The First Cause: The Word That Breathed the Universe into Being

 

The Eternal Question of Origins

Since the beginning of human awareness, we have sought to understand the origins of existence. What was before the before? What force, will, or presence brought forth all that we see and experience? These questions, woven into the fabric of every spiritual and philosophical tradition, have led to the recognition of a singular, transcendent source—the First Cause, the Divine Will, the Primordial Word.

This Word, this originating force, is not bound by time, space, or form. It is the unseen hand that moves across the waters of the void, shaping something from nothing. It is the ripple in the ocean of existence that brings forth light, order, and motion. To contemplate this is to peer into the mystery of creation itself, for if all things came from something, then what is the nature of that First Something?

The Word That Preceded Creation

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

The Gospel of John speaks of the Word (Logos) as both the instrument of creation and the very essence of God. Logos, in Greek philosophy, represents not only speech but also reason, order, and divine intelligence. This concept is not unique to Christianity. It echoes through many traditions, each describing the first utterance, the first vibration, the first act of will that brought forth the cosmos.

Hinduism speaks of Brahman, the ultimate reality, formless and infinite, from which everything emerges and to which everything returns. The Upanishads describe Brahman as "that from which all things are born, by which they live, and into which they return at death." Before creation, Brahman was unmanifested, existing in a state of infinite potential. The sacred syllable OM is considered the primordial sound, the vibration from which all reality unfolds, much like the Word in John’s Gospel.

In the Rig Veda, one of the world’s oldest scriptures, we find a poetic contemplation of the First Cause:

"Then was neither non-existence nor existence:
There was no realm of air, no sky beyond it.
What covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping?
Was there then cosmic water in depths unfathomed?"

This passage captures the mystery of the beginning—when there was neither being nor non-being, no heavens or earth, no time or space, only an unfathomable presence that would soon give birth to all things.

The Tao Te Ching also speaks of an ineffable origin:

"The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth."

Tao, like Brahman, is not a being in the traditional sense but the fundamental principle underlying all existence. It is the source and the path, both manifest and unmanifest, both immanent and transcendent.

As Above, So Below: The Reflection of the Divine

The principle of "As above, so below" suggests that the patterns of the cosmos are mirrored in all levels of existence. This idea is foundational in Hermetic philosophy, Kabbalah, and mystical traditions worldwide. If creation was spoken into being by divine utterance, then echoes of that original command can be found in all that exists.

The galaxies spiral in a dance mirrored in the unfurling of a fern. The veins in a leaf resemble the branching of rivers and the pathways of neural networks in the human brain. The golden ratio, seen in the proportions of shells, flowers, and even the human body, is a mathematical imprint of divine harmony. The microcosm reflects the macrocosm, and the same forces that govern the heavens govern the smallest particles of matter.

In Kabbalah, the Ain Sof—the boundless, unknowable aspect of God—emanates the ten Sefirot, which structure the universe in divine order. The Egyptian Aten, though often associated with the sun, was worshiped as the unseen force that illuminates and sustains all life. The Lakota people refer to Wakan Tanka, the Great Mystery, as the ineffable presence that pervades all things.

Creation is not chaotic; it follows laws, patterns, and rhythms that suggest an intelligence beyond human comprehension. These universal correspondences reveal a sacred geometry woven into the fabric of existence, pointing back to the First Cause that set all things in motion.

The Divine Command That Brings All Things Into Being

“Verily, His command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.” (Qur’an 36:82)

In Islam, creation is not a laborious process but an instantaneous act of divine will. God speaks, and reality forms. This mirrors the Genesis account, where God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. The creative power of the divine word transcends physical effort; it is pure intention, pure will, and pure manifestation.

This concept is not confined to religious texts. Modern physics suggests that the fundamental nature of reality is vibration. Matter is energy in motion, and energy itself is structured by frequency and resonance. Could it be that the Word—the primordial vibration—continues to shape the universe at every moment?

Creation as an Ongoing Unfolding

Creation did not happen once in a distant past; it is an ongoing process. The universe expands, stars are born and die, and new worlds take form. Every breath, every heartbeat, every birth and rebirth is an echo of that first divine act. The Word did not merely create the world; it continues to sustain it.

This sacred unfolding can be seen in nature’s cycles—the death and rebirth of seasons, the endless dance of destruction and renewal. It is present in the whisper of the wind, in the dance of fire, in the flowing of water, and in the firm foundation of the earth. It is also present in human consciousness, in our ability to dream, create, and love.

The Word Becoming Flesh

The reality of man is his thought, not his material body. The thought force and the animal force are partners. Although man is part of the animal creation, he possesses a power of thought superior to all other created beings. – Abdu’l-Baha Paris Talks p. 17.

This is the mystery of the Word becoming flesh. Just as the universe was spoken into being, so too does the divine find expression in humanity. The Baha’i Writings affirm, “The reality of man is his thought.” It is through our words, our conscious articulation, that we reflect the creative nature of the First Cause.

Speech is a reflection of creation itself. When we speak truth, when we create beauty, when we act with love, we align ourselves with the primordial force that set the stars in motion. To misuse words is to distort the sacred order; to speak with wisdom and kindness is to harmonize with the divine will.

The Universal Song of Creation

The Word is not bound to one name, one tongue, or one scripture. It is the eternal melody sung in every faith, the sacred utterance that continues to unfold in every moment of existence. The Hindu OM, the Jewish Shema, the Muslim Bismillah, the Christian Logos, the Tao—all point to the same ineffable reality.

If we listen, if we attune ourselves to its rhythm, we may yet understand that the same force that spoke the cosmos into being whispers within our own souls. It calls us to create, to love, to seek understanding. It reminds us that we are not separate from the universe but part of its unfolding story—each of us a word spoken by the Divine

Zaziel Azahr