The Template Foundation, once known as the Emin Society or the Emin Foundation, is a belief system 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.
The Template Network is an international network of independent groups, with interests including personal development, spiritual development, personal religion, psychology, meditation, music, dance, ecology, healing, sustainable development, evolution and well-being. As of 2009 there are some 1700 people regularly engaged within these groups.
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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.
The philosophy contains work on many areas of life and contains a number of propositions that include:
Emin groundwork seeks to discover whether the Universe and what goes on in it, happens through the government and manifestation of Natural laws 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 principle to the nuances of the human psyche. And that this investigation is undertaken to improve self understanding and capability.
Human anatomy and physiology can be seen in dialectical terms and the systems (skeletal system, muscular system, etc.) investigated as possible examples of laws.
The idea of sentiment 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 well-being. 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.
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.
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 Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto, Anthroposophy, and other eastern and western philosophy and theology. The early writings of Raymond Armin contain some ideas and concepts known from the works of G. I. Gurdjieff, such as The Ray of Creation, the Five Centres and Laws.
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.
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.
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 Brier, Washington state, USA and the Ruby Care Foundation, an Emin/Template charity group concerned with grief and loss management.
Various books have been published in limited editions. They include: