Mercury Retrograde

Art by Carmine Infantino

The Flash is a hermetic character, an association that is obvious I'm sure we will all agree. The costuming alone is testament to this, and the quality of super speed as well. The Flash is indeed faster then the speed of light, thus able to defy the laws of physics, to move through physical matter and travel astronomical distances in less then a blink of an eye. And with the use of a device called the Cosmic Treadmill the Flash could even move freely through the stream of time and into parallel realities.

There has been more then one individual to adopt the identity of the Flash, however, in every case we can see strong alchemical elements in the origin of their abilities. The original Flash, Jay Garrick, created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, acquired his super-speed due to the inhalation of something called hard water vapors (hard water not meaning water heavy with mineral content). The second Flash, Barry Allen, created again by Gardner Fox this time with artist Carmine Infantino, became the Flash after he was simultaneously bathed in multiple chemicals and struck by lightning. The third Flash, Wally West, gained his powers in an accident identical to Barry Allen's. It is worth mentioning that the evocative symbol of the lightning bolt can be shown to correspond to a zig-zagging pattern down the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.



Illumination from above comes like lightning. Another metaphor used to describe this path is that of the serpent.



As we all know Mercury/Hermes is symbolized by the winged shaft entwined with serpents known as the caduceus. The Tree of Life is one of many levels of meaning communicated by this symbol.



Hermes/Mercury is a herald, a messenger of the gods. He is also a psychopomp, a figure whose role is the shepherding of the souls of the dead to the afterlife. It is interesting to note that the so-called Silver Age of comic books is largely held to have begun with the first appearance of the Barry Allen Flash in DC Comics "Showcase" #4 , published October, 1956. The Flash is the herald of the Silver Age. These artificial determinations of comic book Golden Age, Silver Age, etc. are interesting as they conform to the quadripartite division of the Four Great Ages as described by Ovid and others.

In the mid 80's DC Comics made the head-scratching decision to modernize their "continuity" by removing all of the wonderful parallel Earths they had created over decades of the highest level of fantasy storytelling (head-scratching to me, most fanboys seem to think it makes perfect sense). The 12-issue series "Crisis On Infinite Earths" is a beautiful work of art with a highly destructive intent. Comic Book Ages are relatively transient things it seems. The Bronze Age is said to have begun around the early seventies (I say with the introduction of the new X-Men). In issue #8 of Crisis Barry Allen sacrifices his life for the sake of Universe. Crisis marks the end point of the Bronze Age (undoubtedly more to come on Crisis in future blogs).


art by George Perez and Jerry Ordway

I present this material not to prove that Flash is an analogue of Hermes, that is self-evident, but to present just a slice of the levels of meaning and association one can derive from this seemingly simple cartoon character. Hermes is of course also Mercury, and Thoth/Tehuti, and Anubis, and Odin, and many other figures from the Ancient Mysteries as well.
You might be familiar with the periodic astrological state known as Mercury Retrograde.  From the vantage point of the Earth, all the planets undergo periods of retrograde motion, an apparent backward movement along its path around the sky. For the most part the apparent "normal" direction for most objects to move in our solar system is West to East, or counterclockwise if viewed from the North Pole. A retrograde movement is then the apparent movement from East to West. Another term associated with this in astrological circles is "Mercury's Shadow", which extends around the period of retrograde motion by three weeks on either side. Commonly the periods of Mercury retrograde are held to be times when many things go awry. This is a vast simplification. Mercury retrograde is said to enhance the aspects of the zodiac sign it inhabits at the time of the initial backward motion.
Manly P. Hall's concepts on astrology and the zodiac constellations are well worth reading, especially if you are seeking a clearer understanding of the Precession of the Equinox:

Manly P. Hall - The Zodiac and its Signs

Make what you will of astrology. I rather find it a fascinating example of allegorical symbolism, making it a human device, a tool, and all tools are made to be used. It's how you use the tool that is important. Guns don't kill and all that. I personally agree with Hall's contention that the phenomena of astrology is based upon the collected observations of millions of years of human civilization. Many would disagree with ire.

Even if just taken as a metaphor, there is an understandable fear in that which is different, especially so if that difference lies in some form of advancement that is going to result in a thriving status for the "mutant". This is a subject for a great deal of fantasy story telling, obvious examples being the "X-Men" comic books, movies and cartoons, the Harry Potter series of novels and movies, and the NBC television program "Heroes", just to name a few. Even Maurice Sendak's "Where The Wild Things Are."

