Traditionally, the word "Metaphysics" comes to us
from Ancient Greece, where it was a combination of two words-Meta, meaning over
and beyond and physics. Thus, the combination means over and beyond physics. In
the definition found in most dictionaries,
Metaphysics is referred to as a
branch of Philosophy that deals with First Cause and the Nature of Being. It is
taught as a branch of Philosophy in most academic universities today under the
label of "Speculative Philosophy."
In today’s world, however, the word "Metaphysics"
has become a description of many fields of interest. When one expresses an
interest in
Metaphysics, that interest may be in any one or a combination of the
following subjects:
Philosophy,
Religion, Parapsychology,
Mysticism, Yoga, ESP,
Dreams, Jungian Psychology, Astrology,
Meditation,
Self-Help Studies,
Positive
Thinking, Life After Death, Reincarnation, etc.
The common denominator of these and all similar subjects, of
course, deals with an exploration of Reality, and in the idealistic sense, how
such knowledge may benefit human life on this earth, both individually and
collectively. If, then, this is the aim of such interests, it is why most
professional
Metaphysical Practitioners regard
Metaphysics as a
Spiritual
Philosophy of life. All but a very few
practitioners in Metaphysics today have a
pivotal point of some sort of
Spiritual Philosophy in whatever system or
teaching of
Metaphysics
they are engaged. It is important to understand this,
especially when reviewing the legal technicalities of being a
professional Metaphysician.
If we were to travel from one
metaphysical teacher or
organization to another, we would find people engaging in different things, all
under the label of
Metaphysics. This could be a wide range, such as yogis,
mystics, astrologers, positive thinking teachers,
meditation teachers, grapho-analysts,
spiritual healers,
self-help teachers, etc. The range is wide, but again the
basic denominator is the search for truth, purpose and meaning in life, which
cannot be isolated from basic spiritual questions. All of these fields,
therefore, are regarded as part of
Metaphysics by the
University of
Sedona
and the
University of
Metaphysics, in regard to
Doctoral Degrees and to other
programs and affiliations with students and graduates.
It is not the position of the university or its parent body,
the International Metaphysical Ministry, to take one phase of
the study of
Metaphysics over
another, as it is the belief of the
universities that there are many paths
humans may travel on the way to finding Truth. There is an old proverb which
states "No matter what path a human may travel, it is My Path; no matter
where he walks, it leads to Me."
In a more absolute sense, we like to think of
Metaphysics as dealing with the basic questions of life,iI.e., the
relationship of man. Mind and the universe, which leads to answers to the
age-old questions of anyone who has truly paused to reflect on life by asking
the most fundamental questions of all—"Who am I; what am I; where have I been,
and where am I going?"
The success of
Unity and
Religious Science stimulated the birth of many independent churches and
teaching centers along
metaphysical lines. Because of a common shared
spiritual philosophy held by
Unity,
Religious Science and many independents,
the term
New Thought was adopted to denote a
metaphysical religious movement.
From this was born the
International New Thought Alliance, that brought
together various metaphysical groups. In more recent years a new organization
bringing together
New Thought oriented organizations was formed called Global
New Thought.
In 1959,
Dr. Paul Leon Masters began what has later on evolved to become the
International Metaphysical Ministry. I.M.M. has joined
Unity and
Religious
Science as one of the
major metaphysically oriented movements that comes under
the description of
New Thought. The major difference between
I.M.M. and the
other majors is that
I.M.M. ordained ministers are free to choose operating
names of their choice, as well as what they teach and how they operate
providing only that the
basic metaphysical teachings of the organization and
its founder are still an integral part of what is shared with the public.
The University Of Sedona and the
I.M.M. were born of an independent,
Dr. Masters - for those who also wished to
be independents though ordained by I.M.M. The I.M.M. and its
University System of
the
University of
Sedona and the
University of
Metaphysics are, therefore,
very unique indeed in the field of
metaphysics,
religion in general, and in
New Thought.
