A blog post by Ian Mowll
“The story of the Universe is the epic unfolding of the world, an evolutionary tale of awesome scope. It speaks of unity and diversity, of desire and curiosity, of wonder and awe. It speaks of creativity and imagination, of death, destruction and transformation. It is the story of science. It is the story of spirit. It is the story of all beings, extinct, present and yet to be born. It is a sacred story of magical unfolding, a story that is still being born and told in you and me, now. It is a story, once known, that has the power to inspire our species into becoming the species we were born to be.”
From The Universe Story: In Science and Myth by Greg Morter and Niamh Brennan.
In the general public, there is a slow, and tangible, growing interest in the Universe Story. Brian Cox’s recent TV series The Human Universe is an example of this. In addition, groups have sprung up such as The Big History Project, Global Generation and The Ancestor’s Trail which tell people about the Universe Story and what we can learn from it.
Why is this the case? Human beings have always had a desire to know where we have come from, why we are here and where we are going. The Universe Story does not answer all of these questions, but it does give us hints and clues. And science is an increasing form of reference for many people for the big questions of our time.
Responding to this growing interest, GreenSpirit decided to put on the Universe Story Event – welcoming people of all faiths and none. As expected, we are starting to attract people from alternative spirituality communities to the event. And we are also attracting a small but growing number of people who are atheists, humanists or agnostics.
What is interesting about this is that these people are drawn (at least in part) by the awe and wonder of the Universe Story. This is the same awe and wonder that attracts people to spiritual traditions – cathedrals and mosques have been built to evoke these feelings. So, it seems to me that the Universe Story is a story for our time that can help make connections between people who, traditionally, would not have a great deal in common.
That is just one reason for putting on the event. There are many other things we can learn from the Universe Story that are relevant today. Just one example is to understand that we have this one precious planet and that we have to take care of it to ensure the survival of the human race and many other species. The Universe Story can help to give us the motivation to combat species destruction, climate change and the ecological crisis of our time.
The Universe Story Event is about the story as revealed by science from the origin of the Universe 13.7 billion years ago, through the creation of the stars, galaxies, planet Earth and life on Earth to the emergence of modern day humans. It also addresses what we can learn from this amazing story that is relevant today. At this event we will have speakers, stalls, creative activities, discussion and more.
The Universe Story Event will be held on 14th March 2015 in London. For more information, go to www.greenspirit.org.uk/uni-story-event or phone 020 8552 2096.
Ian Mowll is the Coordinator of Greenspirit
