Kanye West’s “Power”: The Occult Meaning of its Symbols
By Vigilant
August 19th, 2010
Kanye West’s “Power” is a short, almost stationary video that manages to tell a profound story in symbolic language. By decoding the occult meaning of the symbols present in this moving tableau, the viewer discovers who really holds the “power” in the world and understands the story of Kanye West’s initiation. We will look at the meaning of those symbols as they appear in the video.
Rapper and producer Kanye West has always found a way to stand out from the crowd. His video Power is no exception. It differs from the MTV norm in many regards, whether you look at the content or the form. The duration of the video, the filming style and the subject matter are quite distinct from today’s typical rap videos as it is short (1:43), filmed in a single shot (compared to the one-shot-per-second standard of music videos) and is very rich in archetypal symbolism.
Director Marco Brambilla sought to depict the concept of power in the form of a “video tableau”, a moving painting that slowly reveals itself to the viewer with a continuous camera movement. The director seem to have perfected this technique in his previous creation, Civilization, a video mural created for the new Standard Hotel in New-York city. The symbolism present there is simply overwhelming. Here it is:
Civilization by Marco Brambilla
馬高萊姆比拉的文明
西元2009年07月02日
For Power, Brambilla went for a neo-classic aesthetic, but still created a piece full of symbolic and cultural references. As it was the case for paintings of the neo-classic era, each object, each symbol and each detail in the video conveys an important meaning, a meaning that is needed to understand the entire story. As we will see later, many symbols in the video have a deep occult meaning and many of them point to Freemasonry and Mystery schools. By doing so, the director clearly states what type of power is being presented in the video. We will therefore look at the meaning of the symbols displayed in the video as they appear in the shot. If you haven’t seen it, here it is:
Kanye West - POWER
肯伊威斯特 - 權力
西元2010年08月05日
視頻的符號
Symbols of the Video
The video starts off with a close-up of Kanye West with glow-in-the-dark eyes, as if he was “illuminated” from within. He stands between an infinite row of Ionic columns, which represent “wisdom” in Masonic symbolism.
Kanye with illuminated eyes between rows of twin pillars
肯伊有照亮的眼睛，在兩列的孖柱之間
兩大支柱
Two Pillars
As regular readers of this site already know, the occult meaning of the twin pillars is ancient, profound and present in the symbolism of almost all mystery schools of History. There are many layers of interpretation attributed to the two columns, but one constant is always present: The pillars represent the entrance – the gateway – to the world of the initiate. Behind the columns can be found the key to the Mysteries and, consequently, the source of true power. This concept has been used for in many cultures and schools of thought.
The two columns called the “Pillars of Hercules” in Ancient Greece stood at the gateway to the sphere of the enlightened兩柱在古希臘被稱為“大力神之柱”，站在往開明球體的通道
“The city of the philosophic elect rises from the highest mountain peak of the
earth, and here the gods of the wise dwell together in everlasting felicity. In
the foreground are the symbolic pillars of Hercules which appear on the title
page of Bacon’s Novum Organum, and between them runs the path which leads upward
from the uncertainties of earth to that perfect order which is established in
the sphere of the enlightened. “
- Manly P. Hall
Pillars of Hercules in Francis Bacon’s “New Atlantis” as a gateway to the New World大力士的支柱在弗朗西斯培根的“新亞特蘭蒂斯”，作為往新世界的通道
Two pillars leading to Jacob’s Ladder in this Masonic tracing board在這共濟會的追跟踪板兩條支柱導往雅各的天梯
Masonic initiate standing between the twin pillars as the third pillar, in the same fashion as Kanye West in the video.共濟會的接納直立在孖柱之間，當第條支柱，以同樣的方式正如肯伊威斯特在視頻中。
In Power, Kanye is standing at the mouth of the gateway to the “sphere of the enlightened,” right at the border of the corrupt and decadent material world. So, right from the start of the video, the director reveals the true nature of power in this world: It is not your democratically elected officials, but those who consider themselves to be behind those pillars. One of the most significant lines of the song is
“In this white man’s world, we the ones chosen”
Does Kanye’s “white man’s world” refer to the hidden rulers, the Illuminati, who are hidden behind those pillars? Did they choose Kanye West and give him Power by permitting him to become an influential figure in the entertainment industry? Was he chosen to become one of them? The next symbol might shed some light into this.
荷魯斯
Horus
Horus pendant on Kanye’s chain荷魯斯的錘飾在肯伊的鏈上
The next thing that catches the viewer’s eye is most probably that gigantic chain with Horus’ head as a pendant. Horus is an ancient Egyptian deity that has an extreme importance in occult mysteries. Considered to be the Sky god, he is more often represented with the symbol of a single eye. The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and royal power from deities, in this case from Horus or Ra.
“Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis, was called “Horus who rules with two eyes.”
His right eye was white representing the sun while his left eye was black
representing the moon. According to Egyptian legend Horus lost his left eye
during a fight with his murderous uncle, Seth, to revenged his father’s death.