The common denominator of these "children's" stories is the need for some form of institution to locate and educate the rare and special class in order to ensure their abilities are a benefit to the world and not a detriment. It is almost always the case that these educational institutions by necessity must exist covertly or underground. This common notion can be easily read as a metaphor for the Rosicrucian concept of an Invisible College. Wikipedia's entry does not even begin to explore this ancient metaphor.

We can see this idea being relayed about popular culture, especially so the last few years. If you've read Hall's chapter on the zodiac, you'll have noticed how he mentions that the positive characteristics of a zodiac sign is in actuality a metaphor for its position in the sky in a geocentric model. I believe that this concept could be furthered to encompass all astronomical bodies, and that the allegorical legends describing their various conjunctures and separations likewise. By this I mean that a negative, malignant, or evil figure in an astronomically allegorical myth is a designation of direction, movement and position. We can not make gross judgments on the symbolic connotations of a figure based on their apparent dispositions. This is the essence of determining the esoteric from the exoteric, the Greater from the Lesser.


art by Carmine Infantino

Which brings me to The Reverse Flash, aka Professor Zoom. The Flash and the Reverse Flash posses the exact same power. Their opposition comes from a difference in their morality. The Flash is a good guy, the Reverse Flash is a bad guy. Note that even the costume is exactly the same, only opposite in color placement, brining color duality into the mix. The name says it all. This is the Flash moving in the opposite direction. This is Mercury Retrograde.

The name Zoom comes up again as the character played by Tim Allen in the Disney movie "Zoom: Academy For Superheroes". This seems nearly identical to the Kurt Russel film "Sky High", also by Disney. In "Zoom" Tim Allen plays former super hero Captain Zoom. But note that when Captain Zoom becomes an instructor at an Academy he is automatically Professor Zoom. Captain Zoom's power naturally enough is super speed.



I find it interesting that three of the four students in Zoom display the powers of characters from the Pixar/Disney film "The Incredibles", super-strength, invisibility, and a malleable form.

This same combination of powers is seen in Jack Kirby's "Fantastic Four", where we can easily see the elemental symbolism underlying the combination. The Thing (Earth) is super strong. The Invisible Girl (Air) can turn invisible. Mr. Fantastic (Water) has a malleable form.


art by Jack Kirby

In both cases it is Fire (the Human Torch) that is removed from the equation. The Human Torch was also absent in 1978 cartoon of the Fantastic Four, Saturday mornings on NBC. He was replaced by the insipid H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot. They say this was due to copyright issues on the Torch. As a kid I thought it was because they were worried children would ignite themselves in emulation. Regardless of surface reasoning it is symbolically important that the Torch is absent. Fire and the Torch are symbolic of enlightenment in countless presentations, Prometheus and Ceres being ready examples.

The fourth super child in "Zoom" is a telekinetic, the power of Jean "Phoenix" Grey of the X-Men and Gabriel "Sylar" Gray on "Heroes". Courtney Cox Arquette costars on "Zoom". She also appeared in the short-lived 1985 NBC series "Misfits Of Science". Her character was a telekinetic. The fourth member of the Incredibles has the power of super speed. Hermes.



The film "Zoom" is based upon an obscure comic book by artist Jason Lethcoe, entitled "Zoom's Academy for the Super Gifted".



The protagonist of the story is an adolescent girl named Summer Jones. The telepathic Professor Charles Xavier, in the Invisible College business since September of 1963, taught his X-Men for years at Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Created by Jack Kirby, the original X-Men include the esoterically resonant Iceman, future blue people the Angel and the Beast, the telekinetic Jean Grey originally called Marvel Girl and Cyclops, her lover, real name Scott Summers.


art by Jack Kirby

Not long after the airing of the Fantastic Four cartoon of the late seventies, NBC Saturday morning brought us "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends", which teamed Steve Ditko's web-spinner with two students from Xavier's School, the Iceman and the made for the cartoon Firestar, a female version of the Human Torch. Her real name was Angelica Jones.





"Eat your heart out, OJ"!

The Chemicals Between Us

I thought some may find interest in an article I wrote a long time ago dealing with hallucinatory constants, the esoteric symbolism of psychedelics in cultures throughout history, and the role played by altered states of perception and how it may have affected the evolution of human behavior. Here's the article mildly updated.

Many of the features typical of deities and other supernatural entities depicted in various works of art throughout history, including brightness and radiance as well as gigantic proportions, distinctive coloration, elaborate costuming, etc. can be understood on a compositional level as illusionistic devices or visual story-telling techniques to draw attention and denote importance. This in no way lessens the likely veracity that many universal divine symbolic characteristics draw their origins from various hallucinatory experiences. At the heart of this matter is the relationship between psychotropic agents and priest class in general and esoteric, inner circles in particular.

