What is transformational cosmology?
Transformative cosmology is the integration of the insights of modern scientific cosmology into personal experience. The data from the universe coming to us from science at this time suggest an entirely new vision of the human than those of previous eras. Instead of being an isolated organism at the mercy of external cosmic forces, modern cosmology suggests that each of us is interwoven with the whole cosmic evolutionary process, so that we are each a place where the universe is coming to know itself in a new way. The cosmologist Brian Swimme suggests that we need nothing less than to “reinvent the human” based on what we’ve discovered about our cosmic nature and our place in the evolutionary unfoldment.
One aspect of my work is to make the hard data from science accessible and impactful to people in their daily lives. The emerging scientific vision of our place in the evolutionary process is deeply resonant with the spirit and insights of many of the teachings of the mystics, indigenous peoples, and cutting edge thinkers from cultures around the world in that it challenges us to see ourselves as full participants in the universe, inseparable from the world around us, with each of us as elements in a vast unfolding cosmic story. Sometimes referred to as The Great Story, the New Cosmology, and the Integral Vision, this grand meta-narrative of who we are as humans places us and the tens of millions of other species with whom we share this planet in a cosmic context of majestic proportions.
In my lectures, workshops, and educational experiences I tease out some of the implications of this new view of realty and make them relevant to people’s daily life and spirituality. Some of the questions and themes I explore are: What is the cosmic nature of being human? What is the role of the human and the individual in the unfolding cosmos? What is right relationship to other beings and our environment? Is there a vision of the universe that can embrace both science and spirituality? Can science be a transformative process?
While many of these questions have been explored by spiritual thinkers and philosophers throughout the ages, the advantage of asking them from a scientific perspective is that we live in a scientifically-literate culture, and so the language of science is native to us as modern peoples. Additionally, because science is a cross-cultural collaborative process, its results and insights are not dependent on any faith or belief system, making them easily accessible to a wide variety of perspectives and backgrounds. All of the insights I present are based on accepted scientific data – I simply extend them to their logical implications for our lives and provide a larger context for them to make them more accessible.
Below are some examples of my approach to making big transformative ideas accessible, where I discuss the many connections between our personal experience and the larger universe and how we participate in both in our daily lives.
One aspect of my work is to make the hard data from science accessible and impactful to people in their daily lives. The emerging scientific vision of our place in the evolutionary process is deeply resonant with the spirit and insights of many of the teachings of the mystics, indigenous peoples, and cutting edge thinkers from cultures around the world in that it challenges us to see ourselves as full participants in the universe, inseparable from the world around us, with each of us as elements in a vast unfolding cosmic story. Sometimes referred to as The Great Story, the New Cosmology, and the Integral Vision, this grand meta-narrative of who we are as humans places us and the tens of millions of other species with whom we share this planet in a cosmic context of majestic proportions.
In my lectures, workshops, and educational experiences I tease out some of the implications of this new view of realty and make them relevant to people’s daily life and spirituality. Some of the questions and themes I explore are: What is the cosmic nature of being human? What is the role of the human and the individual in the unfolding cosmos? What is right relationship to other beings and our environment? Is there a vision of the universe that can embrace both science and spirituality? Can science be a transformative process?
While many of these questions have been explored by spiritual thinkers and philosophers throughout the ages, the advantage of asking them from a scientific perspective is that we live in a scientifically-literate culture, and so the language of science is native to us as modern peoples. Additionally, because science is a cross-cultural collaborative process, its results and insights are not dependent on any faith or belief system, making them easily accessible to a wide variety of perspectives and backgrounds. All of the insights I present are based on accepted scientific data – I simply extend them to their logical implications for our lives and provide a larger context for them to make them more accessible.
Below are some examples of my approach to making big transformative ideas accessible, where I discuss the many connections between our personal experience and the larger universe and how we participate in both in our daily lives.
Transformative Cosmology Lectures and Workshops
Closing circle for a transformative cosmology weeklong retreat in the eastern Czech Republic
Good News from the Universe for Bad Times - Exploring how a cosmological perspective can help us navigate and even thrive during times of crisis, change, and transformation. Presented as a lecture or as a multi-day workshop
The Gifts of the Universe -- Cosmic history seen through the eyes of creativity, abundance, and gratitude. Presented in lecture or ½ day workshop format.
Waking Up in an Evolving Universe - how science and spirituality can provide complementary perspectives on spiritual awakening in a cosmic context. Presented in lecture or 1/2 day workshop format.
