In the beginning

         Life, not as we know it, precipitated out of the primordial universe before matter condensed from the miasma of the big bang.  Complex systems of energetic self-awareness coalesced prior to protons. Intelligence began so early and is so integral to reality that in some respects, the cosmos is itself, alive; aware.
         The first beings were such that by merely existing within the infant universe, they influenced its formation and development. As a function of their own biology, they created other life: lives of pure energy, of matter, and even of gravity.
         Gods roamed the universe. They continue to even now.