The Whole Cosmos The overall fractal structure of the fractal cosmos can be graphically illustrated by an exploded view of its universes. The order of any universe is determined by its relative position in the family tree with respect to a degenerate universe. The highest order of universe is the cosmos itself. It was the first to form in a consecutive series. It is the earliest universe because it is it existed prior to all other universes. The particles of the highest order universe are the simple substance of the entire cosmic manifold. All lower-ranked universes are simply arrangements or patterns of these underlying particles. In other words, all universes are contiguous with the basic particles of the whole cosmos.