![Summum Pyramid SE 20030406](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Summum_Pyramid_SE_20030406.jpg)
Summum is a religion and
philosophy that began in 1975 as a result of American citizen
Claude "Corky" Nowell's claimed encounter with beings he described as "Summa Individuals". According to Nowell, these beings presented him with concepts regarding the nature of creation, concepts that have always existed and are continually re-introduced to humankind by advanced beings who work along the pathways of creation. As a result of his experience, Nowell founded Summum in order to share the "gift" he received with others.
In 1980, as a reflection of his newfound path, he changed his name to
Summum Bonum Amon Ra,
but news stories indicate he went by Corky Ra.
[
]
Summum religious practices draw upon both
Ancient Egyptian religion and the Hebrew prophet
Moses.
Basis of the philosophy
![Summum nothing and possibility](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Summum_nothing_and_possibility.jpg)
Summum's philosophy stems from what it considers to be principles of nature that cannot be attributed to any person.
[
]
These principles flower in different forms and were outlined before in the writings of ''
The Kybalion'' first published in 1908.
But Summum, considering ''The Kybalion'' incomplete and antiquated, rewrote the book after it entered the
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...
.
The new
derivative work utilized a more modern language and incorporated the new information said to have been presented by Ra to the Summa Individuals. Included in that information is an explanation and description of how creation came about. The rewrite resulted in a book published by Summum entitled ''SUMMUM: Sealed Except to the Open Mind'', and it provides an outline of the group's philosophy. The basis of the philosophy is the "Grand Principle of Creation" that states, "
Nothing
Nothing, the complete absence of anything, has been a matter of philosophical debate since at least the 5th century BC. Early Greek philosophers argued that it was impossible for ''nothing'' to exist. The atomists allowed ''nothing'' but only i ...
and
Possibility
Possibility is the condition or fact of being possible. Latin origins of the word hint at ability.
Possibility may refer to:
* Probability, the measure of the likelihood that an event will occur
* Epistemic possibility, a topic in philosophy ...
come in and out of bond infinite times in a finite moment". The principle of creation generates the totality of existence which the Summum philosophy refers to as "SUMMUM", and from this master principle emanate "Seven Summum Principles" known as Psychokinesis, Correspondence, Vibration, Opposition, Rhythm, Cause and Effect, and Gender.
Summum states that its teachings are the same as the teachings of Gnostic Christianity and maintains that knowledge does not come from things such as the intellect or obedience or faith, but from revelatory experience.
[
]
Summum teaches the "Systematic Law of Learning" which explains that knowledge is attained through questioning and experience.
According to Summum, devotion and spiritual practice leads to revelatory experience, and that was the basis of the authentic teachings of Jesus.
Etymology and philosophical meaning
The word "summum" is Latin and is the neuter form of "summus" which means "highest".
In the context of the Summum philosophy, "summum" means "the sum total of all creation".
[
]
Summum appears to distinguish between "Summum" and "SUMMUM" in that "Summum" is the name of an organization and philosophy while "SUMMUM" is a name given to the totality of existence.
Meditation
Practice of the religion involves
meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...
upon the aspect of creation that is within one's self. Summum believes that within all created things is an
essence
Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...
which is the spirit of the creator, and that the more one directs his or her attention to this indwelling spirit, the more one realizes its existence and moves along the lines of
spiritual progression, developing "spiritual Psychokinesis".
It appears that there is no recognized
deity per se in the philosophy, but rather that people are all part of the mind of the
universe
The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the universe. ...
and that the universe collectively constitutes something great and worthy of study and meditation.
According to Summum, our mental states dictate our sense of harmony and disharmony, and the resulting experiences become part of our memories that then hold us captive.
Nectar Publications
Summum produces "Nectar Publications", which are wines used in the meditation practices that Summum teaches. The nectars are made inside the Summum Pyramid, and according to Summum are imbued with resonations that contain spiritual concepts. Summum has made a number of different types of nectars, each containing its own "message". A small amount of nectar is consumed prior to meditation, and the alcohol is said to carry the resonations across the
blood–brain barrier where they are released in the brain.
