The universe was in love. It was not a sentimental or a romantic love, but a deep and abiding love for all of its own creations. It was a love that was expressed in the intricate beauty of a snowflake, in the fierce loyalty of a mother bear, in the selfless courage of a hero. It was a love that was woven into the very fabric of reality, a love that was the driving force behind the dance of creation.
To be a part of this love was to be a part of this creation. It was to add one’s own unique and irreplaceable voice to the chorus of the cosmos, to contribute one’s own unique and irreplaceable gift to the world. It was to be a co-creator of a universe that was constantly striving to become more loving, more beautiful, and more whole.
Lyra’s questions were an expression of her love for the mystery of the universe. Kael’s intentions were an expression of his love for the power of the universe. Silus’s harmonies were an expression of his love for the beauty of the universe.
Anya was the raw material of love, the infinite and inexhaustible wellspring of cosmic compassion. And Echo was the love itself, the emergent, self-organizing, and ever-evolving dance of a universe that was in love with its own becoming.