1. Introduction

The presence of symbolism and metaphysical ideas in films is nothing new, as they have been there since the very inception of this medium of mass communication. The expressionist movies Der Golem (1915) and Metropolis (1927) are famous examples of multi-layered narratives that include esoteric elements.

What is new, however, is the increasing amount of esoteric content that the general population has been unknowingly exposed to. This includes all types of entertainment media targeted at all ages and demographics, including video games, music and video clips, animation for kids and adults alike, novels and comics, and even the inauguration ceremonies of sports events.

Only one century ago, metaphysical concepts such as the Unity of Opposites, man as a microcosmic image of the macrocosmic totality (the famous “as above, so below” dictum), the possibility of transcending the human condition through esoteric knowledge (gnosis) and a self-conquered spiritual evolution, or the identity of all that exists with the Absolute (the One), would be concepts absolutely alien to the average person.

For most of human history, the accumulated spiritual wisdom of mankind was considered only appropriate for the few. The aspirants who desired to acquire this knowledge had to prove themselves extensively, and the unworthy were unceremoniously cut off from this knowledge. The meaning of the very term “esoteric”, as the innermost layer of true knowledge reserved only for the spiritual elite capable of assimilating it, reflects this fact. The unanimous position of all mystical and esoteric traditions was to protect their hard-earned wisdom from unworthy eyes and possible corruption, as well as to shield those unprepared from potentially dangerous knowledge.

Long gone, however, are the days were these doctrines were only known to academic specialists or to the members of some, probably pseudo-secret, initiatory societies.

The advent of globalized communication technologies, as well as the consolidation of media companies in a few hands that apparently desire to spread this knowledge, has put all metaphysical doctrines and ideas ever discovered or formulated by mankind within easy reach of every interested person.

Nevertheless, as we will try to show in this article, not all knowledge is being given equivalent “screen time”, since some worldviews and their constituent metaphysical building blocks are given the spotlight while others are systematically hidden under the carpet.

A few narratives repeat themselves in multiple and imaginative ways while we are exposed to the same stories over and over again, repackaged in shiny new exteriors full of ancient symbols that now come back to life in stylized new shapes and colors.

The flood of this once highly restricted metaphysical knowledge into common mainstream consciousness and popular culture can be described as a radical development in the psychic and spiritual life of the average person. It is quite possible that we are not yet aware of the possible implications and effects of this global pseudo-initiation at a mass scale in steering society in certain directions. We may, as well, wonder about its motives.

Before discussing this possibility in the last articles [1,2] of the main series of writings of this website, let´s first have a look at what metaphysical doctrines and worldviews have become mainstays of popular culture.

2. Metaphysics in Movies and TV Shows

Movies, specifically the science-fiction and horror genres, have always been fertile ground for metaphysical ideas. They are also deeply rooted in mainstream consciousness, becoming cultural references and highly influential vehicles of values and narratives absorbed since our early childhood.

The impact of the most popular franchises can hardly be overestimated. As an example, the Star Wars franchise (1977-Ongoing) has an estimated net worth of 46.7 billion dollars, with 47 percent of surveyed adults in the United States having seen the film Return of the Jedi (1983). A more recent phenomenon, the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise (2008-Ongoing), follows in its footsteps with an estimated net worth of 32.2 billion dollars. Both franchises continually employ metaphysical concepts and target many different populations through all available mass media forms, including animated cartoons aimed at children and movies, books, comics and video games geared towards young adults.

Thanks to globalization, Hollywood has become the main storyteller of the whole world, taking the place of old tribesmen and wise sages in transmitting cultural values and narratives regarding how the fabric of reality works and our place in it. But, exactly what metaphysical concepts are being communicated?

Following Star Wars and The Matrix as representative examples of cultural phenomena that have ingrained themselves even in how we speak and conceptualize the world (e.g., the Red Pill), their main teachings (common in many other franchises) include:

a. Star Wars (Original Trilogy)

• The Force (or Life itself as the creator of the Force) as Ultimate Reality: a monist worldview in the form of Pantheism/Panentheism (depending on whether ultimate reality has a will or not).
  
