Gurren Lagann I: Spiral Energy

"The spiral theme is especially prominent throughout the series. Not only is it the basis of strength for the main characters and mankind, but it is presented as a philosophy and way of life, and as a model of physics. Lordgenome (whose own name contains the word genome, referring to DNA and its spiraling double helix) notes that it is the natural order of the universe to coordinate itself into a spiral arrangement. The spiral symbolizes the double helix structure of DNA, representing biological evolution, and the spiral structure of a galaxy, representing universal evolution. Simon's spiral drill is used as a motif to symbolize the spiral theme throughout the series. At the same time, the drill motif symbolizes the strength to challenge or 'drill' through tough obstacles." - Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Wiki



Spirals run throughout the entire show. At the smallest end of the scale, we have spirals represented in the helix of human DNA, which allows humans to tap into Spiral Energy, all the way to the spiral represented in the shapes of galaxies; it was not by coincidence that the show's writers chose to integrate this motif into the plot. Similarly, the mysterious Spiral Energy is accessed in accordance with the adherence to the spiral structure on every level of existence. The spiral is a symbol of progression, of evolution, and of growth. Everything in nature grows in a spiral pattern; early life, like ferns and sea shells, are very easy to see spiral patterns in, and as life becomes more complex, we see these spirals arranged in complex stands of DNA. Mathematically, the spiral represents a certain growth ration which has been seen all throughout the natural world, from ecosystems to planetary orbits and sizes. The spiral is the embodiment, the physical product, of natural law. Therefore it also symbolizes the ability for matter to organize itself and grow, which we call "life", and the potential for that life to evolve and grow more power.


Exoterically, the spiral represents the outward growth of the scale in which the story takes place; first underground, then over the whole planet, then into the space around the planet, and finally to such a scale that it transcends the galaxy. In accordance with this development, it also symbolizes how Simon's own power and understanding of Spiral Energy grows as the series goes on, and ultimately fulfills his destiny as pontifex of the human race.

The Final Battle

However, we see that Spiral Energy is not only a species' capacity for genetic evolution - it is a source of mutable power as well. Just what is this elusive Spiral Energy then?

The answer is simple: spiritual metaphysical energy. In all traditional mythologies and civilizations, the spiritual was said to pervade the physical, to exist on a higher plane on reality than the material world, and that all sources of power came from this higher world. In the same way, Spiritual Energy converts into physical energy, especially when we see it used in Gunmen.

In Gunmen, Spiral Energy determines how well the Gunmen will operate and fight. In numerous times in the series, it's revealed that the pilot's willpower, his hope and his strength (that is to say, his spiritual will) is what increases Spiral Energy within the Gunmen and allows it to operate. When Simon goes Berserk in episode 8, we see his Gunmen reacts in a similar fashion, since his spiritual energy is out of whack. Since his spirit is thrown into chaos, the Spiral Energy therefore makes the Gunmen react chaotically and without control.

By now, we see that the potential for genetic evolution and the willpower/spirit of the individual correlate within Spiral Energy. It is seemingly an infinite source of energy, since the human spirit provides inexhaustible and the spirit as something without physical limitations.

Genetic potential allows humans to tap into Spiral Energy; that is why less evolved life-forms, like the Beastmen, cannot use spiral energy. The potential to tap into Spiral Energy (that is, spiritual energy) can be seen as the real standard for genetic evolution. The higher evolved a species' genes are, the more they can tap into Spiral Energy. Simon is the purest of his species, since he achieves self-realization as the harbinger of Spiral Energy and the realization of his own being as a Spiral Being.

Spiral Energy can also be converted to physical energy. Other than powering the Gunmen, it can also repair and regenerate the Gunmen. We see how the Gunmen can be damaged and destroyed, yet Simon is able to rejuvenate the parts of the Gurren Lagann continually. This is because Spiral Energy can be converted into physical energy, which by extension can be converted into matter; he can transmute elements on a physical scale. Therefore Spiral Energy can also be used to manipulate and create new matter, as well as add to its mass (make it grow) or change its shape; this is what happens when Gunmen combine together to make a larger Gunmen. This bypasses Newton's law by adding physical matter to the universe from a limitless supply of spiritual Spiral energy.

