Van Morrison - Into the Mystic Lyrics Meaning

Into the Mystic

Souls and spirits being mentioned in this song have far has less significance to be recognized than the other metaphysical concepts and spiritual mysticisms imbedded in its subconscious message. Unless, of course, the young Van Morrison studied the Platonic dialogues or Martin Heidegger or had experienced some how, Spiritual Realms of metaphysical Eastern philosophies growing up in Belfast, Ireland it is apparent these beautifully painted images, in their allegorical essence are just as I have previously claimed; They are that which Freud and Jung would identify as, messages of the subconscious mind. However, the message is wonderfully expressed as a voyage of the true-self, our inner-being.

With particular focus on the works of C.G. Jung with his psychological archetypes and his view of mans inner-self, in its true-nature is, intrinsically spiritual, one will find Morrison is clearly defining a beckoning, a calling for the souls journey or, what is known in Hindu thought, as the Jiva; The eloquent indication of a joyous return home, that begins with the beckoning fog horn, described as a deeply revered calling for ones unification with the divine presence of the universe.

My description of the invocation to such a return as one from the supernatural, particularly of our connectedness and oneness with the universe, is not a notion carelessly thrown into this interpretation without grounds. The song writer specifically chose to make it very clear in the beginning lines of the song that, “We were born before the wind, also younger than the sun”, a source, a collective cosmic-energy; we are a manifest of universe itself.

Science has avowed that energy cannot be created nor can energy be destroyed; Science has also gone on to confirm that each and every living being is composed of energy. Is this the very energy that various cultures identify as spirit, or soul, Jiva or Atman, holy spirit or ghost, or what philosophy may call the will or the being, psychologists, the consciousness or the knower? If we cannot decide on a word to pin-point that which we are discussing, nevertheless, we all can agree that we are now well acquainted with the concept I have introduced as interpretation, the true-inner-self or divine presence within each and everyone of us. Morrison declares that, “ere the bonnie boat was one”, not won. That is to say that we are all seafaring explorers, sailing on this vessel, connected as one.

As Morrison transforms our souls into metaphysical embodiment of sailors embarked on an eternal journey through an ocean, entitled in this song as, the mystic; in this light it becomes the Bardo, as it were, our intermittent realm between birth, death, re-birth, or even the path to liberation. The sailor associates the calling of the fog horn with guidance of the light house, a religious and mythological reference to the divine.

There is a presence each man has deep within, it is a guiding invocation when it is listened to. When you no longer fear the message given from within, our archetypical nature is identified, we finally gain the ability to define what our purpose is in this particular life. That innate sense of duty summons you into its presence with a luminous guidance to a place Morrison calls home, in this song, that is, what many other cultures and professions refer to as Heaven, Brahma, the Toa, or Nirvana, some may call it enlightenment, the Good, or refer to it as the Supreme being, God.

We are getting the notion of a relationship between man and the divine in this philosophical interpretation. The divine is invoking upon the sailors or souls as we have identified them, to return to the source, to come home to the light, to sail into the mystic.

Although, Morrison could just merely be saying he has been working hard all day, out on his fishin’ boat and is ready to call it day, hearing the fog horn as a signal that the hard days work is over and is to return home to his loved one. Personally, I enjoy interpreting it in the phenomenological sense.

Thanks for letting me share, Ban.