Our Gods Wear Spandex (31 page)
Read Our Gods Wear Spandex Online
Authors: Chris Knowles
Modern-day alchemists dream of a New Age in which the occult sciences and technology are no longer in opposition—a time when things now unmeasurable can be understood and utilized. In this context, pop-culture stories of psychic powers and occultism need not be taken literally, but can be seen as a means to keep us aware of possibilities beyond the reach of our present understanding. These stories of supernatural power can act like a carrot at the end of the stick—forever elusive, moving us toward a mythical state of perfection.
Some argue that our present-day rationalist, reductionist viewpoint is a relic of the Industrial Age, a necessary but obsolete transitional phase to a more complex understanding. Our ability to track events in the world is increasing our appreciation of the fractal patterns of reality, what Carl Jung referred to as “synchronicity,” or meaningful coincidence. We have greater access to information, and thus have a greater capacity to recognize patterns in events that would once have eluded us. As our means of perceiving the world increase and expand, perhaps our appreciation of certain occult sciences will increase as well. Perhaps an increased understanding of Jung's synchronicity will lead us to a better understanding of divination systems like astrology and the Tarot. Perhaps we will come to appreciate the Zodiac, not as some spiritual force controlling our lives, but as a giant clock that helps us forecast conditions that reoccur cyclically during certain planetary conjunctions.
The collision of science, morality, and magic is being played out hundreds of times a month in comic books and other media, showing us the implications of superhuman potential. Is this an unconscious form of preparation for an inevitable shift in human reality? Should we pay more careful attention to the visionaries and lunatics who anticipate the future in comic-book storylines? In that supernatural realm called the human imagination, comic-book creators like Alan Moore and Alex Ross may be time-travelers, forecasting the future for us and showing us the way. It's funny how it all seems so similar to the ancient myths.
The past and future are always with us.
162
Stan Lee himself has his own reality show on the SciFi network entitled
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A
Action Comics
59
,
115
,
120
,
122
,
165
,
184
Adams, Neal
122
,
147
–
148
,
175
,
176
,
207
,
214
Alba, Jessica
168
Alexander the Great
27
Alice Cooper
18
Allred, Mike
42
Amazing Stories
81
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83
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98
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99
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109
Amazons (historical)
160
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162
,
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America's Best Comics
201
American Gods
203
AMORC
39
Animal Man
204
A.R.E.
62
Art Deco
193
Arthur, Arthurian mythos
77
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113
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132
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170
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181
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183
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194
Ascended Masters
48
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96
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114
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Astral projection
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96
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127
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Atlantean Hall of Records
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Atlantis
51
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62
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88
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93
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114
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127
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128
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177
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195
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206
Authority, The
171
Avengers
(comics)
132
,
159
,
169
,
170
,
171
,
198
B
Baker, Matt
165
Balder
29
Barker, Clive
213
Barsoom
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Batman xiii,
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6
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7
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10
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12
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16
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42
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80
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115
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145
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151
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155
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170
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171
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198
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Beyond Good and Evil
56