The deep symbolism of the spiral is further proof of its analogy with spiritual energy. Other than its mathematical and natural significance, the spiral is seen as a holy figure in ancient religions. The spiral represented the center of the universe, the center of universal energy, of spiritual and physical energy. It is the central radiating source of all life, and from it all energy issues into the universe. This model closely compares to the Big Bang theory; the universe was radiated from a central singularity. And because the universe moves in such a motion, the entirety of universal matter has developed into smaller spiral patterns; galaxies, star clusters, etc. Everything in the universe thus not only arranges itself in a spiral pattern, but turns and rotates in a spiral as well.

As a radiating source, the spiral also represents the Sun (center of our Solar System), represented by the Swastika. The ancient solar symbol was recognized as a centrality of divine power, the center of heaven and the bringer of all life. As opposed to the endless and dark void of space, the Sun gives light and energy, bleeding out into the void as a source of physical and spiritual energy. The ancient Hindus knew that the Swastika, represented in any form, was a physical manifestation of a natural law which supplied spiritual power, naturally radiating this energy. This "physical symbol" of power was recognized as having magical and spiritual significance. It represents the axis of the earth around which the whole world spins, and by extension the central mass of any universal system around which its components turn in accordance too. This is the basest expression of natural spiritual law.The Swastika was also called the "Hooked Cross" because it also represents a Cross shape with its arms hooked as if they were trailing after the motion of a central rotating mass; this is the basis for a spiral. The shape of the Cross is also very much related to the Spiral shape, with the number 4 being the key number: four arms, four spokes, etc. Spiral symbolism stretches as far back as the beginning of time itself.

Anti-Spiral v. Spiral Energy

The spiral also indicates an upward movement or movement into something; we can see it gives a natural mechanical advantage when used as an inclined plane (as screw or drill), and from this we derive the show's Drill symbolism. Drills are prominent in the show, as weapons and as tools of power. Simon's drill, which acts like a key to activate the Gurren Lagann, represents his own soul and his link with Spiral Energy. The Drill symbolizes his upward progressive movement from a subterranean dweller to the leader of humanity. It is with the drill that he "breaks through the heavens", which is a prominent theme in the series. Literally, he breaks through the levels of existence, until at the end he finally transcends everything and exists on a purely metaphysical level, in which he exists only as his own Will and is not limited by any sort of physical laws or limitations.

Gurren Lagann and Alchemy

The theme of progressive evolution in the show is also an expression of an even more ancient archetypal process described in C.G. Jung's book, "Psychology and Alchemy". For those that are unfamiliar with Alchemy, it was a prominent scientific and spiritual philosophy during the Middle Ages that existed as far back as Egyptian times and in Persia. Alchemy was the science of the transformation of physical matter, and one of the key tasks it associated itself with was the transformation of Lead into Gold. However, Alchemy was a dual science: while it often masqueraded as a physical science, much of its writings and figures were actually symbolism for the process of spiritual evolution. Much of Alchemy doesn't make sense unless taken in this context; by extension it is the primal and subconscious expression of the process of spiritual growth. Lead was symbolic for the basest of earth elements; the starting point in the evolutionary chain. We go then up to Tin and Iron, then to Copper, Mercury, Silver and finally Gold, the purest of all elements, which represents total spiritual realization. These all have planetary equivalents too: Lead is started with Saturn, and ends with Gold, symbolic of the Sun. Further Solar symbology points to the sun being the spiritual center of all energy, and by further extension, the center of our galaxy, the Black Sun, is the center of our galaxy's spiritual energy. This progressive centralizing process of purification and transformation into Spiritual "Gold" thus also carries into this show.

The Alchemical process was also associated with "transcending the spheres", which meant to go through the different levels of existence, starting with the physical, to the higher astral plains until one achieved total spiritual realization on the highest and most basest level. That level is the Metaphysical plain, which transcends and surpasses all existence and is the macrocosmic universe from which all other universes and worlds originate. All worlds exist within these worlds, and the closer something is to the Metaphysical, the more of an eternal and immortal, undying nature it has, since the spirit is an eternal and limitless energy.

