The oneness of reality and the messages of the divine soul pervade this film.
When I first watched Black is King, I was floored by the beauty in every scene, every costume piece, and the energy of Beyoncé, a gorgeous queen who is a year older than myself. I paid attention to the cultural, musical, and visual aspects woven into this masterpiece, which anyone might recognize. Having lived in Africa for a year as a high school exchange student, the film reminded me of the feelings I often had with the people I knew there.
But then I watched it a second time. And I was floored again — this time by the expressions of the mystical and spiritual elements of life itself. I was at the beginnings of a magnificent journey into my own soul, discovering the great connectedness, the great spirit of which we are all a part. The circle of life.
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Africa, the place we all came from — the cradle of life — where our souls can all trace themselves back to in one way or another, is a place that draws us. The film shows us the deep traditions and feeling from peoples all over Africa. Beyonce’s feminine energy also emerges with messages of divine femininity, a topic I have written about before.
We can’t ignore the deep wisdom found there. But we also can’t ignore the wisdom (and graceful conveyance of it) of Beyoncé.
The following consists of my reflections on this film which I’ve now watched about fifty times showing that Beyoncé’s Black is King has a lot of spirituality in it.
“Not just a speck in the universe”
This film begins with a song called “Bigger” in which Beyoncé tells us:
If you feel insignificant, you better think again
Better wake up because you’re part of something way bigger
How the mother passes on the “fruits” to her child from a tree where she is the “roots.” She clearly wants us to know that life is a journey where we are growing and drawing on the wisdom of our ancestors, which we all are.
We are all equal players in the energy that makes up this reality, whether we know it or not. We are “not just specks in the universe,” as she says. I came to this conclusion as well.
The universe isn’t random and dead. We are not small, either. Our consciousness intertwines with other consciousnesses to weave a beautiful life, which is a miracle.
Our souls hold the answer to the questions of our purpose in life, and we should seek the answers in the greater universe, not in things here in our materialistic, Earthly lives.
Understand the truth ‘bout that question in your soul
Look up, don’t look down, then watch the answers unfold
“Don’t let this life drive you crazy”
The next song, “Find Your Way Back”, begins with lots of celestial imagery. The kings of ancient times are looking down at us from the cosmos, and we journey through time and space.
This part is where I really feel amazed because this song is such an incredible testament to our ability as humans to guide our souls to our destinies. No matter how lost in life, or how crazy it all gets, we have an internal compass telling us which way to go. There is still a lot of cosmic imagery, and deserts, and in the beginning, we see a boy traveling to the night sky from Earth through the stars.
We are spirits moving our way through this universe, and as humans we forget where we came from — but we can remember, and we can be aware of this cosmic journey. We can understand that it is all a cycle, and life ends in death but starts again. So, she says:
Daddy used to tell me, “Look up at the stars
It’s been a long time, but remember who you are
Circle of life, but one day, I might not make it
Circle of life, but one day, I might not make it”
Beyoncé so elegantly tells this story without putting it in your face — it could just be lyrics if you are inclined to turn your back on the truth in your soul. But it will call to those also waking up.
Base, Sacral, and Solar Plexus Chakras
I am also in love with the next song, “Don’t Jealous Me”, where a man with a snake on his shoulders — which Beyoncé is later seen holding as well — tells a little boy who he is.
He’s a lion, a snake, and here in this world to be something.
Meanwhile, he is asking the boy, “who are you?”
For me, this embodies the energy of the base chakra. The snake is Shakti waking up, uncoiling the kundalini. The place where we start — the base of us all, where we discover that we are a thing. We arise from nothing into existence. Lots of red colors make me also think it is about the first chakra.
The next song, “Scar,” is about showing no fear. That, plus the song later called “My Power” feels like they are referring to the second and third chakras. “My Power,” says:
Show no fear, boy, where’s your spinal?
Where’s your backbone? Where’s your pyro?
I had to be everything you couldn’t be for my survival
Emotion, power, finding out that you have a chance in this world to make something happen even though you appear to be one speck of dust. I listened to “My Power” over and over when I was trying to rebuild my confidence after an abusive marriage ended this year, and it helped so much.
“Water” by Salatiel, and Pharrell Williams is another song about how water allows movement and life force. I just feel like celebrating the healing, nurturing properties of water when I hear this beautiful song. It moves me with its celebration of the movement of life — which is most often associated with the water element:
Baby, o, I’m not much of a talker
Baby, o, can I drink from your water?
Baby, o, meet me down by the river
We can dance to the rhythm
’Til the sun is high and the water runs dry
“Mood 4 Eva” is arguably the best song from the whole film, and from the repeated animal print imagery I think of that powerful energy that we draw from animal spirits. The chess game in this song, among many other beautiful things, makes you think of the delicate balance being maintained and played out in life all the time between good and evil, masculine and feminine. And there is a monologue after the song about exactly that: the battle of dark and light.
Reincarnation and the great shift
By the time we get to “Otherside,” if you don’t already think that the whole film was about spirituality and the soul, you should be convinced during this song. It touches on reincarnation and life after death, and these lyrics bring me to tears almost every time:
If the storm comes, if we burn up
If the wells run dry
You’re my reason to believe in
Another life
If it all ends and it’s over
If the sky falls fire
Best believe me, you will see me
On the other side
She sends her child down a river inside a basket, while she stays behind where her home is being destroyed by a natural disaster. And the song gives us hope. We may be leaving behind devastating circumstances and we may die, but there’s so much love in the idea that this isn’t the end. There is a place where souls meet on the other side.
And, finally, “Spirit” is the song that candidly tells you about the spiritual side of it all:
Your destiny is comin’ close
Stand up and fight
So go into that far off land
And be one with the great I am, I am
I really think that this is more than a description of meditation (going into a “far off land” to be one with the universe), it is a statement of the times we live in.
Our worlds are changing as more of us are waking up.
In 2020, what the media did not and could not tell you was this: more people got closer to spirituality than they have in hundreds of years, maybe longer. Many people believe we are going through a giant shift of consciousness, evolving ourselves to someplace higher. I know in my heart that Beyoncé thinks so, too.
Conclusion
After realizing that this film was about spiritual journeying and awakening, I tried to google Beyoncé’s meditation habits and have not yet found anything that makes it certain that she believes all the things I have written here. But there is so much obvious spirituality in Black is King.
I like to think that instead of saying it out loud, which really can scare off people in our lives who are not ready to awaken, she has chosen to send us these messages through her art. In fact, this is might be her true purpose (or one of many purposes) in this life.
Thank you, Beyoncé, for spreading these important messages.
