The Third Eye

The iconic masterpiece has led many brave souls into the unknown realms of consciousness, where the dark side of the moon is an insane laughter heard in the background. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd is one of the most influential albums in rock history. It is dedicated to lunacy and the unknown. With its experimentation of harmonics, its use of symbolism, and its seamlessly woven together song tracks, this album has done more for the collective consciousness of this world than most other philosophical and spiritual pursuits. 

Pink Floyd was one of the counterculture’s biggest and most revered bands. The band has been a staple for stoners, psychedelics, and any who venture outside of the borders of mainstream high ideals. One of the most iconic aspects of the album is the experimentation of harmonics. With the opening of the first track, “Speak to Me,” is a silence that carries you into a state of expectation. Silence may be golden, but the drums of the cosmos can be heard in the background. As the song continues, a chatter is heard in the background. 

It’s as if the world we live in is displayed along with the consciousness of the group because those to the world and consciousness can never be separated. The album continues into a melodious harmony that drifts you into states of divinity. Strange noises combine with the familiar to paint the perfect picture for a psychedelic trip. This world is fading. It’s just an illusion that is sweeping about. But that’s dark, isn’t it? Instrumentals that bring connotations of space make for a ride that goes beyond our world. Are we running to or from our natural tendencies? 

As the album continues, the music begins to loop. The listener is carried into another realm where repetition makes the world what it is. It’s a comfortable feeling to rest when on a journey but rests never last long, and the loops change and drift in and out in an experimental fashion. 

The combination of mad babbling and spacey instrumentals creates a world lost in madness. It’s as if lunacy is on display. But the spacey instrumentals make one question the meaning behind this lunacy. And it is in this pivotal moment that we see the The Dark Side of the Moon manifest. What looks like lunacy to some and dark to others looks like a new world blooming out of the cosmos. 

Clocks gong and cling. Are they saying something about our perspectives on time? Why do all the dark undertones and the deep slagging tone that hits heavy make the mind go to dark places? But the higher-pitched tones bring a lighter side to this world. It is katharsis in all its natural glory. There can be no perfection without both a picture of the dark and a picture of the lighter side. 

The beauty of The Dark Side of the Moon is that it is seamlessly woven together. The instrumentals become symbolic, and the laughter becomes a message in a bottle to whoever may read into it. The soft tones of voice and the melodic gospel choir in the background make for a comforting experience amidst all the chaos of the instrumentals and the babbling mad utterances. And with the fluidity of it all, the listener is taken through the darkness and into the light. 

As I sit here and listen to this album, I am reminded of both a funeral with its somber tone and a wedding. It’s quite possible that Pink Floyd attempted to layer their symbolic instrumentals in a way that led people to think on different levels. On a simpler level, the listener could hear the deep, low tones and think of death. On the other side of the spectrum one could fall in love with life through this album. But put together, you have a polarized view of the world. Is it weird that the spectrum of light is on display? Could Pink Floyd have had a view of love on the spectrum way back in the ’60s? Given the fact that they were open to experimenting, anything’s possible. 

Throughout the album, female voices sound as if they belonged in a choir. The choir sounds like madness and psychedelic. Are we going to church? Maybe they’re paving the way for a reformation. 

The experimental harmonics, with their rich layering come included with a choir. This could have potentially been a layered statement as well. First of all, the church is dead. I say this because the harmonics remind the listener of love and death. I would not make this statement if it were not for the choir, but given the fact that there are female voices that sound as if they belong in a choir throughout the album. But it also makes the statement that love is a spectrum. Two polarized dichotomies, a funeral and a wedding. What is the plight of life, and what is the height of life? But if everything is a spectrum, just as their album showcases, then I suppose love is also on that spectrum. 

Thinking about the track “Money,” did Pink Floyd get caught up in the desires of the flesh. I guess there’s room for that in the psychedelic world as well. And we all worship the ground this green beast walks on as if every footstep is sacred. Is it interesting that this song sounds most like a conventional song? Are they saying that they sell out without selling out? They may be making a statement about conformity by keeping their unique musical style but including something that sounds conventional. 

The seamlessly woven album has two groups of songs. The first is the first six songs, ending with the song “Money.” The second is the last four songs. I think it’s interesting that “Money” is the last of the tracks in the first lineup and that the rest of the tracks paint a picture of lunacy and separation from society. The album is one with a rich, layered story with great social, political, and philosophical insights. 

All of life is bundled up into a pile of nothing because your life is eclipsed by the moon. The moon eclipses the sun. So all that is known sits behind, not in front of all we see and hold dear. The basic premise of consciousness, consciousness being the dark side of the moon, is displayed for the listeners to be entertained by. This is a historically Buddhist perspective. The mind creates the world. Once again, we have a separation between the status quo, the mainstream religion, and the spiritual beliefs of the psychedelics.

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This article was written by Bryan Montijo, a writer who primarily focuses on music, spirituality, and psychedelics. Bryan has written a few novels which can be found at wattpad@CraftedTales. He also has his own blog where he discusses everything he loves from music to nature and writing. You can find it here at medium@bmontijo555.