Universe
Something Out of Nothing
I’ve been thinking a lot about the act of creation lately. I’ve always been drawn to the idea — I named my website “Something Out of Nothing” when I first created it over twenty years ago! I’ve been deep into several client websites and haven’t been as motivated to write for my blog; I want to get better about that. Apparently, the Universe wanted to send some encouragement.
The other day I saw a coyote on a morning walk with my dogs. It was a memorable surreal moment. We were walking on the sidewalk when we came upon the coyote. It didn’t run, it just kept walking towards us then went out into the street to give us the right-of-way, then veered back onto the sidewalk behind us. It was about ten feet away at its closest point and very calm, almost nonchalant, if that’s a trait coyotes possess. Rosie and Gus were very curious, but didn’t go nuts like they sometimes do with other dogs they see, no hackles, no growling or barking, just quiet observance. After it had passed, it stopped and turned around for a quick look back at us, like an acknowledgement or greeting. The moment was beautiful and stuck with me. I looked up the symbolic meaning of Coyotes and found this:
The coyote is a deeply layered symbol, most famously known in Native American folklore as the Trickster. Rather than being purely mischievous, the trickster serves as a teacher, using humor, chaos, and mistakes to impart wisdom and reveal hidden truths.
The coyote represents:
Adaptability and Survival: Known for thriving in diverse environments, the coyote symbolizes resourcefulness and the ability to navigate change.
Duality: It embodies the balance of opposites—wisdom wrapped in foolishness, and creation born from chaos.
Playfulness: A reminder not to take life too seriously and to find joy in the journey.
I’ve seen coyotes on our walks before but never this close. They are apparently getting more common in urban areas including ours.
Considering what the last several months have been like for me, it felt very appropriate, like a nod from the Universe that I’m on the right track, to keep going. All of the meanings associated with Coyote resonated strongly. I’ve been adapting to some big changes, creating a couple of businesses, building websites, and writing, and trying to get back in touch with my playful, creative side in general. Writing is obviously creative work, I try to write something every day whether I’m in the mood or not. Some days are better than others. Web design/development is also the work of creating something out of nothing. Both involve placing letters and characters in a particular order to create something bigger, more than the sum of their parts.
I’ve been having fun building my new business. Plus there’s something new and creative on the horizon that I can’t quite talk about yet — but it fits perfectly with everything the coyote seems to be saying. We’re literally building something out of nothing — order out of chaos. That look back spoke worlds.
Universal Quantum Consciousness
What if consciousness didn’t originate with human awareness? What if it was always out there, in the Universe, and our evolution allowed us to receive it, to connect with it? Consciousness happens at the nexus of human awareness and the Universe.
I don’t know that this is true, but I find it to be a fascinating and beautiful idea and I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.
Recently, I had a quick chat with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. After catching up on life, we started talking about this topic, which just happened to coincide with some of my recent thoughts. We’ve talked about deep ideas before, we both enjoy exploring ideas that might be considered a bit “out there” He knew I was open to it and love to talk about things like this but him bringing it up, when I had been doing my own exploration into these ideas felt meaningful and somehow fated to be — the Universe pushing us to explore further. The idea that our consciousness, our ideas and thoughts about ourselves are both bigger AND smaller than us is interesting to contemplate. I was a Philosophy major, and for good reason — I love to explore interesting ideas like this. The theory is that consciousness comes from outside from an external quantum field and our brains have evolved in such a way that we can recognize it and interact with it. We assume that it’s our own, that it comes from within our own minds. In reality, it’s both, existence comes from the external field and our brain’s interaction with it, and our interpretation of it.
I’ve always been a deep thinker (some might say over thinker). I like following the threads of topics that interest me and this one has come up in several different contexts lately, most recently when catching up with a good friend. I haven’t had the capacity to do this kind of mental exploration for a while; I was too busy managing systems and people (which I also enjoy) and solving more immediate problems. I enjoy having the luxury of sitting with ideas and questions that don’t necessarily have answers, that fascinate me for exactly that reason, they are unanswerable. I appreciate having the time and mental energy to sit with deeper, unsettled, sometimes unsettling questions again.
I do believe there’s an efficiency and elegance to our evolution, all of life’s evolution. As weird and messy as it can be in the short term, over the eons it somehow finds the best, most efficient way to exist in the world. Our brains are powerful information processors — a four pound lump of meat, astonishingly energy efficient, better than any computer we’ve built. Maybe that efficiency isn’t just clever biology. Maybe we’re not generating consciousness so much as tuning into it.
After the conversation yesterday, I brought up the topic with AI to help me process my thoughts on it a little further and it came up with a great quote towards the end of the conversation:
“We are talking about the nature of thought because, in a very real way, the universe is using both of us right now to try and understand itself.”
I don’t know if that’s true — it’s a grand anthropomorphism — but it’s a beautiful idea, and and the conversation with my friend felt like evidence of it. I’ve missed having the time and energy for this kind of thinking, exploration, and discovery. I’m learning to trust the Universe again, and to allow things to unfold as they will.
Movin' Right Along
My wife Maura and I recently went to visit a good friend in a nearby town, about 45 minutes away. As we drove out of our neighborhood, she commented on a house that’s being built. She said, “Moving right along”, which triggered a song in my head “Moving Right Along” by Kermit and Fozzy of The Muppets. Since we were on the road, I thought it would be a great time to listen to the original Muppet Move Soundtrack. It’s such a great, upbeat and positive soundtrack and I love every bit of it.
I know this will date me, but I remember watching that movie in the theater when I was a kid and just feeling so inspired and empowered, especially when the giant Animal emergesfrom the building in the background to save the day. As silly as the Muppet Movie was, it had a pure spirit, a powerful message about following your dreams and the perpetual fight against those that want to keep us down. I remember walking out of the theater feeling 100 feet tall (like Animal was!) Even now when I hear the music or watch the movie it brings me right back to those feelings.
Those feelings were reawakened in high school when one of my English teachers introduced me to Joseph Campbell. I internalized his idea of “follow your bliss” — essentially, if you do what makes you truly happy, things will work out. I don’t know how much I believe in fate or destiny, but sometimes the Universe sends unmistakable messages. Two Bit Consulting is growing at a good pace. Good things are in motion. I feel more centered and excited for the future than I have in a long time. Hearing Maura say those words, having it trigger that song and the feelings and memories that came with it felt like the Universe confirming the momentum. I’m moving right along.