SUMMUM
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Part of a series on |
| God |
|
General approaches |
|
Various issues |
|
Specific conceptions |
|
General practices |
SUMMUM is the name given to the totality of existence by the Summum philosophy and represents the source from which all things emanate. Whether things be seen or unseen, objective or subjective, tangible or intangible, finite or infinite, inside or outside of space-time, SUMMUM is the essence that underlies them all and is considered to be an infinite, living mind limited by nothing and encompassing everything.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Meaning of the term
The word "summum" is Latin meaning "highest" or "greatest," [2] and in the context of the Summum philosophy it means "the sum total of all creation." [3] The Summum philosophy appears to distinguish between the names "Summum" and "SUMMUM" to the extent that the former represents a philosophy and an organization with members that espouse the philosophy, while the latter is a name that represents the infinite source of existence far above the highest flights of human comprehension and imagination.[1]
[edit] Related titles
According to the philosophy, SUMMUM has been given many names by the numerous philosophies and religions that have existed throughout history. Terms such as "God," "Tao," "Nirvana," and "Cosmic Consciousness" are but a few of the many titles and descriptions people have assigned to it. SUMMUM is the basis for countless deities.[1] The Kybalion, a book purporting to be a study of the Hermetic philosophy of ancient Egypt and Greece calls SUMMUM "The All," and although The Kybalion provides a very in-depth treatise on The All, it offers no explanation as to the source of The All's existence other than to state The All has always been.[4] The Summum philosophy goes further by explaining how SUMMUM or The All came about, and includes additional details about the nature of SUMMUM.
[edit] Creatio ex nihilo et posse
The Summum philosophy explains that before there was anything, there was Nothing, and if there was Nothing, then it must be possible for Nothing to be. If it is possible for Nothing to be, then it must be possible for Everything to be. This would have to be so, for at this point, no thing (i.e. force or condition) exists that could limit the possibilities. If all possibility exists, then it must include the possibility of Nothing, or else it would not be ALL possibility.
Summum refers to Nothing and All Possibility as the "Grand Opposites." Automatically and simultaneously, with no beginning and no end, do these Grand Opposites establish each other and, consequently, have an automatic relationship or bond with each other. The bond is such that the Grand Opposites join and break apart in an inconceivably rapid manner as they oscillate between Nothing and All Possibility. The breaking and bonding occurs infinite times within a finite moment, a kind of "cosmic copulation." This produces an infinite vibration whose result is an Infinite Living Mind, an essence which is the basis for the term "spirit," and that is SUMMUM. Thus, SUMMUM is an eternal moment of infinite vibration whose nature is the union of nothing and all possibility, and whose nature is to express the possibilities which subsequently leads to the creation of infinite universes, all held within its infinite mind.[1] In summary, existence comes from creation out of nothing and possibility (creatio ex nihilo et posse).
[edit] Correlation with science
Summum contends that this concept corresponds with scientific investigations into the origins of the universe.[1][5] Scientists have been examining the idea that there was nothing prior to the birth of the universe, and that somehow the universe came out of nothing.[6] In light of the Summum philosophy, the universe was not born out of nothing, but out of nothing and possibility. In addition, scientists state that at the moment of the birth of the universe, a singularity exhibiting infinite heat and density existed.[6] Science through observation has discovered that behind observable phenomena, there appears to be a corresponding vibration (String theory holds that everything in the universe is composed of tiny, fundamental strings that vibrate).[7] Hence, that moment of infinite temperature and density can be looked upon as a result of the extreme vibration produced by the infinite interaction between Nothing and All Possibility.[5]
[edit] See also
- The Absolute
- Absolute Infinite
- The All
- Big Bang
- Chaos
- Conceptions of God
- Cosmos
- Existence of God
- God
- Names of God
- Oneness (concept)
- Summum
- Supreme Being
- Universe
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e Ra, Summum Bonum Amen [1975] (2004). SUMMUM: Sealed Except to the Open Mind (HTML), Salt Lake City: Summum. Retrieved on May 26, 2006.
- ^ Mirza, Sumair; Jason Tsang (1999-2006). Latin Wordstock - Vocabulary 'S'. Classics Unveiled. Retrieved on May 22, 2006.
- ^ About Summum. Summum. Retrieved on May 26, 2006.
- ^ Three Initiates [1912] (1940). The Kybalion (HTML), Chicago: The Yogi Publication Society. Retrieved on May 10, 2006.
- ^ a b The Dilemma Facing Science. Summum. Retrieved on November 25, 2006.
- ^ a b Big Bang Theory. AllAboutScience.org (2002-2006). Retrieved on May 22, 2006.
- ^ * Groleau, Rick (June 2003). The Elegant Universe: Resonance in Strings. NOVA / PBS. Retrieved on May 23, 2006.
[edit] References
- About Summum. Summum. Retrieved on May 26, 2006.
- Big Bang Theory. AllAboutScience.org (2002-2006). Retrieved on May 22, 2006.
- Groleau, Rick (June 2003). The Elegant Universe: Resonance in Strings. NOVA / PBS. Retrieved on May 23, 2006.
- Mirza, Sumair; Jason Tsang (1999-2006). Latin Wordstock - Vocabulary 'S'. Classics Unveiled. Retrieved on May 22, 2006.
- Ra, Summum Bonum Amen [1975] (2004). SUMMUM: Sealed Except to the Open Mind (HTML), Salt Lake City: Summum. Retrieved on May 10, 2006.
- Three Initiates [1912] (1940). The Kybalion (HTML), Chicago: The Yogi Publication Society. Retrieved on May 10, 2006.
[edit] External links
- http://www.summum.us The organization and philosophy of Summum
