A Question of Story
For peoples, generally, their story of the Universe and the human role within the universe is their primary source of intelligibility and value. Only through this story of how the Universe came to be in the beginning and how it came to be as it is does a person come to appreciate the meaning of life or to derive the psychic energy needed to deal effectively with those crisis moments that occur in the life of the individual and in the life of the society. Such a story communicates the most sacred of mysteries …. and not only interprets the past, it also guides and inspires our shaping of the future.
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The Universe story is the quintessence of reality. We perceive the story. We put it in our language, the birds put it in theirs, and the trees put it in theirs. We can read the story of the Universe in the trees. Everything tells the story of the Universe. The winds tell the story, literally, not just imaginatively. The story has its imprint everywhere, and that is why it is so important to know the story. If you do not know the story, in a sense you do not know yourself; you do not know anything.
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It’s all a question of story. We are in trouble just now because we are in between stories. The Old Story—the account of how the world came to be and how we fit into it—sustained us for a long time. It shaped our emotional attitudes, provided us with life purpose, energized action, consecrated suffering, integrated knowledge, guided education. We awoke in the morning and knew where we were. We could answer the questions of our children. We could identify crime, punish transgressors. Everything was taken care of because the story was there. But now it is no longer functioning properly, and we have not yet learned the New Story.
--Thomas Berry
Thomas Berry was a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, cultural historian, cosmologist and “Earth scholar”. Among advocates of deep ecology and "ecospirituality", he is famous for proposing that a deep understanding of the history and functioning of the evolving universe is a necessary inspiration and guide for our own effective functioning as individuals and as a species.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How has your story of the Universe shaped who you are? Can you share a personal story of a time you experienced the story of the Universe? What does the New Story of the Universe mean to you?
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16 Past Reflections
On Sep 29, 2015 Melissa Stephens wrote :
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On Apr 4, 2015 Eric Saumur wrote :
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On Mar 25, 2015 Jyoti wrote :
My story is that the universe was created with the sound OM and it is ever expanding, full of beautiful stars, and it is eternal. There is no old story or new story. The entire universe is within me, and the evidence is that my heart is always expanding, just as the astrophysicists universe outside is. We are one and the same.
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On Mar 24, 2015 Germán wrote :
My (old) story of the universe was never mine, it shaped my fears and my dreams, and possibly my path to a certain degree. I was told that story and it has taken many years to realize, that I do not have yet a story of mine. As I reinvent myself, unlinking from all those beliefs, a new paradigm has emerged, sometimes full of clarity, sometimes mostly awe, and always full of mystery and reverence. I can not say I know the new story, the one experienced by me; I don't sense I've been able to fully apprehend it. But that does not prevent me from having the certainty that I am in the process of knowing myself, and, by extension, everything else I need to know.
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On Mar 24, 2015 paashi wrote :
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On Mar 24, 2015 Syd wrote :
Much of the old story was fear of separation from others and this broken union with others. This union with others offers inner security, yet living through others can also be bad as it is a life of illusion. I feel we are now beginning to find realistic faith in ourselves. I believe people are beginning to find their own authority from within and a faith within themselves. This realistic faith I believe is also breaking down this dualistic mind between ourselves and the rest of the world. This essential split between the known and the unknown, the dangerous and the safe, the devil and the angel, heaven and hell no longer works. The New Story is this unshakable confidence, even when things go wrong, the real and the true cannot be lost. This New Story of the Universe appears to be moving toward unity consciousness.
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On Mar 24, 2015 Namaste (Jo) wrote :
We can never realize our new story until our old story completely passes away. Our universe models perfectly.
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On Mar 24, 2015 Abhijit wrote :
To me, as humans we are all inter-dependent. Life always existed in some form . This universe always existed and will continue to do so. Just like the way we say God always exists. Our bodies are temporary but our consciousness is permanent. The total energy will always remain constant in this Universe. Just like energy cannot be created or destroyed but always stays, so does the Universe. (And so does God).
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On Mar 24, 2015 genevieve wrote :
I think that everyone has is own story. I listen deeply to my hart to hear the music of my own story . Meditation will help me one day I al sure to connect with the world music
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On Mar 24, 2015 joe wrote :
The Story centers around the definition, understanding
of GOD
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On Mar 24, 2015 Robert Athickal wrote :
The Universe story is written spaciously in every cell and genes of my body. It is a story of hope and resilience. Whatever may happen we have within our genes the capacity to understand and rise above to look for a solution as a need of the hour. Imagine, each of us are made of the trials and tribulations of 14 billion years!
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On Mar 23, 2015 Indira wrote :
The story of the universe is unfolding ever more deeply, permeating into our consciousness and awareness, from the science of the origins of the universe to our realizations of our intimate and unalienable connections with our mother earth and each other. We truly awaken to her mysteries, if we stay courageous and loving to embrace her pain, help her heal even as we seek out our own pain for healing. Then we shall finally awaken to a new dawn, a new birth of our universe. Looking forward...!
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On Mar 22, 2015 Kristin Pedemonti wrote :
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On Mar 21, 2015 david doane wrote :
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On Mar 20, 2015 Abhishek wrote :
To me, the New Story clearly is a story of much greater interconnection - where we, as the organs of the Gaia are sensing the imbalances that are happening.
We connect, collaborate and conspire like the immune system in a body to respond to the challenges thrown up by the old story - indeed, this is the space between stories, as Charles Eisentstien puts it....
My own story of the Universe has undergone several cycles of change.....from wanting to achieve to wanting to collaborate and contribute to none of it really mattering.....after all, these are stories, and mindfully, we can choose to live the one that works for all
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On Mar 20, 2015 Denis Khan wrote :
‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:1-4King James Version)
God Created the world out of about 17 billion years of chaotic darlkness.The darkness and emptiness in our short lives are nothing for the Power and Love of God, Who Can Make us dazzling diamonds in a nano second if we trust in Him.