The Universal Operating System: Making Sense of the Big Picture

by Kenneth James Michael MacLean

What is life? Who am I, and why am I here? How was the universe created? What is truth? Is life a crapshoot, or are there fundamental universal laws which apply to everyone? If so, what are they? And most important, how do I stay positive in a world that seems so negative? Is there a technology you can apply in life, to keep yourself up? So many times we go to inspirational speakers, or take a course or a seminar, only to come down after a few days. Personally, I could never figure out how to maintain that good feeling, and I have been searching for philosophies and techniques which could enable me to do so. This book is the result of that search. This book is about two answers to the big questions of life, and, more importantly, a practical philosophy that comes forth from these answers. I have found that the two are inseparable! Once you understand the big picture, you can see all of the little pictures a lot more clearly. Once you understand the simple, but powerful principles around which this universe is designed, you can find your way in life much easier, and much more joyfully. The inspiration for writing this book occurred when I was 4 years old, as my mother was dying from leukemia. At the funeral, I toddled up with my little sister to look at the body lying in the casket. I couldn't figure why mom didn't get up and give me a hug! My incessant questions to my father and the rest of the family produced no satisfactory answers for me. One thing I did understand. Looking at the body before and after her death, I had the realization that the body was not who a person really was. Even at the tender age of 4, I recognized that there must be an energy which occupied the body, then, at death, left it. When that animating principle departed, only a physical husk remained. I have never forgotten that experience, and have been conducting my own personal investigation into the Big Picture (and the little ones as well) ever since. In Part One we will investigate the Big Picture. We will start at the very beginning and try to understand how the universe was created, what life is, and why it is here on planet earth! Some might think this is either very boring, utterly useless, or too esoteric to have any practical meaning. I don't blame anyone who thinks like this, for I have taken philosophy courses and read philosophy books and I found them mostly incomprehensible, intellectual, and terribly uninteresting as well. I have tried to write this book in an understandable style, and have included diagrams to explain the ideas under discussion. So I hope that our discussion of the Big Picture will be not only informative, but fun! And it will lay the groundwork for a practical philosophy which can be applied in everyday life. That's really the reason I wrote the to try to give the reader a technology he or she can use after the seminar or inspirational lecture is over. In Part Two, called Practical Metaphysics, we will discuss the operating principles of the universe. A universe must have a set of guiding rules, otherwise it would be entirely random. I call these universal laws the Universal Operating System, and an understanding of them can make life so much easier and enjoyable! These principles are not so esoteric that they cannot be understood by anyone; in fact, they are simple but enormously powerful. Every one of us comprehends them instinctively. The purpose of this book is just to remind you of what you already know. I believe that a universal principle is worthless if it is too complex or too deep to be used by the average person in his or her daily life. Therefore, I hope that this book will actually be useful. Esoteric, speculative, fun, yes, but also containing practical information. In Part Three we will discuss the subject of geometry from a metaphysical perspective. Geometry is the first discipline in any universe, for it involves the spatial relationships of all Form within a universe. Many of you will probably want to skip this last chapter, but I have included it to make the ideas in Chapter One a little more concrete. The whole idea of this book is to simply remind you of the powerful creative being that you already are. The idea is to remind you that it is not necessary to have a guru, or a mentor, or anyone or anything outside of yourself, to tell you the truth about yourself. You know better than anyone in the universe who you are, and you are your own best guide and guidance counselor. Every being on earth has an infallible internal guidance system which is pointing the way toward greater and greater well being! This is a book of speculative thought. I don't intend for this book to be a statement of 'Truth' with a capital T. I want to make it clear that what is written here is my own version of truth. My purpose in writing the book was to have fun, and present concepts that might stimulate new ideas from those who read it. And, I must admit, to rock the boat a little. To get people to question their bedrock beliefs, in a positive way. To jar people into becoming more mindful, more aware of the vast, unused potential which lies within every single person on this planet. I hope this journey will be as fun for you to experience as it was for me!

375 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2003

About the author

Ken is a spiritual author who has written 8 books, produced 3 movies and written over 70 articles in the spirit/mind/body framework. He has also written a math/geometry textbook.

Ken's books and articles are content rich and are known for their accessibility to all audiences.


Meet Ken

Ken MacLean was born in 1951, during the height of the Cold War. When he was three years old, his mother, Lorraine, died of leukemia at the age of 29. That event was to have an important influence on his life.

When the little boy toddled up to see his mom laid out in the coffin, he didn’t understand at first. Why didn’t she get up and give him a hug? But then, looking at the body, he suddenly understood that the true essence of her was still alive, but no longer inhabiting the body.

How can you know something like that at the age of three?

I don’t know, but you can! Ken has an unshakable and complete certainty that he, and every other life form in the universe, is spiritual and immortal. This is something you get, or not. The most inspiring and uplifting speakers and authors are those who remind you of your magnificent, inherently divine nature.

Ken has a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Computer Science. In college he studied physics, politics, computers, and math. Although Ken is a spiritual author, he has always been interested in science, math, politics and geometry, and his writings reflect these interests. Ken has written a geometry/math textbook analyzing some of the more important 3 dimensional solids. Ken says: “I believe that spirituality and rational thought are not mutually exclusive!” Ken believes that spiritual concepts are most valuable when they can be applied in everyday life. As one of Ken’s readers remarked, “your material unites spirituality, science, and common sense.”

“Fundamental universal principles make sense to everyone because they resonate to our common spiritual heritage,” says Ken.

Ken is a healer and has been trained in Reiki and Urevia, which are vibrational healing modalities that draw forth from the ethers, the subtle energy of Spirit. “The unity of spirit and matter is the fundamental truth of our universe,” Ken says. “These subjects are not incompatible with science or rational thought, despite those who choose to think otherwise.”

For 25 years Ken worked as a painting and decorating contractor. In this work, he met people from all walks of life, and became comfortable speaking and relating to people of all classes, beliefs, occupations, and religions. “I can now see life from almost any perspective,” says Ken. “It’s a good feeling to know that all human beings have something to offer.”

In the late 1990’s Ken began to write down the wisdom accumulated from 50 years of living. By 2007, he had written 8 books, over 70 essays, and had produced three educational Flash movies on spiritual subjects. Inspired by Lee Carroll, Esther Hicks and Jane Robert, Ken began to channel his own spirit guides. “Anyone cam channel,” Ken says. “It’s not a big mystery! Inspiration comes from spirit and the shared consciousness of all life forms.”

In January 2005, Ken became very ill. He experienced depression, chronic fatigue and other physiological and psychological symptoms. A year later, Ken discovered that he had developed mercury poisoning. 47 years with a mouth full of dental amalgam slowly leaking into the brain and adrenals, finally took its toll. Ken had been a runner for 25 years and, before his illness at the age of 53, was in fantastic physical condition. “At first I was bitter and couldn’t deal with it.” Ken says. “ I was also depressed and felt like I was going crazy. Then, after almost a year, I finally discovered the problem.” In Feb 2006 Ken had oral surgery in Montreal to remove the mercury from his mouth. It took another year of suffering before he discovered a protocol for safely removing the metal from