Seth tore out his nephew’s eye but lost the fight because the assembly of the
gods declared Horus the victor. The eye was reassembled by the magic of Thoth.
Then Horus gave the eye to Osiris who experienced rebirth in the underworld.”
- Jordan Michael, Encyclopedia of Gods
Horus, god of the sky荷魯斯，天空之神
The importance of the “one-eye” in occult symbolism has been highlighted in many articles on The Vigilant Citizen. The All-Seeing Eye found on the Great Seal of the United States and many other occult symbols originate from the Eye of Horus.
The Eye of Horus as depicted by the Golden Dawn Mystery School正如金色黎明神秘學校所描繪的荷魯斯之眼
The symbolism of Horus is especially of great importance in Freemasonry, as the path of an initiate through the Masonic degrees is described as the process by which the Eye of Horus is opened.
So Kanye stands at the gateway between the corrupt world of the profane and the exclusive world of the illuminated, wearing a Horus pendant, an unmistakable symbol of the Mysteries. One might say: “Well maybe Kanye just likes Egyptian things.” Maybe so, but in the context of this video, where all details are important and extremely meaningful, Horus becomes another piece of this symbolic puzzle.
角女
Horned Girls
The entrance of the gateway of pillars is guarded by two horned albino girls holding a staff. Their features are very reminiscent of depictions of Isis and Hathor, goddesses of ancient Egypt. Another allusion to Egyptian magic.
Kanye standing between two horned female figures肯伊站在兩位有角的女性人物之間
Isis and Hathor crowning Queen Nefertari. Both goddesses were depicted with bovine horns on their heads.伊西斯和哈托爾加冕納菲爾塔莉皇后，兩位女神都被描繪有牛角在頭上。
Isis was the mother of Horus (discussed above) and was the goddess of motherhood, nature and magic. Hathor was also considered as a maternal deity while also being the goddess of music, dance and fertility. Both Isis and Hathor were known to welcome and protect the dead during their journey to the afterlife, a concept that is particularly interesting in the context of the video.
Hathor holding a sceptre with Pharaoh Ramses II哈托爾與法老拉美西斯二世持有權杖
“The goddess (Hathor) [...] manifests two aspects of her divine power: first of
all, she participates in the afterlife rite of passage, by means of which the
deceased attains eternal life, and, second, she demonstrates her special
connection to the Egyptian king. Hathor is rightly called a royal goddess, and
in this role she is linked in various ways to the life of the pharaoh. Often the
pharaoh would call himself the oldest son of Hathor.”
- Archive for Research
in Archetypal Symbolism
Kanye, perhaps symbolizing the Pharaoh, is standing at the gateway to eternal wisdom, about to be executed/assassinated/sacrificed under the watchful eyes of Hathor, the “royal goddess.” Are the goddesses welcoming Kanye “behind the veil,” protecting him in this rite of passage to immortality? In occult circles, new candidates must symbolically die and be reborn to complete their initiation process. Is Kanye being killed an allegory for his initiation?
達摩克里斯之劍
Sword of Damocles
Sword hanging above Kanye West’s head劍懸掛在肯伊威斯特的頭以上
While doing some preliminary research on this video, I came across an article on MTV.com titled Kanye West’s ‘Power’ Video: A Cultural Cheat Sheet. Here’s what it says about the sword hanging above his head:
“Dragonlance: An image of a sword descending into a crown hovers over Kanye’s
head, bringing to mind Volume Two of Douglas Niles’ series “The Crown and the
Sword: The Rise of Solamnia,” in which Sir Jaymes Markham commands the orders of
the Rose, Sword and Crown.”
- Kanye West’s ‘Power’ Video: A Cultural Cheat
Sheet, MTV.com
Really? The director of this neo-classical themed video, was inspired by an obscure fantasy novel released in, like, 2006? Seriously? Good job, MTV, in keeping our youth clueless. The descending sword is more probably a reference to the Sword of Damocles, a pretty widely known legend.
Wenceslas Hollar’s depiction of the Sword of Damocles瓦茨拉夫霍拉的達摩克利斯之劍的描寫
“The Damocles of the anecdote was an obsequious courtier in the court of
Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. Damocles
exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly
fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so he could
taste first hand that fortune. In the evening a banquet was held where Damocles
very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did
he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging directly above his head by a
single horse-hair. Immediately, he lost all taste for the fine foods and
beautiful girls and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be
so fortunate.
Dionysius had successfully conveyed a sense of the
constant fear in which the great man lives. Cicero uses this story as the last
in a series of contrasting examples for reaching the conclusion he had been
moving towards in this fifth Disputation, in which the theme is that virtue is
sufficient for living a happy life. Cicero asks “Does not Dionysius seem to have
made it sufficiently clear that there can be nothing happy for the person over
whom some fear always looms?”