Simon progressively transcends these spheres or levels of existence until he finally breaches the total Spiritual world. His battle is thus transformed into a showdown between himself, embodied by his Will to Power, against the Will of the opposing force, the Anti-Spirals. This raw battle between the two base energies is what ultimately determines the fate of the entire universe - a battle stripped of all physical limitations existing on a divine level, two raw spiritual forces fighting against each other.

Simon himself fighting the Anti-Spiral

Simon therefore "breaks through the heavens" multiple times, and he completes the archetypal Alchemical process. He begins as an "earth element", since he lives underground, and his realization of his own existence as a Spiral being with Spiral Energy is close to none. He lives a simple existence in the depths of the earth. This stage represents Lead or Tin, since it is the basest of all elements and the starting point of the Alchemical transformation process. As the show goes on, his element becomes "purer and purer". He breaks through the subterranean world (the underworld, world farthest from the spiritual center/the sun) to the surface world, the first time he sees the sky and the heavens. Here he defeats the Beastmen and reclaims Earth; now he is ready to bring salvation to humanity on an even greater scale, and by extension to the entire universe. When he begins his battle in space, his forces transmutate into the higher elements of Iron and Copper, and becomes Mercury as their final collective adversary comes to light. This is when they become trapped in the Space-Time Labyrinth. The elements associated with Mercury are wisdom and knowledge; the Space-Time Labyrinth is an exploration of thought, pitting the heroes against the mental forces of Dispair. The dual nature of Mercury is expressed in that two alternatives exist; to surrender and live in peace, or to continue the fight despite all the opposing temptations. This final test of will is only permissible in the mental realm; when Mercury is transcended, they finally ascend to Silver, which is their largest physical stage. In the final attack, Simon's Gunmen is reduced to his bare self, representing his own spiritual and metaphysical existence on its basest and most singular level, and therefore he finally transforms into Gold. He thus achieves godhood as the self-realized soul, transcending to an existence of pure Spiral Energy. He abandons his body (the Gunmen) and all physicality in order to fight the war on the purest and most elemental ground. It cannot get smaller than this; it becomes the raw battle of two wills against each other.


Spiral Energy and Physics

The two opposing forces in the show, the Spirals and the Anti-Spirals, also have grander physical implications. Since the spiritual is said to be mirrored in the larger development of the spiritual, we can see as demonstrated before the existence of physical laws that are descended from the basic laws of the spiral pattern, a universal spiritual and physical law of existence.

The nature of Spiral Energy is the channelling of energy into the physical world, thereby bypassing the Law of the Conservation of Energy. In astrophysics, this has but one implication: the addition of matter into the universe. On a universal scale, this means the addition of Gravity. Immediately the polar dichotomy is recognizable; the two forces in the show, the Spirals and Anti-Spirals, represent the two central forces in the universe from which all other forces originate: the contracting and expanding forces.

These are, respectably, Gravity and Dark Energy in astrophysics. These determine the life and death of the universe. When the Big Bang occurs, the universe expands at an exponential rate, making matter spread apart and creating more and more space in the universe. Within the universe exists matter; matter, instead of spreading out completely, retains the energy of the Big Bang in centralized sources held together by Gravity, which are Galactic Clusters. This centralization of universal matter, with the help of the opposing force Gravity which is the opposite of Dark Energy's expansive force, allows life to form. Life, and by extension all forms of energy, cannot exist or develop without such centralization.

Larger than Worlds

When the contraction force caused by the gravity of all matter in the universe finally supersedes the expansion force of Dark Matter, the universe begins to fall together again and everything returns to a central universal source. All physical matter is dissolved, and in Hinduism this is called the "Night of Brahma". It is called the Big Crunch in astrophysics. Everything returns, and thereafter the universe is born again, with a new Big Bang, and in this way the universe continues its cyclical death and rebirth for eternity. This way the universe continues to exist forever and in fluctuation, continually being reborn in a cyclical pattern.

