emanationism
Reality radiates outward
Emanationism is the philosophical or theological doctrine that all existence flows outward from a divine source, like light radiating from the sun.
Unlike creation from nothing, emanation suggests reality emerges as a continuous overflow or descent from a perfect, unchanging origin.
The concept is central to Neoplatonism and appears in Gnostic and Kabbalistic thought: Plotinus developed emanationism to explain how multiplicity arises from the One.
Fluid exiting a system
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
- processionFormal moving line
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
- effusionUnrestrained emotional discharge
diffusion · streaming · efflux · unfolding · descent · expression · emergence · outpouring
Orderly totality of existence
- universeComplete system or domain
- creationMaking something exist
- processionFormal moving line
- hierarchyRanked authority structure
descent · overflow · radiation · diffusion · macrocosm · microcosm · spheres · celestial
Underlying essence or substance
- processionFormal moving line
- henosisMystical absorption into ultimate reality
- monadIndivisible fundamental unit
- demiurgeDivine cosmic craftsman
archetype · return · triad · hierarchy · descent · participation · nous · psyche
Jewish mystical tradition
- GnosticismSalvation through hidden wisdom
- SufismIslamic spiritual mysticism
- aeonImmense stretch of time
- HermeticismEsoteric Greco-Egyptian spiritual tradition
theosophy · Orphism · Vedanta · emanator · emanated · divine light · sparks · logos
Surpassing usual limits
- immanenceQuality of residing within
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
- substancePhysical material with mass
- essenceFundamental nature of something
being · unity · multiplicity · causation · participation · hierarchy · first principle · contingent
outflow
Fluid exiting a system
- overflowExceed capacity and spill
- processionFormal moving line
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
effusion · diffusion · streaming · efflux · unfolding · descent · expression · emergence · outpouring · flowing
cosmos
Orderly totality of existence
- universeComplete system or domain
- creationMaking something exist
- processionFormal moving line
hierarchy · descent · overflow · radiation · diffusion · macrocosm · microcosm · spheres · celestial · gradation
hypostasis
Underlying essence or substance
- processionFormal moving line
- henosisMystical absorption into ultimate reality
- monadIndivisible fundamental unit
demiurge · archetype · return · triad · hierarchy · descent · participation · nous · psyche · ascent
kabbalah
Jewish mystical tradition
- GnosticismSalvation through hidden wisdom
- SufismIslamic spiritual mysticism
- aeonImmense stretch of time
Hermeticism · theosophy · Orphism · Vedanta · emanator · emanated · divine light · sparks · logos · nous
transcendence
Surpassing usual limits
- immanenceQuality of residing within
- ontologyStudy of existence's nature
- substancePhysical material with mass
essence · being · unity · multiplicity · causation · participation · hierarchy · first principle · contingent · perfection
- philosophiesempiricism, stoicism, nihilism, idealism, materialism
- soul conceptsatman, psyche, anima, pneuma, ba
emanationismcreationism
Divine origin doctrine
voluntarism · materialism · physicalism · transcendentalism · naturalism