The experience I wrote about in my book A Forever Place suggests this one Universe we commonly perceive as “ours” and “the only one” may, instead, be one of an infinite number of universes. While my experience was an isolated event, the concept seems to have an energy of its own, now being explored in depth by the scientific community. Here is a small portion of an article in a recent issue of Discover magazine that suggests my experience has other enthusiasts.

“There was a time when the word universe meant ‘all there is.’ Everything. The whole shebang. The notion of more than one universe, more than one everything, would seemingly be a contradiction in terms. Yet a range of theoretical developments has gradually qualified the interpretation of universe. The word’s meaning now depends on context. Sometimes universe still connotes absolutely everything. Sometimes it refers only to those parts of everything that someone such as you or I could, in principle, have access to. Sometimes it’s applied to separate realms, ones that are partly or fully, temporarily or permanently, inaccessible to us; in this sense, the word relegates our universe to membership in a large, perhaps infinitely large, collection.

With its hegemony diminished, universe has given way to other terms that capture the wider canvas on which the total of reality may be painted. Parallel worlds or parallel universes or multiple universes or alternate universes or the metaverse, megaverse, or multiverse – they’re all synonymous, and they’re all among the words used to embrace not just our universe but a spectrum of others that may be out there.”

From The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene

Word o’ the Day: Hegemony – predominance, authority

Dad and Mom say grace before every meal. When I was young they ingrained this consuetude by teaching me a simple rhyme:

God is good,
God is great,
Thank you for our food.
Amen

But at that age I was  very energetic and active so I wasn’t really paying attention. I didn’t connect the words and their meaning until much later in life. At age 6, I thought we were saying:

Godice good,
Godice great,
thankyouforourfoodamen.

It could easily have been…

Godiss good,
Godiss great,
thankyouforourfoodamen.

At age 6 the meaning didn’t much matter to me; I figured Mom knew; that was good enough… “Let’s eat!”

Today I search for a more meaningful grace. I believe blessing the food (and water) actually improves my health. For now it goes something like this:

Today bless the food I eat and water I drink with love, light and good health; carry these energies to every part of my body. Thank you.

What works for you?

Word o’ the Day:  Consuetude - ritual or routine

A word for today: Pullulate.

To exist abundantly.