Title: The Little Light
Author: Dipa Sanatani
Publisher: Mith Books
Genre: mythological fiction, Astrology fiction, Reincarnation fiction
First Publication: June 2019
Language: English
Setting Place: Cosmic Womb – a vortex of eternal time – where past, present and future flow in a continuous stream
Protagonist: The Little Light
Major Characters: Mercury, Sun, Moon, Ketu, Rahu, Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn, Dag and Havah (The Guardians of the Lore)
Narration: Third Person
Theme: Reincarnation, the journey of the soul, destiny vs free will
Book Summary: The Little Light
The Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu – Celestial Beings from world mythology – bicker and squabble, just like any family. But they’re going to have to put their differences aside to help the Little Light – a wise soul, imbued with insight and curiosity – prepare for its birth on Planet Earth, where it has a great and far-reaching destiny…
“A part of the Sun will always shine inside the Little Light, come what may. Life can be full of pain, suffering and strife, but this spark will always remain untouched because it belongs to the source of all life on earth. Nothing and no one can take it away because it is a gift from the father to all his children. It can never be tarnished or spoilt. It exists and will continue to burn bright till the death of the physical body.”
In her debut novel The Little Light, Dipa Sanatani takes the reader on a voyage of awakening and discovery, ideal for lovers of mythology, spirituality, and fairy tales.
On the eve of its birth, The Little Light finds itself in the topsy-turvy world of the Planet Party, hosted in the Cosmic Womb. Here, anything is possible, and anything could happen… and the Little Light must do all it can to listen, learn, and ready itself for the path which will lead it to its destiny on earth.
Along the way the Little Light meets Mercury, who bristles at being constantly overshadowed (literally!) by his father, The Sun, a flamboyant figure who wears a gold ring on every finger and bright yellow loafers. As the rest of the Celestial Beings gather, they have to contend with Havah and Dag, the Guardians of the Lore, who know that the Little Light will soon be a tiny baby in a cold, hard world where it will have to struggle for its survival.
Alongside the Little Light, we learn there is more to explore in the heavens and on this earth than anybody could ever imagine possible. Endless lives, perpetual cycles of death and rebirth, infinite possibilities for love, happiness, renewal, enlightenment and wisdom… it’s all out there, waiting to be discovered, and waiting to make a change deep within us all.
Character List: The Little Light
The Little Light: The Little Light is a wise and curious soul that has spent lifetimes preparing for a great destiny that will herald a new age for all mankind.
Dag (The Father Guardian of the Lore): Upon death, he ushers the soul from planet earth into the Cosmic Womb. He works with free will to create new possibilities. He can manipulate probabilities and create coincidences so that free will doesn’t interfere too much in the Grand Design.
Havah (The Mother Guardian of the Lore): She ushers the soul from the Cosmic Womb into planet earth. She is responsible for the Cosmic Round Table – the Wheel of Eternal Time – the twin forces of fate and destiny that are outside humanity’s control. She is able to read thoughts.
Mercury: He governs the mind, the intellect and worldly intelligence. Witty, charming, and a bit of a trickster, he has a way with words and a young and youthful energy. He doesn’t like dealing with emotions and enjoys irritating his father, The Sun.
Sun: The Sun represents the soul’s vibration. He is self-centred and egotistic, expecting everyone to adore and respect him.
Moon(Diana): Diana is the Warrior Moon. She represents the mind and the instinct.
Ketu: Ketu is the custodian of each Little Light’s past actions and deeds; the countless memories of all births gone by are stored inside her.
Rahu: A winged, horned, four-legged red dragon. Rahu represents the soul’s yearning and life task. He can morph from a dragon to a man.
Jupiter: She represents the teachings of the Great Light that are embedded in the soul.
Venus: Venus gives humans their physical body. She is the lady of the heavens, marking the dusk and dawn with her presence.
Mars: Mars represents the soul’s drive and courage. He is strong, determined, and resolute.
Saturn: His appearance is austere, minimalist, and dignified. Like Rahu and Ketu, he is a karma planet.
Pirouzeh: Pirouzeh is a sharp-tongued black owl with turquoise eyes that will be the Little Light’s spirit animal when she is born on planet earth.
Book Review: The Little Light
I found The Little Light brilliant and mysterious book. So amazing! Great characters, great setting, great ideas, epic scope, and so well written. It has novelty and nuance from its first to its final paragraphs.
The story begins with the birth of The Little Light and follows its journey to the Earth. The book got off to a bit of a rocky start for me; simply because the prose was a little more poetic than I’m used to. But then I settled into the style of the voice and came to enjoy the beautiful imagery that the author was able to create with her words. Nothing slowed down my read. Even in the last third of the book, where more time and events occur in-between the scenes and we’re left to figure out Whats and Hows, the book only gets more interesting.
I also found it a little difficult to really immerse myself in the story early on because there were a lot of names being revealed and some events being discussed, about which I had no prior knowledge. So I found myself having to flip back a few pages in the initial chapters in order to re-read certain excerpts. But once I got things figured out, it was smooth sailing.
One of the intellectual pleasures of this book for the reader is the putting-together of the world-building set-up, its mysteries gradually revealed. I was immediately conscious of the voice, which is omniscient, with its fascinating strengths and interesting abilities to hide weaknesses. Omniscient tends to be emotionally distancing, but has the advantage of being able to pack huge amounts of information into little page-time, allowing for a lot of rich and – relatively detailed world-building.