Perception
Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...
of the nectars' effects is said to depend upon the
awareness
Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some infor ...
of the person using them.
[
]
Governmental authorities consider the nectars to be
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
and required that Summum obtain a winery license in order to make them. Summum is Utah's first federally bonded winery.
Mummification
![Cat Mummification by Summum](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Cat_Mummification_by_Summum.jpg)
Summum practices "Modern
Mummification
A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay furt ...
" and "Transference" as a means to guide one's essence to a greater destination following the death of the body.
Summum is a
501(c)(3) non-profit
corporation sole
A corporation sole is a legal entity consisting of a single ("sole") incorporated office, occupied by a single ("sole") natural person. that was granted a religious exemption from the
IRS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...
for its mummification service.
The service is available to anyone for spiritual reasons and is also offered for pets. Summum does request and accept donations.
The process has been featured in programs produced by ''
National Geographic'' and the
British Broadcasting Corporation #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
.
The first person to undergo the mummification process was Nowell himself, who died in January 2008. His body is encased inside a bronze
mummiform casket
A casket jewelry box is a container that is usually smaller than a chest, and in the past were typically decorated. Whereas cremation jewelry is a small container, usually in the shape of a pendant or bracelet, to hold a small amount of ashes.
...
that is covered in gold and stands inside the group's
pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
.
[
][
]
Participants
According to its founder, over 250,000 people worldwide have "received" Summum instruction. As the organization does not keep formal membership records, this figure is based on the number of bottles of wine it has distributed.
[
]
Ten Commandments
Summum contends that the principles and nature of creation are continuously re-introduced to humankind by evolved beings.
The group holds that in one such case,
Moses in the Old Testament was given both a "lower" and "higher" knowledge from a divine being. The lower knowledge was embodied in the more widely known
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
, while the higher was expressed in what Summum refers to as the "Seven Aphorisms".
According to Summum, when Moses first descended from Mount Sinai, he had with him the higher law inscribed on stone tablets. However, the undeveloped condition of the Israelites prevented them from understanding. Moses returned to Mount Sinai and returned with another set of tablets containing the lower law that was much easier for the people to comprehend. The higher law was only shared with a few capable of understanding its meaning.
This appears to coincide with one of Summum's precepts that states, "The voice of wisdom is silent, except to the OPEN MIND",
and in this aspect, Summum resembles an
esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas ...
religious movement.
According to the group, the "Seven Aphorisms" are:
# SUMMUM is MIND, thought; the universe is a mental creation.
#
As above, so below
"As above, so below" is a popular modern paraphrase of the second verse of the '' Emerald Tablet'' (a compact and cryptic Hermetic text first attested in a late eighth or early ninth century Arabic source), as it appears in its most widely divul ...
; as below, so above.
# Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.
# Everything is dual; everything has an opposing point; everything has its pair of opposites; like and unlike are the same; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes bond; all truths are but partial truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.
# Everything flows out and in; everything has its season; all things rise and fall; the pendulum swing expresses itself in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.
# Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is just a name for Law not recognized; there are many fields of causation, but nothing escapes the Law of Destiny.
# Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; Gender manifests on all levels.
Freedom of speech
Summum followers have gained attention as of late in that they have proposed that their Seven Aphorisms be placed in public places alongside the
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
, specifically in several locations in
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
.
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
and town fathers have objected, claiming that the Ten Commandments are of great historic significance to the United States, and as such are not solely a religious statement, whereas the seven aphorisms are a modern philosophy. Summum has prevailed in other litigation where the
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals
The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (in case citations, 10th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
* District of Colorado
* District of Kansas
* Distric ...
ruled that Summum was denied its right to free speech and governments had engaged in discrimination.
