2/15/24
In the beginning, was Energy, vast and formless. Within the Energy, a consciousness formed. The Consciousness observed the flowing Energy around it - the dancing of the light, the murmur of the sounds, the warmth, and the crackle of the waves as they danced. And the Consciousness was pleased with what surrounded him. The Consciousness called the energy good and immersed in it.
After a period, as time itself did not exist, the Consciousness wished to share what was observed. The Consciousness felt a need to share the wonder and the joy of being immersed in the energy. The Consciousness felt alone. It wanted a companion.
The Consciousness then divided itself into two eternal minds - equal and independent, so that the Consciousness had a Companion who would observe all the wonder surrounding, and lavish in it as well. The two minds observed all around them and were content in each other's company.
Another period elapsed, though time still did not exist, and the two saw all there was to see. It was good, yet the Consciousness sought newness in what it observed. The Companion thought "Let us form a physical dimension, a dimension of things that can interact and be observed, and then we will have newness to see."
And a physical void was opened. The Consciousness then decorated the void with the light. To create the light in a physical world, they needed to create a physical means to generate it. Little clusters were formed of a material that would continuously produce sparking lights as they burned. Little clusters dancing around and forming a kaleidoscope of movement of the brightness against the dark of the void. This is what became the stars. The Consciousness and the Companion saw that the stars were good, and they observed.
After yet another period elapsed, the Companions again sought something new to observe. Among their observations was that, as the stars burned brightly, they created more physical material. More material and more complex material. As the stars burned to their end, some exploded, and some collapsed. The pieces, floating through the void, moved toward the other remaining stars and settled into a circular path around them. The Companions were very pleased with this unexpected series of events. They observed it and thought it was good.
All of this happened in a chaotic fashion. It was beautiful and observable, growing and becoming more complex as the light patterns and the materials it created occurred continuously, but all at once. The companions wanted to observe things in more detail.
They chose a star to observe. They picked one at random. It was called "SUN". It was, on comparison, an average star - not large nor small, not dim nor bright. It had several floating pieces circling it. And they observed the detail of the star, and the debris circling it. And while their attention was focused time came into being. Linear time, so that the reactions did not occur instantly, and could be observed in detail, and in the order that they would occur in the instant of the reaction.
They observed the stars burning, and the debris circling them. They saw that the sun had split the light between two materials which when they burned, which created each other as waste. It would burn for a very long time, and they were pleased.
They observed that of the debris that was circling the sun, some of the large debris spun on an axis of its own as it circled the sun, while most did not. Of the debris that did not spin, one side was always facing the light and hot, while the other side was always dark and cold. The larger debris that spun had the light touch each surface so that all parts received light and the heat was dissipated evenly to the entire piece of debris. They observed all of this with wonder.
Their focus narrowed to the debris. The spinning debris. Circling the sun they saw a piece of debris, not too large and not too small to study and observe. It was a solid irregular sphere that was a composite of the many materials created by the creation and destruction of the stars. It had a new material on its surface that was called "liquid" which had the ability to take the shape of whatever contained it. It was not present on the other rocks of this sun in the "liquid" state. They decided to observe more. We call this debris Earth, and the liquid Water.
The Companion suggested making something self-replicating on the surface of the planet so that they could observe what happens on the debris in detail. It had to be a physical creation to operate within the physical structure. They used the materials already on the sphere to create a self-replicating entity that would supply its own energy using the energy generated by the Sun. It was placed in the Water so that it would be freely distributed around the Earth. They placed the entity and observed, and decided it was good.
After another period, a short period in eternity, but a long period in the linear time that was created, the Companions’ attention returned to Earth. The self-replicating entities grew in number and complexity, and were now found not only in the waters, but on the dry places on the Earth. They had developed a complex structure to access and observe all areas of the earth, using the materials of the earth to grow and advance. The entities, which we call plants, used the suns energy to grow and tailor the structure it created into an adaptable creation that would make itself suitable for each area it went into. It does so by converting the energy of the sun to appropriate materials already on the earth to grow and build itself. The building created a gaseous by-product that mixed with the surface gases surrounding the planet. The gaseous cloud surrounding the surface of the Earth grew thicker, and moved and flowed like the water.
They observed and decided it was good. They wanted something more complex, and able to move under its own power to physically observe the dry areas of the planet. They adapted the original design and made changes to allow it mobility, and to consume the self-replicating plant life for its own fuel. A prime sustenance for these creatures was the waste product put into the air by the plants feeding themselves. They then would use the waste product to process their own function and they would put out as waste more nourishment for the plants. They set it on the oceans and dry land to explore and reproduce and decided it was good.
After another period they turned their attention back to the Earth and were surprised and delighted by what they had found. Over linear time, the plants had developed into all shapes and sizes, from algae to the tallest trees. They developed a complex reproduction system that continuously adapted to the environment to ensure survival. The mobile creations also grew in size and complexity and were called "animal" - they had become the fish of the sea and the creatures roaming the land. They adapted over linear time to even be able to travel in the currents of the gaseous cloud surrounding the earth. It was a well balanced system. They turned their attention to Earth to watch the developing system develop and grow.
And Grow it did, having all variety of plant life and all variety of animal widely distributed on the land and air and water. It was called life, as to function. It needed to interact with all that was around it. It was, a self-sustaining system, filled with life and growth and beauty. The Companions were able to behold the beauty of a flower through the eyes of the bumblebee, see the depths of the ocean through the eyes of the whale, engage with other beasts through the eyes of the dinosaur, or the elephant and the mouse, and to soar among the clouds through the eyes of the eagle. They could see, and hear, and feel, and taste. But it was by the happenstance of what roamed where and interacted with what.
They thought what if we could experience this in total, not just to observe, but to experience it inside of this physical realm. To experience for themselves all that their creations experience in this beautiful sustaining world they have created. It needed not only to be self-sustaining and self-replicating but able to contain the consciousness of the Consciousness and the Companion, at least in part, so that they might not just observe, but to experience this creation called life.
What creature would be suitable? They searched and considered. They imbued several types of higher sea life with more intelligence, as well as the land animals. They received the ability to not only learn and adapt to their world, but how to use the land and the sea to their advantage, altering their habits and developing novel ways to make use of the abilities that they had developed on their own. Yet each was limited by their ability to alter or improve upon the earth or each other.
The most promising was the monkeys. As an animal it had developed on its own a higher intelligence, and could manipulate the world around them through using primitive devices of their own creation. They were also protective of each other, to the point of quarreling with each other, sometimes violently. Physically they were not the strongest or the largest, but the most adaptable, and the most inventive.
This, they thought, could be the answer. They took a species of moderate size, but great natural ability, and gave to it more. More intelligence, more creativity, the ability to change not only its own habits and process of life, but to be able to alter its world - the land, sea and air, and make use of the other animals and plants to create ever-changing newness upon the Earth. As life developed on earth, self-replicating required two of a kind, one male and one female.
So the Creator lifted up both, all of their kind, and gave both these gifts, and set them out upon the earth, saying make this world your own. Be fruitful and multiply. Make the changes you desire. This Earth will be in your care, and everything in it. And they set out over the land to become the human race, in all of its variety and complexity. This was the next step to the Companions experiencing physical life.
And the Companions decided it was good, and observed their creation, and humankind flourishing in it over time.
Next will be the Story of Adam and Eve.
In Faith, Peace, and Love,
Ecc. RL Brandner, New Ecclesiastes Ministries