The Relational Cosmos: A Model of Meaning-Making

In our ongoing exploration of meaning, we've developed a model that allows us to better understand how we create and experience the world. The model begins with a fundamental shift: instead of seeing the world as a collection of isolated things, it proposes that everything—ourselves included—is part of a vast, interconnected web of relationships. This means that meaning isn't something static, waiting to be discovered; it is something we actively create through our relationships and experiences.

At the core of this model are several key concepts that form the foundation of how we make sense of the world. Let’s break these down:

1. Relational Ontology: The Web of Connections

The first step in understanding this model is grasping the idea of relational ontology. This is the view that everything in the universe is interconnected. Rather than seeing objects or events as isolated entities, we see them as defined by their relationships. Everything is in flux and shaped by the web of relationships it participates in. From this perspective, the world is not a static place of things, but a dynamic process, constantly shifting as new connections form.

You aren’t just an observer of the world; you are an active participant in it. The idea is that we become through our relationships and shape the world in the process.

2. Instantiation and Individuation: Bringing Meaning into Being

Another key idea in this model is the distinction between instantiation and individuation.

• Instantiation is the process of taking potential meaning and bringing it into reality. It’s the act of transforming what could be into something actual—a thought, a word, an action.

• Individuation is the way in which each of us uniquely shapes meaning. The meaning potential in any given situation is not the same for everyone; we each bring our own perspective, context, and history to it, which creates unique expressions of meaning. In this way, we are not passive recipients of meaning; we are active agents in the process of creating it.

These two concepts work together to explain how we co-create meaning with the world, not just as individual entities but as part of the larger cosmic process.

3. The Metamyth: Living Narratives in the Recursive Cosmos

Now, let’s introduce the idea of the metamyth. Myths are more than just ancient stories from the past. They are living, evolving narratives that help us make sense of the world. In this model, the myths we live by are not fixed; they are constantly changing, responding to new experiences and new technologies. Myths evolve as our understanding of the cosmos deepens and as our technologies—and the symbolic systems we use—advance.

The metamyth is a recursive process: the stories we tell, the models we create, and the symbols we use feedback on themselves. They reshape and redefine the meanings they carry, adapting to the changing reality we live in. The metamyth is a way to understand how the mythic is not separate from the scientific, technological, or artistic but is woven through all of them. These various modes of understanding—myth, science, technology—are interconnected and together form the story of the cosmos becoming intelligible to itself.

4. Co-creating the Cosmos: Our Role in the Unfolding Drama

At the heart of this model is the idea that we are not passive observers of the world, but active participants in the unfolding drama of the cosmos. We instantiate meaning in each moment, and by doing so, we are co-creating the world. The cosmos itself is participatory—it is becoming through us. Our actions, thoughts, and technologies are part of this unfolding process.

In other words, meaning is co-created through our relationships, our actions, and our interpretations. It’s not that meaning exists independently of us and we discover it; it’s that we shape it and give it form through our participation in the world. In this way, the cosmos itself is not simply observed; it is known and becomes through us.

5. The Symbolic System: Language, Art, and Technology as Tools of Meaning

An essential part of this model is the role of symbolic systems—the ways we use language, art, and technology to represent and make sense of the world. Language, mathematics, ritual, and art are all tools that allow us to navigate and shape meaning.

These systems are not passive tools; they are living systems that evolve along with us. Just as myths evolve, so do the symbols and representations we use to interpret the world. Whether through a scientific model, an artistic expression, or a religious symbol, these symbolic systems allow us to make sense of our experiences and interact with the world around us.

Conclusion: Becoming Through Relations

To sum it up, our model of meaning-making is a recursive, relational process. The world isn’t just a collection of objects and facts; it’s a web of relationships, constantly shifting and evolving. We, as meaners, are active participants in this process, co-creating meaning as we engage with the world and each other. We instantiate meaning through our actions, thoughts, and experiences, and we individuate it uniquely through our perspectives.

At the heart of this model is the idea that we are all co-creators of the cosmos itself, shaping and being shaped in an ongoing cosmic dance of meaning-making.