One reason for this perhaps is that various psycho-reactive chemical agents cannot be said to be solely responsible for all supernatural experience because they are not responsible for all hallucinatory experience. Indeed, if we are operating healthily, we all engage in a major hallucinatory experience on a daily basis when we sleep, a completely altered state of consciousness, and as stated, one that's regular experience is necessary for healthy physical and cognitive function.

Dr. Oliver Sacks' updated edition of "Migraine" deals in part with duplicate characteristics and commonalties of various hallucinatory and other dissociative effects between migraine auras and other neurological events, hallucinogens, various sleep states, and the neurological activity the constitutes "normal" cognition. Dr. Sack's other works include the highly recommended "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat", "An Anthropologist On Mars" and "Awakenings". Note that the film version of Awakenings features Robin Williams as the Dr. Sacks based Dr. Sayer.  Robin's lay the prettiest of eggs. "Awakenings" also stars Raging Bull Taxi Cab Driver Robert De Niro and Julie "Marge Simpson" Kavener.



The manifestation of migraine auras can include experiences described as visions, transports, or trance states of hysteric, psychotic, oneiric (relating to or suggestive of dreams) or hypnagogic (relating to the state of intermediate consciousness preceding sleep) nature. The cardinal characteristic perceptual experiences of migraine aura are scotomatous (visual), paraesthetic (tactile), and aphasic (effects of understanding or using language, expressive, receptive or combined aphasia). Aphasia is one of the "Three As" of neurological dissociations, the other two being apraxia, the inability to take action due to a disturbance of higher brain function preventing the synthesis of components of actions, and agnosia, the inability to perceive due to an inability to integrate perceptual components. On a strictly visual sense there is a marked relationship between the sensitivity of the optic nerve (to tactile pressure as well as photons, vascular activity, particularly increased blood pressure in one or both eyes, and the perception of phosphenes which experienced along with other perceptual distortions such as persistence of image (trails), may form the more complex geometric patterns experienced in altered states of consciousness (sleep and the borderlands of sleep).

Beyond this, numerous case studies of patients under the care of Dr. Sacks and others demonstrates that sensations experienced during incidents of migraine aura of a more emotional or abstract psychological nature correspond to the qualities of mystical experience as described by William James in his 1902 publication "The Varieties of Religious Experience". As described by James the cardinal characteristics of mystical experience are ineffability (a sensation of experience beyond description), noetic quality (revealing information beyond normal human conception), transiency (the experience is brief and imperfectly remembered), and passivity (the individual experiences a state of being taken over by a separate or higher entity(ies) or intelligence(s)). A very clear example of the potential relationship between migraine aura hallucinations and mystic experience are the Visions of Hildegard of Bingen.





It is believed that the reason tryptamines and other chemical compounds cause various hallucinatory and other dissociative states is because they duplicate or otherwise mimic neurotransmitters and other hormones in the body or block or otherwise alter the regular action of neurotransmitters. All the perceptual qualities they seemingly create, like all perceptions and acts of cognition, can not be separated from natural neuro-physiological function. The states of consciousness are inherent and certain external and internal agents can stimulate their action.

All of this together brings to my attention the need to investigate the interrelationships of art, tool development, religious conceptions, and the evolution of hominid psychological conceptions in general. Certainly it can be safely postulated that experience of various altered states of consciousness, natural or generated through ingestion or other acts partaken for the purpose of generating "trance" states, including sensory deprivation, starvation, dehydration, sleep deprivation, pain generation, etc. and various combinations, played a major role in early developments in all of these and other areas. That the use of various psychotropic agents by mammals (and other animal species) predates human development is demonstratable through anecdote alone. I've read accounts of squirrels being observed hoarding fly agaric mushrooms. In case anyone was curious about it, part of the suggested relationship between Santa Claus and fly agaric comes from the fact that the hallucinogenic property is not altered through digestion, unlike other toxins in the mushroom that cause negative side effects such as nausea. Apparently reindeers naturally seek out fly agaric, and if one is to let them eat the mushrooms and then collect their urine, one may experience the trip without physical impairment. See Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month for December 1999.



