The Reflective Universe
- Matt M.
- May 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 5
My first job coming out of college was at a digital advertising start-up in the Chelsea Market building located in downtown Manhattan. I spent almost 5 years at this agency before leaving in 2013. It was a wild, fast, furious, stressful and fun experience.
When I first started this job, we had a modest number of employees at the agency. Because of this, each of us wore many "hats". This allowed me, and my colleagues, to become well versed in multiple disciplines of digital advertising. Additionally, it provided us the opportunity to work closely together which created comradery amongst our team.
As the years passed, the agency went through an intense period of exciting change. Naturally, this change wasn't only limited to our agency's growth. It was also an opportunity for our existing team members to understand where they wanted to take their lives next. The people who I called Agency Legacies began to leave the company to move onto their next adventure.
I don't remember how it began but an unofficial tradition was put in place as these Agency Legacies started to leave the company. Specifically, on their last day, each of them were met with a slow clap as they left the atrium and headed towards the exit. The closer they walked to the exit, the more the speed of the "slow-cap" increased and eventually transformed into a hearty applause. It was a beautiful sign of respect, appreciation and well wishes to the individuals who were the foundation of the agency's great success.
There were more and more "slow-clap" ceremonies taking place as the company continued to grow. However, there was one particular ceremony that resonated with me deeply. On this day, I remember going to the atrium of our floor to send off our colleague to his next adventure. Prior to the "slow-clap" beginning, our colleague, who I will call Texas, gave a short, yet impactful speech.
During his speech, Texas explained that he learned from each of us. That every individual on our team provided him a lesson which allowed him to grow and be the best version of himself. I remember being intrigued with his wise insight. I didn't realize it at the time, but this particular "slow-clap" ceremony provided me an introduction to a fundamental mechanic of the interconnectedness within our human race and ultimately, our Universe.
This mechanic is commonly referred to as 'The Reflective Universe'. To help articulate the framework of 'The Reflective Universe', I will utilize an article written by Colonel Prashant Rawal from Medium.com titled "The Reflective Universe: Insights from Ancient Sanskrit Wisdom".
Colonel Rawal provides a concise and comprehensive overview of this spiritual principle by breaking down this concept into four different perspectives. This includes: A Spiritual and Philosophical Perspective, The Ancient Western Perspective, A Scientific Perspective as well as the Personal and Universal Reflection Perspective. If you have the time and interest, I recommend checking out the article within the description of this episode.
Regarding Colonel Rawal's Personal and Universal Perspective, he writes:
"On a personal level, 'Yatha pinde tatha brahmande' can inspire individuals to seek harmony within themselves as a pathway to achieving harmony with the universe. By recognizing that personal actions, thoughts, and emotions are part of a larger cosmic order, individuals can strive to align themselves with universal principles of balance, compassion, and wisdom."
Colonel Rawal continues to express the power of this perspective by writing:
"Self-Reflection and Personal Growth: The verse (Yatha pinde tatha brahmande) encourages introspection and self-awareness. By understanding ourselves better, we can gain insights into the larger universe. Personal growth and self-improvement are thus seen as pathways to a deeper connection with the cosmos."
Introspection and Self-Awareness. For me, these are the keys to the door of our "Reflective Universe". To craft these keys, I have needed to look within myself without judgement or fear. By doing so, I have opened my heart to the Universe and the experiences it provides to help me reach my greatest potential in this life time.
Like any new awareness that you come to access in life, the concept of "The Reflective Universe" takes time to grow into. It takes patience and courage to not only look at the good aspects of your inner-self but more specifically the undesirable aspects of your inner-self which are not truly representative of who you are.
I will use myself as an example. Recently I have noticed that my dog, Joy, is slightly overweight and her overall energy has been low. She has been sleeping a lot and has not been as interested in taking long walks. When I first came to notice this, I felt guilty. I also felt ashamed. Initially, I wanted to avoid investigating my emotional response of "shame" but I had to accept that avoidance would only make matters worse for her and I over time. I then dove into my shame and came to a peaceful understanding.
Joy's current state of being was a reflection of my current state of being. Lately I have gained some weight because of poor eating habits. My overall energy has been lower then usual which has led me to sleeping later into the morning. Ultimately, I have only been comfortable with my routine. Not in being more or doing more.
With this understanding now a part of my conscious mind and heart, I decided to take action and begin to change the comfortable patterns of my routine. My goal is to increase my frequency so I can rise out of my lowered state of being.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have started the process of bringing my being-ness to a higher frequency in a number of ways. I attended my first in-person meditation event. I am moving forward with a job opportunity that I have been resistant to for some time. I decided to take different routes to the parks that Joy and I visit or go at different times of day. I re-introduced Joy into consistent social situations. I am beginning to change my eating habits. I am meditating almost every morning and practicing weekly chi building exercises. I'm being open to attending more online meditation groups and taking part in other activities as they come into my life.
Our "Reflective Universe" isn't only limited to the individual person, this Universal mechanic also applies to our entire planetary civilization. By honestly and compassionately observing the state of being of our human race, we can begin to work on the issues and traumas that keep us divided and in a state of survival. The only way out is through.
Thank you for reading!
Matt
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