Here is an excerpt from a book by American astronomer Stephan Martin Living a Cosmic Life / Reflections on the Cosmos, Everyday Life, and Personal Experiences, published by the PILGRIM – Wandering University of Nature association in 2019 as its first publication within the On the Journey series (translation by Jiří Zemánek). These are the chapters "The Universe is Change" and "We Are Cosmic Beings" (pp. 15-29).
Stephan Martin is an astronomer, lecturer, writer, teacher, and psychotherapist who has taught astronomy and physics at universities and educational centers across the United States for over twenty years and who is very active in promoting interdisciplinary approaches to the exploration of the universe. He is currently an adjunct professor of psychology and holistic science at John F. Kennedy University in Pleasant Hill, California, and co-director of the aftercare program at the Center for Spiritual Emergence in Asheville, North Carolina, where he lives. He is the author of the remarkable book Cosmic Conversations, which under the name Cosmic conversations was published in 2016 by Malvern Publishing. From 29.7. – 3.8. 2020, the Pilgrim Association and Stephan Martin organized a seminar "Living a cosmic life / cosmology as a path of transformation" in the Beskydy Mountains on Grune at the Švarná Hanka cottage.
One of the greatest scientific discoveries of the twentieth century—and perhaps of all time, some claim—is the realization that we are part of an evolving universe that seems to have begun about 13.8 billion years ago in an event called the “Big Bang.” The discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation, based on observations made in 1965 by physicists Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, provided confirmation of the Big Bang theory, which states that the universe began in a simple (yet incredibly hot and dense) state and has continued to expand, cool, and become more complex since then. Concurrent with the work of Penzias and Wilson, increasingly accurate geological research also confirmed Alfred Wegener’s theory of plate tectonics, which postulates that the Earth’s surface, including its geology, was very different in the past from its present state. Around the same time, Charles Darwin’s work celebrated its centennial On the origin of species (On the Origin of Species), who claimed that biological life has also changed significantly over time.
In all these areas, tremendous progress has been made in the past fifty years, weaving together all these diverse scientific discoveries into a grand synthesis that unites astronomy, geology, biology, and human culture into a coherent story of the origin, development, and history of life, the universe, and everything. This story, sometimes called the “big story,” the “new story,” or the “grand history,” asserts that each of us and everything around us is an integral part of an evolving, ever-changing universe. This scientifically based account tells the story of the universe from the Big Bang to the formation of the first stars, galaxies, suns, and planets, and then life on Earth and now us, humans. It is a story that connects all life on Earth to a common origin and that shows that we are one part of a vast community of relationships that make up the entire universe.
It is a story that tells us that the atoms in our bodies were forged long ago in the cores of stars, and that those stars had their humble beginnings in even simpler materials that emerged from the fires of primordial creation. For the first time, we are able to follow the entire life path of matter from its origin at the birth of the universe, through the formation of swirling clouds of gas and dust, to the formation of stars and then planets like Earth, and then the formation of rocks, plants and animals, and finally the bones, flesh and blood of our bodies today.
We are truly recycled stardust.
The knowledge that we are the growing edge of an unbroken cosmic evolutionary lineage, reaching back to the beginnings of the universe, provides us with the first insight that will help us in our turbulent times:
Cosmic Insight #1: More than anything else, the universe is a process of constant change.
Many of us are accustomed to seeing the universe as a vast collection of objects within an immense space, with stars like fireflies in a large dark room. But that is not the modern view of the universe. Current scientific knowledge says that all matter and energy that exists and that ever existed came from the big bang, and therefore everything that exists or that ever existed is simply variations of the same basic substance, the same cosmic dough, which has been shaped and reshaped by the dynamics of the cosmos into an infinite variety of shapes and configurations.
For example, the carbon atom in your finger was once in the lettuce you eat for lunch. Where was it before? In the soil from which the lettuce grew. How did it get there? It was part of the blazing nebula from which the Sun, Earth, and planets formed. Where was this carbon before? It was accumulated by nuclear processes in the cores of earlier generations of stars from simpler elements like hydrogen and helium, which, in turn, originated in the Big Bang. In other words, it is all the same stuff, just differently arranged. Stars, galaxies, trees, and people represent the latest configurations of matter and energy that are only temporary in the context of cosmic time—they were not there in their present forms at the beginning and are destined to transform into other forms in the future.
Understanding the cosmos as a process of constant change helps us understand why crises, transformations, and changes are such an important part of our daily lives here on Earth. We live in a cosmos that has never stopped or rested for a microsecond since its beginning. Is it any wonder that our lives here on Earth are often so varied and changeable? Recognizing that change is at the very heart of the cosmos leads us to further insight.
Cosmic Insight #2: The universe is not made of matter, but of a creative process.
The scientific conclusion about the nature of the universe, echoing the insights of the Taoist sages and pre-Socratic philosophers of earlier times, is that the nature of the universe is one of change rather than form, that it is more fluid than solid, that it is more a river than a coastline. Cosmologist Brian Thomas Swimme sums it up this way: “Take hydrogen gas, leave it alone for 14 billion years, and it turns into rosebuds, giraffes, and Mozart’s music.” Whatever this mysterious process we call the universe is, it is a constant and uninterrupted succession of changes that have evolved from simple beginnings into the world that surrounds us today.
This is very good news indeed. It means that whatever our situation is, good or bad, it will eventually evolve, grow, and change, because the basic nature of things is to do so. It also means that if we want to grow and evolve, we must follow the example of the universe and allow our lives to be fluid and changeable as well. Many of us tend to resist and fear change, and there are good evolutionary and biological reasons for this; but if we can realize that our basic nature arises from the universe that is changing, growing, and evolving all around us, then embarking on the process of change becomes less of a challenge for us and more of an opportunity to participate in the cosmic evolutionary adventure.
