What does it mean to be a child of the Big Bang? What is this experimental spirituality all about?   I believe we live in a universe with a variety of emergent themes. Perhaps the simplest of these is Expansion and Contraction.

  IN THE BEGINNING there was Dark Energy and Dark Matter. The first tries to push the universe apart. The second tries to pull it together. So in the very beginning there was:

Expansion & Contraction.

  The first particles were Quarks. The Quarks would fly apart. But gluons, particles of the strong force, hold the Quarks together. The Energy of this Tension creates most of the Mass in the universe. A Mass created from an eternal battle between

Expansion & Contraction.

  Elementary particles, in waves of uncertainty go into, and out of existence. Quantum Mechanics reveals a universe of spread out modulated fields, that create definite particles. From spread out uncertainty, to pinpoint accuracy, you could even look at Quantum Mechanics as another example of:

Expansion & Contraction.

  Some elementary particles, like the photons focusing in front of a magnifying lens, can be infinitely compressed. Others, like the stacked atoms of matter can not. These two broad classes of particles are called Bosons and Fermions and. To compress or not to compress? These are Quantum questions. But isn’t this also a question about:

Expansion & Contraction.

  One of the first things to emerge after the Big Bang was the Quasar. A Quasar has two jets that squirt out. And a central accretion disk that spirals in. Quasars were there for the birth of Galaxies. Could the universe ever produce a better icon for:

Expansion & Contraction.

  For Galaxies to exist at all there has to be critical balance between the contraction of gravity and the expansion of the universe. To much contraction and everything turns into black holes. To much expansion and nothing condenses. Galaxy’s depends on the balance of:

Expansion & Contraction.

  Stars inside Galaxies are heated by nuclear fuel. The fires push out. Gravity pulls in. A stable star finds a balance between:

Expansion & Contraction.

  The Earth orbits the Sun. The Sun would pull us in, but can’t. The Earth would fly away but can’t. Orbits emerge from this battle between Gravity and Inertia. Gravity comes from the bending of space. Inertia comes from the Higgs field. It’s a connection between General Relativity and Quantium Mechanics. But again it’s a battle between:

Expansion & Contraction.

  On our cool Earth, Chemicals emerge from the Atoms. Atoms can either give or take electrons. Electron givers are on the left side of the Periodic Table of the Elements. While electron takers are on the right. To make strong chemistry atoms have be either electron donors, or electron acceptors. Chemistry depends on small, quantized versions of:

Expansion & Contraction.

  Through reproduction, life grows and expands. With death, life contracts. These endless cycles of birth and death power the process of Evolution. Evolution happens when large numbers of reproducers and survivors, over the generations, continually redefine what it means to be “adapted”. Evolution emerges from birth and death. But in an emergent universe couldn’t birth and death be seen as yet another example of:

Expansion & Contraction.

  On the Earth, mountains go up and valleys go down. As with any modulated three dimensional surface, these features could be seen as the interaction of:

Expansion and Contraction.

  On the Earth humans build Suspension Bridges that cross important distances. Suspension Bridges are based on Tension and Compression. Tension and Compression are frozen examples of:

Expansion & Contraction.

  Positive Feedback excites itself and increases. Negative Feedback inhibits itself and decreases. Life depends on a balance of the two. Even at the level of Feedback life depends on a balance of:

Expansion & Contraction.

  When we spread out arms we expand. When we cross our legs we contract. Our Body Language emerges from this dance of:

Expansion & Contraction.

  Some say the strongest emotions are Love and Fear. Love expands you outward. Fear contracts you inward. So again, at the level of human emotion, we are confronted with the theme of:

Expansion & Contraction.

So breath in and out and think deeply about what it means to be a child of the Big Bang. We live in an Emergent Universe. An Emergent Universe with lots of Themes.