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THE NEW COSMOLOGY

A CONTEXT FOR THE IGNATIAN EXERCISES

PART ONE

Presentation by the Janet and Ron Nimer at the CLC National Assembly, July 2004.

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THE NEW COSMOLOGY

• WHAT IS A COSMOLOGY

• COSMOLOGIES THAT HAVE GUIDED HUMAN HISTORY

• WHY A NEW COSMOLOGY IS NEEDED

• THE UNIVERSE AS STORY

• BENEFITS OF THE NEW COSMOLOGY

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WHAT IS A COSMOLOGY?

• HOW HUMANS EXPERIENCE THEMSELVES IN RELATION TO THE COSMOS

• LENS THROUGH WHICH REALITY IS VIEWED AND INTERPRETED (WORLDVIEW)

• HOW THINGS ARE • WHAT REALLY MATTERS• GIVES MEANING AND PURPOSE TO LIFE

(CORE VALUES AND BELIEF SYSTEMS)• BASIS FOR CREATION STORIES

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COSMOLOGIES THAT HAVE GUIDED WESTERN HISTORY

• EARLY HUMANS (36000 BCE)• AGRICULTURAL AGE (12000 BCE –

3500 BCE)• AXIAL PERIOD (3500 BCE – 200 CE)• MEDIEVAL AGE (800 CE – 1500 CE) • MODERN AGE (1600 CE - Mid 1900’S)• POST-MODERN AGE (Mid 1900’S –

PRESENT)

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EARLY HUMANS (HUNTER – GATHERER PERIOD

• ONE WITH NATURE• REVERENCE FOR ANIMAL POWERS• EMPHASIS ON COOPERATION• FEMININE SIDE OF SOUL DOMINATED• WORSHIP OF THE LIFE-GIVING POWERS OF

MOTHER GODDESS• MATRILINEAR COMMUNITIES• WOMEN PREPARED AND LED RITUALS

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AGRICULTURAL AGE (12000 BCE – 3500 BCE)

• SETTLED IN VILLAGES• DOMESTICATED ANIMALS• CULTIVATED CROPS (FOOD SURPLUSES)• MADE HAND TOOLS• USED ORNAMENTALS• ELABORATE BURIAL CUSTOMS• PATRIARCHY EMERGES• WARS AND DOMINATION SYSTEMS BEGIN

TO EMERGE

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AXIAL PERIOD (3500 BCE – 200 CE)

• SINGULAR DIETY THAT IS TRANSCENDENT• GENESIS - STORY OF CREATION FROM

BABYLONIAN-SUMERIAN CULTURE• THE HUMAN, THE PINNACLE OF CREATON• DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN WORLDLY AND

OTHER-WORLDLY DOMAINS• INDIVIDUAL MORALITY TAKES ON COSMIC

SIGNIFICANCE VIS A’ VIS (TRIBAL ACCOUNTABILITY)

• DUALISTIC THINKING EMERGES

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MEDIEVAL (PRE-MODERN AGE)(800 CE – 1500 CE)

GREAT CHAIN OF BEING• GRAND UNIFIED COSMOLOGICAL SYSTEM• EXPANDING SPHERES • EARTH, THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE • EVERYTHING CONNECTED IN HIERARCHY• PATRIARCHY DOMINATES• ADOLESCENT VIEW IN USE OF POWER• VIOLENCE COMMONPLACE

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MODERN AGE (1600 CE - Mid 1900’S)

• UNIVERSE IS A VAST MACHINE• EARTH AND PLANETS REVOLVE AROUND

THE SUN IN A SOLAR SYSTEM HELD TOGETHER BY GRAVITY

• EVERYTHING CONSISTS OF ATOMS• UNDERSTANDING THE PARTS WILL LEAD

TO UNDERSTANDING THE WHOLE• BY CONQUERING NATURE, HUMANS CAN

KNOW THE MIND AND ESSENCE OF GOD • I THINK, THEREFORE, I AM – DESCARTE

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MODERN AGE (1600 CE - Mid 1900’S)