However, if the expansive energy of Dark Matter wins in the end, and Gravity is not enough to start the reversal of the expansion process, the universe will continue to expand indefinitely and forever, and this is called the Big Rip. This means that the energy radiated by galaxies and stars will continue to be emminated until they run out completely; since this energy will never return to a centralized source, no more stars can be created, and therefore all forms of energy will start to dissipate. With the universe expanding forever, and only a certain amount of physical matter in the universe, the energy will continue to spread throughout the universe until it is completely even. This is called Heat Death, and the process of energy becoming increasingly spread out and unretainable is called Entropy.

Eventually, all the matter and energy of the universe will have been radiated from its central source, and no more life can be supported. Heat energy, without the presence of other heat energy, will died down and the total amount of energy in the universe will quiet down and turn to 0. That is why it's important for Gravity to eventually overcome Dark Matter, so that the universe can come together again so that it can be birthed anew.

Therefore Spiral Energy exists as a method of adding new matter to the universe, and thereby more Gravity to reduce the process of Entropy. This is gone over in the Significance of Gurren Lagann, which I posted about a week ago. I think I explain it better then.

Next time I'll talk about the Beastmen and what they mean. Until then, Spiral On.

The Significance of Gurren Lagann

The Esoteric Meaning of Gurren Lagann: Introduction

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a journey of the archetypes as found in Alchemy; transmutation from the basest element (represented by Simon the Digger, digging=interred in earth) to the height of spiritual purity, the herald of the ultimate Spiral Energy and therefore by extension the leader of the human race. The spiral is an ancient symbol for dynamic evolution, transfiguration and the transcendent; the transcending of worlds, of the spirit, etc. The spiral represents the well of continuous spiritual energy that drives the survival of the human race and is the central radiating source of all spiritual power (i.e. the sun, the swastika, core of galaxy, etc.) This makes Simon the leader of the human race because he becomes the Avatar, or the incarnate representation of the Sun of the Earth and the Black Sun at the center of the galaxy, which is in opposition to the entropic Dark Energy/Matter, which is the expansive force which threatens to rip the entire universe apart and therefore diffuse the power of the Sun into infinity where it will die out (read more here). These are represented by the Anti-spirals, who want to preserve the physical universe by eliminating all manifestations of spiral energy (such as humans) since Spiral Energy will eventually cause the reunification of the universe similar to the big bang and completing the universal cycle. A side effect of putting a stop to this cycle is the continued expansion of the universe, which means that eventually life and Spiral Energy will never be able to evolve again, which effectively equals the death of the Spirit and the Eternal. The whole story echoes the archetypal war between the forces of chaos/entropy/expansion and the forces of light/order/contraction.

Multiple layers of such archetypal layers are fused into Gurren Lagann from start to finish. The story as presented is pretty straight forward, and with a little thinking it's very easy to understand. However, one might just be surprised at the depth of meaning that can be applied to it without every losing analogy with the original work. Usual academic literary analysis has already been done to it because of it being an Epic Journey and a Coming of Age story, which can be read here.

Concerning all this, one might wonder if the creators of this show consciously engrafted a deeper meaning discernable only by the initiated, or if in fact the free thought-forms sprung unconsciously from the creators' collective unconscious as a manifestation of supressed gnosis, unable to be manifested in any other area of Japanese life. Usual elements of anime might set some people off, and being an anime it is due to have these elements: fanservice, materialistic character traits, etc. However these all have their place and I will explain why later on.

This analysis will cover multiple posts so don't expect me to be able to get it all out in this one. I've been contemplating TTGL for a while now, and what I've been able to derive from it is astounding. It is one of the few works of modern times that features the true reproduction of the myth, or the mythos which shapes us all. It's deeper meaning is not straightforward, but lies in the use of scale and evolution which are themes reoccurrant in the plot. It can be broken down into two levels of analysis: the personal battles, which are represented by the physical characters and their earthly experiences, and the higher meaning which is represented in the holistic collective in the entire show.

