The illustration below is an ancient representation of the universe, but in essence the concept still holds, as long as the labels are updated:

The universe still consists of concentric rings, owing to our solipsistic human perception. The universe originates from its center—that is, from the human perception of it— and expands outward. We all begin by believing ourselves to be at the center of the universe, as any two-year old will demonstrate.

“We are all of us born in moral stupidity, taking the world as an udder to feed our supreme selves”
― George Eliot

We eventually make accommodations for the limitations imposed by reality, or mommy, whichever the case may be, and forge our way outward to family, friends, and the larger society. Some people are able to transcend more boundaries than others, while some may tragically spend their lives not making it much past self and mommy. Perhaps, a few will reach the aura of the angels.

The universe may be theoretically boundless, but for all practical purposes is limited to whatever boundary that can be agreed to by everyone. Like individuals, some civilizations can look past more of the boundaries than others. It’s easy to understand the potential for disagreement between men and between nations.

The universe I will describe dispenses with the terra firma, water, air, fire, planets, and celestial spheres surrounded by the presumptive assumption of First Movement or First Cause. Instead, the categories by which I will define reality center on human nature, expanding out to epistemology, the human condition, civics and politics, and of course, the Firmament—beyond which lies the eternal ethereal orb of the angels.

Pulling back the veil of perception

Below we see the intrepid traveler has walked to the end of the earth and has discovered he can stick his head through the firmament to attain a God’s eye view of the world—he sees the workings of heaven as it really is.

Today, flat-earthers may still have the option of walking to the end of the world to seek this immaculate view, but their numbers are dwindling. For the rest of us, because our acceptance of the round earth theory, we are no longer open to the possibility of such discoveries.

This biblical account of the earth at the center of the universe was codified by Ptolemy (AD 150) and may be outdated. In the scientific post-Copernicus/Isaac Newton world, we can explore the more recent 1893 Bible Map of the World, “Square and Stationary Earth” by Professor Orlando Ferguson.

“This knocks the Globe Theory clean out,” according to the flier. “Four hundred passages in the Bible condemn the Globe Theory, and none sustain it.”

There’s nothing as reassuring as certainty.

Turtles, all the way down

But I still have doubts. There is the problem that the stationary earth still seems to be unmoored and floating freely or perhaps resting on what we have yet to comprehend. To answer this, my investigation has shown that the world may be resting on a turtle’s back, and that turtle rests upon the one under it, and so on all the way down. But even turtles, all the way down are not shown in this depiction. The world still seems unmoored. I’ll update this as soon as I can get to the bottom of it.