Response to a forum with the above question:

The universe as having been started or a posited end, I tend to disagree with. The quantum loop gravity theory, statistically and mathematically indicates a red shift, not necessarily from the idea of universal expansion. We from our own point of view with that and gravitational lensing, the universe is likely more shaped like a klein bottle, and from each vector and observer POV at least from a solar system observation the klein bottle depends on the space and the observer.
That said its beginning requires more information. The source of creation can be itself. zero can be the sum of all functions.
How humans are created. Homo sapiens and those that make a fair representation of the species, very few in my estimation have achieved the status of human.
Leigh’s book on the Bicameral brain makes a good point that consciousness itself and the likely the illusion of it, is quite possible.
As a species just like any other its purpose is to live. Its failure is extinction. Many other species have done the same.
As humans, where as a homo sapiens species we have the capacity to be self aware is to develop that awareness. That awareness depends on the ability to reflect. The spiritual expressions is the ability to reflect from other points of view.

It astonishes me that the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy which has that as part of the underlying arc, I have yet to meet a reader to see this understood by any other.
Deep Thought’s answer to life universe and everything is 42.
The answer to what is the ultimate question to life universe and everything, it suggests creating a bigger computer than it. Earth. Okay much hijinks and humor ensues. In the end Arthur Dent by accident of time in our primitive world from a scrabble board, pulls out the answer what is 6 x 9. Which is 54. Casually Ford Prefect says it is 42 in base 13. I get crickets. All This from a computer that has created a Point Of View Ray gun weapons in its basement. A Point of View. That computer is one hell of a guru.
The point of this is lost even after I explain it to them.
Is this the purpose of the universe? No.
It is the purpose of human existence and its reflection and apprehension of all that the universe can be.
The concept of the heat death of the universe and its entropy, may be the reflection of the universe in every facet of its existence gets mirrored by multiple apprehensions of it.

The bandying about of the existence of God and its meaning…. Is it the omnipotent creator of the universe? no. It is only its collection of observations and apprehension of its comprehension of the limited universe as world, and those that apprehend it with its own set of egos. The process is the same just on a limited scope. Albeit way beyond most people’s understanding.

As to the unseen, if gods and all the paranormal beings that are ubiquitously observed in every culture and have patterns similar in apprehension, are either a statement of, how as a species, this reflection of self into the world is the same,or there is something there. If it is a reflection and other see it, the likely hood of its existence is fairly high.

Ok where is the scientific plausibility of that? I have in my writings studies showing the body uses collagen fibers as a liquid crystal. It moves hydrogen ions from one water molecule to another. That is likely to generate changes in organs and the body generates telemetry of metabolic changes through the autonomic nervous systems. This creates feelings. Feelings are the underlying component of where we can access memory and our programming (numerous articles and talks from Dr Chandran neurophysiologist). Our Egos are very much keen on having known feelings or metabolic baselines to maintain our normal thought processing. When sick or addicted and we have a changed metabolism our ego fights back to reach homeostasis. (Studies on state dependent behavior, also)
Every magical or spiritual process I know of is designed to step out of Egos control and observe outside of those parameters. And to hijack egos control so that we can develop more control of the body. The movement of protons can not be measured by voltmeters. The movement of mass and charge would generate electro-weak forces between electromagnetic forces and weak nuclear forces. As described by Dr. Feynman decades ago. There are 4 effects observed; one allows insects and geckos to walk on ceilings. Electro weak forces are poorly understood and vastly under studied.
Were that not all. Water stacked in fibers where orientation of the legs of hydrogen molecules and the length of legs can predict EMF frequencies that can be emitted and absorbed. (Lamilar stacked water) There it is how the body can observe the unseen. This can explain why it takes so long for the mind to develop sensible mechanisms to interpret it and why traditions exist to assist in this process. And like any other human endeavor, the inability of understanding that without those experiences is impossible, like childbirth, serving the military or other initiations.

Whether Gods or any other beings exist, they too would be in the same boat to make sense of their experiences.

So here we are, doing exactly that.

Purpose:

If you are able to be a self reflecting, self examining, real authentic human being, exercising your being beyond the inexorable wheel of time and cause and effect, then you have the ability to generate the will to do something other than what has happened randomly setting the stage for your existence to just be. You can choose your own purpose, large or small. Then you become god or participate in a process of God, which is its own wheel of time of cause and effect. And outward this expansion reflects back into the universe.

I have observed paranormal and supernatural happenings. Observation really depends on the observer or the collective mind of observers. A few events in my life others saw the exact same thing I did. I in my understanding choose to live at least in spirit or in the next life time. I am working to have some control of that. And that wholly depends on having an honest relationship with the universe and other beings that are damn near immortal.

In words, simply, to be conscious reflections of the universe and have the universe do the same of us, with our own purpose or chosen collective purpose, or both.

In one expression: Do what thou wilt is the whole of the law. Love is the law. Love under will.

In my maxim based on my principles of immortality: Live absolutely honestly with absolutely everything, yourself, others, community, the world, the divine and, if not, the universe.

Together, I have infinite expectations of myself and the universe.

How will you live? How in life do you will?