ENLIGHTENMENT• KNOWLEDGE IS FOUNDED AND

GROUNDED IN ABSOLUTE TRUTH• HUMANS POSSESS WITHIN

THEMSELVES THE MEANS OF THEIR OWN DELIVERANCE THROUGH:– GRACE OF CRITICAL REASON– SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE– EMPIRICAL OBSERVATION

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MODERN AGE (1600 CE - Mid 1900’S)

ENLIGHTENMENT:• EMPIRICAL SCIENCE BECOMES THE

MAJOR SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE AND TRUTH

• NEWTON’S DISCOVERIES GIVE RISE TO AN EXPLOSION IN TECHNOLOGY

• INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTON• UNPRECEDENTED ECONOMIC

GROWTH

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POST-MODERN AGE (Mid 1900’S – PRESENT)

• THEORY OF RELATIVITY- ALBERT EINSTEIN - EDWIN HUBBELL

• UNIVERSE IS EXPANDINGTIME = SEQUENCE OF IRREVERSIBLE

EVOLUTIONARY EVENTS - NOT A SERIES OF REPETITIVE CYCLES

• UNIVERSE IS AN UNFOLDING STORY:PRECLUDES EXPLANATIONS ABOUT

MEANING OR ULTIMATE PURPOSE THAT ARE ABSOLUTE

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POST-MODERN AGE (Mid 1900’S – PRESENT)

QUANTUM PHYSICS

WERNER HEISENBERG

• ATOMIC PARTICLES CHANGE WITH EVERY OBSERVATION AND MEASUREMENT

• INFLUENCED BY THE METHODS USED

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POST-MODERN AGE (Mid 1900’S – PRESENT)

DAVID BOHMEXPLICATE ORDER:

UNIVERSE IS DYNAMIC - CARRYING THE PATTERNS AND ORDER OUT OF WHICH EVERYTHNG IN THE MATERIAL WORLD EMERGES

IMPLICATE ORDER:INVISIBLE SEA OF ENERGY IS THE

MYSTERIOUS GROUND OF EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS

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POST-MODERN AGE (Mid 1900’S – PRESENT)

PIERRE TEILHARD de CHARDIN• SOUGHT TO RECONCILE THE THEORY OF

EVOLUTION AND CHRISTIAN REVELATION

• EXAMINED THE HUMAN PHENOMENON

• RECOGNIZED:– SACRED PRESENCE IN EVERYTHING– SACRAMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE OF MATTER– CHRISTIFICATION OF EARTH– SET THE STAGE FOR NEW COSMOLOGY

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POST-MODERN AGE (Mid 1900’S – PRESENT)

• NATURE OF REALITY DEFINED BY:– PERCEPTIONS, – THE CONTEXT OF OUR LIVES

(EXPERIENCE)– LANGUAGE USED

• STORIES AND MYTHS CONVEY:– UNDERLYING TRUTHS THAT EXPLAIN

HOW THINGS ARE AND WHAT REALLY MATTERS.

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WHY A NEW COSMOLOGY IS NEEDED

• CHRISTIAN BELIEF TRADITIONS ROOTED IN COSMOLOGY OF MEDIEVAL PERIOD

• POST- MODERN WORLDVIEW INFLUENCED BY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYOF THE ENLIGHTENMENT PERIOD

• EXPLOITATION OF NATURE, RESOURCES, PEOPLE, AND OTHER LIFE FORMS

• LIMITED IN PERCEPTION VIS A’ VIS COMTEMPORARY REALITY

• UNABLE TO LAUNCH HUMANKIND INTO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

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WHY A NEW COSMOLOGY IS NEEDED

• OUR CONTEMPORARY STORY:– VIEWS MYTHS AS ACCOUNTS THAT ARE

ABSOLUTE - NOT UNDERSTOOD AS EXPLANATORY METAPHORS

– IMPLIES THE HUMAN IS THE PINNACLE OF CREATION

– REJECTS THE NATURAL WORLD FOR THE SUPERNATURAL

– REINFORCES THE WORLDVIEW THAT MAN IS SUPERIOR TO NATURE, WOMAN, OTHER LIFE FORMS.

