The Master movie meaning goes far deeper than most reviews suggest. P.T. Anderson’s The Master is a film about trusting in yourself, cutting ties with that which no longer serves you, understanding the eternal nature of your spirit, and creating your own reality.
On the surface, this is a film about a man who writes a book which literally becomes a cult classic. Under the hood, it explores transitioning from reactionary, animalistic thinking to deliberate thought, channeling your higher power and tapping into the infinite universe that we each create.
Animal versus Human Nature
Throughout the film, Lancaster makes repeated reference to animal versus human nature. Every time Freddie does something reactionary (boozing, fighting, acting on impulse), Lancaster calls him an animal.
Think of your body as a bucket and your spirit as a pitcher of water. This existence on Earth is like pouring some of your infinite spirit into the bucket that is your physical body. The pitcher still exists on a grander level of existence, but now a portion of you has been consciously focused into this bucket.
Because of this connection to the larger portion of yourself, at any time you can call on your own infinite power, given you trust that it is available to you.
Processing and Deliberate Thought
Processing in the film is designed to get you to think deliberately. By asking questions over and over, you get past mental and physical blocks and find the answer which holds the most truth.
Eventually you cut through the lies you have been telling yourself and begin to answer from the heart, channeling the higher version of yourself.
Past-life Regression
Past-life regression treats chronic pain or illnesses by dealing with trauma from past lives. Once dealt with, the pain often completely disappears.
Many teachings refer to the person you were in a past life as an aspect. As we move into new energy, it becomes necessary to call all of these aspects back to you, so that you are once again in complete control.
Stream of Consciousness
One of the most powerful scenes is when Lancaster has Freddie walk to the wall and describe it, then walk to the window and describe it. Over and over.
Stream of consciousness is the act of writing or saying whatever pops into your head. The idea is to get past the mental and physical blocks and channel the higher version of yourself.
When you feel stuck, that is often because you have a block in your creative energy. Stream of consciousness can get that energy moving again.
The Power of Truth
At the core of this film is the message of being honest with yourself. We use things from our past as an excuse to hide from our own greatness. We are afraid to be honest because we fear how others will perceive us.
What the film points at is how afraid we are of the truth of our reality, because we created it.
Freedom
In the final scene, Freddie picks a point on the horizon and goes for it fast and hard. As Lancaster watches Freddie disappear, he realizes that Freddie is more free than Lancaster will ever be.
By releasing goals and living right now with no thought of past or future, we are truly free.
As long as The Master needs his students, he is not a Master.
This is the lens the Bible is meant to be read through.
Explore the Jesus Lightning book series for mystical Bible interpretation that reveals the inner meaning of Scripture.