Part 1 of a 3 Part Series about Metaphysics: Explorations into the fundamental structure and nature of reality

"Life Breathes."

If history has a rhythm, what happens when we zoom way out—past generations, past centuries—into geologic and cosmic time?

What if history isn’t just human memory—but planetary breath? The pulsing, expanding, and contracting of life itself—across billions of years?

Why does that matter?

Well...If you were riding a tidal wave that’s about to crash into shore—wouldn’t you want to know?

Here’s the roadmap for today’s journey:

Part 1: The Planet’s Vital Signs

We’ll start with the current health of our planet, using the Stockholm Resilience Centre’s Planetary Boundaries model. Short version? Earth’s self-regulatory systems—the ones that keep life livable—are breaking down. Returning to the previous analogy, this is the tidal wave we are riding on that’s about to crash into the shore. Or, put more poetically: Our Mother Earth is struggling to breathe the way she once did—the way that made humanity possible.

Part 2: Why Creation Stories Matter

Next, we’ll dive into the importance of creation stories. (Trust me, it’s more than just ancient mythology.)

I’ll paraphrase some of my earlier writings—posts you can find on my Medium page (erichekler.medium.com)—where I wrestled with a big question:

Can we craft a creation story that honors both what science shows us and what spirit calls us toward?

One rooted in cosmology, geology, and physics—yet grounded in reciprocity, ethics, and awe. One that invites us to live in right relationship with the universe, not just study it.

Along the way, you’ll see how Robin Wall Kimmerer’s telling of the Skywoman story lit a path for me—but also why I felt we might need a bridge-story too, one that can speak to those of us steeped in Western science without losing the heartbeat of sacred living.

Part 3: A New Creation Story — "Life Breathes"

Then, I’ll tell a revised creation story—one aligned with what we know from contemporary science, and one that gives us a felt sense of how the universe breathes... and how we belong inside it.

This story—"Life Breathes Together"—will also set up future episodes:

* "Islands Sculpt" — exploring how environments shape us, drawing from the science of ecology

* "Beings Adapt" — exploring how humans adapt to reality bubbles, drawing from the sciences of neuroscience and psychology (finally getting into my home turf!)

These six words: Life breathes. Islands Sculpt. Beings Adapt. are the three part series focused on metaphysics. Explorations into the fundamental structure and nature of reality. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Important caveat: This creation story isn’t meant to be a rigid scientific claim. It’s a living framework—an offering for our moment—meant to be revised as we keep learning.

For those who want the deep dive into the scientific backing (and caveats), I’ve posted a sister essay where I put my scientist hat back on and lay it all out, which you can find on the negotiating reality substack page.

After that we'll wrap up with a few quick reactions, a recap, and then an invitation to try out a breathing and visualization exercise meant to help internalize the story of Life Breathing Together.

How’s that sound? Good?

Awesome.

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