Introduction

Metaphysics is concerned with the operation of reality as much as it is with the structure of reality.  This operation is described in terms of the Principles of Natural Law.  The physical world equivalent of these Principles are the physical rules described by science; however, metaphysicians generally think of these physical rules as a subset of the Principles defining the operation of the greater reality.

You will notice that the Principles described here approach reality from a more fundamental and general perspective than that usually found in physical rules.  It is thought that, as our physical science is extended to embrace more of the operation of nonphysical reality, the Principles will be superseded by refinements of the physical rules.  The difference is really one of complexity.  For instance, saying that reality is continuous does not say a lot about how that continuity is experienced from locale to locale.  As our scientists come to understand this concept, they can be expected to fill in the details.  As such, the Principle of Continuity will come to include numerous demonstrable rules.

Remembering that anything associated with the Prime Creator is described as "Spiritual," then:

In the Standard Cosmology, all of Spiritual Reality is formed of etheric energy operating under the Principles of Natural Law.  Thus, to understand Natural Law is to understand the operation of reality.  The amount of this understanding by an individual Self is described as a measure of Spiritual Maturity.  And, it is Spiritual maturity that Self is driven to achieve by Spiritual Instinct.

For any cosmology to be complete, issues such as first cause and purpose must be addressed.  Terms such as "God" and "Divine" are unavoidable, for they describe the nature of reality at the outer limits of speculation.  In an effort to neutralize the energy-charged terms of religion, "Prime Creator" and "Spiritual" have been substituted for "God" and "Divine."  However, do not mistake this for religious text.  You live in this greater reality and it is you who must come to understand its operation.  This is not about religion, it is about the nature of reality.

What follows then, is a draft of the Principles of Natural Law that will be included in the work in process titled Hypothetical Reality.

Remember, Natural Law must be considered within the entirety of reality. There may be no obvious evidence for a principle when a moment in reality is considered; however, if taken over a great period of time, the truth may become evident. This may also be the case when considering a single component of reality. All things are interconnected as part of the the larger reality.

Formation is concerned with the process of creation. The following group of Principles address the nature of that process.

Agreement
Components of reality are limited in their association with other components by their vibration. This is a corollary to the Principle of Attraction and Vibration. In practical terms, this principle results in the existence of the Veil of Forgetfulness. Components of one plane cannot exist in another plane without assuming the characteristic vibration of the other plane. If moving to a coarser vibration, the component need not give up its initial vibration, but must cloak itself in the new vibration. If moving to a finer vibration, the component must discard the courser vibration.

The Principle of Agreement also bears on the relationship Self has with other components of reality. No matter what Self intends when it differentiates energy and passes it into the environment, that energy is colored by Self's nature. Thus, worldview helps to determine the vibration of the auric field which surrounds Self and which is detected by others. The inevitable result of this is that Self is better able to communicate with others who have similar auric fields.  This is further suggested by the Principle of Attraction.

Aspectation
Aspects of a component of reality inherit subsets of the characteristics of that component. Repeated aspectation necessarily results in a hierarchy of aspects with increasingly smaller subset of inherited characteristics. Because of this, an aspect may not be the same as the creator of that aspect. For instance, an aspect may be the same as its creator in every way except purpose. A creator must have a reason or purpose for extending an aspect of itself while the resulting aspect must have the purpose of satisfying that reason.

Attraction
Systems of energy are attracted to energy of similar vibration. When differentiation gives etheric energy the attributes of some component of reality, be it a Thought Form, an aspect of a creator entity or a seemingly physical object, the involved energy assumes new characteristics. One of these is the tendency to be attracted to other forms of like character. The term, "Like attracts like" has been used to describe this principle.

Similar to what is stated in the explanation for the Principle of Agreement, Self is attracted to others who are emanating energy of similar vibration. This is not a matter of attraction so much as it is a matter of resonance. Two auric fields vibrating with mutually agreeable rates may combine to form a more coherent field of energy then if they were discordant.

Cause and Effect
A change in energy results in a change in reality. This principle is most often explained as "For every action, there is a reaction." In physical science, this is "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." In the Standard Cosmology, etheric energy is said to be formed into components of reality through the application of intention. Intention then, is the cause, however, the effect is managed by Spirit according to the limitations of Natural Law. In other words, effect is always bounded by Natural Law. Also, if we are attempting to initiate a change in reality, such a change depends as well on our ability to solicit the help of Spirit. Therefore, it may be true to say that every effect has a cause, but not every cause will result in an effect.

