nature's zodiac

Some words have big jobs. Like the word “universe.” How can this one simple word encompass everything that exists?

The word “universe” comes from the Latin “universum,” which combines “uni-” (meaning “one”) and “versus,” the past participle of “vertere” (meaning “to turn” or “to change”). “Universum” literally means “all turned into one” or “whole, entire, all together.” Ancient Roman writers used the term to refer to the totality of existence—the cosmos as a single, unified whole.

“Universe” can be reduced to a poetic invitation: one song.

Karen Carpenter sings this invitation as eloquently as I can imagine: “Sing.” Sing a Song. Make it simple, to last your whole life long.”

A life narrative is the story we tell ourselves about our lives—how we interpret our experiences, our challenges, and our growth. This ongoing story shapes our sense of identity, provides meaning, and influences how we face the future. Having a coherent and authentic life narrative is important to well-being because it helps us make sense of difficult times, draws strength from our past, and fosters resilience and hope.

It is this life narrative that aligns us with our daily rotations, just like the tilt of the gyroscope. When we sense wholeness in our linear expression, we allow the full support of the past to help us better align with an envisioned future, i.e., a vision that keeps the trajectory strong.

Sometimes, we need to reinterpret our past with a poetic finesse, not changing the events but perhaps changing our connection to them. We must stay central to our story, like the hero on a quest. Difficult stretches of life, stretches of confusion, must be reinterpreted as significant places of perspective so that the active hero can better find her path.

In a poetic and authentic life narrative, we accept romantic cosmology’s invitation to a universe. This universe allows us to find strength in continuity, thereby drawing from the continuous flow of the universe. We connect to this vast reservoir through quality: the quality of continual flow.

What is your universe? What is your simple song?