Justice League - Gods of the Solar System?

One of the more fascinating connections I have found in popular culture of late concerns comic book superheroes. Virtually everyone in the Western world is familiar with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc. But does anyone realise that these superheroes represent modern mythmaking - and that the core 7 heroes are but the latest embodiment of the 7 planetary gods?

In one of my favourite books, The Secret History of the World, the author points out that all through history there has been a perennial philosophy - a vision of the spirit worlds and the creator gods based not on dogma but ancient tradition, connecting the creation of the world with the spirits of the Sun, Moon, and five classical planets (Mercury through Saturn). Recently I realised that you can quite easily see how these gods - the same gods of the Olympian era - have been reincarnated in comic book form in the twentieth century.

Let's start with Superman. He draws his power from the Sun, and has a big golden "S" on his chest - which stands for the Sun, Sol, or Sol Invictus. He flies across the blue sky - blue being the main colour of his costume. His birth name, Kal El, comes from the character's creators Jewish heritage and means "voice of God"; in esoteric philosophy the Sun God is equivalent to the Logos or the Word - the spoken Word that in the beginning manifested all of creation. Superman is therfore clearly a solar hero; strong, noble, doing all his work in the bright light of day and working to bring all criminals to justice.

Batman meanwhile is his cosmic counterpart. He is an Earthling, cannot fly under his own power, and does all his best work at night. His animal totem - the bat - is a night creature. Batman uses fear and illusion to snare his foes. All this is highly suggestive of the Moon. Batman is therefore an incarnation of the Moon powers.

The Flash? That's simple- the golden wings on his helmet give the game away immediately. He is an avatar of Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, fleet of foot, fast as quicksilver.

Wonder Woman is clearly Venus; not only is she female, and is a warrior princess (as were some early versions of Venus, or Astarte), but she bears the pentagram of Venus on her tiara.

Mars, again a no brainer: the Martian Manhunter!

Jupiter is a little trickier to spot in this bunch, but for me Aquaman takes the title. In Jupiter or Zeus' earliest forms he was a fish god - and otherwise known as Poseidon, god of the seas.

Now - Saturn had me bamboozled for quite some time. The hero Green Lantern suggested himself, but I thought how is he connected? I couldn't see it for the life of me. Then I read that at one point in the DC comics' history, they killed him off and replaced him with a demonic entity called the Parallax. This entity travelled from world to world feeding on people's fear, destroying whole civilisations. This is surely a primordial representation of the ancient god of death, Saturn.

And there you have it! The Greek gods are alive and well, folks, and we are re-telling their myths every day, in comics and in movies.

Site refresh ~ Journey through Spirit

From being a simple journal I have now devoted this blog to writing about my main passion in life - which is expanding our knowledge of that which is spiritual.

As you can see I have added a widget that links to www.insideoutthinking.co.uk, the online journal of Jonathan Black. Black is the author of my favourite book of the moment, The Secret History of the World.

For a relative novice seeker like me, Black's book was what I had yearned for; a straight-forward, yet complex look into the teachings of secret societies throughout history. What I love is that it's not a dry, dusty, and detached look at history; no, Black's history is alive with passion, intrigue, strange beings and stranger historical figures. Some obviously deride his approach but I for one celebrate it; today's attitudes of materialism can't hold a candle to this wonderful book.

This is a book for people who have passion; passion for history, for spirituality, and for seeking truth. Not that Black's book is the last word; in true opposite-thinking it is more like a primer for those seeking, as Black says, "the real thing". It's the most excellent starting point for those on the quest for knowledge.

And so I have finally nailed my colours to the mast and re-dedicated this blog to my own seeking; hopefully others can share the journey and enjoy what I have to offer, while contributing their own views as well. Can I be very clear though ~ I prefer to connect with genuine seekers, people who examine their own beliefs as well as everything they encounter. I don't appreciate people whom I term "nutjobs" ~ conspiracy theorists, people with some agenda or political axe to grind. In short, those with a doomsday or other negative attitude, keep away, please. Lively and positive contributors only!

Having said that, please enjoy this Journey through Spirit.