From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity
I was conveyed by the Lord by means of angels to some planet in the universe, where I was allowed to see into the actual planet. (Arcana Coelestia 9578)
Being conveyed to planets in the universe does not mean being conveyed and brought to them as to the body but as to the spirit; and the spirit is not conveyed by a journey through intervals of space but through variations of the state of inner life, which seem to the person to be a journey through intervals of space, 5605, 7381, 9440. Furthermore any approach towards them depends on the compatability or similarity of state, for compatibility or similarity of state brings people together and incompatibility or dissimilarity of state sets them apart. From this it may be recognized how the spirit can be brought to and approach places far away while the person remains where he is. (Arcana Coelestia 9579)
But conveying a person’s spirit outside his own globe through variations of the state of his interiors and causing the variations to progress one after another till a state is reached that is compatible with or similar to the states of those to whom he is conveyed lies within the power of the Lord alone… Those who are ruled by their bodily senses and think on the level of those senses cannot be led to believe that such a thing has ever happened. The reason for this is that the bodily senses can have no conception of a journey other than one that is made through intervals of space. Those however who think on the sensory level of their spirit, when that level has been removed or withdrawn to some extent from the sensory level of the body, and so think on a more internal level, can be led to believe and conceive that such a thing has happened, because space and time do not come into the idea formed in their mind, but instead of space and time the kinds of realities which are the cause behind all that is spatial and temporal. (Arcana Coelestia 9580, 81)
‘And so it was in the morning watch’ means a state of thick darkness and perdition for those steeped in falsity arising from evil, and a state of enlightenment and salvation for those guided by truth springing from good. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the morning watch’ as a state of enlightenment and salvation, and in the contrary sense as a state of thick darkness and perdition. The reason why ‘the morning watch’ has this meaning is that states of faith and love in the next life are like the times of day in the world. That is to say, they are like morning, midday, evening, and night; and these therefore also correspond to those states, 2788, 5672, 5862, 6110. The states also change in almost the same ways. Whenever change takes place morning, and in particular twilight, is an end and a beginning; for night comes to an end and day begins. In that state to which morning corresponds the good begin to be enlightened in matters of faith and to grow warmer in aspects of charity. The opposite also takes place, for then the evil begin to be overshadowed by falsities and to be chilled by evils. Consequently morning for the latter is a state of thick darkness and perdition, but for the former a state of enlightenment and salvation.[2] These states in heaven are what give rise to the states of light and heat on earth, and also the states of thick darkness and cold, which come round in turn each year and each day. Whatever arises in the natural world has its origin and cause in those things that arise in the spiritual world; for to be sure the whole natural order is nothing other than a theatre representative of the Lord’s kingdom, 3483, 4939, 5173, 5962. And this is the reason for correspondences. Variations of light and shade on earth, also of heat and cold, are indeed attributable to the sun, that is to say, to its different heights in the sky each year and each day, and in different parts of the earth. Yet these causes, which are proximate ones and exist in the natural world, were created in accordance with those things that exist in the spiritual world. The latter are the prior efficient causes from which the former, their posterior causes, arise in the natural world. For nothing in a state of order can ever exist on a natural level if its cause and origin do not lead back to a spiritual level, that is, to the Divine operating through that level. (Arcana Coelestia 8211)
Key Points From The Video
Divine Presence Beyond Space and Time: God’s presence transcends space and time and as Divine Love, He intimately connects all to Him.
The Human Experience of Distinctiveness: Our sense of time, space and distinctiveness from God, arises from our imperfect reception of Divine love and wisdom, not from God’s nature.
The Journey of Growth: Life involves a continuous progression towards higher states of consciousness, even after death, creating distinct realms with indirect communication through correspondence.
The Universal Law of Creation: The law of creation is consistent across all levels of existence, but our natural minds often perceive a superficial, less dynamic reality.
The Challenge of Perception: Believing space and time exist independently makes it difficult to reconcile God’s omnipresence with the perceived separation of the natural world.
Bridging the Worlds: Acknowledging a single law of creation, regardless of perceived differences, helps unify our understanding of the spiritual and natural realms.