Introduction

The name "Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann" means Breaking Through the Heavens: Gurren Lagann. Gurren Lagann is the name of the central mecha or giant robot in the series, which represents many things such as the manifestation of Simon's willpower. The title echoes GAINAX's previous work, Toppu wo Narae!, which means "Aim for the Top!" The title speaks of a very transcendental theme; from the underworld, the main characters literally "break through" the sphere of the heavens. In the old times, one theory represented heaven as the inside of a solid sphere which formed a roof over the world. When Simon and the others break through into the surface world, they are literally "shattering" and "breaking through" the heavens into the world beyond; in the second half of the series, they continue breaking through various stages of existence until finally they have reached the metaphysical universe.

The series has two parts: the First Part deals with the transcendence of the main cast into the surface world and their fight against the Beastmen, which are terrestrial/earthly obstetrical that the characters must face and defeat if they are to take control of their own destiny. The Second Part deals with their battle against the forces of universal entropy themselves, the Anti-spirals. The two parts are interrelated with each other and each contribute to the overall meaning of the plot.

The analysis of TTGL will take place in 4+ parts, each going over different facets of the show. It is highly recommended that you watch the series before you read this. This allows the show to soak in which enables you to think about it critically as a whole; without critical thinking, reading only gives you conclusions instead of helping you come to conclusions. There are 27 episodes and a few movie versions. The most important movie version to watch in order to follow this analysis is Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagann-hen. (watch here)

Part I: Spiral Energy
Part II: Beastmen
Part III: Gunmen and Identity
Part IV: Conclusion

Quick Thoughts on QB

:::QB Symbolism:::

QB's white-red color scheme represents the lives of the girls; the purity of white fading into a red of blood. He is amorphous, and the form he takes is actually just a base representation of its status as a proxy, reflecting the conflict that is developed in the show.

One might think that QB's fight against entropy is symbolic of a message warning against trying to change the process of entropy; it brings pain and death to all the loved characters of the show. However, because Madoka ultimately proves that entropy can be overcome with the Hope she instils, QB's bloody role was actually a necessary catalyst for the greater good - for the birth of Hope in the world, Hope against entropy, a symbol that is manifested by Madoka when she ascends into godhood.

Therefore, it is not only Madoka's sacrifice that supplies a source of Hope against the Despair of entropy, but QB's sacrifice too, though his sacrifices were not "personal" (he sacrificed humans). Since the world in which this suffering and despair is erased due to Madoka's Law, the lives and destruction that QB's intervention created in effect doesn't exist any longer. The end result of QB's intervention was the birth of the Goddess-Madoka, which means the actual possibility of defending the universe from its ultimate death, which before was made possible only by the corruption of Magical Girls: and even then, the Incubator's method was not a surefire way. Madoka at least saves the human race, while QB's mission is still the same as before and still harvests the same amount of energy, though in different ways.

That little white red-eyed devil. Do you want to make a contract with me? His color scheme is also representative of an Albino, which is usually a sign of genetic mutation in an organism or of artificial cloning. This could be symbolic of QB's extraterrestrial nature, as a sort of manifested mutant sent for a specific purpose.

You might think I'm reading too far into this... well, the Madoka series was made by Nitro+, a publisher known for the occult and often grimdark content of their media. I plan on sharing my thoughts on Saya no Uta later on in the year.

There seems to be a Madoka Season 2 promised by Shaft? ;-; Who knows.

The Deeper Meaning of Puella Magi Madoka Magica

 Puella Magi Madoka Magica, or Magical Girl Madoka, is one of the most popular recent shows aired on Japanese televisions. It has become an instant hit, and people either love it or hate it – beneath the fandom lies a philosophy, thought, that may be seldom thought of with any depth by those obsessed with the cult of the characters’ personality, which is typical of fandom. Shaft, the studio producing Madoka, has included a lot of hints in this anime – numerous references to Goethe’s Faust, which betrays the entire Faustian element of the series and the nature of Madoka’s journey of maturation. Latin and German are two languages much featured in the background of Madoka, which are barely gleamable with the discerning eye, which are the two most prominent classical languages that deal with the occult or beyond. The main theme of the anime involved the evolution and destruction of the entire universe and our place within it. 

