114: Self-Actualizing Through Nerd Fandoms & The 'Four Color Grimoire'

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Black Hoodie Alchemy

Anthony Tyler

129 episodes

1 day ago

The study of equal and opposite reaction is in effect the simplest definition of alchemy, and this is a show that aims at the grit and grime of the alchemical process. Proof of the horrific and unholy will show equal proof of things transcendental and divine if we study closely, so here we put at the forefront the things that keep us up at night, the skeletons in our closets, and the monsters under the bed, so that we may take our power back. Here we are cynics with enough faith to still try. Welcome to Black Hoodie Alchemy -- every other Monday as of August 2024!

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Philosophy

Society & Culture

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114: Self-Actualizing Through Nerd Fandoms & The 'Four Color Grimoire'

Black Hoodie Alchemy

1 hour 45 minutes 27 seconds

1 month ago

114: Self-Actualizing Through Nerd Fandoms & The 'Four Color Grimoire'

Welcome back to Black Hoodie Alchemy, folks! This time around, I have a solo episode diving deeply into something that has really saved me over my medical recovery this year: my nerd fandoms. And I do it all with the help of my friend and colleague, Eric Millar's beautifully written book: The Four Color Grimoire, taking the time to read the first five chapters.

Comic books, video games, movies, television, and pop culture do something for us that is often hard to describe. Past the corporate mill that churns out sales according to data, these ideas often stem from the genuine and unique places within a creator's life, mind and spirit. Things like comic books and video games have long since been a lifeblood for unique story-telling that would not be given a chance in other medias. And when they get into real world-building, it becomes an even greater inspiration.

Whether its Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars or Trek, Fallout, et cetera, these stories and lores and characters strike at archetypal components of our imagination and can help us connect with ourselves in new ways that other schools of thought or spiritual traditions might have trouble addressing properly.

Nerd fandoms are unbound aside from the artistic spirit that creates them, and this not only gives them utility beyond our regular traditions, but separates them from those traditions. It would be improper to call superheroes modern analogues of old gods, because they represent a deeper human authenticity. Suffice it to say that in the same way that science fiction has helped inspire modern scientific advancements, other nerd fandoms provide such inspiration.

I hope you dig the listen this week and thanks for tuning in.