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WHY A NEW COSMOLOGY IS NEEDED

• DUALISMS AND SEPARATION DOMINATE VIEW OF REALITY: – SPIRIT SEPARATED FROM MATTER, – BODY FROM SOUL, – HUMAN FROM DIVINE, MANY OTHERS --

• DUALISMS AND SEPARATION CANNOT:– BRIDGE GAP BETWEEN NATIONS, RACES,

RELIGIONS, AND GENDER.– MEET THE NEEDS OF YOUNGER GENERATIONS

STEEPED IN TECHNOLOGY AND CONSUMERISM.

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WHY A NEW COSMOLOGY IS NEEDED

• A COSMOLOGY ROOTED IN DUALISMS AND SEPARATION CANNOT:– MEET THE NEEDS OF THE MARGINALIZED– ENGENDER JUSTICE LEADING TO

DOMINATION-FREE SYSTEMS– RESTORE THE BALANCE IN CREATION– CREATE A HOLISTIC AND INTEGRAL

COMMUNITY OF LIFE – BRING ABOUT PEACE

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THE NEW COSMOLOGY

SHARING QUESTION:

• WHAT COSMOLOGY IS OPERATIVE IN YOUR LIFE?

• HOW DOES IT INFLUENCE YOUR WORLDVIEW (ATTITUDE, BEHAVIOR)?

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THE NEW COSMOLOGY, A CONTEXT FOR THE IGNATIAN EXERCISES

July, 2004Janet and Ron Nimer

Bibliographical Sources

– Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme, The Universe Story, Harper San Francisco, New York, NY. 1992. – Kevin Bradt S.J., Story As A Way of Knowing, Sheed & Ward, Kansas City, MO., 1997.– Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Physics, Shambala Publishers, Berkeley, CA., 1975.– Fritjof Capra, The Web of Life, Anchor Books, Double Day Dell Publishing Co., New York, NY, 1996.– Mary Conrow Coelho, Awakening Universe, Emerging Personhood, Wyndham Press, Lima , Ohio, 2002. – Duane Elgin, Promise Ahead, Harper Collins Publishing Co., New York, NY, 2000. – Carol Lee Flinders, The Values of Belonging, Harper Collins Publishers, New York, NY, 2002.– Ivone Gebara, Longing for Running Water, Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN, 1991.– John F. Haught, God After Darwin, Westview Press, Boulder, CO., 2000.– Carmel Higgins, Toward a Sustainable Future, The Connector, July, 1999.– Ursula King, Spirit of Fire, The Life and Vision of Teilhard de Chardin, Orbis Books, – Maryknoll, NY., 1996.– Ursula, King, Christ In All Things, Exploring the Spirituality of Teilhard de Chardin, – Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY., 1997. – David C. Korten, The Post-Corporate World , Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., – San Francisco, CA. and Kumarian Press, West Hartford, CT., 1999.– Diarmuid, O’Murchu, Quantum Theology, The Crossroad Publishing Co., New York, NY, 1997. – Diarmuid, O’Murchu, Our World in Transition, The Crossroad Publishing Co., New York, NY, 1992– Loyal Rue, Everybody’s Story, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 2000.– Walter Wink, The Powers That Be, Galilee Press, Double Day, Random House, New York, NY, 1998.

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About the Presenters

Ron and Janet NimerJanet and Ron Nimer have been members of the Nicholas Owen CLC in the St.

Louis area for the past sixteen years. They have experienced the Ignatian Nineteenth Annotation Retreat in Everyday Life (the Bridges Program) as well as the follow-up two year Prayer Companions Program.

Janet has a spiritual companioning ministry and is currently a prayer guide in the Nineteenth Annotation Retreat. They are the parents of five daughters and have twelve grandchildren.