-
Source
The tale of the Sword epitomizes the constant danger faced by those in positions of power. Kanye stands there, in a state of impending doom, knowing he can be executed at any time. Right after we see the sword of Damocles, a figure appears holding a dagger and attempting to stab him. The assassination will not happen by dagger, however, as two other figures leap out of nowhere holding swords to accomplish the “Killing of the King.”
殺王 - 入會
Killing of the King – The Initiation
Ritual initiation represented in a display of geometry and symmetry
入會儀式以展示幾何形狀和對稱性作代表
At the ending of the video, the decadent women and the dagger-holding assassins all disappear as two swords are about to hit him. Are we sacrificing the King?
The concept of regicide is reflected in the single’s cover art. It depicts Kanye’s severed, crowned head with a sword firmly jammed into it. Apparently Kanye was king and he got killed. Is this a symbol for a Masonic ritual? Note the stone on which Kanye’s head is placed. Is it the “perfect ashlar” of the Masons that represents the state of a perfected initiate?
Covert art of Power portraying the killing of Kanye West as a king.
隱蔽的權力藝術描寫殺害作為一個國王的肯伊威斯特。
A perfect ashlar in a Masonic lodge. In Masonic symbolism, the candidates start their journeys as allegorical “rough ashlars” and, through knowledge and wisdom, smooth out their edges in order to become a perfect ashlar.
一件完美的阿什拉爾在一共濟會支部。在共濟會的象徵主義，候選人開始他們的旅程作為寓言的“粗糙的阿什拉爾”及，通過知識和智慧，理順他們的邊以圖成為一件完美的阿什拉爾。
Some occult researchers have stated that the “Killing of the King” is the name of a Masonic rite of passage to obtain the 33rd degree (see “King Kill 33″ by James Shelby Downard & Michael A. Hoffman II). Semi-interesting sidenote: King Kill 33 is also the name of a Marilyn Mason song, with rather interesting lyrics. Another sidenote: Researchers have reported that Killing of the King rites often happens in public, as more witnesses give more power to the ritual, hence … JFK. A completely crazy theory?… DYR (Do your research).
Back to Kanye and his standing … the two swords flying towards him never actually touch him but instead form a triangular shape above his head, possibly hinting to a “symbolic” killing and not an actual one. Notice the position of the crown above Kanye’s head. The combination of those elements form an interesting image.
Masonic Square and Compass
共濟會曲尺和指南針
結論
In Conclusion
To sum up the the video, Kanye stands at the border between Masonic knowledge and the decadence of the mundane life, represented by lustful and gluttonous women, lounging around eating grapes. Kanye says “goodbye cruel world / I see you in the morning“, as he has been “chosen” to take part in an initiation process that is often metaphorically described as a “long night,” followed by a glorious awakening as a new being. In order to accomplish this, Kanye needs to kill his old self and be ritualistically reborn. Once this is done, true power is within his grasp.
This “moving painting” is definitely a multi-layered artwork, with many levels of interpretation: the first level is a commentary on power by using timeless symbols taken from ancient art; the second level describes a Masonic initiation with a ritual murder and an imminent rebirth.
This video lasts a mere minute and forty-three seconds but it manages to give the viewers plenty to ponder on and many symbols to decode. Looking at its meaning from a pop culture point of view, it is interesting to note that this short-film, intended to be viewed by the general public (especially young people), describes the concept of power with overt Masonic symbolism and occult references. This causes the uninformed viewers to unconsciously associate those symbols with the concept of Power, while “those in the know” get the “insider’s wink” sent by this video. Power ultimately becomes another piece in the on-going process called the “Revelation of the Method,” where the true source of power gradually and subliminally reveals itself to the world and occult rituals take place right in front of the public’s eyes.
How long before the complete revelation?
http://vigilantcitizen.com/?p=4576
Kanye West Power Illuminati Exposed
肯伊威斯特 權力 光明會暴露
2011-03- 8
Kanye West - POWER "Illuminati Edition" Exclusive
肯伊威斯特 - 權力“光明會版”獨家
西元2010年08月06日
Kanye West Illuminati Exposed : What The Game Does (short)
肯伊威斯特光明會暴露：遊戲做什麼（短）
西元2010年08月08日
Kanye West Illuminati Exposed : What The Game Does (short 6 Min Documentary) [Fan Made Visual]
肯伊威斯特光明會暴露：遊戲做什麼（6分鐘短紀錄片）[粉絲做的視像]
西元2010年08月08日
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肯伊威斯特承認：他賣掉自己的靈魂給魔鬼！ （出團時）
西元2009年12月24日
Kanye West Sold his soul illuminati
肯伊威斯特賣掉自己的靈魂 光明會
西元2010年03月23日
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Kanye West Jokes About Devil Worship, Illuminati Rumors
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http://m.mtv.com/newsstory.rbml;jsessionid=upcrtqrSxMnddXfKft7VoA**?id=1650711&cid=300
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