THE GREAT LESSONS

• Cosmic Education is presented through The Great Lessons.
• These are not really lessons, but stories or fables, which allow the child to explore and understand our culture and achieve a global vision of cosmic events.
• They are impressionistic aids that give us the whole from which all the parts stem. They help tie the individual subject areas together as a means to understand the world.
• They are to be presented with a sense of mystery and admiration or wonder.

I. God Who has No Hands or
The Creation of the Universe and the Coming into Being of the Earth

In the beginning there was only the "deep" - indescribably dark and cold. Then appeared a fiery cloud fused in light and heat, which included all substances of the Universe. Every little particle was given a set of laws to follow. Following these laws all the elements were created, some becoming solids, others liquids, others gases. They joined to form the stars, our sun, and the earth.

On the Earth the particles did their dance over millions of years. The heavy ones sank to the center, the lighter ones floated to the outer edge and cooled. Volcanoes erupted to release the hot substances inside, spewing a huge cloud of dust into the air. Eventually things cooled and settled. More gases became liquid, liquids became solids. The rocks cooled. The Earth itself shrank and wrinkled. Mountains were formed as well as pits. The rain filled these pits to form the oceans.

Essential Points

• Immense size of universe in which the Earth is set
• Everything has a common origin.
• Without law there was no order. Laws are not necessarily prohibitions but help to create order out of chaos.
• Each particle followed a set of universal laws:
       a.) law of likes and dislikes for other particles
       b.) reaction to temperature - These 2 laws were the basis by which substances were created and which state (solid, liquid, gas) they assumed.
• Everything has it's own nature, its own individuality, and that nature was inherent in the substance itself (It is the nature of plants to turn to the sunlight.)

Notes

• This story opens the door to geography, physics, astronomy, geology.
• The story does not contain any particular theory of creation.
• There are 4 impressionistic charts and several demonstrations that accompany the story.
• The story is not told in ordinary language, but in symbols, metaphors, and words that convey the immensity and importance of the event.

II. The Coming of Life

The order of the Earth's creation was breaking up. The seas were filling with salts. A new form appeared on Earth to help chaos from returning. This new form could eat and grow and was given the special characteristic of being able to multiply and make others of its own kind. It cleaned up the seas by feeding on the salts dissolved in the waters.

At first this form had one cell. Then multi-cellular creatures appeared. Then there were life forms with organs. Each new set of creatures increased its efficiency.

The seas started to become enclosed by land and some were drying up. Living things were forced to become less dependent on water. So now there are plants, insects, and amphibians that could live on the land. Once on land, the continued progression of life led to the reptiles which developed dry skin and shells around their eggs. They could live in warm areas where there was enough food. Birds and mammals appeared that were better equipped for the cold weather. This new species cared for their young. The others did not.

Finally Human Beings appeared. They were poorly equipped in relationship to the other creatures. They had no fur, nor claws, but they did have a mind and love, which made them unique.

Essential Points

• Interplay of life and the environment
• Life is a continuous process that began with the formation of the Earth. Once life was there, it carried out all kinds of "experiments." This created the diversity we have.
• Each life form lived out its own existence to its own satisfaction, but in doing so it was also unconsciously contributing to the environment and preparing ground for others to follow. Every form of life was a preparation for the next form of life. All the life forms were furnishing the environment or the coming of Human Beings.

Notes

• This story opens the door to Biology.
• It is not a list of new names and terms, but the child should get the main milestones in the development of life and should see the progression of life in terms of the efficiency of the functioning of the animals.
• It Is told with the aid of The Time Line of Life.
• The names of the eras and periods are not mentioned in the first presentation of this story.

III. The Coming of Human Beings Human

Beings were different from all other life forms. They were unique in that they possessed the gifts of the Mind, Love, and the Hand. Their ability to think made early Humans wonder about things. They saw the stars and make up stories.

With their gifts Human Beings were able to do a great many things plants and animals could not. They found many things to eat. They made clothes for themselves and made houses. What they made depended on where they lived.

Human Beings could love each other. But they could not only love their parents or children, but could also love people far away whom they had never met. Human Beings are very special, and each person is very special.

Essential Points

• Human Beings did not come to just inhabit the earth. They had work to accomplish.
• The Gifts of Intellect, Love, and the Hand made it possible for them to be creators themselves.

Notes

• Introduces the study of History and the progress of human civilization.
• Has no timelines, charts, or demonstrations.
• The aim is for children to imagine what life was like for early humans.
• Shows the place of Human Beings among other elements and creatures.

IV. Communication in Signs

People needed to communicate their discoveries (where they found food, shelter) to one another and someone came up with the idea to draw pictures. People made pictures of what was important and what others should know.

Egyptians began carving and painting pictures on stone. Then they discovered a special kind of paper from a plant that grew near the Nile River. Now they also used brushes and pens on this paper. Some of their pictures represented objects, ideas, or sounds, so it was all a bit confusing.

The Phoenicians sailed around trading their goods and Tyrian purple. They used only sound pictures as this was a much easier way to write. They used marks for the sounds.

As time went on, the Greeks changed the Phoenician letters.

Eventually the Romans changed the Greek letters. They used 26 marks and called it the alphabet. "Thank you Phoenicians for giving us the gift of letters!" This made it possible for us to let people know what we want to say even if they are far away.

This is the story of the sand paper letters!

V. The Story of Numbers

People needed a way to convey things they counted. They needed a language for their inventions (time, calendar, measurements).

Some people counted only one and two, but most counted more.

Some used stones and notches on sticks. The Mayan people used stones.

The Sumerians and Babylonians made wedge-like marks on a clay brick with sticks. These marks were called Cuneiform.

The Egyptians made other signs. The Chinese had different ones too.

The Greeks made their own signs. They took the first letter of the name for the number and used it as the sign for that number.

The Romans used their own numerals. We still see some of these today - on clocks or buildings.

Numerals similar to ours were found cut inside of a cave in India. We call them Arabic numerals, but the Arabs don't use them. They came to Europe from an arithmetic book which the Indians sold to the Arab traders. The Eropeans thought it was simple and used it. The Indians also gave us the zero. With the zero we developed our number system.

From the time people began to print books, the numerals looked more like the ones we use today.

Common Elements of all 5 Great Lessons

• Told in the order presented above.
• Told within the first 8 weeks of school to all the first graders and new children in the class.
• With each new Great Lesson, there is a summary of the ones that have come before.
• Are for everyone, even if children cannot read nor write.
• Are to be listened to and wondered about. The children are not questioned about the story. They are not asked to rewrite or retell the story. They are not required to draw the charts or time lines, unless they want to.
• Each story is followed by "the rest." It allows reflecting time.
• Each opens a door to the Drama of Life, and Sows the Seeds of culture.
• Help children to see how everything is interdependent.
• The theme of service runs throughout the stories.
• The first 3 Great Lessons should instill a sense of gratitude to God or a higher power. The last 2 Great Lessons should instill gratitude to Human Beings.
• Are not detailed factual accounts, but impressionistic stories of the truth. Present a reality that can be examined by the imagination.
• Should inspire exploration by the reasoning mind.
• Keep the elementary curriculum from being fragmented material and subject information.
• Follow-up lessons should go into parts of each story with greater detail when the child questions.
• Emphasis on prehistory.