The series’ titular character, Kaname Madoka, is a cute little high school girl with pink twin-tails, who loves her friends and family. She is sweet and pure of heart; around her exist her friends, such as Homura and Mami, who on one level or another want to protect her. Often times Madoka is confused and thrown in a world between calamity and dilemmas, and she doesn’t know what to do, torn between two alternatives. QB, the other main character in the series, wants Madoka to make a contract with him because she has the greatest potential to become a strong Magical Girl – she is torn between watching her friends die and disobeying he friends’ wishes that she not become a Magical Girl. Her friends each want to keep Madoka from becoming a Magical Girl, for a reason unknown to Madoka. This is done out of a form of love for Madoka; yet as she remains a normal human, she is madepowerless to stop the suffering and the deaths of her friends. 

In this series, a magical being called QB offers the series’ characters the chance to become a “Magical Girl”, which means they are endowed with the power to fight beings called Witches, which tend to cause harm to humanity. In exchange for becoming a Magical Warrior, QB grants them one wish, which is possible given the magic and the immense power that QB can grant. However, the characters discover that nothing is without its price, that gain is always equated with some sort of sacrifice, that there is no “free-lunch”, so to speak. Though this can cause QB to be viewed as a sort of evil character that brings unnecessary hardship into these girls’ lives, he is a neutral character as the girls have all “formed contracts” with him of their own will. QB never forces them to become Magical Girls; they all do it for their own reasons, and each of them having different consequences and facing the truths of reality. 

QB (the Incubator)

The power QB grants is in a sense futile, since it works off of the principle of equivalent exchange or “you cannot gain something in this world without sacrificing something else”. To become a Magical Girl, you must consign your soul forever to it; to grant your one wish, an equal amount of suffering and despair must occur in the world. The series features the different Magical Girls coming into terms with the consequences of imbalance caused by their wishes and the price that must be tolled for each of them. 

Through the episodes, the characters in Madoka come to terms with brutal reality. For example, Madoka’s soul becomes trapped within a small vile which she must keep with her at all times in order for her body to receive the soul’s orders, yet she doesn’t figure out this separation of body and soul until much later in the series. She sees the various costs of becoming a protector of the world, and she realizes the ultimate result of being a Magical Girl, and having to face all of the despair and pain of the world, is the transformation into a Witch – this is where Witches come from. 

This ultimate dread forms what can be called the ultimate plot in Madoka; the advent of “Walpurgis Nacht”, an event in which the most powerful Witch ever known will manifest in the world. One of the main characters, Homura, has the ability to manipulate time, and so she has continually gone back in time again and again, each time unable to stop Walpurgis Nacht. She loves Madoka, who has the greatest magical potency as a Magical Girl. It is only during Walpurgis Nacht that Madoka finally agrees to make a contract with QB, becoming a Magical Girl, and it ends up this way every time. The wish she makes is always either to stop this powerful Witch or to save Homura. However, since the magnanimous wish always has an equal and opposite reaction, this will cause Madoka’s ultimate transformation as a Witch, and in the process becoming a Witch even more powerful than the one in Walpurgis Nacht and which will “destroy the world in the course of three days” according to QB. 

Ultimately, Homura is faced with the ultimate despair that Madoka will become a Witch no matter what, and equally this symbolizes the ultimate despair of all Magical Girls becoming Witches. The transformation of a Magical Girl into a Witch happens when there is no longer any Hope in the Magical Girl, when she no longer has any hope to continue fighting and she gives up because it is too much, and therefore, consigned to despair, she transforms into a raging Witch, blocked off from reality and destructive to all around her. 

This theme of Ultimate Entropy is also present in the presentation of QB’s true origin; he is an extraterrestrial sent to create Witches on Earth and harvest them using the Magical Girls, creating a circular logic of transformation that supplies both the tools for harvesting (the Magical Girls) and then the energy to be harvested itself (the Witches). QB explains truthfully that he must do this for his species in hopes of saving the universe from complete heat-entropy – once all energy has dissipated in the universe, his species nor any other will be able to survive. Therefore, since human emotions were discovered by his species to be a source of exponential energy, especially in extreme states of chaos such as that of a Witch, he was sent to go harvest it from Earth, since this source could be a potential method of producing more energy than the universe contains, thereby bypassing the laws of entropy. One could say that QB’s species is seeking a way out of the despair of heat-entropy, which is the death of the universe. 

