"The molecules of your body are the same molecules . . . that burn inside the stars themselves. We are star stuff. We are the Universe, made manifest, trying to figure itself out." ~ Delenn, Babylon 5

"The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the Universe to know itself." ~ Carl Sagan 

"We are made of star stuff. Our bodies are made of star stuff. There are pieces of the stars within all of us." ~ Carl Sagan 

"The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, and the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are all made of star stuff." ~ Carl Sagan

This view of the Divine permeating the universe and extending beyond it is a very old (not new) view of God, Creator, Great Spirit, the One Infinite Creator. This view is ancient with roots going back to Plato, back to the Kabbalah, back to Gnostic Christianity, even back to the Book of Enoch. The label often given it is panentheism, which finds in the world’s unity a sense of the Divine, related to the mystical intuition of a personal union with the Creator. Panentheism is Greek and the literal meaning is "All in God" - pan (all) en (in) theos (God). 

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Panentheism is often confused with pantheism. They are related, but different concepts. In Pantheism, if you destroyed the physical universe, you would destroy God because they are exactly the same entity. In Panentheism, if you destroyed the physical universe, God would still exist because the physical universe is only one part of God's total being. Some of the main differences between them are below. See the other pages for more detail on how panentheism surfaces in the world's religions and philosophies.  ​

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Here are some more of the differences between Panentheism and Pantheism: ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Pantheism:        God is the universe. God = Universe
                          All of reality, nature, and the cosmos are identical to the divine.

Transcendence:    Immanent only. It exists within as a natural, permanent, and internal part. 
                          God does not exist outside of the physical laws and matter of the universe.

Divine Agency:    Viewed as an impersonal, conscious-less force or natural law.

Analogy:             A drop of water is the ocean.

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Panentheism:    The universe is in God. God is greater than the universe. God >Universe. 
                          The Divine permeates every bit of the cosmos but also extends beyond it. 

Transcendence:     Transcendent and immanent. God is present within creation but also exists                              beyond it.  

Divine Agency:     Viewed as a dynamic, interactive, and personal presence with its own                                    consciousness. (My intuitive understanding from an early age was that God                            is energy with a consciousness.) 

Analogy:             A sponge inside the ocean.
                          The ocean is in the sponge, but also vastly larger than the sponge. 

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There are many others who believed this as well:

• Nikola Tesla 

• Albert Einstein

• Elon Musk

• Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Henry David Thoreau

• Walt Whitman

• Beethoven 

• Tolstoy 

• Carl Jung 

• Carl Sagan

• Ansel Adams

• Audrey Hepburn

• D. H Lawrence

• and many more

 

And for those who are familiar, the Law of One series also tells us that the Universe is conscious as well and refers to it as "the intelligent infinity" and "the intelligent energy" both of which fit my own "energy with a consciousness" understanding going back to childhood. The only thing that has always been and will always be - energy.