Unarius Academy of Science
Unarius is a non-profit organization founded in 1954 in Los Angeles, California, and headquartered in El Cajon, California. The organization purports to advance a new "interdimensional science of life" based upon "fourth-dimensional" physics principles. Unarius centers exist in Canada, New Zealand, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and various locations in the United States.
Unarius is an acronym for "Universal Articulate Interdimensional Understanding of Science". The founder, and subsequent "channels" and "sub-channels", have written books filled with channeled dissertations from alleged advanced intelligent beings that exist on higher frequency planes. Over 100 volumes have been published since 1954.
History
The group was founded in February 1954 in Los Angeles, California by Ernest Norman and his wife Ruth Norman.From 1954–1971, when Ernest still controlled the organization, the organization defined "the mission" as the explanation and promotion of an inter-dimensional science of life in the books he wrote. He said that he had channeled the material via his psychic connections with extraterrestrial intelligences.
Between 1972–1993, while Ruth Norman guided it, the organization grew and had a raised public profile. "The mission" evolved into bringing Unarius to the masses. She accepted interviews, appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and The David Susskind Show and built a video production studio in the late 1970s. Unarius video productions began appearing on public-access television cable TV stations all over the United States. In 2000, Diana Tumminia stated that in several cities in Southern California, the local public access channels carried weekly showings of Unarian films.
As it gained notoriety, Unarius was featured in newspaper and magazine articles as well as radio and television spots.
After Ruth's death in 1993, Charles Louis Spiegel became director, a post he retained until his death on December 22, 1999. Since Ruth's death in 1993, the organization struggled, particularly since 2001, when a space-fleet landing predicted by Spiegel in 1980 failed to occur.
Unarians believe in the immortality of the soul, and that all people have reincarnated many times. They also believe that the Solar System was once inhabited by ancient interplanetary civilizations.
The aliens are said to be "human beings" who have lived on Earth and on other planets outside the Solar System. They are said to be more advanced than humans, spiritually and scientifically.
While the group seems to have similarity to the Aetherius Society or Raëlism, as they emphasize "space brothers" who will come from the stars in 33 spaceships to improve humanity, these beliefs are not held by all Unariuns and in fact, are discounted by many as contradictory to true Unariun principles.
In his book, The Truth About Mars, Ernest claimed that the Chinese evolved from ancient interstellar migrants who began colonizing Mars a million years ago. They are reported to have returned to Mars, where they live in underground cities, after being attacked by natives of the Earth. A group which had become separated did not return with them and this group branched off and formed the various Asian racial genotypes.
Founders
Ernest claimed to have been a child prodigy, having read all his father's books alongside formal schooling. He claimed that as a child he performed for family, neighbors, and teachers unexpected feats such as moving a heavy rabbit hutch using Archimedean principles and small logs, building radios, and winning arguments with parents and teachers. According to Unarius, he was a scientist and an aeronautical engineer from whom the idea of the television tube was stolen.Claiming to possess psychic ability, Ernest began his metaphysical career reading palms and also claimed to have told women of their loved one's whereabouts and often deaths in 1942–1945 during World War II. When his description of fatalities allegedly lowered morale at war plants where he worked, he left and started to give lectures of his own philosophy in theosophical churches during the mid to late 1940s. Before meeting Ruth and the beginning of their mission, Ernest gave psychic readings at spiritualist churches.
Ruth was born in 1900 as the oldest of eight children. She took many jobs to support her family, such as being a fruit packer and a live-in maid. She gave birth to a daughter in her marriage. She purchased a motel, ran a restaurant, and worked at a cannery by the time she was 50 years old.
Both Ernest and Ruth had experiences in spiritualism before the UFO craze in the late 1940s. By the early 1950s, mystics at a psychic convention she attended told her that she was being followed around by long-bearded wise men carrying books and that she would help bring in these books in her future. This same thing was told to Ernest by other mystics at the same convention before they met and later married. Books date their marriage to 1954, and their anniversary is celebrated by Unarius on February 14. Tumminia states that their union brought forth their "mission".