Complexity
Formation tends to evolve from the simple to the complex, from which, simplicity emerges. In other words, patterns emerge from complexity. These patterns contain the essence of that complexity. Thus, complex systems tend to resolve themselves around nodes, which taken in themselves, tend to evolve toward simplicity. As an example, local reality becomes increasingly complex as the character of components become more elaborate. Yet the Principles of Natural Law governing the formation of these components remain fundamental and relatively simple, while the understanding that may result from experiencing complex realities can be very simple. This is a corollary of the Principle of Simplicity. 

Conservation
The energy available for any purpose is limited by the Self's ability to gather energy into its system. The energy coming from the Prime Creator seems unlimited, however, the energy which reaches Self, and which Self is able to differentiate and emanate is limited by Self's spiritual maturity. It is also limited by the amount of help it is able to muster from beyond the veil. As such, a measure of spiritual maturity is Self's ability to manage energy wisely.

Continuity
There is one reality and it exists everywhere. There is a continuum of existence from here to the Prime Creator, or as some might say, from infinity to infinity. There are no gaps in this continuum, however, this does not require that there is not change from point to point along the continuum.

There does appear to be a high degree of correspondence from plane to plane, however. This correspondence has been considered so complete by some systems of belief that they identified a Principle of Correspondence, which was explained with the phrase: "As above, so below, as below, so above." It appears today that the correspondence is not sufficient to be considered a principle.

Equilibrium
A system will remain in balance until sufficient energy has accumulated to cause a change in state. Such a change in state may be described as an event, which is the crossing of a threshold. Process then, is a series of events which are necessary to change the equilibrium of reality.

Evolution
Everything is subject to change. Nothing remains at rest indefinitely. All components of reality change through process which may be orderly, but is more likely to be punctuated throughout the process with catastrophic change.

Formation
Reality is formed with the application of intelligence on etheric energy. The intelligence is Natural Law set forth by the Prime Creator, and the etheric energy is emanated by the Prime Creator, or differentiated and then emanated by aspects of the Prime Creator. The operation of intelligence is accomplished through the vision of Self realized by the action of Spirit.

Life
The common denominator in reality is the pattern of behavior characteristic associated with life. In other words, the characteristics we attribute to life may be found in all components of reality. These characteristics include growth, metabolism, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment. The implication of this principle is that life is the common thread that binds all components into a whole. (This is admittedly a highly speculative principle. For instance, seeing life in a rock may take some doing. To us a rock as an example, though, you would need to take that rock as part of a greater whole. What can we see in the millions of years long process of rock formation, chemical change, oxidization, fracturing, and eventual pulverization or remelting that resembles the characteristics of life? For instance, if you accelerated the rock's existence into human terms of time, would it appear that the rock is metamorphosed into a new form as it weathers away into sand which then becomes sandstone? This may be a good illustration of our need to consider our world with a very open mind.)

Pattern
Creation is not random. The continuum of reality is linked through orderly progressions or patterns.  This orderliness is considered to be governed by the Principles of Natural Law. Reality is bunchy, meaning that although there is a continuum of reality, the distribution in etheric energy is not homogenous. As may be described with the analogy of a building, there are portions of reality in which there are far fewer components of reality than in others. For instance, the Physical and Astral Planes are separated by regions of existence, referred to here as the Borderland, in which there is thought to be no defined regions of existence.

Fractal geometry is supported by this principle, in that Nature will reuse a few patters, rather than create unique patters of formation. For instance, the hexagon can be found throughout the Plant Kingdom. Large crystals grow through the replication of a seed shape which is determined by the crystal lattice formed by relationships of the crystal's component atoms.

Place
There are nodes in reality that the Self recognizes as a unique place. This is similar to the Principle of Relationship. Place must be bounded in some way to exist. For instance, it must have specific lines of association with other places. In the matrix of relationships, these lines would be much more substantial, as if they represented well worn paths of consideration. This principle is an attempt to explain the sense of place all creatures seem to know. We sometimes refer to a place as home, for instance.

