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Emanation

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The doctrine that all creation flows forth from the absolute divine source through a series of stages or levels, as in Neo-Platonism and Kabbalah.

Detailed Definition
Emanationism presents a universe that is not created ex nihilo but unfolds from the One like light from a lamp or water from a spring. This concept, found in Plotinus and the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, provides a rich cosmology for poetry. It allows poets to describe a universe that is intrinsically divine at its source, with every level of reality being a reflection of a higher, more sublime level. The soul's journey back through these emanations to its source becomes the great spiritual narrative.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Kabbalistic poetry, Emanation flows from Ein Sof: “Ten sefirot—light cascading into form”; In Neoplatonic verse, the soul emanates from the One: “Like rays from the sun, we stream into being”; In Islamic mysticism, creation is divine Emanation: “God breathed—and galaxies unfolded”; Contemporary poets use Emanation to describe creativity: “My poem emanates from silence, returns to silence.”
Additional Notes
Emanation theory (Plotinus, Kabbalah, Sufism) posits reality flowing from the One like light from the sun—without diminishing the source; this contrasts with creation ex nihilo; poets use emanation to depict grace, beauty, or consciousness as divine overflow, linking all beings in a cascade of sacred interdependence.
Also Known As
Overflow Divine Emanation
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