The Divine Appearing in the Finite: God manifests in ways that reflect our limited capacity to receive Him, appearing within the constraints of space and time.
Overcoming Appearances and Uniting with the Divine: Recognising our imperfect reception, rather than attributing appearances to God, allows us to bridge the gap between our limited finite view and the Infinite and Eternal Source.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why do humans experience a sense of distinctiveness from God?
a. Because God is intentionally distant
b. Because our minds are perfect reflections of God’s
c. Because of our limited, imperfect reception of Divine love and wisdom
d. Because space and time create a physical barrier
Answer c)
2. What causes our perception of time passing?
a. The constant movement of the stars
b. An imperfect reception of Divine wisdom
c. God’s active manipulation of our senses
d. The natural decay of physical matter
Answer b)
3. What is the relationship between the natural and spiritual worlds?
a. They are governed by completely different laws.
b. The spiritual world is an illusion.
c. They are identical in every way.
d. There is indirect communication by means of correspondence between distinct levels of mind.
Answer d)
4. What is the first step in correcting the misconception about the natural world’s independence?
a. Developing advanced technology
b. Recognising that the difference between the natural and spiritual worlds is rooted in the perfection of minds and their receptivity to the inflowing Divine life.
c. Studying advanced physics
d. Dismissing all spiritual concepts
Answer b)
5. How does God appear to those who experience the world through space and time?
a. As a distant and unknowable force
b. Cloaked in the appearances of space and time, as if He were a finite being
c. As an abstract concept with no relevance to daily life
d. As a being strictly limited to the spiritual realm
Answer b)
Reflective Questions
1. How does the idea that our perception of space and time is limited and imperfect challenge your understanding of free will and responsibility?
2. Considering that the law of creation is the same across all degrees, how can you apply this understanding to your daily interactions and relationships, seeking a more unified perspective?
3. Reflect on a time when you felt a strong sense of connection with the Divine. How does the concept of God appearing in a form that reflects our limited reception resonate with that experience?
Experiential Integration
Daily Perception Shift Practice: Throughout the day, whenever you experience a sense of separation or distance – from yourself, from others, or from the Divine – pause and reflect on the idea that this feeling might be a result of your limited perception. Instead of focusing on the perceived distance, try to shift your awareness towards the underlying connection and the possibility of a deeper, unified reality.
Practise seeing the Divine presence in the seemingly mundane and finite aspects of your life.
Further Exploration
In heaven states of love and light, that is, of goodness and truth, follow one another in sequence unceasingly, just as on earth morning, midday, evening, and twilight do, and as spring, summer, autumn, and winter do. It has also been shown that those states are the origin from which these times of day and seasons of the year arise; for things that come into being in the world are images of the realities that exist in heaven. This is so because everything natural comes into being from what is spiritual, that is, from what is Divine in the heavens. (Arcana Coelestia 10200)
The reason why ‘sowing the land’ has this meaning is that everything involving the field, what is sown in it, and what it produces means such things as belong in general to the Church and in particular to a member of the Church, that is, to a person regenerated by means of the truth of faith and the good of charity received from the Lord. This is why ‘the field’ and ‘the ground’ in the Word mean those within the Church who receive the truths and forms of the good of faith, just as the field receives seeds, and therefore also why the field, seed, sowing, harvest, produce, grain and wheat, bread made from them, and everything else involving the field are mentioned many times in the Word. [2] Anyone unacquainted with the true nature of the heavenly state inevitably supposes that those things as they are mentioned in the Word are no more than metaphorical ways of speaking and comparisons; yet they are true correspondences. For when angels talk about the Lord’s regeneration of a person by means of the truths of faith and forms of the good of charity, there appear at the same time in the world of spirits below them fields, crops, fallow land, and also harvests. The reason for their appearance is their correspondence. Anyone acquainted with this is also able to see that such things have been created in the world in accordance with correspondences; for the whole natural order – that is, all the sky together with the sun, moon, and stars, and the earth together with every object in its three kingdoms – corresponds to such things as exist in the spiritual world. (Arcana Coelestia 9272)