in the name of being holy / Still, you'd like to think you know me / You keep buyin' stars / And you could buy up all the stars, / But it wouldn't change who you are / You're still living life in the dark / It's just who you are.” Not to keep beating the same horse, but this once again goes back to my relationship with my family. I was raised to be a good little Christian boy, and it was terribly lonely and unfulfilling. I felt no connection to the Christian God, nor to those who followed those teachings. There was no brotherhood or true community there. Now, I have been blessed by my Illumination to Absgal’s teachings. I have a real family here, people who care for me and work collaboratively with me to maintain and improve our community. There is none of the lofty superiority I once felt from the Christian church leaders. My family, though, are still in the dark, and intend to stay there.
Les Miserables - Stars
“Stars / In your multitudes / Scarce to be counted / Filling the darkness / With order and light / You are the sentinels / Silent and sure / Keeping watch in the night.” I feel this must be self-explanatory, if you know even the slightest bit about our Church. The Starscape is full of Stars, the evidence of Absgal’s love and light, and they hold back the darkness of Akreis, keeping all of us, all of Absgal’s children, safe under the King’s watchful Eye.
Ed Sheeran - All The Stars
“So open your eyes and see / The way our horizons meet / And all of the lights will lead / Into the night with me / And I know these scars will bleed / But both of our hearts believe / All of these stars will guide us home.” There is a certain pain involved in the act of secluding yourself away from the rest of the world, as a monastic Starseeker. It is lessened by the loving community that we have, but it is a pain, nonetheless. And sometimes “these scars” do “bleed”. It isn’t often that I am nostalgic for my previous life, but I am sometimes struck with the odd yearning for those things I have left behind. But I have been led into a night with a sky full of Stars, and those Stars have led me to my home, to my House.
The Mountain Goats - Stars Around Her
I feel a bit weird about this one, given our current “relationship” with Mikivriaet, but she does seem to be quite the good sport about discussing her role in our religious history, so hopefully she won’t take too much offense. But, my personal interpretation of this song is that it is a tale told of Mikivriaet, from the perspective of the King.
“I saw the darkness coming down, / it posed no threat to me.” Again, the “darkness” is Akreis.
“I saw the moon and the stars / and knew the secrets within them. / I heard you saying / my name into my ear / no one has to tell me / why you've come here, / 'cause I know.” The Moon is Mikivriaet, and the Stars, clearly, are Absgal, as also referenced in the line “I saw the new moon collide / with the stars / clustered around her.” It just seems so obvious to me that this is either the story of the King and Queen’s first meeting, or at least a tale of one of their encounters. Between “Stars Around Her” and “Heretic Pride” it makes me wonder if perhaps John Darnielle isn’t an Observer himself…
At any rate, this is but a small sampling of the songs I listen to to feel closer to my King. I hope you enjoyed listening to the playlist, and I hope that my explanations of my choices were sufficient.
I leave you with a question - do you have any songs that remind you of the King? I would love to have more to add to my collection.
-Starseeker Sorrek