In the same way, Homura is continually trying to find a way out of Madoka’s entropy from Magical Girl into a Witch, yet fails every time. Homura realizes that it is always the fate of a Magical Girl to become a Witch, and that like universal entropy, this process is irreversible. He is thus consigned to the state of ultimate despair, because Magical Girls will always become Witches – it is the entropic law of the universe. The theme also implies the entropy of beauty in the physical world into ugliness, of purity into impurity and greatness into the vulgar, as seen in the historical processions of societies, civilizations and cultures. The ultimate despair then, on a deeper level, becomes the fate of things in the physical world to always decay or degenerate, and thus ultimately in the end die off with time  because of this degeneration. The despair is that this process is irreversible, unhelpable, and simply this: you cannot change the world. 

You cannot change the world: that is the despair of Homura. It is the resignation to the fact that the world can never come out of entropy and degeneration, that nothing can change, that the world will continue to decay until it dies off completely, that the beauty in the world will always be subject to entropy into defilement or destruction. It is the ultimate form of pessimism, the loss of fight for salvation. The despair increases every time she goes back in time because every time she is unable to stop this fate no matter what she does, and in the end of the series, Homura finally decides that this is the last time, that it truly is hopeless. 

However, Madoka’s last wish becomes the salvation of the world. This is because she chooses not to benefit her corporeal self, unlike all the other Magical Girls. The others all wish for something that brings them earthly satisfaction, or fulfills a passion or wish of personal benefit for either themselves or someone they love. However, Madoka’s ultimate wish sacrifices all of her personal feelings for what she wishes, something purely beyond the physical or the passionate and purely beyond herself. Her wish is impersonal and instead of sacrificing things in the world, it sacrifices herself: she basically wishes that Witches cannot exist, that she will defeat all Witches that will ever and have ever existed through time until the end of time. QB is startled at this (he has no choice but to fulfill this wish) because it means the total reworking of the rules of the universe and reality; since Madoka’s wish means the destruction of every Witch in the universe before they ever even come into existence, by effect it creates a logical law that no Witches can or will ever exist in the universe. Madoka herself becomes a law of the universe, and transcends her corporeal existence into a higher realm of being, practically becoming a force of nature. And that universal force is called Hope. 

It is through Hope that she prevents all the Witches in history from ever coming into existence. In all time periods, she travels to the point right before every Magical Girl becomes a Witch. At this point, the Magical Girl is about to break down, in tears, and about to give up all hope and resign to the ultimate despair, which will enable her transformation as a Witch. At this point, due to the new law of the universe, Madoka literally comes to bestow Hope within the Magical Girl, and even though the Magical Girl dies regardless because her time as a human is up, she dies peacefully in the arms of Madoka and does not transform into a Witch. Thus Homura’s ultimate despair in the end is solved by Madoka herself, who Homura was trying to save – Homura it turns out was saved by Madoka instead, instilling her with Hope in order to overcome Despair wherever it manifested in the universe. 

Madoka thus becomes Hope, manifested as a physical law against Despair within the universe. It is because of her sacrifice that now Despair can always be combated with Hope, whereas before the entropy was absolute and unconquerable. In a sense she thus supplies “everlasting life” to combat “ultimate death” which is brought by entropy. And, just like QB’s mission to combat universal heat entropy, Madoka becomes the source of all Hope and the possibility of victory over all kinds of entropy, which before were unconquerable and where everyone was consigned to despair. Madoka becomes the Hope that Despair is conquered with, so that in turn entropy and decay can always be fought against and beautiful things always be sustained in the universe. 

