I am frequently struck by the beauty and symmetry of the natural world and the universe we live in. Scientists tell us that everything is made of the same stuff, and yet there is incredible diversity, even in our world, let alone in the known universe or beyond. We, as a species, look very different and yet we too share so much; we all have bodies, minds, and spirits, each of which has feelings and desires, we all have in us the ability to create with our thoughts, words, and actions as well as with our bodies. We too are gloriously diverse and yet amazingly similar, and, although we appear very separate, we are intrinsically linked, not only to each other, but to the bountiful world we depend upon and are custodians of.
We make our own futures, both separately and together, and in each of our lifetimes must make our own decisions about who we are, either reactively or proactively. These decisions are often driven by seeing things in ourselves or others that we do or don’t want to replicate; experiencing what we don’t want often helps us decide what we do want. We are in a constant process of self-definition, even if for much of the time it is not a conscious process.
This process is rooted in what we believe about ourselves, others, life and even God (if we believe in one). Our perspectives on these things act as filters through which we interpret the things that happen around us, thereby gathering information to inform the choices we make which cause, or respond to, the events of our lives. These choices and actions demonstrate who we are at that moment… they are the real tales of our universe, and they happen at every level of our existence, from individual to worldwide.
I too am in this process in my own life. Some of the writing here is from my experiences of deciding who I do and don’t want to be, and of reviewing how my beliefs and actions support that. Others have been inspired by the world around me; the questions, hopes and desires that have arisen in me from what I see, as well as the messages about life I find embedded in our amazing world.
These are my ‘tales of the universe’. I write them in the hope that in some small way they will inspire us to become more conscious of the choices we are making. In the hope that as individuals we become aware of the decisions we make, so that we more consciously judge whether they truly reflect who we want to be. In the hope that the choices we need to make together will be more often made in a way that is in line with the world we want to see and live in… not just for ourselves, but for all of us here, as well as those yet to come, for our lives are never really disconnected from each other.
These will be the future Tales of our Universe, written by us and the things that we choose today, tomorrow and for every tomorrow.
Different Types of ‘Tale’ on the Menu:
Messages in Nature: These are thoughts about life or the universe that have been inspired by nature or my understanding of the science of the universe. They are things that have helped or inspired me in some way, or that just give me joy. For example, the one about Bees was very freeing after I got made redundant and was trying to decide on ‘my path ahead’ and how to bring value with my life.
Short Stories: these are short allegorical stories that deal with an aspect of our current existence
Soul Stories: I believe souls are eternal and can take a physical form as many times as they want in order to experience life in a body… we call each a ‘lifetime. The soul sometimes has a different perspective on life than the body or mind alone, as it always has a foot in eternity as well as in our relative world.
Each of these stories are about a single lifetime of a soul – sometimes written at a point in time for that souls and often as a celebration of a single lifetime of a soul – from their perspective when they have finished what they came for and moved on. Some of these stories are completely fictional, but most often they are dedicated to a person whose life has touched mine in some way – even if it is only at a distance. Sometimes they just come into my mind, so I write them.
I have only recently found I have not invented the term as some wonderful ‘soul stories’ have been written by Gary Zukav which are real life stories collected during a lifetime. These are my take on a similar idea.
Poems & Ponderings: I confess I am not really sure what the difference between a poem and a pondering are. There seem to be a lot of different definitions of a poem and each time I think I understand, I come across another ‘poem’ that does not seem to fit the description. Maybe poems are like beauty, they are poems ‘in the eye of the beholder’.. or the reader in this instance. So I have hedged my bets and called them both. I hope some of these are poems to you.
Tales of the Universe 