Cosmos: n. the universe thought of as an orderly, harmonious system.

...those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the Cosmos, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will penetrate its deepest mysteries...   
              - Carl Sagan

Undoubtedly, Carl Sagan was referring to the universe in its external, physical form: the macrocosm. I could not help but think that the above statement is just as true of the ‘universe within’ - the universe of our own perceptions, dreams and desires; the personal construction that becomes ‘our world’, and our sense of our place in it.

Human consciousness does not exist ‘outside’ of the universe, and cosmologists have even made the suggestion that it is only through human awareness that the universe can be conscious of itself. Humankind has always been fascinated by the mystery of all that is ‘out there’. And of course there have been many ‘explanations’, stories or myths created throughout all of the generations and cultures of the world, to make sense of what may, ultimately, be too vast for any human mind to comprehend. The structure of human consciousness itself is as expansive and magnificent as the galaxies.

Think of the great art, literature, music and architecture that have been created through the medium of human thought. We can marvel at the complexity of even one life: the web of experiences and relationships that constitute our own, personal epoch. To reduce any of it to finite explanations would seem to be both limiting and oversimplifying. So, to borrow from Carl Sagan, we could say that: those with the courage to explore the weave and structure of the human experience, even where it differs profoundly from their wishes and prejudices, will penetrate its deepest mysteries…To do this demands a degree of objectivity, perhaps even detachment, so that we may explore the deep inner worlds of humans, unhindered, as much as possible, by interference from the clouded lens of our own perceptions of what is, or should be.

This is difficult to do in this time of mass ‘shaping’ of the collective consciousness. We are continually provided, via the media, with ‘fast food’ for the mind, complete with an instant vocabulary to process everything from our relationships to spirituality. There is the subtle sense that when an idea has penetrated sufficiently into the collective consciousness, it must be ‘true’. However, so much of forward progress throughout human evolution has come from those who explored their own inner perceptions and expressed ideas, which were clearly in contradistinction to prevailing thought. Just as superhighways bypass the little towns and villages which exemplify the character of an area, so too does pop psychology and spirituality carry people seamlessly past authentic exploration of the unique nooks and crannies that constitute the perhaps uncharted territory of their own psyches.

But this is precisely where the deepest mysteries of being human are to be found. It may even be the doorway to an intuitive, felt knowledge of the universe, like moving through a black hole to a whole new level of understanding – an entirely different way of knowing. Indeed, it takes courage to explore without a map, or even a compass. It takes courage to embark upon a journey when you have absolutely no idea where it will lead, or take you. If you want to know what everyone else knows, stay on the well traveled path. But if it is life’s deepest mysteries that tempt you, that challenge and inspire you, then have the courage to explore, guided only by your own heart and soul. You may not find the path, but you have a better chance of finding yours.

Gwen Randall-Young is a psychotherapist and author of Dancing Soul: The Voice of Spirit Evolving. She has also written Echoes Through Time: A Message of Healing for Men, Baby Soul: A Blessing of Spirit, and produced audiocassettes entitled, After Recess: A Calming Meditation for the Elementary School Classroom, Healing the Past: A Meditation for Wholeness, and   A World of Kindness: Experiencing Personal and Global Harmony gwendall@shaw.ca