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.