For episode 184 we had the great pleasure to record on location, and sit down with, the presidency of the Summum Organization. Yes, you may know them by their pyramid on the west side of I-15 in Salt Lake City. You may have even seen them pop up in an Atlas Obscura article. We’ve even spoken of them with Derek Rhodes, a past guest, for his one thing! We loved sitting down and getting more educated about them and their history.

Directed by Su Menu, Ron Temu, and Bernie Aua the organization was started in 1975 by Summum Bonum Amen Ra, or as many know him Corky. As Ron, Bernie, and Su told us, Corky was definitely a force to be reckoned with and was very charismatic and a great public speaker. *You can read how he started everything HERE* Summum has flourished over the years and held its spot in Salt Lake City. Summum isn’t a religious organization but a philosophical non-profit and a safe space, will you, for those who are drawn to it. What is so unique about Summum? Besides offering a peaceful place to meditate and study, they are also the only organization in the country to offer mummification for both pets and humans. Ron and Bernie, both funeral directors, explained the process and a bit of the history of mummification. It is not just tied to ancient Egypt. Also, How incredible is it that there are options for death and afterlife! It’s good to have options in your death planning. Oh, and make sure your family, your ENTIRE family, is on board with whatever plans you want for yourself!

We talked some other local items of note, like gentrification in their neighborhood and yes, it seriously bums them out.

Although we want to give you a full recap on what we learned, we also want you to take a listen to our conversation.

You can watch their weekly classes at Summum.tv, you can read more about them and their philosophies at Summum.org and Summum.us. Bernie does an incredible job making sure everything is clarified and up to date on their websites. You can also follow them on their Facebook page.

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Music By: Folk Hogan. Bootleggers Dance.