A great deal of insightful general information regarding the development of hominid religion, art, tools and psychology can be found at Dr. James B. Harrod's Origins Net: Origins of Art, Religion and Mind. Among the many interesting facts presented is the apparent development of the first metaphor, the concept of a "core" of being capable of refinement, in the Oldowan period c. 2.6 - 1.6 million years ago by Homo rudofensis/habilis. Perhaps more immediately pertinent to the conversation at hand are examples of art from the Upper Paleolithic period (60,000 to 10,000 years ago) depicting geometric patterns, phosphenes, and other expressions of trance experience from naturally occurring or purposeful hallucinatory states. The "Venus" and other anthropomorphic figures of this time period are frequently found in shamanic trance postures, suggesting practices of male and female ritualized "spiritual" transformation processes, the purpose of which at least in part being the triggering of naturally occurring altered states of consciousness.


Harrod comments "From the Nairobi area, circa 2 million years ago. This is a photograph of cast of the original. Archaeologist at Koobi Fora believe the rhomboid diamond shape, which is unique in the collection, was an accidental byproduct of flaking the core for useable flake. This core was a 'curated' object, carried into the site. I believe this core with its rhomboid diamond shape may be interpreted as exemplary for understanding the Oldowan mind and Oldowan spirituality".



"Lascaux. (c. 16,000 BC). Thirteen dots may indicate thirteen months in a lunar year, or coincidental. Additional series of about twenty-six dots under horse to the left of this image".

It is suggested by Harrod, and others, that the animals depicted in paintings and carvings are of a complexity capable of representing a form of iconographic system with juxtapositions, pairings and multiple levels of signification, with the capacity of encoding an encyclopedia of cultural knowledge, including zoological, social, economic, psychological information, and basic themes of morality. This could be seen as broadening the potential effects of hallucinatory experience on essential factors of human society beyond religious expression, including artistic/aesthetic concerns, tool development, proto-language development, etc., etc. I think it is striking that there is a very natural and very early relationship between operative stone masonry and religious symbolism.

Another important factor in social development with a major impact on theological conceptions and organizations is astronomy. That relatively sophisticated astronomical observation was taking place very early is evidenced through lunar calendars and other notation systems dating to the Upper Paleolithic era and earlier. That many basic religious symbols, figures, and characters, including the cross, derive their origins from astronomical observations is a major area in its own right.

I am particularly struck by the relationship between the pineal gland and the production and regulation of hormones and neurotransmitters, and information or stimulation of that gland by solar or other photon sources. Light is seemingly the defining principle of reality, and there are no points of existence, physical or otherwise, that can be removed from dependency on solar activity. Systems of solar worship are often considered to be naïve expressions of the human tendency to anthropomorphize non-human features of nature. In fact the observation that the sun in the sky is the creator and the provider of all things, including "soul" or "mind" can be seen as a rather sophisticated scientific observation, expressed in a poetic/allegorical technical language that through corruption of oral tradition, repeated translation and numerous other factors developed into what we conceive of today as the basis of metaphysical belief systems.

Unlocking The Cosmic Cube

Marvel Comics' Jack Kirby created Cosmic Cube is as good a place as any to start exploring the secret symbolism of super hero stories and art. It is not hard to find occult (by which I mean the purest definition of occult, meaning occluded or hidden) associations with the basic geometric figure, the cube. Add to this the astronomical connotations of the term "cosmic" and we are well on our way down the path of esoterica. First let's take a look at the Cosmic Cube as it was first presented to comic book readers in 1966, in the Captain America portion of "Tales Of Suspense" #s 79-81. Besides the generation of one of the most powerful artifacts of the Marvel Universe mythos, the storyline is also significant due to the introduction into the Silver Age of Captain America's greatest nemesis, the Red Skull.



In the story the Red Skull and his henchmen are revived after decades in suspended animation by the bee-hive like scientific cabal A.I.M., Advanced Idea Mechanics.



Supplied with brain-washing technology, the Red Skull resumes antagonism on Captain America. With assistance from the super-spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division), Marvel's answer to U.N.C.L.E., Cap is able to resist A.I.M.'s mesmerizing weaponry.



Captain America's costume is of course very blatantly symbolic of America. Indeed, this Jack Kirby creation was so well-realized that Captain America is nearly as recognizable an allegorical figure of the United States as Uncle Sam, and probably more commonly known then Columbia. While the source for Cap's costuming is clear I can not help but note the prominent pentagrams on Captain America's chest and in the middle of his bull's eye motif shield. The "A" on Captain America's cowl, located in the position of the third eye, is graphically similar to eye in the pyramid shape from the Great Seal of the United States. It also brings to mind the form of the Freemasonic compass and square, an effect highlighted, I believe, in the image above where the hidden circuitry underneath the letter is revealed. The capital A has other connotations as well.