Polarity
Everything is opposite tending toward neutrality. Any extreme is always matched by an opposite extreme which, taken with its counterpart, would produce a neutral. Components of reality are thought to have three characteristics. These are two extremes and a neutral, which is the balance of these extremes. The extremes are always extreme relative to one another. Also, there may be more than a pair of extremes and the balance may be more properly described as a center. The extent of the extreme is dependent on the nature of the component. The neutral point of center is a point of equilibrium. Therefore, it requires more energy to maintain an extreme than to maintain the center. Also, extremes tend to move toward the center.

Recent discoveries in fractal geometry suggest that there may always be a continuum between extremes. In the case of black and white, for instance, we know that there are all of the shades of gray between the two extremes. However, this appears to be contradicted if one were to stipulate that there is a black field mathematically defined as adjacent to a white field. In this case, there is some evidence from fractal geometry that there is a gradation between the two extremes when the scale is changed to magnify the line separating white from black. In fact, this gradation appears to be evident at any degree of magnification. The implication is that the Principle of Continuity may be applied to the Principle of Polarity as well.

Process
Creation or modification of reality occurs through the application of intelligence on energy in an orderly manner. This is referred to as a process. A process has a beginning, which may be the spark of inspiration to do something. It will have one or more intermediate steps, such as attention, gathering of Thought Forms, and the decision to go forth which is expressed with intention. Finally, process ends with the completion or realization of the intended change.

Reciprocity
Etheric energy exerts an influence in the direction of propagation and also toward its source. This reciprocal influence is a proportional, but not necessarily equal influence. An example of this may be seen in energetic healing, in which the practitioner may sense the flow of energy to the receiver. Another important example of this may be found in the negative influence that is experienced by a person who emanates negative thoughts toward another. In some way, these thoughts will take a toll on the person holding the negative image, even as they will harm the receiver.

Relationship
Components in reality are interconnected by lines of force forming a matrix of relationships. It is known that local reality is thus related. By extension of logic, it is thought that all of reality is bound together as one matrix of relationships. A system is a local grouping of components within the larger matrix of reality. (It has been hypothesized that reality is holographic, meaning that it is possible to find all of reality in any segment of reality. This concept awaits further consideration before it will be admitted into the Standard Cosmology.)

The Principle of Relationship also applies to the relationship between entities. Self establishes a network of relationships amongst acquaintances. Some threads of this network are strong and bright, strengthened by mutual love and trust. Others are perhaps equally strong, but less bright, these being strengthened by a work relationship or perhaps an old enmity. Still others may be minimal threads of acquaintance. This principle suggests that these relationships are dynamic and may influence the behavior of mutually related entities. In practical terms, relationships are influenced by feelings and attitude of the entities involved. For instance, kindly thoughts about a friend will be sensed by that person at some level of awareness. As a result of this "positive" flow of energy, the relationship would also change.

An important aspect of this principle is that the linkage between components of a relationship exert a force in both directions. A strong sense of anger toward a component of reality will have an influence on both the Self emanating the energy and the component of reality that is the object of the anger. Also, components of a system remain related or linked, even when separated.

Rhythm 
There is a natural ebb and flow of energy in a system. In growth, for instance, it can be seen that growth is punctuated by periods of rest. Activity includes rest. Any process includes transitional phases that may be construed as the rhythm of the process. Part of understanding Nature is to learn to recognize the relationships of the components within Nature and the rhythm of their interaction. Thus we can see that equilibrium requires the give and take of energy, which is described in this principle. This principle is sometimes known as the Principle of Harmony.

Simplicity
Reality exists as the simplest available formulation of etheric energy. An analogy is the soap bubble. It can be seen in a soap bubble that there is a balance of forces brought by gravity, air pressure, temperature, cohesiveness of the soap water and the amount of soap water available. All of these factors unite to form the smallest possible bubble. In the same way, the availability of etheric energy, which is determined by purpose, intention, focus and the capabilities of the involved entities to differentiate energy, determine the complexity of each component of reality.

System
Components of reality collect as interrelated, organized systems which are open to the flow of etheric energy across their boundary.

Vibration
The character of every component of reality is determined by the complex set of vibratory rates associated with the etheric energy from which it has been formed.

Reality is the result of formation. In the Standard Cosmology, the collection of components and systems of components compose all of reality. A component is defined as a constituent of the whole. In the Standard Cosmology, each element of reality, including Spirit, Self, aspects of Self, Thought Forms and objects like chairs and worlds are referred to as a component of reality.