Cosmic Creativity - Embodying and exploring everyday creativity in daily life, including how to overcome common creative blocks, and how our personal creativity connects to a cosmic perspective. Sometimes presented with psychotherapist and artist Dr. Kim Bella. Offered as a lecture or as a 1/2 day or full day experiential workshop.
10 Revelations About the Universe to Change Your Life - In this workshop we explore recent and traditional insights into the nature of the universe that have the power to transform ourselves, our lives, and our spirituality. Presented in lecture or 1/2 day workshop format.
The Way of the Universe: Aligning with Cosmic Process - An experiential workshop on becoming full participants in the cosmic journey of the universe. Presented in full-day or multi-day format.
...and more! I'm always being invited to present at new venues and coming up with new offerings all the time. Feel free to check in with me to see about a topic for your group.
The Gifts of the Universe -- Cosmic history seen through the eyes of creativity, abundance, and gratitude. Presented in lecture or ½ day workshop format.
Waking Up in an Evolving Universe - how science and spirituality can provide complementary perspectives on spiritual awakening in a cosmic context. Presented in lecture or 1/2 day workshop format.
Cosmic Creativity - Embodying and exploring everyday creativity in daily life, including how to overcome common creative blocks, and how our personal creativity connects to a cosmic perspective. Sometimes presented with psychotherapist and artist Dr. Kim Bella. Offered as a lecture or as a 1/2 day or full day experiential workshop.
10 Revelations About the Universe to Change Your Life - In this workshop we explore recent and traditional insights into the nature of the universe that have the power to transform ourselves, our lives, and our spirituality. Presented in lecture or 1/2 day workshop format.
The Way of the Universe: Aligning with Cosmic Process - An experiential workshop on becoming full participants in the cosmic journey of the universe. Presented in full-day or multi-day format.
...and more! I'm always being invited to present at new venues and coming up with new offerings all the time. Feel free to check in with me to see about a topic for your group.
What is contemplative cosmology?
Contemplative cosmology is a reflective approach to experiencing the cosmic dimension of our personal experience in each moment. Through meditative awareness combined with modern cosmological scientific insight, contemplative cosmology invites us to be in the moment of now while at the same time reflecting on and appreciating this moment in the larger context of a creative evolutionary universe. This approach brings together the profound insights of our modern scientific understanding of the universe with our human capacity for deep feeling and self-reflection. By exploring the deeper implications of modern scientific discoveries about the universe experientially, the practice of contemplative cosmology reveals these insights as portals into a cosmos of profound depth, mystery, participation, and meaning. The cosmic dimension of our personal experience reveals that we do not live in the universe, but that we are the universe in a particular unique form at a particular time. Through recognizing and experiencing the universal dimension of our human experience we can participate more fully in our cosmic evolutionary role and destiny as agents of conscious evolution.
I've offered contemplative cosmology events frequently with my friend Marianne Rowe through the Monterey Bay Meditation Studio and elsewhere. Here are some recent topics and events we've explored as examples: "Embracing the Dark During the Season of Light," "Finding Balance at the Turning Point of the Year," "Liminality & Emergence," "Moonbathing," "Contemplating the Sun," "Star-bathing and Meteor-showering," and others.
Here's a link to a recent example of a Contemplative Cosmology event: click here
During these events, conducted either in-person or via audio-only Zoom, I guide people through aspects of the sky together, sharing scientific insights and reflections. Marianne offers contemplation and sharing prompts that deepen our relationship with ourselves, our group, and the cosmos. Together the interweaving of scientific reflection and meditative contemplation provide a rich context for deepening connection with ourselves, each other, and the cosmos as a whole.
Consider joining us for one of these transformative experiences! Reach out to us via the link below or check Steve's Cosmic Adventures Facebook page for events and updates.
I've offered contemplative cosmology events frequently with my friend Marianne Rowe through the Monterey Bay Meditation Studio and elsewhere. Here are some recent topics and events we've explored as examples: "Embracing the Dark During the Season of Light," "Finding Balance at the Turning Point of the Year," "Liminality & Emergence," "Moonbathing," "Contemplating the Sun," "Star-bathing and Meteor-showering," and others.
Here's a link to a recent example of a Contemplative Cosmology event: click here
During these events, conducted either in-person or via audio-only Zoom, I guide people through aspects of the sky together, sharing scientific insights and reflections. Marianne offers contemplation and sharing prompts that deepen our relationship with ourselves, our group, and the cosmos. Together the interweaving of scientific reflection and meditative contemplation provide a rich context for deepening connection with ourselves, each other, and the cosmos as a whole.
Consider joining us for one of these transformative experiences! Reach out to us via the link below or check Steve's Cosmic Adventures Facebook page for events and updates.