Meanwhile, A.I.M. scientists have developed the ultimate weapon in their battle against S.H.I.E.L.D.



Learning of this incredible device, the Red Skull betrays A.I.M. and steals the Cosmic Cube. Luckily Captain America happens to hear what his old foe is up to and rushes to intervene. However his efforts do not stop the Red Skull from retrieving his prize.



With descriptions like "-can convert thought waves into material action!', the occult symbolism of the object is barely veiled, but I will return to that in a moment. The Red Skull muses over what he will do with the ultimate power of the Cube, setting himself as Emperor of the world with complete control over mankind, and beyond to the cosmos.



I find this image to be strikingly similar to that of The Emperor trump from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck.



Later, during the inevitable slug-fest with Captain America, the Red Skull uses the Cube to clothe himself as a new King Arthur.



King Arthur is an interesting symbolic node which occurs with great frequency in super hero comic books. The Skull states he is going to create a new Round Table. The Round Table with its twelve knights has astronomical connotations with the ring of the Zodiac with King Arthur taking the position of the sun, like so many other solar deities. That the Skull clothes himself in golden armor reinforces the solar symbolism of King Arthur. It also very clearly evokes the deep well of symbolism associated with the practice of alchemy. In this light the Cosmic Cube is synonymous with the fabled Philosopher's Stone.

As stated, the basic geometric solid the cube has numerous symbolic meanings. In Freemasonry the cube denotes the "hewn stone" that is a member of the fraternity as compared to the unfashioned stone of the initiate. In the Book of Revelation "heavenly Jerusalem" is described as a perfect cube. The holiest site of Islam is the cuboid Kaaba.

In The Secret Teachings of All Ages Manly P. Hall describes the Pythagorean philosophical conception of the cube as:

"The 3 (spirit, mind, and soul) descend into the 4 (the world), the sum being the 7, or the mystic nature of man, consisting of a threefold spiritual body and a fourfold material form. These are symbolized by the cube, which has six surfaces and a mysterious seventh point within. The six surfaces are the directions: north, east, south, west, up, and down; or, front, back, right, left, above, and below; or again, earth, fire, air, water, spirit, and matter. In the midst of these stands the 1, which is the upright figure of man, from whose center in the cube radiate six pyramids. From this comes the great occult axiom: "The center is the father of the directions, the dimensions, and the distances."

In the 1596 "Mysterium Cosmographicum" (The Cosmographic Mystery), Johannes Kepler, created a hypothetical model that related the orbits of the planets of our solar system to the five Platonic solids.



Saturn he found associated with the form of the cube. The connection between Saturn, the planet associated with the Titan who ruled over the Golden Age is of high significance. This brings us into the astronomical symbolism of an all-powerful Cosmic Cube or Cube of Space.



The above drawing is a tesseract published in the 1928 "Theosophy and the Fourth Dimension" by Alexander Horne. A tesseract, or hyper-cube, is an eight-celled cube, or a cube in four dimensions. In the book "The Mysteries of the Great Cross of Hendaye: Alchemy and the End of Time", authors Jay Weidner and Vincent Bridges explore the writings of the enigmatic Fulcanelli, coming to the conclusion that hidden symbolism in gothic cathedrals such as Notre Dame and other structures such as the Hendaye Cross, relate to a point in history when a cosmological alignment of planets and constellations forms, as seen from the vantage point of the Earth, a cube of space, and that this occurrence acts as a marker between Astrological Ages. If we keep in mind that allegory and symbolism are at play we can avoid concern that we are dealing with antiquated mysticisms and understand this as time-keeping on a very grand scale. The following image is a Rosicrucian/Qabbalistic diagram from Hall's "The Secret Teachings Of All Ages", depicting New Jerusalem as a cube. Along the twelve lines composing the cube are the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.



Weidner and Bridges, and others such as Giorgio De Santillana and Hertha Von Dechend, authors of the eye-opening Hamet's Mill would contend that the twelve tribes are representative of the twelve constellations of the Zodiac, much like the twelve knights of the Round Table.

And that's just the tip of the pyramid. Other Marvel characters who became associated with the Cosmic Cube include Thanos, Jim Starlin's Mad Titan who was in love with the incarnate form of Death, and the god-like The Beyonder, the being responsible for the first two Secret Wars mini-series, both of whom are wonderlands of hidden symbolism in their own right.




art by Jim Starlin


 art by Mike Zeck

Note: Obviously this was first written prior to the use of the Cosmic Cube in any of the Marvel movies. A revisitation to the subject feels necessary.