I have long been interested in reincarnation and have referred to it in some of my own novels, so I was very excited to read Australian author Bob Rich’s novel Upward Spiral. While most novels only focus on one main character reminiscing about a past life, Rich’s main character, Dr. Pip Lipkin, experiences multiple lives and multiple life forms, which makes for fascinating reading. it moves the story along and results in some interesting connections between the various incarnations of Pip throughout its 12,000-year existence.
The impetus behind Pip’s multiple lifetimes is the concept of karma. Early in his existence, Pip makes a serious mistake that requires her to settle his karmic debt; a debt, however, that is not so much a punishment as an opportunity to learn, grow, and use his experiences as a means to teach others. how to heal his own pain and suffering.
I won’t reveal the plot or discuss all of Pip’s life experiences, but some of the most significant include being an Irishman in the late 18th century fighting the British; being the wife of an Australian landowner in the 19th century, and being an intelligent walking plant on another planet. Every time Pip dies, he has a guide who helps him review his life and discuss what he has learned, both in that life and in relation to past lives. Pip then chooses what she wants in the next life, not specifically saying she wants to be a woman or a plant, instead making statements like she wants to live a life where there is no hate, gender or divisiveness like religion or race. Each time, his choices result in new and often unexpected learning experiences that make reading entertaining and meaningful.
Being an American reader who has never been to Australia, I also enjoyed the description of Australia and its Ascending Spiral story. Pip’s life as Amelia in the 19th century on a farm with Aboriginal workers reminded me of much slavery on the plantations of the American South during the same period. I also thoroughly enjoyed Rich’s depiction of Pip’s life as a walking plant on another planet, which offered a highly imaginative new perspective that few of us can conceive of experiencing.
Finally, I have to mention the reason for the subtitle of Ascending Spiral, “Humanity’s Last Chance”. Reincarnation has a purpose, and for Pip, it’s so that he can eventually come to a point of warning people to change before it’s too late for them and the earth. I won’t go into detail about the book’s message, but a couple of statements that really struck me were: “Economic growth is a cancer. We need to cure our addiction to it” and the need for us to change our “I want happiness” mentality. now” to “I want a dignified life for myself, for you and for everyone else in harmony”.
There are many nonfiction books on reincarnation out there, but Ascending Spiral shows that fiction can create a more moving experience for the reader than just reading about a topic. The novel takes the theory of reincarnation and applies it so that we travel with Pip through the millennia and come to a better understanding of our own souls and purposes. It is an understanding and experience that more of us need to have.
