From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity
It should be recognised that heaven does not exist in some fixed and exact location; that is, it is not up on high, as it is commonly thought to be. Rather heaven exists wherever the Divine is present. This being so, it exists with and within everyone possessing charity and faith, since charity and faith are what constitute heaven, because they are what come from the Divine. There also angels live. (Arcana Coelestia 8931{2})
Heaven is not made up of angels created such from the beginning, and hell does not originate in any devil created an angel of light and cast down from heaven, but both heaven and hell are from the human race,- heaven from those who are in the love of good and in the consequent understanding of truth, and hell from those who are in the love of evil and in the consequent understanding of falsity. (On this subject see what has been shown in Heaven and Hell 311-316; also in the little work on the Last Judgment 14-27; and Continuation concerning the Last Judgment and the Spiritual World, from beginning to end.) Now since heaven is from the human race, and heaven is an abiding with the Lord to eternity, it follows that this is the Lord’s end in creation; and since heaven is the end in creation this is the end of His Divine providence. The Lord does not create the universe for His own sake, but for the sake of those with whom He is to be in heaven; since spiritual love is such that it wishes to give its own to another; and so far as it can do this, it is in its being (esse), in its peace, and in its blessedness. Spiritual love derives this from the Lord’s Divine love, which is such infinitely. From this it follows, that the Divine love and the Divine providence therefrom have as their end a heaven consisting of men who have become or are becoming angels, upon whom the Lord is able to bestow all the blessings and felicities that belong to love and wisdom, and to communicate these from Himself in them. Nor can He do this in any other way; for there is in them from creation an image and likeness of Himself; the image in them is wisdom, and the likeness in them is love; and the Lord in them is love united to wisdom and wisdom united to love; or, what is the same, is good united to truth, and truth united to good. (Divine Providence 27{1&2})
There are two things which appear to be indispensable while a person lives in the world because they exist as essential elements of the natural order – those two things being space and time. Living in the world or natural order therefore is living in space and time. But these two cease to have any existence in the next life. They do, it is true, appear to exist to some extent in the world of spirits, the reason for this being that spirits recently arrived from life in the body bring with them mental pictures of natural things. But subsequently they perceive that space and time do not exist in that life but states instead, and that states in the next life correspond to extensions of space and of time within the natural order – states in respect to Being corresponding to those of space, and in respect to Manifestation to those of time. From this anyone may see what kind of mental pictures a person is able to have while in the world or natural order regarding things which belong to the next life and about many arcana of faith. He may see that such a person is unwilling to believe those things unless he can take them in by means of objects that exist in the world, indeed by sensory evidence. For he cannot do other than suppose that if he were to divest himself of his mental pictures that have been formed from space and time, more so to divest himself of space and time themselves, he would cease to be anything at all and so would have nothing left to him from which he could perceive with his senses or have thoughts of anything apart from that which was unintelligible to him. But in actual fact quite the reverse is the case: the life of angels is such that it is the wisest and happiest of all. (Arcana Coelestia 2625{1&2})
Angelic communities appear distinct and separate there, indeed at a distance from one another; but this notion of space between them comes about as a result of their distance from goodness and truth which emanate, as has been stated, from the Lord’s Divine This is bound to seem incomprehensible, indeed as something absurd, to many in the world. The reason for this is that a person’s thoughts and ideas are based on spatial distances and lengths of time, so much so that a person cannot engage in thought without them. Consequently if you take away lengths of time and spatial distances from a person’s thought he can grasp scarcely anything. Yet the thinking of angels in heaven is altogether free from anything temporal or spatial, so completely that their thoughts are a thousand times, indeed ten thousand times superior in intelligence and wisdom to man’s thoughts. And what is astounding, if with them an idea of a temporal or spatial origin intrudes, shadow and thick darkness immediately overtakes their minds, because they then fall from the superior light of heaven into the inferior light of the natural order, which to them is thick darkness. (Arcana Coelestia 8918)
Key Points From The Video
Heaven’s Nature: Heaven is not a separate, physical location but a state of existence connected to the souls of departed human spirits, also known as angels.
Angels Defined: In Spiritual Christianity, angels are the spirits of humans who have passed away, retaining their faculties and characteristics from earthly life.
Beyond Material Space: Spiritual existence, including heaven, transcends conventional notions of physical space and is not limited by material spatial dimensions.
Sensory Experience: Heaven is described with sensory richness, but these experiences are not bound by physical space and time. They reflect spiritual states rather than material locations.
Misconceptions of Space and Time: Space and time are human constructs and do not apply to spiritual existence in the same way that they do in the material world.
Integration of Heaven and Earth: Heaven is a continuation of human existence in a spiritual form, integrating mental and spiritual states beyond the physical confines of earthly life.
Multiple Choice Questions
What is the nature of heaven according to Spiritual Christianity?
a) A fixed celestial location.
b) A state of existence connected to human spirits.
c) A mythological concept.
d) An unreachable realm of divine beings.
Answer: b)
In Spiritual Christianity, angels are considered to be:
a) Celestial beings different from humans.
b) Mystical creatures created by God.
c) Departed human spirits.
d) Fictional characters.
Answer: c)
How does Spiritual Christianity view the concept of space in relation to heaven?
a) Heaven occupies a specific portion of material space.
b) Heaven is found within the universe’s material confines.
c) Heaven is a physical extension of Earth.
d) Heaven exists beyond physical spatial dimensions.
Answer: d)
How is the sensory richness of heaven described in Spiritual Christianity?
a) As identical to earthly sensory experiences.
b) As bound by physical space and time.
c) As an expression of spiritual states, not confined to physical dimensions.
d) As purely metaphorical with no real experiences.
Answer: c)
What is the primary misunderstanding about space and time in relation to heaven?
a) That space and time are purely spiritual concepts.
b) That space and time exist independently of the mind.
c) That heaven lacks sensory experiences.
d) That heaven is a material place.
Answer: b)
Reflective Questions
1. How does viewing heaven as a state of existence rather than a physical location alter your understanding of life after death?
2. In what ways can the concept of angels as departed human spirits influence our perceptions of the afterlife and our relationships with those who have passed away?
3. How might the idea that space and time are mental constructs rather than fixed entities change your daily perspective on reality and spirituality?
Experiential Integration
Reflection on Presence and Spiritual Space
Meditative Exercise: Spend 10 minutes in a quiet space, closing your eyes and focusing on your breath. As you breathe, reflect on the idea that your existence transcends physical space. Visualise your thoughts and feelings creating a personal, spiritual space that is not confined to your physical surroundings. Contemplate how this spiritual space interacts with your sense of self and your connection to others – and ultimately, your connection to the Divine Life.
Life Task: As you go about the activities in your day, practice observing the physical spaces you are moving in and think about how each could be used to describe a state of mind. Ask yourself the question – “What kind of state of mind might this be expressing?”
Creative Integration
Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through – consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise.
You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.
Music
“Flow” by Anja Lechner and Francois Couturier
Visual Art
“Le Voile des Illusions” by Chu Teh-Chun