Emin (esoteric movement)


The Emin or The Emin Society is a movement based on the work of Raymond Armin, known to members as "Leo". Originally, The Emin was named The Eminent Way or The Way. The movement arose in the 1970s. The Template Network is a movement which offers activities inspired by the Emin philosophy.

History

The movement started in London in 1973. It was first known as the Emin society and then Eminent Way, which was later abbreviated to "Emin". In 1977 an Israeli branch emerged, and a center was established in a Tel Aviv neighborhood in 1980. By 1978 there were also groups in the USA, Canada and Australia.
In Israel, Emin members established the village Ma'ale Tzviya in 1986. Over the years The Emin grew to have gatherings of people in many other countries including Ireland, France, Greece, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Brazil, and New Zealand.

Raymond Armin (Leo)

Raymond Armin was born in London under the name Schirtenlieb, and did most of his schooling in London, living around the St. Johns Wood area. He started his working life as an apprentice tool maker at Borehamwood near London England. Armin did time in the R.A.F. as a quartermaster. He married Violet Burton from Waterloo.
After the war Armin worked at various locations around the London areas, as manager of a furniture company based in Camden Town, London, and then as a market demonstrator. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, while still living in central London, he became father to four children, one of whom died soon after birth. He relocated in 1958 to Yorkshire to follow a new profession as a travelling salesman selling furniture polish, and then a few years later as an encyclopaedia salesman. In 1960 Armin moved to Nottingham, and moved back to London in 1965, where he worked as a civilian driver for the police and a guard for a security firm.
In 1971 Armin's son John met up with a group of people who were staying in London after travelling around the world 'looking for something'. John suggested they would be interested in meeting his dad. They formed into a group under the Armins' leadership, and all met regularly over the next two years, primarily at Leo's council flat in Hackney.
In 1972 the group began officially as 'The Emin Society' at which time Raymond Armin became known as 'Leo' and John as 'Orman' within the society. The society used many halls around the London areas, eventually occupying a small centre at Gospel Oak in London. Autumn of 1976 saw a relocation to a larger centre at Hotham Road, Putney, London..
At the end of the eighties Raymond Armin moved with his wife to America, eventually both becoming American citizens. From 1995 until his death Armin lived in a waterfront retreat at Jensen Beach Florida. Armin died in August 2002 from an aortic aneurysm. Violet Armin died in 2008 in her sleep.
The Emin was founded by members of the Armin family and a gathering of friends interested in Leo's work. Armin was born on 27 July 1924, and died in 2002.

Philosophy

The Archives

Armin has left numerous lectures, written and recorded on audio and video tape. These 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.

The Template

The Template is a philosophical concept, introduced by Armin in 1992. It describes the spiritual development of the non-physical body through a hierarchically structured system of 16 spheres. Every sphere, with a symbolic name like amethyst or ruby, represents a level of consciousness.

Offshoots

The Template Network

The Template Network is an affiliation of groups involved with the Emin philosophy. It is an international network of independent groups, with interests including education, art, ecology, well-being, science and spirituality. As of 2009 there were some 1700 people regularly engaged within these groups. There are groups in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and United States. In the UK some of the groups make use of buildings and facilities run by the Template Foundation. There are also several 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, United States, and the Ruby Care Foundation, an Emin/Template charity group concerned with grief and loss management.
One premise held by Template Network groups is that creation is continuously evolving and that human life is part of that evolution. Another 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.

Gemrod Foundation

In 1985, Emin established a centre in Leiden, Netherlands. In the 1990s it founded the Gemrod Foundation, which organized esoteric workshops, e.g. courses on clairvoyance and aura reading.

Books

Emin and Template publications

Various books have been published in limited editions. They include: