The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes

Who said spirituality and superheroes don't mix?

I did, at least, before I chanced upon The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes during one of my book runs a couple of days ago. I'm a comic geek and even I knew the author's name emblazoned on the front cover. Deepak Chopra? The New Age guru, talking about superheroes? What sorcery is this?

Believe me, it's really not that far-fetched. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes sees Deepak Chopra and his son Gotham (of Liquid Comics fame) shed light on unlocking our potential using the example guys like me are familiar with, namely superheroes! Superman? Batman? Daredevil? Iron Man? They're masters of spiritual gifts that you can actually harness!

It's terribly interesting, if only to see Deepak Chopra and Batman in the same sentence. Superheroes have gone a long way to even be talked about this way, and it's fun to see someone like Chopra namedropping Iron Man and Dr. Strange while talking about finding your inner superhero through the seven spiritual laws that superheroes apparently follow: Balance, Transformation, Power, Love, Creativity, Intention and Transcendence. With son Gotham supplying the superheroes and dad Deepak supplying the insight, you get a book that tackles spirituality and philosophy through the world of comic books and the heroes who inhabit them.

Sounds deep? It sorta kinda is. Let's just say this isn't the book you reach for when you want some light reading about supers. Chopra delves into some pretty heavy stuff here. Each spiritual law, each chapter gets deeper and more complex until the last few pages of the book becomes a mind-blowing, oftentimes rambling, stare-into-the-secrets-of-the-universe epiphany of the Self that might scare off laymen. It's a good thing that Chopra takes the time to list down exercises called "Activate Your Superhero Brain", practical tips on how to live these laws in your own life, which include basic meditation and simply welcoming every day as a new day , which is pretty cool.

I love how it warrants multiple read-throughs to absorb it all. Chopra is insightful without being heavy-handed, and he handles superheroes with the same respect he gives Buddha and God without sounding like a poser. There are some times when Chopra's superhero naivete shows through (like calling Bullseye a 'superhero' and mis-attributing a quote by him to someone else), but that's just the comic book geek in me nitpicking. The book is worth the look, regardless.

Did anyone else pick this up? If you're a fan of superheroes, what did you think of it? If you've never touched a superhero comic in your life, did you relate or learn anything from it?