From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity
(Note: In the original Latin in which Swedenborg wrote, the word ‘homo’ in older English translations has been translated as ‘man’. In the more modern translations, this has been substituted with ‘human’ or ‘person’. For the purposes of inner spiritual application, the more accurate translation would be ‘human’, referring to the human form which is the will and its intellect, or love and its wisdom or the affection and its thought)
Whether we speak of man, or of his mind, it is the same; for man is not man from the form of his body, but from his mind; and man is such as his mind is, that is, such as his understanding and will are, especially such as his will is. (Arcana Coelestia 7848)
It is our mind that makes us human. Our mind is actually who we are, and its quality determines our nature. The “mind” means a person’s intellect and will, so it means a person’s very life. Fools imagine that we are human because of our outward form—in other words, because we have a human face. Lesser fools say that being able to speak makes us human, and those who are still less foolish say that being able to think does. None of these is what makes us human, however. No, what makes us human is the fact that we can think what is true and will what is good, and that when we do so we can catch sight of what is divine and consciously receive it. This distinguishes us from brute animals. Looking human and being able to speak and think does not otherwise make us human. If we think what is false and will what is evil, we make ourselves brute animals and worse, because we use these capacities themselves to destroy the humanity in us and make ourselves wild beasts. (Arcana Coelestia 5302{1-2})
Man’s mind is his spirit, and the spirit is the man. The body is the external through which the mind or spirit feels and acts in the world of the body. That man’s mind is his spirit and that the spirit is the man can hardly be accepted in their faith by such as have deemed the spirit to be wind and the soul something ethereal, such as is breathed from the lungs; for they say, How can the spirit be the man when it is spirit, and how can the soul be the man when it is soul? And similarly concerning God because He is called a Spirit. They have derived this idea of the spirit and the soul from the fact that, in some languages spirit and wind are the same word; also, that when a man dies, it is said that he gives up the ghost or spirit; and again that in cases of suffocation or swooning life returns when the spirit, or breath of the lungs, comes back. And since they perceive nothing except breath and air, they judge from the eye and bodily sense that the spirit and the soul of man after death is not the man…Since man’s mind is his spirit, the angels who also are spirits are called minds. (Divine Love and Wisdom 386 (vi))
The natural mind, since it is the covering and containant of the higher degrees of the human mind, is reactive, and if the higher degrees are not opened, it acts against them, but if they are opened, it acts with them. It has been shown in the preceding section that the natural mind which is in the lowest degree, envelops and encloses the spiritual mind and the celestial mind, which as to degrees, are higher. It is now to be shown here that the natural mind reacts against the higher or interior minds. It reacts because it covers, includes and contains them, and this cannot be done without reaction. For unless it reacted, the interior or enclosed parts would loosen, thrust themselves out and fall to pieces, just as the viscera which are the interiors of the body would push forth and so fall apart if the coverings around the human body did not react. So, too, unless the membrane enveloping the motor fibres of a muscle, reacted against the forces of these fibres in their activities, not only would action cease, but all the inner tissues would be loosened. It is the same with every ultimate degree of the degrees of height, consequently, with the natural mind relatively to the higher degrees, for as was said above, there are three degrees of the human mind, the natural, the spiritual and the celestial, and the natural mind is in the outmost degree. Another reason that the natural mind reacts against the spiritual mind is that the natural mind consists not only of substances of the spiritual world but also of substances of the natural world, as was said above (257), and substances of the natural world from their very nature react against the substances of the spiritual world. For substances of the natural world are in themselves dead, and are acted upon from without by substances of the spiritual world. And substances which are dead, and are acted upon from without, resist from their own nature, and thus from their nature react. From these considerations it can be established that the natural man reacts against the spiritual man, and that there is a conflict. It is the same thing whether it is said the natural and spiritual man, or the natural and spiritual mind. (Divine Love and Wisdom 260)
The mind of man is a man because God is Man; the body is the external of the mind, and feels and acts; and thus they are one, and not two. This is a matter of angelic wisdom. (Divine Love and Wisdom 369)
It is also known, or may be known, that there is a spiritual world, and also a natural world. In the universal sense the spiritual world is where spirits and angels dwell; and the natural world is where men dwell. In particular, there is a spiritual world and a natural world with every man: his internal man being to him a spiritual world, and his external man being to him a natural world. The things that flow in from the spiritual world and are presented in the natural world, are in general representations; and insofar as they agree they are correspondences. (Arcana Coelestia 2990)
Key Points From The Video
The Interchangeable Use of “Man” and “Mind”: In Spiritual Christianity, the terms “man” and “mind” are used synonymously, highlighting the mind as the core of a human being.
The Body as a Reflection of the Mind: The body and its senses reflect the originating form of the mind, revealing its nature and tendencies.
The Natural Mind’s Perspective: The natural mind views the body as a material aggregation, separate from and only vaguely connected to the mind.