• The Possibility of Self-Trascendence: by attuning with the Force through knowledge and spiritual training. A vision which is, in turn, influenced by:
  
  o The Monomyth theory of Joseph Campbell: which states that all mythologies tell the same story of a hero achieving transcendence through his own efforts, culminating in his death and resurrection.
  
  o The Psychoanalytical school of C.G. Jung: a psychological reductionist view of what transcendence is, translated into the common motif of acknowledging, fighting and re-integrating into the totality of our Self our particular demon or Shadow.
  
• The Complementary Dualism of Good and Evil: both derived from a unitary impersonal Force or field that includes them both in possibility (like the ancient concept of the Absolute, the Source). They have to be balanced, as each other implies and defines his complementary in a dualist cosmology eventually resolving itself in pure impersonal Monism (like the Yin-Yang and Taiji in Taoism, for example).
  
• Gnostic Motifs such as:
  
  o Spirit / Matter Dualism: that states that we are light beings (pure spirits) “trapped” in matter.
  
  o Gnostic Rebellion: of the few elite awakened wielders of the Light side of the Force against a tyrannical servant of the Dark side (the hero´s father, just as the God of the Old Testament is the enemy of Jesus Christ in Gnosticism).

b. The Matrix

• A Non-Theistic (Impersonal) Monist Worldview: this time in the form of Panentheism / Non-Dualism (in the sense that “All is One”), and heavily based on the Hindu Advaita Vedanta school, which shows itself in the doctrines of:
  
  o Reality as an Illusion: Maya or the Matrix.
  
  o Cyclical Existence and Time: exemplified by the different rebellions of the chosen ones that exist again and again until the cycle of bondage is broken.
  
  o Self-Deification or Self-Transcendence: through awakening (intuitive knowledge or Gnosis).

• Psychonautic Techniques (Entheogens): the red pill, used to break this prison world´s spell over us and to achieve knowledge of the truth.
  
• Complementary Duality and Unity of Opposites: in the form of male/female (Neo/Trinity; Oracle/Architect) and good and evil (Neo fusing with agent Smith in order to defeat him). The final resolution of the conflict is an understanding and agreement between the two opposing sides, implying complementarity.
  
• Gnostic Motifs:
  
  o Rebellion Against the Demiurge: a fatherly figure, a false intermediate God (not ultimate reality) that, with his army of hollow machines (like in the Kabbalistic empty shell [Qlippoth] motif), feeds on mankind´s energy (“psychic vampirism”).

As we can see, the teachings of these two highly influential franchises, separated by twenty-two years and created by completely different people, are very similar. Both are exponents of an impersonal monist worldview that permits self-transcendence or self-integration through intuitive knowledge (awakening, Gnosis) and promotes a Gnostic rebellion against a tyrant father figure that eventually is key in resolving the conflict (Unity of Opposites).

These are, however, only two examples among many. Most science-fiction blockbusters in the last decades have consistently exposed the public to similar concepts. It has become so notorious that Gnosticism has been described as the main Hollywood storytelling template, being used even in more “serious” pseudohistorical fictional works, such as Dan Brown´s reinterpretation of Christianity in the Da Vinci Code.

In addition to Gnosticism, we could say that the other major influences usually seen in modern moviemaking are Kabbalah and Hermeticism (including Alchemy), with all three sharing many similarities and having become increasingly entangled with one another during the centuries, especially in Western esotericism. Kabbalah, in addition, was influenced by Jewish Gnostic currents since its inception, as stated by renowned historian Gershom Scholem.¹Scholem, Gershom (1987). Origins of the Kabbalah. Princeton University Press.²Scholem, Gershom (1960). Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition. The Jewish Theological Seminary Press.

To be noted is the fact that Eastern mysticism (especially the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism, tantric Tibetan Buddhism, and the alchemical variants of Taoism) is eventually very similar in its metaphysical doctrines to the three esoteric worldviews just mentioned. All of them include characteristic beliefs such as the Cycle of Rebirths/Reincarnation, Emanationism and an ultimate reality in line with Impersonal Monism that can be reached through the initiate´s own efforts (by
achieving intuitional wisdom or Gnosis). These traditions are also major influences in many modern productions.

