From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity
I have talked much with angels about innocence, and have been told that innocence is the being (esse) of all good, and that good is therefore good to the extent that it has innocence in it, consequently that wisdom is wisdom to the extent that it partakes of innocence. The same is true of love, charity, and faith. 1 Therefore, no one can enter heaven unless he has innocence. This is what is meant by the Lord when He says: Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of the heavens. Verily I say unto you, Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of the heavens as a little child, he shall not enter into it. Mark 10:14-15; Luke 18:16-17. There as elsewhere in the Word by “little children” is meant those who are innocent. A state of innocence is also described by the Lord in Matthew (6:25-34), but by correspondences only. Good is good so far as it has innocence in it, for the reason that all good is from the Lord, and innocence is a willingness to be led by the Lord. I have also been told that truth can be conjoined to good and good to truth only by means of innocence. So it is also that an angel is not an angel of heaven unless he has innocence in him; for heaven is not in anyone until truth is conjoined to good in him. Hence the conjunction of truth and good is called the heavenly marriage, and the heavenly marriage is heaven. (Heaven and Hell 281)
The innocence of wisdom is genuine innocence, because it is internal, for it belongs to the mind itself, that is, to the will itself and from that to the understanding. And when there is innocence in these there is also wisdom, for wisdom belongs to the will and understanding. This is why it is said in heaven that innocence has its abode in wisdom, and that an angel has just so much of innocence as he has of wisdom. This is confirmed by the fact that those who are in a state of innocence attribute nothing of good to themselves, but regard all things as received and ascribe them to the Lord; that they wish to be led by Him and not by themselves; that they love everything that is good and find delight in everything that is true, because they know and perceive that loving what is good, that is, willing and doing it, is loving the Lord, and loving truth is loving the neighbour; that they live contented with their own, whether it be little or much, because they know that they receive just as much as is good for them-those receiving little for whom a little is useful, and those receiving much for whom much is useful; also that they do not themselves know what is good for them, the Lord alone knowing this, who looks in all things that He provides to what is eternal. Neither are they anxious about the future; anxiety about the future they call care for the morrow, which they define as grief on account of losing or not receiving things that are not necessary for the uses of life. With companions they never act from an evil end but from what is good, just, and sincere. Acting from an evil end they call cunning, which they shun as the poison of a serpent, since it is wholly antagonistic to innocence. As they love nothing so much as to be led of the Lord, attributing all things they receive to Him, they are kept apart from what is their own [proprium]; and to the extent that they are kept apart from what is their own the Lord flows into them; and in consequence of this whatever they hear from the Lord, whether through the Word or by means of preaching, they do not store up in the memory, but instantly obey it, that is, will it and do it, their will being itself their memory. These for the most part outwardly appear simple, but inwardly they are wise and prudent. These are meant by the Lord in the words, Be ye prudent as serpents and simple as doves (Matt. 10:16). Such is the innocence which is called the innocence of wisdom. (Heaven and Hell 278{1&2})
Hellish fire or love comes into existence from the same source as heavenly fire or love, namely, the Sun of heaven, or the Lord; but it is made hellish by those who receive it. For all influx from the spiritual world is varied in accordance with reception, that is, in accordance with the forms into which it flows, just as it is with the heat and light from the sun of the world. The heat from that sun flowing into shrubberies and beds of flowers produces vegetation, and draws forth grateful and sweet odours; but the same heat flowing into excrementitious and decaying substances produces putrefactions, and draws forth rank and disgusting stenches. In like manner the light from the same sun produces in one subject beautiful and pleasing colours, in another unbeautiful and disagreeable colours. The same is true of the heat and light from the Sun of heaven, which is love; When the heat, or love, from that Sun flows into goods, as it does with men, and good spirits and angels, it makes their goods fruitful; but with the evil it produces a contrary effect, for their evils either suffocate it or pervert it. In like manner when the light of heaven flows into the truths of good it imparts intelligence and wisdom; but when it flows into the falsities of evil it is there turned into insanities and phantasies of various kinds. Thus, in every instance, the result is in accordance with reception. (Heaven and Hell 569)
Key Points From The Video
Innocence is the Inmost Ground: Innocence serves as the Esse (inmost ground) from which love and wisdom arise, indicating their true reality depends on this Divine state.
The Nature of Innocence: Innocence is characterised by a willingness to submit to the Divine Will, akin to a child’s trust and humility.