The following group of principles address the arrangement of components within reality. As such, most are corollaries to other Principles. For instance, the Principle of Pattern indicates that reality is bunchy. Some of the following principles address how this bunchiness results in planes of existence.

First Cause
There is an agent of creation that is considered the initial cause, from which, all else has sprung. This is known as the Prime Creator, Infinite Intelligence, or more generally, as God.  The Prime Creator's origin and the reason for Its existence is unknown. The Standard Cosmology begins with the assumption that It exists. All else is derived from that assumption.

The Prime Creator is considered to be held accountable to Natural Law. As such, it is believed that It is continuing to evolve, as do Its aspects. The Prime Creator is the source of all of the energy required by Spirit to create and operate reality. (An interesting observation of the Standard Cosmology is that the creator entity of our realm, working with the overseeing Spirit of our realm, looks very much like a god to us. This is reasonable, because in every aspect we can imagine, this creator entity is the wellspring of existence for all of our locale. If the Prime Creator has not evolved out of a primordial field of undifferentiated energy, it is possible and consistent with Natural Law, that the Prime Creator has a similar relationship with a higher creator entity.  We simply have no information to speculate beyond the Principle of Continuity.)

Natural Law
Reality operates according to a body of principles establish by the Prime Creator and known as Natural Law. The application of Natural Law is, itself, accomplished the application of Natural Law. That is, creation of components of reality occurs according to Natural Law, but also, the process of creation follows Principles of Natural Law. As it is understood in the Standard Cosmology, Self, as an aspect of the Prime Creator, initiates the change in reality by visualizing what is desired. Spirit then accepts that image and applies the necessary Principles of Natural Law to energy that has been emanated by Self to cause the change to occur. Spirit then operates principles to maintain that new reality. (This is a model that seems to describe the process of creation. It should be remembered that it is a hypotheses.)

Planes
Reality is not homogenous, but is formed into planes of existence for Self, defined by differing rates of the vibration of etheric energy. The finest rate of vibration is sometimes referred to as the God Plan. A plane has a greater cross-section of etheric energy to spectrum of vibration than existing in the regions between the planes. In other words, the areas between the planes have less energy per rate of vibration than do the planes.  The Prime Creator created Self to experience reality, and Self created aspects of itself, and those aspects created aspects, and so on. The question is, how many generations of aspects are there in reality. In the Self residing on the Physical Plane, there is evidence for the existence of seven planes between Self its creator entity. Since it is believed that the Creator entity created many aspects, another factor determining the number of planes is the number of Selfs initially  created by the Prime Creator. The accumulated number may be beyond counting.

Planes must have as many reasons for their existence as there are aspects of the Prime Creator to form them. Just as the Physical plane is clearly a school, it is believed that main purpose for planes is to provide a venue for experiences. It may be that all Selves require a sense of place from which to reference reality. Certainly this is a human need, which is recognized by the Principle of Place.

Time
Process requires the existence of time. The rate of time appears to be relative to the ambient vibration of the plane. When the perspective of reality is from a higher vibration, perceiving into a plane of a lower vibration, time is said not to exist in the lower plane. In other words, Physical Plane time exists for Self within the Physical Plane, but Physical Plane time does not exist for Self in the Astral Plane. Astral Plane time exists for Self in the Astral Plane.

Etheric energy may be changed in form through the influence of intelligence. Following, are the principles thought that control this interaction between energy and intelligence.

Attention
Etheric energy is directed to a component of reality when Self places its attention on that component. Using the analogy of a flashlight, this is similar to shining a flashlight on something. Attention brings energy to the component, but only as a tenuous thread of energy connecting the Self with the component. It is the application of intention that drives etheric energy to cause the change.

Balance
Extremes within a system require more energy to maintain than does a system in equilibrium. Self must expend energy to maintain an extreme condition that could be used for other endeavors, such as creating new circumstances to experience. In practical terms, this principle tell us that we can eat too much, for instance, but in doing so, we will unduly stress our physical body and our financial resources. In some way, we must pay a penalty for unbalanced behavior. This is a corollary to the Principles of Equilibrium and of Conservation.