Analytical Decryption

Introduction

As a student of the occult arts and a person who has studied Esoterica for some five years, I've decided to share what I've gleamed from many animation series over the years during my studies. I am not the first to give analysis to these series; but I hope my findings will be useful anyways. I analyze these shows from a mythological and Jungian Point-of-View. If anyone wants to recommend to me a series to analyze, please leave them as a comment beneath the blog entry.

The Point-of-View I will be using is not what one would call a religious one, however I will often draw parallels to different concepts in various religions that coincide with what is being expressed. Because Modernism is the factor which has cause the resurfacing of these Esoteric Meanings in these unique forms (like animation), I will sometimes discuss the relation that Modernism and Post-Modernism has to the expression of human archetypes through Esoteric media.I never mean to moralize, and I do not support any one way of thinking or acting in this blog - this blog is about knowledge.




The Reemergence of Myths (in Post-Modernity)

Across the entire span of modern media, you wouldn't think that anything past a shallow exterior built for showbiz exists, right? Well, that's just where many might be wrong. Often times, art becomes a medium of expression for natural sentiments native to the human psyche that are otherwise hidden by the standards of modernism... the destruction of the imaginative, the dissolution of the meaningful, all of these things work further to suppress any deep symbology expressive of mankind's collectively unconscious knowledge.

In the past, this inner knowledge was expressed naturally through myths and legends that grew with the people over time, with each element of the myth representing a higher truth within the Jungian archetype ever present in the Collective Unconscious. Certain elements of the human psyche, as well as race-memory knowledge concerning the nature of the universe, were all contained and passed down consciously by these myths that arose from expressions of unconscious knowledge, which manifested itself in this way. That is why certain myths resurface across entire continents, without the human populations ever having come into contact with each other; they each share this primordial knowledge locked away in their subconscious and expressed only through what has been able to snowball into the mythologies and legends of the people.

Today, our myths are destroyed, heroes erased, and most of the literature and shows shown these days are built around the purpose of pure entertainment. We see this Modernistic development in the materialistic nature of many cartoons and television content, as well on the focus on sex and violence which will raise interest in the program on a sensual level. The founding myths of our perception of the world, which are passed down through a people's myths, are all but removed from modern life; the subconscious of man yearns for the expression of what he knows inside yet he finds no outlet to express it with. Therefore he confines himself to the modern world, subsisting on the valueless and baseless materialism for which there provides and endless friction and dissatisfaction with the inner soul. This mass discomfort, which inhabits all individuals in the modern world, permeates every being who must live in the urban sprawl of modernity.

Therefore, we see the rare instance in which these re-occuring myths, natural to the human psyche, resurface again into the world, where the timeless legends re-emerge in modern media. This happens when the more sensitive soul, the soul with higher capability to express something confound without ever having realized it, is allowed an operable medium - therefore we see in many of the imaginative branches of art and literature today the expression of previously hidden and suppressed sentiments which are old as mankind itself, yet limited to expression only in subtle ways in our day and age.



That Irresistible Charm

This often happens without intent or realization of this fact. Yet the magic draws thousands of people to a show, with an unknown charm that people cannot put a reason for why. The reason these shows attract so many people is indecipherable because the level on which people take these shows into account is from a Modernistic point-of-view, which is relatively of recent invention and does not have a long running basis in the decryption of mankind's nature. That is because, to understand the irresistible charm of these shows and why one must feel that they hold some kind of universal human significance, one realize that it is esoteric; the true meaning is hidden beneath a material exterior for which thousands of symbols coexist. These symbols compose what are the Modern Myths, the reemergence of myths thought lost to humanity yet subtly expressed in various works of art.

These Esoteric Meanings become wholly obvious when one views these shows through the filter of traditional archetypes. After all, Man doesn't change, and his symbols are his symbols wherever they emerge.



The Analysis

Some shows that I will be going over in this blog are Madoka, Gurren Lagann and MLP:FiM. I will attempt to work on Lain as well. I will not only do posts on Anime series but also movies and Western animation.

One might think that of all anime, Neon Genesis: Evangelion is the most deserving of an analysis: however the symbolism in this show is pretty straightforward, therefore its not very Esoteric.

Remember: The things you see in everyday life have more meaning than you commonly assign to them!