Innocence as the Capacity for Reception: Innocence enhances the mind’s capacity to receive love and wisdom from the Divine Source.
The Receptive Nature of Innocence: Innocence contrasts with self-wilfulness, which rejects Divine influx, while innocence opens the mind to receive spiritual influences.
Innocence and Spiritual Receptivity: Self-wilfulness hardens the mind, blocking Divine growth, whereas contentment and trust in the Divine promote spiritual receptivity.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is considered the foundational essence that underpins the existence of love, wisdom, and their associated good and truth in angels?
a) Knowledge
b) Power
c) Innocence
d) Strength
Answer: c)
2. What does innocence serve as in the framework of Spiritual Christianity?
a) The highest state of mind
b) The inmost ground (Esse)
c) A physical location in heaven
d) An intellectual achievement
Answer: b)
3. How is innocence characterised in angels?
a) As a complex and analytical state
b) As a physical strength
c) Through self-will and independence
d) By a willingness to submit to the Divine Will
Answer: d)
4. What quality enhances the mind’s capacity to receive love and wisdom from the Divine Source?
a) Innocence
b) Intelligence
c) Courage
d) Ambition
Answer: b)
5. What happens to self-wilfulness when exposed to the spiritual sun, according to the metaphor offered in the video?
a) It flourishes and grows
b) It transforms into wisdom
c) It dissipates and disappears
d) It becomes hard and resistant
Answer: d)
Reflective Questions
1. How can embracing a childlike trust and humility influence your daily interactions and spiritual growth?
2. In what ways does self-wilfulness manifest in your life, and how can you work towards a more receptive state of innocence?
3. How do you experience the inflow of Divine qualities such as love and wisdom in your life, and what role does innocence play in this process?
Experiential Integration
Innocence Practice
- Morning Reflection: Begin your day with a moment of quiet contemplation, focusing on developing a childlike trust and openness to Divine guidance.
- Throughout the Day: Consciously practice humility and willingness to follow a higher guidance in your actions and decisions.
- Evening Journal: Reflect on instances where you felt more open to Divine influence and note how this affected your state of mind and interactions.
Further Exploration
Everything that a man thinks and wills, and consequently speaks and does, flows in from one sole Fountain of life, and yet that one Fountain of life, which is the Lord, is not the cause of a man’s thinking what is evil and false. This can be illustrated by the following circumstances in the natural world. From the sun of this world proceed heat and light; and these two flow into all subjects and objects that appear before the eyes, not only into subjects that are good and objects that are beautiful, but also into subjects that are evil and objects that are ugly, producing in them various effects. For they flow not only into trees that bear good fruit but also into trees that bear bad fruit, and even into the fruits themselves, imparting to them quickening power. They likewise flow into good seed and also into tares; also into shrubs that have a good use or are wholesome, and also into shrubs that have an evil use or are poisonous. Yet it is the same heat and the same light, and in these there is no cause of evil; but the cause is in the recipient subjects and objects. The heat which hatches eggs in which lie the bird of night, the screech-owl and the viper acts in the same way as when it hatches eggs in which lie the dove, the bird of paradise and the swan. Set eggs of both kinds under a hen and they will be hatched by her heat, which in itself is free from harm. What then has the heat in common with those evil and noxious things? The heat that flows into the marsh and the dung-hill, and into dead and putrefying matter acts in the same way as when it flows into the vine sapling and the fragrant herb, and into luxuriant vegetation and bodies pulsing with life. Who does not see that the cause is not in the heat but in the recipient subject? On the other hand, the same light brings out in one object colours that are pleasing, and in another colours that are not pleasing; it even brightens itself up and sends out brilliant rays in white objects, but in objects that verge towards black it dims and darkens itself. It is the same in the spiritual world; for there also are heat and light from its Sun, which is the Lord, and these flow from that Sun into their subjects and objects. The subjects and objects there are angels and spirits, in particular, what pertains to their will and understanding, the heat there being the Divine Love going forth, and the light there the Divine Wisdom going forth. These are not the cause of their being received differently by one and by another; for the Lord says, He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45. (Divine Providence 292 {1-3})
The inmost or third heaven is the heaven of innocence; the middle or second heaven is the heaven of charity that has innocence from the inmost heaven within it; and the lowest or first heaven is the heaven of truth that has charity from the second heaven within it, and innocence from the third within that charity. (Arcana Coelestia 6013)