The Universe Expands
The most basic fact we know about the universe is that it’s expanding. Not just metaphorically, but literally—space itself is stretching in all directions. What started as a dense point erupted into everything we know, and it’s still unfolding. That’s not poetry. That’s physics.
But what if that expansion isn’t just about galaxies drifting apart? What if it’s a metaphor baked into the code of everything—including us?
The more I think about it, the more it feels true: expansion isn’t just out there—it’s meant to happen in here, too.
So Do We—By Design
Human beings are not separate from nature. We are nature. Every cell in our body is made from atoms forged in ancient stars. So if the universe is built to expand, maybe we are, too.
This doesn’t mean we’re meant to grow endlessly in productivity or scale. It means we’re wired to stretch toward possibility. Toward clarity. Toward deeper connections. Growth isn’t about adding more; it’s about becoming more aligned with who we already are.
Expansion is not a metric. It’s a movement of the self.
But Trauma Contracts Us
Here’s where it gets harder: not everyone feels expansive. Many of us feel small, guarded, or stuck. That’s not because we’re broken. It’s because we’ve been hurt.
When the system feels unsafe, it doesn’t open—it contracts. The nervous system does exactly what it’s supposed to do: protect us. It creates walls where there should be bridges. It’s hard to think about purpose, joy, or creativity when your body believes you’re under threat.
In other words: before we can expand, we have to survive.
Healing Restores Our Access to Expansion
The good news is that healing is possible. And when it happens, something interesting follows: curiosity returns. Playfulness returns. Creativity reawakens.
I once heard Dr. Gabor Maté say, “Safety is not the absence of threat, it’s the presence of connection.” That stuck with me. Because when people feel connected—to themselves, to others, to something bigger—they start to move. They open. They breathe deeper. They expand.
Growth is not a task list. It’s a return to your original setting.
Emotional Trust Makes Expansion Safe
But even in healing, something else matters deeply: emotional safety.
Without trust, there’s no expansion. Vulnerability is the birthplace of creativity, but vulnerability without trust is just exposure. We cannot create if we are afraid to be seen. We cannot share ideas if we believe we will be shamed. We cannot lead if we are terrified of failure.
Emotional safety isn’t a luxury. It’s the prerequisite to human expansion.
Purpose and Truth Align Us with Our Design
Once trust is in place, something magical happens—people start to move in a clear direction.
That direction isn’t defined by status or ambition. It’s defined by meaning. Purpose is not the goal; it’s the alignment. When people understand why they do what they do, expansion isn’t forced—it’s inevitable.
As I often say: “People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” And the same is true internally. We don’t commit to growth because we have to—we do it because it matters.
The Brain Needs New Inputs to Rewire for Growth
Still, we can’t talk about expansion without talking about the brain. Neuroscience tells us that our brains are prediction machines. They don’t just react to the world—they anticipate it based on past experience.
So, if someone has lived through chaos, their brain will expect more of it. Even in a safe environment, they may feel unsafe. The model has to be updated. That takes time, repetition, and new evidence.
We need to give people consistent signals: you are safe now, you are supported now, you can trust now. Then, and only then, can the mind allow for expansion.
Expansion Emerges from the Integration of All Systems
By now, a picture is forming: expansion is not the result of hustle. It’s the result of wholeness.
When the nervous system is regulated, the emotions are trusted, the brain is supported, and the purpose is clear—something opens. Something shifts. People begin to speak more clearly. Breathe more deeply. Love more fully. They create—not out of fear, but out of freedom.
That’s what we’re made for.
True Abundance Is Not Forced. It Is Revealed.
In our culture, we’re obsessed with growth: quarterly growth, social media growth, personal growth. But real expansion is quieter. It doesn’t roar. It hums.
It arrives when conditions are right—not when the calendar says it’s time. We don’t chase expansion. We remove the blocks that prevent it. We nourish it. We trust it.
As the poet David Whyte once said, “Sometimes everything has to be inscribed across the heavens so you can find the one line already written inside you.”
Conclusion
The universe’s natural intent is to expand.
Abundance isn’t a selfish goal—it’s part of the design. Just as galaxies grow, rivers flow, and trees reach, you are meant to expand in your capacity, your creativity, your love, your impact. This isn’t indulgence. It’s alignment with the nature of reality.
But…
It is not inevitable.
Just because you are meant to expand doesn’t mean you will. The potential exists—but expansion isn’t automatic. Many people stay stuck, small, or silent not because they aren’t meant for more, but because their system has been shaped by fear, trauma, or scarcity.
Abundance is possible, but not guaranteed.
It must be chosen.
Expansion is an act of agency. You have to say yes to it—over and over. You have to reach when you want to hide. You have to speak when silence feels safer. You have to choose growth when comfort whispers “stay.”
No one—and no universe—can do that part for you.
It must be supported.
Even your yes is not enough if your environment suffocates it. You need support. Regulation. Emotional safety. People who believe in you. Systems that don’t punish your boldness. A body that feels safe enough to risk.
Abundance grows in soil—not in concrete.
It must be remembered.
You will forget. Life will make you forget. Pain will convince you that you were wrong. But remembering is the discipline. The practice. The soul’s inhale.
Every time you remember your design—to grow, to give, to become more—you come back to life.
In other words:
You are meant to expand.
But you have to say yes.
You have to let others help.
And you have to keep remembering, every time the world makes you forget.
That’s how abundance lives.