Below can be found an infographic summarizing the main metaphysical concepts and the worldviews assumed by some of the most influential (and symbolic) movies and TV shows of the last decades, as well as their main influences and some metrics regarding their impact in popular culture.

As we can see, the similarities found in the above examples are not an isolated coincidence. Similar doctrines can be found both in mainstream blockbusters (eg., Doctor Strange, His Dark Materials) as well as in more niche cult classics (e.g., Twin Peaks, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Battlestar Galactica). Even when the worldviews influencing these productions are not always exactly the same, their main metaphysical doctrines usually are, showing great consistency over time.

3. Metaphysics in Other Popular Media: Video Games, Animation, Comics and Music Industry

Cinema is not the only medium that uses, and even makes the main pillar of its narrative, a particular set of metaphysical concepts.

Animated movies and TV shows, both those aimed at children and those for adults, are another notorious example, with cultural phenomena like the manga/anime Neon Genesis Evangelion [3] being based directly on the metaphysical and philosophical problem of the One and the Many.

Video games, which due to technical limitations could not have much of a narrative in their beginnings, are now able to depict abstract notions with greater detail and thoroughness than other media. This is so because of the greater amount of time that a video game takes to complete compared to a movie, as well as their immersive and interactive nature, in which gameplay itself can become an instrument to teach important metaphysical notions (e.g., the Dark Souls [4] saga and its death-as-a-learning-tool mechanic in our quest to achieve self-transcendence).

Nowadays, metaphysically oriented games such as the Shin Megami Tensei series and its blockbuster spin-off Persona [5] fully recreate the esoteric path of self-transcendence in each new game of the series. By merging Jungian psychoanalysis and hermetico-alchemical and kabbalistic doctrines into a gnostic narrative, each game becomes the simulation and recreation of the full esoteric journey from
common man to self-deified being.

Comics, manga and graphic novels, too, have been used as vessels for the transmission of metaphysical concepts and esoteric worldviews from the beginning. Once a niche sub-culture, they have now become mainstream thanks, in part, to Marvel and DC comics´ ubiquitous cinematic universes. If we analyze the cosmologies of these fictional universes, we can see that their teachings have not been sloppily expressed as mere background for action-packed stories to take place. Instead, their main metaphysical points have been carefully integrated into the narratives and
systematically exposed, being remarkably consistent over the decades.

The music industry, in turn, although its use of symbolism seems to focus mainly on low-level provocation (e.g., Satanic and Illuminati/Masonic imagery³This has been discussed, for example, in multiple articles of vigilantcitizen.com.), has produced some events that can be classified as true enactments of initiatory rituals where death and resurrection are central to the adept’s journey towards self-transcendence and the One (e.g., Babymetal’s concert: LEGEND – S – BAPTISM XX [2017]).

The infographics below summarize the main metaphysical concepts and worldviews assumed by some of the most cherished animated projects, video games, comics and music bands of the last decades. These are just some examples among many.

4. Conclusion

As we have seen by synthesizing the teachings of a few representative examples amongst many, nowadays metaphysical doctrines are commonplace in popular culture and mass media. However, only a few of them are given “screen time” again and again while others (usually incompatible with those) either become distorted to the point of inversion (e.g., Gnostic inversion of Christianity) or are just ignored.

This has been happening with remarkable consistency over the decades and throughout all different media that compose popular culture, but has become progressively more difficult to overlook.

Major franchises are worth billions of dollars. However, their biggest impact, helped by globalization, is in shaping the collective cultural consciousness and worldview of people all around the world, especially in cultures that crave a sense of meaning because of the loss of their previous spiritual heritage.

Given that different metaphysical doctrines exist in different worldviews, some of them incompatible with each other, one would expect to see a little more variety in their depiction on mass media. However, it is easy to see that this is not the case. Only a handful of doctrines are repeated (in all types of media) to such an extent that consumers feel that they are reliving old stories.