The Dangers of Materialistic Reasoning: A dualistic, materialistic perspective obscures the true nature of the body as a manifestation of the mind, potentially leading to reductive and inaccurate conclusions.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of the following best describes the relationship between “man” and “mind” in Spiritual Christianity?
a. they are distinct and unrelated concepts
b. they are used synonymously, with the mind seen as the essence of the human being
c. the mind is merely a function of the physical body
d. the body is more important than the mind in defining a person
Answer b)
2. According to the teachings, what does the body and its senses primarily represent?
a. a random collection of atoms
b. a physical entity disconnected from the mind
c. a reflection of the originating form of the individual mind
d. a prison for the mind
Answer c)
3. How does the natural mind typically perceive the relationship between the mind and body?
a. as fundamentally intertwined and inseparable
b. as a clear reflection of each other
c. as distinct entities with a vague and incomprehensible connection
d. as the mind being superior to and controlling the body completely
Answer c)
4. What is a potential danger of a purely materialistic perspective on the mind-body relationship?
a. it can lead to a deeper understanding of spiritual truths
b. it can obscure the true nature of the body as a reflection of the mind
c. it strengthens the connection between mind and body
d. it promotes a more holistic view of the human being
Answer b)
5. According to the Text, how do angels perceive the human body?
a. as a mere collection of atoms
b. as an illusion
c. as entirely separate from the mind
d. as a representative emanation of the mind’s state
Answer c)
Reflective Questions
1. How does understanding that your perception of your body offers a reflection of your mind change the way that you look at your physical health and well-being?
2. In what ways might societal emphasis on materialism and the separation of mind and body affect our spiritual growth and understanding of ourselves?
3. How can you cultivate a greater sense of connection between your mind and body, integrating spiritual awareness into your daily experiences?
Experiential Integration
Daily Mind-Body Reflection: Each day, take 10-15 minutes for quiet reflection. Start by focusing on your breath and becoming aware of your body’s sensations. Then, consider a recent thought, feeling, or action. Reflect on how that internal state might have manifested in your physical posture, tension, or overall energy. Gently explore whether shifting your mental focus can influence your physical state, and vice versa.
Record your observations in a journal. Over time, this practice can deepen your awareness of the mind-body connection and its impact on your life.
Further Exploration
To love the neighbor, strictly speaking, is not to love the person, but the good that is in the person. Every one knows that a man is not a man because of his human face and body, but from the wisdom of his understanding, and the goodness of his will; and as these rise towards perfection, he becomes more and more a man. A man at his birth is more a brute than any animal, but he becomes a man by instruction of various kinds; for his mind is formed by the reception of instruction, and a man is a man from his mind, and according to its nature. (True Christian Religion 417. VI)
A man’s spirit is his mind, and whatever proceeds from it. By a man’s spirit, in the strict sense of the term, is meant simply his mind, for it is this which lives after death, and is then called a spirit; if good, an angelic spirit, and afterwards an angel; but if evil, a satanic spirit, and afterwards a satan. The mind of every man is the internal, or real man, and is within the external man, which constitutes its body; therefore, when the body is laid aside at death, the internal man is in a complete human form. So they are mistaken who suppose that a man’s mind is only in his head. It is there only in the principles from which first proceeds everything that a man thinks from the understanding and does from the will. Moreover, it resides in the body in derivatives formed for sensation and action; and because it is inwardly connected with the bodily structures, it imparts to them sensation and motion. It also inspires a sort of perception that the body thinks and acts of itself; but every wise man knows that this is a fallacy. Now because a man’s spirit thinks from the understanding and acts from the will, and because the body does not act from itself but from the spirit, it follows that a man’s spirit means his intelligence and the affection of his love, and whatever proceeds and acts from them. That a man’s spirit signifies such things as pertain to his mind, is obvious from many passages in the Word, which need only to be quoted to show that it is so. The following are a few taken from many.
Bezaleel “was filled with the spirit of wisdom, understanding and knowledge” Exodus 31:3.
Nebuchadnezzar testified of Daniel, that “an excellent spirit of knowledge and understanding and wisdom was in him” Daniel 5:12.
“Joshua… was full of the spirit of wisdom” Deuteronomy 34:9.
“Make you a new heart and a new spirit” Ezekiel 18:31.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:3.
“I dwell… in a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble” Isaiah 57:15.
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit” Psalms 51:17.
I will give “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” Isaiah 61:3; besides other passages to the same effect.
That spirit also signifies such things as relate to a perverse and wicked mind is evident from these passages:
He said to the foolish prophets “that follow their own spirit” Ezekiel 13:3.
“Ye shall conceive chaff; ye shall bring forth stubble: as to your spirit (A.V., breath) fire shall devour you. Isaiah 33:11.
“If a man walking in the spirit… and do lie” Micah 2:11.
“A generation… whose spirit was not steadfast with God” Psalms 78:8.
“The spirit of whoredoms” Hosea 5:4; 4:12.
“Every heart shall melt and every spirit shall faint” Ezekiel 21:7.
“That which cometh into your spirit (A.V., mind), shall not be at all” Ezekiel 20:32.
“And in whose spirit there is no guile” Psalms 32:2.
The spirit of Pharaoh was troubled, Genesis 41:8.
and also the spirit of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 2:2.
From these and many other passages it is clearly manifest that the spirit signifies the mind of man, and whatever belongs to it. (True Christian Religion 156 {6})