Validation is such a wonderful thing. Does it make me feel smug? Oh, maybe a little bit, when no one’s looking. And, maybe because when I, a lowly liberal arts major, venture into the world of science and express my viewpoints, to have those viewpoints confirmed by respectable and well-researched sources is just yummy and satisfying. Allow me to just sit here and savor that warm, sweet cup of “I told you so”!
The particular viewpoint of mine that’s been validated is that all living beings on Earth, plant or animal, and even the Earth itself, are made of the same stuff as the universe. Whatever blasted out when the universe Big Banged is the very stuff that formed our planet, and everything living and otherwise on it. This isn’t a novel perspective and certainly not my own – Carl Sagan told us over and over that we are made of stardust, literally. And Joni Mitchell sang about it. The molecules out in space, in the stars, in the nebulas, the galaxies… all the same molecules right in your own body.
My validation came from a remarkable Netflix series, “Our Universe,” produced by the BBC and narrated by Morgan Freeman, and within these tales of various animals doing what they need to do to survive and thrive, the case is not only made that they are physically formed from stardust, but energetically as well. The energy of the Big Bang still surges within every living thing on the planet, and in the planet.
In my book, “Pagan Curious — A Beginner’s Guide to Nature, Magic & Spirituality,” I introduced a new word of my own making: “cosmocongruence.” It is the experience of aligning yourself with the energy and movement of the universe itself. And, it’s developing this congruence that allows magic to happen. I spend a lot of ink making the case that the spark of life within you, and every living thing, is the same spark of life, passed intact, from not only the first living microscopic being on this planet, but from the energy that burst forth when the universe was born. It’s more than a relationship with the Universe, it’s the realization that you are the Universe. You are made of its stardust, and its energy surges through every cell of the body.
The Universe isn’t just something “out there,” it is also something inside you, right in the very atoms and molecules in your own body. That “dark matter” and “dark energy” in outer space that mystifies us is also present in inner space — the space between those atoms and molecules. One is a microcosm of the other. Besides stardust, we are also mystery and magic itself.
Life is passed on from being to being, without interruption. There is no “new life.” The sperm and egg are already alive when they meld, and also carry that life energy from the Universe. Life doesn’t begin at birth, or even conception. Life began with a massive boom, and rippled out from there. This is my position – that the current of energy within us is the actual energy of the universe – and now, this amazing, thoughtful, beautiful series gives that position a stamp of approval. And, in Morgan Freeman’s divine, cozy, calming voice.
If you’ve ever felt a connection to something much more vast than yourself, and felt certain that life is much bigger and wider than our little blips of experience here on earth, check out “Our Universe” and be enthralled. And also, if you want to find out more about becoming cosmocongruent, might I humbly suggest my book, “Pagan Curious.” It’s a beginner’s path for connecting to the environment, nature, the planet, and the universe itself.
You can purchase “Pagan Curious – A Beginner’s Guide to Nature, Magic & Spirituality” on Llewellyn.com, Amazon, and a metaphysical store near you.
And… watch “Our Universe” on Netflix. It’s eight episodes of pure “Oh wow!”