By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth, in the early days,
Theosophists were actively cultivating ties to popular fiction writers and lately
the study of theosophical influence on pop culture has been growing. See Theosophical Fiction and also, Zanoni. The
well-received Doctor Strange movie inherits much of the
theosophically-influenced orientalist-occult pop culture themes, as the reviews
below point out. Praise the Vishanti! (Indeed, there has been a fairly extensive commentary on the mystical/pop culture intersection related to the character and the film. We've included a larger-than-usual sampling, sadly, not being in possession of the all-seeing Eye of Agamotto, we cannot claim that this list is exhaustive):
Mainstream Mysticism: Doctor Strange Vs. MaterialismJeff Wolfe - Symbol & Verse
This sets Strange off on a classic Hero's Journey, the first step of
which is to set off to parts unknown. Is it any surprise he is directed
to a hidden temple tucked in the Himalayan Mountains? As it goes, the
teacher must first be found before the lessons can commence. Like so
many other myth stories, the keys to the universe are held in secret by
monks or priests, who obtained them through intense dedication and
practice of physical and mental disciplines.
https://symbolandverse.journoportfolio.com/essays/mainstream-mysticism-doctor-strange-vs-materialism/
A Brief History of
Doctor Strange and His Relationship with Tibet, Occultism, and Buddhism - Joel
Gruber (11/05/2016)
"From
1963 to the present day, Doctor Strange comics document a visual
history of American pop-fascination with the “Orient,” and with Tibet in
particular. During the early 1960s, Tibetans were more exoticized
objects of wonder than actual persons, and thus the Ancient One better
resembled Blavatsky’s Mahatmas
than he did a cave-dwelling Tibetan yogi. As the counterculture
critiqued America’s Protestant heritage and explored religions from the
so-called “Orient,” Englehart and Brunner destroyed God and presented
their own version of a Buddhist-esque occult philosophy, which they and
their readers put into practice. "
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joel-gruber/doctor-strange-a-brief-hi_b_12805350.html |
| Strange Tales #115, Dec. 1963, art: Steve Ditko |
https://jaysanalysis.com/2019/11/25/doctor-strange-2016-revelation-of-the-illuminist-method/
How Doctor Strange Helped
Create Hippies - Charles Moss - Nov 2 2016 In Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in
America, Bradford W. Wright wrote, "Dr. Strange remarkably predicted
the youth counterculture's fascination with Eastern mysticism and psychedelia.
Never among Marvel's more popular or accessible characters, Dr. Strange still
found a niche among an audience seeking a challenging alternative to more
conventional superhero fare.
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/how-doctor-strange-helped-create-hippies
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/how-doctor-strange-helped-create-hippies
Breaking Saturn's Spell: Arrival & Doctor Strange - Chris Knowles 01-12-2016
Doctor Strange touched all
the tentpole bases-- apocalypse-sized threat, cities aflame, multiculti
heroes banding together under a militaristic regimen-- but added themes
roughly parallel with the wilder expressions of Tibetan Buddhism and
psychedelic culture (according to this writer, DMT culture,
specifically.
The Theology of Dr.
StrangeMike Beidler November 30, 2016
|
Doctor Strange Movie Cast Coached by Gelong Thubten, a Tibetan Monk |
Doctor Strange's Magical and Mystical Roots in Hindu Mythology
Amulya sai Inturi Nov.. 30 2016Doctor Dtrange and the racial history of a Marvel icon - Zack Kruse - 19 March, 2019
Orientalism (and disability) in in Scott
Derrickson’s’Doctor Strange’ (2016)
Rebecca Radillo
What
is known by fans and scholars as the Golden Age of Comics dates from
approximately 1938 to the late 1950s. 1938 marks the debut of Superman in
Action Comics issue one but in order to understand the emergence of the comic
book superhuman some context is necessary. The comic book superhuman was in
fact preceded by what Coogan (2006) usefully describes as the Antediluvian Age.
At the end of the eighteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth
century the posthuman was already manifesting itself in several seemingly
disparate realms. In the fantastic fiction H. G. Wells for instance, which
presented invisible men, human-animal hybrids and highly evolved (and
de-evolved) relatives of humankind from the far future. The early science
fiction author Edward Bulwer Lytton’s 1871 novel The Coming Race
presented another vision of advanced humanity. Lytton’s work would go on to
influence the fin de siècle interest in occultism (Knowles, 2007), particularly
H. P. Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy, whose mystical writings are rife with
highly evolved ‘ascended masters’ and whose occult theories emphasise a kind of
evolutionary mysticism. Indeed, Badminton cites Blavatsky writing of the
‘post-human’ as early as 1888 (Badmington, 2004:133).http://hplusmagazine.com/2013/01/26/producing-and-consuming-the-posthuman-body-in-superhero-narratives/
Doctor Strange: A Hero of the Mind
Tristan Garcia
Lovecraft, Lee and the Elder Gods: Who Will Win?
Kamar-Taj: Doctor Strange's Mystical Training Grounds
Explained
Bob Chipman Sep
29, 2016
Chris Gavaler, Jan. 27, 2014
https://thepatronsaintofsuperheroes.wordpress.com/tag/orientalsim/ 
nice articles on Alexandra David-Neel, James Hilton, Lost Horizon (novel & film), comic strip magicians (Mandrake, Green Lama, etc...)http://dialbforblog.com/archives/704/ http://dialbforblog.com/archives/706/ http://dialbforblog.com/archives/712/
The study of Theosophical influences on pop culture is quite a growing field, pioneered by:
Mutants and Mystics Science Fiction Superhero Comics and the Panormal, Jeffrey
Kripal, 2011:
Google Books
Google Books
Pseudoscience and Science Fiction, Andrew May, 2016 :
https://books.google.ca/books?id=2O0QDQAAQBAJ&source=gbs_book_other_versions
https://books.google.ca/books?id=2O0QDQAAQBAJ&source=gbs_book_other_versions
The Assimilation of Yogic Religions Through Pop Culture
Movie Magick: The Occult in Film, 2018
Fictional Practice: Magic, Narration, and the Power of Imagination
BRILL, 2021
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