The
Template Foundation is a philosophical organization that stems from the work of Raymond Armin, known to members as Leo.
There are groups in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, The Netherlands, Sweden, the USA and Wales.
Historical background
What was once called the
Emin Society or the
Emin Foundation is now an international network of independent groups collectively known as
The Template Network. As of 2009 there are some 1700 people regularly engaged within these groups. Activities are diverse with interests including personal development, spiritual development, personal religion, psychology, meditation, music, dance, ecology, healing, sustainable development, evolution and well-being.
Philosophical content
The Template Foundation represents an experimental spiritual philosophy. Its first premise is that creation is continuously evolving and that human life is part of that evolution. The second premise is that human life is an opportunity to consciously find one's own purpose within that evolution. Each individual is responsible for his or her own development and destiny. The
Emin web site gives a basic introduction to the philosophy behind the Template Foundation.
Propositions
The philosophy contains work on many areas of life and contains a number of propositions that include:
- That the universe is governed by identifiable laws and is constantly evolving
- That through development a person might offer a return to Creation.
- The human is not alone or arbitrary; rather, is part of Creation and designed to integrate with that Creation.
- The very fact of being alive and conscious offers the possibility of intellectual and spiritual development, which is for any individual to take up, should they so wish.
- Each life is ultimately responsible for the conduct of its own existence.
- An important aim of personal development is to come into living-harmony with the natural laws, and thereby become an active facilitator of the forces that drive the evolution of the universe.
- Human knowledge derives in the first instance from the natural laws, and has aggregated throughout history. The continuing aggregation provides the basis for further development of the human faculty and possibility.
The natural laws
Emin groundwork seeks to discover whether the Universe and what goes on in it, happens through the government and manifestation of
Natural lawNatural law or the law of nature is a theory that posits the existence of a law whose content is set by nature and that therefore has validity everywhere. The phrase natural law is opposed to the positive law of a given political community, society, or nation-state, and thus can function as a...
s or not. A law is deemed to be a regularity in natural occurrence from which a pattern or principle of understanding can be derived and should be observable, verifiable and capable to some extent, of predicting future occurrence. This includes the physical laws, from which we endeavor to understand subjects ranging from the physicality of matter, for example,
Pauli exclusion principleThe Pauli exclusion principle is a quantum mechanical principle formulated by Wolfgang Pauli in 1925. It states that no two identical fermions may occupy the same quantum state simultaneously. A more rigorous statement of this principle is that, for two identical fermions, the total wave function...
to the nuances of the human psyche. And that this investigation is undertaken to improve self understanding and capability.
Human
anatomyAnatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy...
and
physiologyPhysiology is the science of the functioning of living systems. It is a subcategory of biology...
can be seen in
dialectThe term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by scholars of language. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other...
ical terms and the systems (skeletal system, muscular system, etc.) investigated as possible examples of laws.
Sentiment
The idea of
sentimentSentiment can refer to:*Feelings and emotions*Sentimentality, the literary device which is used to induce an emotional response disproportionate to the situation, and thus to substitute heightened and generally unthinking feeling for normal ethical and intellectual judgment*Sentimental novel, an...
runs through much, if not all, of the Emin philosophy. The premise being that a person's sentiment toward anything, including his- or herself, will largely determine what type of relationship, dealing, or interaction s/he may have with that thing. As an example, if a person has a positive sentiment toward the planet, then s/he will respect it and appreciate its processes and will want to help in issues that might affect its wellbeing. Likewise, a person's sentiment toward their partner will influence the nature of their relationship. This can be extended and applied to any matter and is viewed as fundamental to a person's spiritual journey, especially where integration is concerned.
The archives
There exists a large body of work referred to as the Emin archives. They include writings on psychology and personal development, theology, cosmology, history, meditation, and various practical personal development and perception exercises. Most, but not all, of these writings were written by Raymond Armin.
Comparison to other philosophies
Because freedom of choice for each individual is of the highest importance, it is difficult to talk of a singular 'philosophy'. But for those wishing to seek comparison, certain elements of the Template 'philosophy' can be found in
BuddhismBuddhism, as traditionally conceived, is a path of salvation attained through insight into the ultimate nature of reality. It encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha...
,
TaoismDaoism refers to a variety of related philosophical and religious traditions and concepts that have influenced East Asia for over two millennia and the West for over two centuries. The word 道, Tao , means "path" or "way", although in Chinese folk religion and philosophy it has taken on more...
,
Shintoor kami-no-michi is the natural spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. The word Shinto was adopted from the written Chinese , combining two kanji: , meaning gods or spirits ; and , or "do" meaning a philosophical path or study...
,
AnthroposophyAnthroposophy, a spiritual philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, postulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development—more specifically through cultivating conscientiously a form of...
