In her music video, Dark Horse (Official, ft. Juicy J), Katy Perry plays four roles: Cleopatra, the woman on the barge; Isis, the woman on the pharaonic throne; the ascending “Snake Woman”; and the Messenger atop the pyramid.

Overlooking its entirely charming kitsch, Dark Horse is highly symbolic and worthy of our attention.

The perfect storm is the final battle between the elemental, oppositional forces of the universe

The crescendo beat of the song ratchets up the tension of what is inevitable:  the perfect storm.

The opulent luxury of the royal palace, the fawning servants, electric-blue, palace guards and mesmerizing, scintillating, colorful, crystal–the “perfect” gift–will all be marred by the approaching storm. As go the lyrics,

So, you want to play with magic

Boy, you should know what you’re falling for

Observe how Isis examines the gift with the Eye of Horus, the third eye that sees beyond the material, three-dimensional world. As she smiles, peering into the crystal, we hear the lyrics,

Are you ready for, ready for

A perfect storm, perfect storm

The Sphinx speaks

“There’s no going back,” says the Sphinx. The Sphinx is talking about the inevitability of the clash between raw, universal forces that are in opposition.

Observe that immediately after the Spinx speaks, the Snake Woman appears in the arms of the ancient Egyptian gods, gods who the ancient Sumerians called Anunnaki–those sent from above.

This scene in the music video, in a muted gray, refers to Isis/Cleopatra “ascending” into a higher-dimensional reality, the realm of the gods.

That’s why, at this point, Isis chews on gems. In a crude way, she’s “tasting” the fruits of paradise.

The Snake Woman sings,

Mark my words,

This love will make you levitate, like a bird, like a bird without a cage

A bird without a cage represents a soul that’s been freed.

The Messenger

The next key point in the video is when we see the Messenger atop the giant pyramid. She sings,

So you want to play with magic

Boy, you should know what you’re falling for

She’s directing those words at Isis.

Do you dare to do this

‘Cuz I’m coming at you like a dark horse

The Messenger continues singing as she unfolds her pastel-blue wings.

She is a winged messenger recounting the future, the coming of the perfect storm.

Image credit:  Vevo

Source:  Dark Horse, by Katy Perry.