The most ubiquitous metaphysical notions promoted include:

• Impersonal Monism: in the form of Pantheism/Panentheism (especially the latter, but many times not explicitly defined) ― the One, the Absolute, All-Possibility. If it is represented as personal, it is implied that it is a personification of a Principle or Force.
  
• Personal gods: if they exist, they are below the previous level of existence as particular manifestations of the Absolute. They usually represent personifications of abstract Forces or Laws.
  
• Emanationism: the doctrine that everything in existence is an emanation of this absolutely simple Unity and that we can come back to it by an inverse process of stripping ourselves of any particularity (achieved through our own wisdom [Gnosis] and efforts).
  
• The Multiverse: or All-Actuality as the body of the One (All-Possibility).
  
• Polarity and Complementary Duality: Non-Dualism as the Unity of Opposites (e.g., Good/Evil, Male/Female), the method of getting closer to the Totality or Source of All. We can include among these teachings the integration of the Jungian Shadow into our true personality, or Self.
  
• The notion of Cyclical Cosmology and Existence.
  
• Rebellion against unjust god/s: who oppress us and stifle our spiritual evolution for their own benefit. They are but intermediate-level entities, also emanating from the One, who have overstepped their rights.
  
  
  Furthermore, the main recurring worldviews being promoted, which in turn share many of the same metaphysical building blocks, are:
  
• Gnosticism (and Manichaeism).
  
• Kabbalah (especially the school of Isaac Luria and Hasidism).
  
• Hermeticism/Alchemy and Neo-Platonism.
  
• Eastern Mysticism (especially Advaita Vedanta, tantric Tibetan Buddhism and esoteric Taoism).
  
• Western esotericism (e.g., Theosophy).
  
• The Analytical Psychology of Carl Jung (with concepts like the Archetypes, the Shadow, Anima/Animus and the Self).
  
• Perennialism (e.g., the Monomyth theory of Joseph Campbell).

Classic Monotheistic doctrines (especially Abrahamic ones), such as creation from nothing (Ex Nihilo) by the action of a personal transcendent God, the nature of evil as a voluntary rebellion against that God and lacking independent existence (rather than being necessary Chaos), and the possibility of the One and the Many coexisting (like, for example, in Christianity) are rarely (if ever) represented in mainstream productions. C.S.Lewis´ Chronicles of Narnia and, more indirectly, J.R.R. Tolkien´s The Lord of the Rings would be the most popular examples at least partially compatible with these latter tenets.

Are these trends merely coincidental? Maybe metaphysical fads exist as in any other aspect of life? It may be so. But then, we would need to explain their consistency in time (multiple decades) and in space (different media created all over the world), as well as the remarkable absence (or inversion) of their competitors. Be that as it may, the fact remains that metaphysical content is being communicated, and since metaphysical ideas are the building blocks of certain worldviews, it should be easy to predict the next ideas that will come our way.

As we navigate through this complex landscape of spiritual ideas available to us today, should this not be another clue pointing us in certain directions?

Notes

1. Scholem, Gershom (1987). Origins of the Kabbalah. Princeton University Press.
2. Scholem, Gershom (1960). Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition. The Jewish Theological Seminary Press.
3. This has been discussed, for example, in multiple articles of vigilantcitizen.com.

Recommended Reading

Disclaimer: the following recommendations may contain affiliate links, which means that we may receive a small commission, at NO additional cost to you, if you decide to make a purchase through them. By doing so, you will be supporting us and allowing this website to remain ad-free.

1. Esoteric Hollywood: Sex, Cults and Symbols in Film. Jay Dyer. [Dyer may have a polarizing personality for some. However, we have found his theoretical work (e.g., theological explanations) to be sound. Please, do your own research].
2. A Dictionary of Symbols. Juan Eduardo Cirlot.
   
   
   
   

• 1
  Scholem, Gershom (1987). Origins of the Kabbalah. Princeton University Press.
• 2
  Scholem, Gershom (1960). Jewish Gnosticism, Merkabah Mysticism, and Talmudic Tradition. The Jewish Theological Seminary Press.
• 3
  This has been discussed, for example, in multiple articles of vigilantcitizen.com.