, and other
easternEastern philosophy includes the various philosophies of Asia, including Indian philosophy, Chinese philosophy, Iranian philosophy, Japanese philosophy, and Korean philosophy...
and
western philosophyWestern philosophy is the philosophical thought and work of the Western or Occidental world, as distinct from Eastern or Oriental philosophies and the varieties of indigenous philosophies....
and
theologyThe term "theology" literally means the study of God, deriving from the Greek word theos, meaning 'God', and the suffix -ology from the Greek word logos meaning "discourse", "theory", or "reasoning"...
. The early writings of Raymond Armin contain some ideas and concepts known from the works of
G. I. GurdjieffGeorge Ivanovich Gurdjieff ; January 13, 1866? – October 29, 1949), was a Greek-Armenian mystic and spiritual teacher. He called his discipline "The Work" , or as he first referred to it, the Fourth Way.At one point he described his teaching as "esoteric Christianity".At...
, such as The
Ray of CreationThe Ray of Creation is an esoteric cosmology which was taught by G. I. Gurdjieff. It is a diagram which better represents the place which Earth occupies in the Universe...
, the Five Centres and Laws.
Personal development
It is deemed that the human continues to spiritually evolve. The levels of human existence stretch from the physical to mental, emotional and higher and a person can develop to higher levels of consciousness by changes in their behaviour and through repetitive practice.
Every person can become self-determined in how they will form themselves up and if a person wishes to develop, they must expect to work consistently to succeed.
What is meant by personal development? The aim in this is not to necessarily find a conclusive answer but more to extend the mind into the possibilities of personal development. The human is a complex system with millions of interacting, intricate parts. It is deeply integrated with its environment and is therefore not necessarily a simple thing to understand.
Personal development is unbiased in terms of race, gender or creed. All people can consider the question of personal development equally because we all inherit the same basic human framework from birth.
Practices
Exercises include mental and physical conditioning, reasoning, meditation, and contemplation. They are designed to regulate and develop the various functional levels of the human system. Many exercises are designed to promote understanding of oneself and of others; and then there are exercises of a more fun nature designed to release stress.
Another ingredient is seeking understanding in order to change the conduct of one's life to come into greater harmony with the higher, spiritual, self. There is, however, no ideal of asceticism or otherworldliness; spirituality is to be realised
through rather than
at the cost of ordinary, human life in the world.
Offshoots
There are several charities whose activities are inspired by the Emin philosophy, as well as independent organisations and companies offering courses on a commercial basis, that draw on Emin concepts and practices. These include Blue Rose Wellness, an Emin/Template center of spiritual healing, located in
BrierBrier is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is bordered by Mountlake Terrace to the west, Lynnwood to the north, Bothell to the east, and the King County line to the south...
,
Washington stateWashington State may refer to:* The state of Washington* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state....
, USA and the Ruby Care Foundation, an Emin/Template charity group concerned with grief and loss management.
Emin and Template publications
Various books have been published in limited editions. They include:
Books inspired by the Template
- The Seven Steps of Spiritual Intelligence by Richard A. Bowell, Boston, Nicholas Brealey Publishing 2004 ISBN 1-85788-344-6. The back of the title page reads: This book has been derived from and inspired by the philosophical writings and researches of Leo Armin under the title of the "Template".
Books by outside observers
- The New Believers: Sects, Cults and Alternative Religions by David V. Barrett
David V. Barrett is a British author who has written on religious and esoteric topics. He is also a regular contributor to The Independent, Fortean Times, and the Catholic Herald...
, (Cassell Illustrated, a division of the Octopus Publishing Group) 2003 ISBN 1-84403-040-7. 544 Pages. Barrett addresses issues such as why and how people join alternative religions.
- Spying in Guruland: Inside Britain’s Cults by William Shaw
William Shaw works as a journalist and writer in the U.S. and in the UK. One of his most noticeable works is the 1999 book called Westsiders. He worked on Details magazine and remains a contributing editor there...
, (Fourth Estate, London, England) (distributed by Trafalgar Square, N. Pomfret, VT 05053), 1994 ISBN 1-85702-329-3. Shaw, a freelance journalist working under cover, attended various religious groups, and recounts his experiences. Chapter two, "Leo and the Maze" describes a series of introductory meetings in an Emin group in London, and discusses some of the controversies that surrounded the Emin during the early 1980s.
- Despair and Deliverance – private salvation in contemporary Israel by Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi
Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi is a professor of psychology at the University of Haifa, Israel. In 1970 Beit-Hallahmi received a PhD in clinical psychology from Michigan State University.-Views on use of "apostasy" as applied to cults/NRMs:...
, State University of New York 1992 ISBN 0-7914-1000-5. The book analyzes various religious groups in Israel from a psychological and sociological perspective, among them the Israeli branch of the Emin. The discussion of Emin beliefs and practices draws primarily on writings from the mid 1970s that are now somewhat dated.
External links