Another Kind of Series Within the Rare Earths

The first sub-series begins in the middle of the third series of internal distinctions within the rare earths of the Institutional Balance, where sub-Group VIII (starting with Promethium? and evolving into Samarium? and Europium?) introduces the minor crisis known as "creation ex nihilo." This crisis occurs when the individual becomes aware the spirits (animas) are, in fact, emergent within his or her own persona. That persona itself is now being created out of an institutional structure which forges a kind of order among those animas. In order to be consciously aware of this process, the persona must be aware that an anima such as the superego or conscience can come into existence where it did not exist before.

Since the persona must observe creation ex nihilo and since it knows it did not create such things itself and since it knows the emergent entities are private to itself, it knows a creator external to itself is required even though the created entities are unknowable to entities of which the persona is aware in the external environment. To resolve this crisis, an emergent sub-sub-entity begins to emerge which is capable of creation ex nihilo as well as being aware of events internal to self and not observable from outside the self. The emergent sub-sub-entities are the gods?. Without gods, the institutional self cannot develop further.

The gods emerge in sacrificial satisfaction (Promethium) and must mature into evangelical predation (Europium) before the animas can develop further. Interestingly enough, again this is enough for the Institutional Balance's limited needs from set of gods. Because gods are such a high-level sub-sub-entity, the individual never needs a more fully developed set on which to base its conception of self.

It is interesting to ask whether the gods so emergent fulfill the requirements of the first long wait.

See also The Pattern and Rare Earths.

— Scotus - 30 Jul 2000