The second piece of good news for our lives is the discovery that process itself is the primary property of the universe. If this universe is not made of matter but of change itself, it suggests to us that the path we take in life is more important than the destination. How we live our lives, how we relate to others, and what we cultivate in ourselves and in our communities is more important than the house we live in, the car we drive, or the position we hold in society. All of these things and structures will likely change many times over the course of our lives, but what we develop within ourselves and what we contribute to the world through the process of our own living will determine how we will perceive ourselves in the future through change and will also be what ultimately satisfies us.
This means that the answer to our life’s problems is not found in materialism at all. As a result of our culture’s tendency to view the world as a set of unchanging, fixed objects, we tend to look for solutions and sources of happiness in this realm—in bringing more money, a bigger house, another car, or something shiny and new into our lives. But all of these are temporary, destined to change and eventually disappear through this comical process of change. This does not mean that we cannot have these things and that we cannot enjoy them, but because they are not essential to the universe, they cannot be a permanent source of happiness and fulfillment for us.
We are cosmic beings
If the purpose of our lives is not to acquire material objects and commodities, then what is it about? What lessons can we discover in a cosmic perspective regarding our tiny, brief, and fleeting existence here on Earth? I would like to suggest the following:
Cosmic Insight #3: Happiness comes from fully participating in our cosmic essence and our cosmic heritage.
In other words, understanding our origins and who we are from a cosmic perspective can help us navigate what is truly important. Many people derive their sense of happiness, fulfillment, and meaning from being a part of and a part of something greater than themselves. What could be more meaningful than being a part of and a part of the evolutionary cosmos, recognizing that we are a unique manifestation of something much larger than ourselves?
This personal connection and participation with the greater universe leads us to another insight:
Cosmic Insight #4: Our lives are intimately connected to the life of the cosmos.
From a universal perspective, each of us is an unbroken thread of a cosmic process that stretches back to the very beginning and continues infinitely into the future. From the atoms that make up our bodies to the energy that flows through our brains and nervous systems, we are the last living incarnation of the matter and energy that has flowed through the universe since its beginning 13.8 billion years ago. We are literally the universe, manifesting itself in a unique way in a specific place and time. Realizing this gives one immense power! Realizing that each of us is just as much a universe as Saturn, the Orion Nebula, or the Andromeda Galaxy is a kind of enlightenment that is as spiritual as it is scientific.
Recognizing that our human nature is part of our cosmic heritage provides us with a perspective that is both cosmic and personal, one that shows that our own lives and abilities are connected to the journeyman work of the stars and to the evolution of the universe. Understanding ourselves as part of a cosmic process called the universe can give us access to sources of inspiration, support, and meaning that we would otherwise not have access to from a more limited perspective. When we recognize that we are the universe, uniquely manifesting in this particular place within us and as us, our lives take on new meaning and purpose. Nowhere else in the history of the cosmos have matter and energy met in the same way as right now and right here, where we are!
This also means that the same dynamics that shaped the universe over billions of years are at work right now in shaping us and our lives. The forces and dynamics that drive and shape the formation of the universe and that gave birth to the stars and galaxies of the night sky are at work right here on Earth in us and in our lives.
The idea that the universe manifests itself in the same unique way at every point in it is sometimes referred to as omnicentrism, which is the view that every part of the universe represents a center of its expansion and activity. One of the remarkable discoveries of 20th-century cosmology is the finding that the universe is expanding equally everywhere and that therefore the center of its cosmic expansion can be found anywhere in it.
One way to visualize this is to imagine the dough for a huge loaf of raisin bread rising and expanding evenly as it bakes in the oven. The raisins in this example represent the galaxies, and the dough between them represents the expanding universe. Since every spot in the raisin bread and in the universe expands equally, no single point can be said to be the sole exclusive center. This means that the center of the universe is in the Andromeda Galaxy, in the core of the Sun, and it is also inside each of us!
Cosmic Insight #5: Each of us represents a unique center of experience and action for the universe.
Omnicentrism empowers us by showing us that the same cosmic dynamics are equally accessible and effective everywhere in the cosmos. We have already recognized that the same energies that were present at the beginning of the universe flow through our veins, our hearts, and our minds today. The same energies and dynamics that shaped the orbits of the first galaxies, that created the glowing cores of stars, and that formed the fertile Earth and all its inhabitants, now manifest through us and through everything around us. Recognizing that we are made of the same forces and energies that gave birth to the universe and that shape its activity and further evolution is no small feat. Connecting ourselves and our lives to the dynamics that have shaped the vast expanse of the expansion and history of the cosmos can be immensely empowering for us.
This brings us on our way to another insight:
Cosmic Insight #6: The forces and dynamics of the universe find their expression through us and our lives.
These forces represent the various ways in which the universe manifests its vast potential through action—a common set of laws, forces, and dynamics that shape the cosmos everywhere, from the lives of the stars to our own lives. These dynamics represent the general principles of reality, life, and existence that circulate through all things. Some of them are the laws of physics, the fundamental forces and processes that govern the interaction of light and matter and the dynamics of gravity, space, and time. But there are still other dynamics, more qualitative and experiential principles that shape the universe and our own lives on a purely personal level.
Cosmologist Brian Thomas Swimme has characterized them as cosmological forces. Other cosmologists have called them universal principles or universal forces of life. Dynamics such as concentration, decay, attraction, transmutation, interconnectedness, and radiation are examples of some of these cosmic principles that we find at work everywhere in the universe. They underlie the workings of the universe at every point in its life, from our individual lives to the lives of the stars. In the next chapter, we will consider two of these principles that are particularly important to our investigation: concentration and decay. These are examples of cosmic dynamics that express the principles of life and death on both a cosmic and a personal scale.