Within weeks of their marriage, Ernest started writing the first Unarius book, The Voice of Venus. Ruth was later known within the group as both "Ioshanna" and "Uriel".
Early years
Ernest Norman became a "channeler", the process by which he "wrote" his books. Unarian channeling is a process of relaxed contemplation in which the practitioner closes their eyes and enters into a composed state, allowing thoughts and images to flow freely, as he or she voices "messages" received from a supposed higher consciousness, or "other beings" which speak to or through him or her. The Normans coupled "channeling" with "past life" readings, and developed a devoted following.Ernest's first books contain themes similar to those in other metaphysical American religions and early 1950s contactees. While the Normans interacted with other early contactee groups, Ernest initially concerned himself with the "spiritual nature" of planets and their supposed history. He briefly mentioned flying saucers, saying that residents of more "spiritual" worlds were concerned about atomic testing, and responded by making their spacecraft visible and increasing contact with Earth people in order to attract attention.
Ernest Norman claimed to receive "transmissions" from Mars and Venus, the homes of "great teachers" and ascended masters who described their cities to him.
Altogether, channeled descriptions of seven spiritual planets including Venus, claimed to be "advanced teaching centers", comprise the set of books known as the "Pulse of Creation" series.
The Normans operated out of their home, and in the 60s and early 70s, they moved to different cities in California before settling in Escondido. During that time, Norman and Ruth claimed to have lived past lives as Jesus and Mary Magdalene, respectively, as well as other famous people. In 1970, Ernest channeled his prime lesson book, The Infinite Concept of Cosmic Creation.
The formation of the mission in February 1954 by the Normans, led to the publication of the Pulse of Creation series. The first book, The Voice of Venus, concerned a psychic trip to Venus and described the advanced wonders of its civilization. Now known as the Moderator, Ernest explained the existence of "healing wards" on that planet where troubled souls go to recuperate from traumatic experiences. He explained this book was not channeled in the usual type of meditative, trance-like state or in a darkened room, but spoken normally and recorded on tape. The work describes communication from Mal-Var of Venus, who gives a tour of the Venusian capital. In the work, Venusians are described to have "energy bodies" and live in a higher vibratory plane that would be invisible to a human were he to stand in the middle of the capital city known as Azure.
The Pulse of Creation series consists of seven books :
- The Voice of Venus
- The Voice of Eros
- The Voice of Orion
- The Voice of Hermes
- The Voice of Muse, Unarius & Elysium
The planes' specialties are:
- Venus – Healing
- Eros – Science
- Orion – Education
- Hermes – Philosophy
- Muse – The arts
- Unarius – Leadership
- Elysium – Devotion
Classification as a religion
Unarius, as an organization, is strongly opposed to its common classification as a religion. Unarius calls its content and activities teaching "inter-dimensional science" and not a religion, and assert that they teach the "spiritual" understanding of "high energy-physics" and reincarnation.While Unarius lacks the main elements normally associated with religion, such as a hierarchical structure, priests and clergy, initiation rites, weekly services or ceremonies, its beliefs satisfy many religious criteria in that spiritual reality is taught; humans develop their spiritual potential over lifetimes; the concept of the Space Brothers is basically a supernatural assumption as they seem different in kind, and are empirically unprovable; they involve a Western concept of good and evil and an Eastern concept of karma; higher entities are channeled; the texts read like sacred scriptures; and its system of beliefs can explain or dispel all phenomena, thus satisfying all questions of meaning for adherents. Unarians do not offer prayers to God or higher entities, but prefer the word "spiritual" as opposed to "religious" to describe the overriding philosophy of the group.
Ernest criticized religion in several books, most notably in The Infinite Contact, which describes in detail the origins of Christianity as rooted in Mithraism, Zoroastrianism, and assorted ancient belief structures. Ernest agreed with Karl Marx that religions were "the opium of the people", and yet also claimed to realize that many individuals were still at such a point in their evolution where religions still served a positive purpose and kept them from harming their fellowmen.