Discernment
Even though there may be an infinite amount of energy in reality, the amount of energy available to a Self at any moment is limited by Self's ability to process energy. Therefore, Self's success will depend on its ability to manage available energy. In practical terms, this principle is most often associated with the Principle of Attention. You may be able to dissipate your ability to focus on an objective if you allow yourself to be distracted. Likewise, you may find yourself drawn into another person's local reality by failing to recognize the relationship between that local version of reality and a reality defined by Natural Law.

Emanation
Self receives etheric energy that has been made available from Self's creator entity. Self differentiates this energy according to its perspective of reality and emanates the resulting form of etheric energy into its environment. This energy is required for the formation of reality.

Focus
The effectiveness of intention to influence an object of reality that Self's intention has been turned to, is determined by the quality of the focus held by the Self.

Intention
Etheric energy is put in motion with intention. The more specific one's intention to do something, the greater will be the flow of energy to the component of reality Self intends to influence. Intention is not absolute, and its degree of influence on etheric energy is determined by the amount of focus an entity has on the subject.

Obscurity
Reality beyond the region of experience is obscured to conserve energy. Reality and Self's attention on that reality exists, but because of this obscurity, Self is more able to focus on understanding current experience. A local result of this principle is the Veil for Forgetfulness. Self is able to forget or ignore its existence beyond the present lifetime so that it may learn. This is a corollary to the principle of Attention.

Perspective
Perspective is commonly referred to as Self's worldview, which is the way Self perceives its local reality. Self's perspective contains the underlying assumptions used in differentiation, and thus determines the nature of the etheric energy Self emanates.

Local Reality
Self creates a local reality based on its worldview. As a corollary to the Principle of Perspective, a currently held belief becomes a guideline to the reality Self creates. In simple terms, belief in a Hell will cause the local existence of that Hell.

Self-determination
Self has the freedom to behave as it wishes within the constraints of Natural Law. The application of Natural Law may be suspended for a time, depending on Self's spiritual maturity and the nature of the principles involved. For instance, the Principle of Balance may be violated by just about any Self, while the Principle of Pattern requires a sophisticated understanding of Natural Law and the ability to differentiate a great deal of energy. In every case, violation of Natural Law produces a temporary result, since the Principles of Formation and Equilibrium appear to require the energy holding a component of reality in violation of Natural Law to eventually dissipate, allowing that component to return to equilibrium within Natural Law.

Just as there are Principles governing the operation of etheric energy, so there are principles governing the behavior of Self.

Experience
Self has the instinct to seek experience. Which experience is determined first by the need for growth in spiritual maturity. The need for experience may be initiated by Self, but opportunities for experience are thought to be created by Self as an aspect of Self.

Fulfillment
The completion of the process of Spiritual Intention is the return of awareness gained through experience to the creator aspect or to the Prime Creator. This is the fulfillment of spiritual maturity. It may be considered in part, as the fulfillment achieved by Self as its creator entity gathers its aspects, or in its entirety as the Prime Creator gathers it creator aspects. This principle also holds that once a process is initiated, it will be completed.

Guidance
Self is a participant in the flow of Spiritual Intention. An essential ingredient to Spiritual Intention is the instinct to guide the fulfillment of the Spiritual Intention in others. Thus we participate in a dance of sorts, in which we are the student, and then the teacher in our turn, always following this rhythm of spiritual growth.

Opportunity
Opportunities for experience are created. Once created, opportunities must be experienced to complete the process. Failure to experience an opportunity may result in a limitation of the ability to create further opportunity since it tends to cloud Self's perspective of reality, and thus, it may stifle the flow of etheric energy.

Spiritual Intention
For the initial condition of reality in the Standard Cosmology, it is stipulated that the Prime Creator intends to experience the reality that will be created from Its worldview. This Spiritual Intention is manifest as Self's Spiritual Instinct.

Spiritual Maturity
Realization of the meaning of an experience, which is the understanding of the relationship of that experience to Natural Law and reality, is characterized as spiritual maturity. This may be summarized as the understanding of the order Natural Law brings to reality. In this, Self finds an understanding of the Prime Creator and Self's relationship with It. Experiencing opportunity eventually leads to realization, which results in the growth of spiritual maturity.

There is more to Natural Law. The ones listed here are amongst the more obvious. What I hope you will gain from this list is the understanding that there is order in reality, and that there is some sense in understanding this order.

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