[
Summum v. City of Ogden. Case No. 01-4022. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. July 19, 2002. Kansas Judicial Center. May 25, 2006. <>.]
The governments in those cases elected to remove their Ten Commandments monument rather than allow Summum to erect its Seven Aphorisms monument.
However,
Pleasant Grove, Utah
Pleasant Grove, originally named Battle Creek, is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States known as "Utah's City of Trees". It is part of the Provo– Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 37,726 at the 2020 Census.
Hist ...
, was successful in getting the
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
to hear their case. Their argument is that the acceptance of a monument is not an instance of a public forum where speakers may not be discriminated against, but rather a form of government speech that does not require neutral viewpoints.
[
]
On February 25, 2009, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously against Summum in the ''Pleasant Grove'' case. Justice
Samuel Alito, in his opinion for the court, asserted that a municipality's acceptance and acquisition of a privately funded permanent monument erected in a public park while refusing to accept other privately funded permanent memorials is a valid expression of governmental speech, which is permissible and not an unconstitutional interference with the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech. According to Alito, "the display of a permanent monument in a public park" is perceived by an ordinary and reasonable observer to be an expression of values and ideas of the government, the owner of the park and the monument, even though the particular idea expressed by the monument is left to the interpretation of the individual observer. Alito made a clear distinction between forms of private speech in public parks, such as rallies and temporary holiday displays (Christmas trees and menorahs), and the government speech represented by permanent monuments. He opined that even long-winded speakers eventually go home with their leaflets and holiday displays are taken down; but permanent monuments endure and are obviously associated with their owners. Alito wrote, "cities and other jurisdictions take some care in accepting donated monuments." While Summum and its supporters attempted to persuade the Court that preventing governments from selecting monuments on the basis of content would be tenable, Justice Alito noted that such a situation would put government in the position of having to choose between accepting permanent monuments with conflicting messages that do not represent the values and ideals of the community, and removing all monuments from public space. As described by Alito, if the law accorded with Summum and its supporters, New York would have been required to accept a Statue of Autocracy from the German Empire or Imperial Russia when it accepted the Statue of Liberty from France.
[
]
In a companion case, Summum requested a monument of its Seven Aphorisms be placed next to a Ten Commandments monument in Roy Park, a public park in the city of
Duchesne, Utah
Duchesne ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Duchesne County, Utah, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2020 census.
Geography
Duchesne is located just west of the junction of the Strawberry and Duchesne rivers in the Uintah ...
. Following the Supreme Court's ruling in ''Pleasant Grove v. Summum'', Summum claimed the ruling opened the door for a new challenge based on church-state separation claims. Unlike Pleasant Grove, the Duchesne Ten Commandments monument was the only one in the park. Duchesne decided to move the monument to the city cemetery to avoid continuing litigation, citing counsel from their attorney who said the solitary monument would establish a religion for the city. As a result of the monument's removal from the city park, Summum's lawsuit became
moot
Moot may refer to:
* Mootness, in American law: a point where further proceedings have lost practical significance; whereas in British law: the issue remains debatable
* Moot court, an activity in many law schools where participants take part in s ...
and was dismissed.
[
][
]
Summum Pyramid
The Summum Pyramid is a sanctuary and temple used by the organization of Summum for instruction in the Summum philosophy. It is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was built during 1977 to 1979. The
pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
is 40 feet long at the base, 26 feet high, and is oriented towards
true north
True north (also called geodetic north or geographic north) is the direction along Earth's surface towards the geographic North Pole or True North Pole.
Geodetic north differs from ''magnetic'' north (the direction a compass points toward t ...
of the
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
. The structure also incorporates the
Divine Proportion, or Golden Ratio, in its design.
References
{{Reflist, colwidth=30em
External links
The organization and philosophy of Summum Atlas Obscura article on the Summum Pyramid
New religious movements
New Age
Religious organizations established in 1975
Organizations based in Salt Lake City
Religious belief systems founded in the United States