Green Lantern and Magick

The film made quite an impression on me; I hadn't noticed this superhero previously and didn't know what to expect. By just watching the film it was apparent that there is lots of thelemic and occult symbolism associated with this mythic character and universe; even though perhaps the original creator hadn't intended it to be so, or possibly wouldn't admit to it.

To begin my analysis, the most obvious characteristic is the force of Will, which is the superpower of all Green Lanterns; it is the will of the entire universe focused and tapped by an army of intergalactic superheroes. The green Willpower manifests as matter, by the will of the wearer of the ring that makes each Green Lantern. By willing it all Green Lanterns can project any material manifestation imaginable, and they can also apply kinetic force toward objects; making themselves capable of flying and great physical strength. Obviously the phrase "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law" comes to mind.

In the world of the Green Lantern, green is the colour of will, and incidentally also it is the colour of the heart chakra of the yogic philosophy; and so we have: "Love is the law, love under will".

The colour of fear is yellow, which in the yogic system is the colour of the solar plexus chakra, where also the ego resides.

All Green Lanterns wear a special ring that gives them their superpowers, the symbol on the ring and on their chest is a circle with a line above and below; this symbol reminds me of the words from the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus: "That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above, corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracles of the One Thing".

When the rings become exhausted of power they need to be recharged by a lantern; giving the superheroes their name. The lantern is also the symbol of the Hermit in the tarot deck, which is often interpreted as the Adept (or superhero) in search for hidden knowledge and wisdom.

The headquarters for all Green Lanterns in the universe is the planet Oa. This can be interpreted in two ways, there is the Rosicrucian Order of the Alpha et Omega: the AO, which read backwards becomes OA. Another interpretation is the formula of the IAO, an acronym for Isis-Apophis-Osiris from the Hexagram Ritual of the Adeptus Minor grade of the Golden Dawn; Oa then is the removal of Isis from the formula and again read in opposite order: Osiris-Apophis. There is also the "Book of Oa" which contains the law of the Green Lanterns.

According to the inventor Martin Nodell, it was primarily "The Ring of the Nibelungen" which inspired him and not Aleister Crowley in creating the Green Lantern; the same story was also a source of inspiration for J.R.R. Tolkien.