From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity
‘Its walls’ means inner levels. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the walls’ or the sides as inner levels; for when ‘the roof’ means that which is inmost, ‘the walls’, which are below it, mean the inner levels. By inner levels those which are below the inmost ones and above the lowest, thus those in the middle, should be understood. Inner levels are meant by ‘the walls’ because the sides and breast of the human body mean inner things; for all representatives on the natural level resemble the human form and carry the same meaning as the parts of it they resemble, 9496. The uppermost part of a house for example, called the roof, is similar in meaning to the head; the inward parts below the uppermost are similar in meaning to the breast and sides; and the foundations of the house are similar in meaning to the feet and soles of the feet. The reason why this should be so is that heaven as a whole resembles one human being, and there is an influx from there into the whole natural order. For the natural world comes into being from the spiritual world and is held in being by it. When the words ‘spiritual world’ are used, that which is Divine and the Lord’s there should be understood. [2] The resemblance of all things on the natural level to the human form is also clear from each member of the vegetable kingdom. Everything there is clothed with leaves and comes into blossom before bearing fruit; and the fruit is the final end, for the sake of which the previous stages of growth take place and towards which they all look. The leaves there resemble the lungs and serve so to speak in place of the breathing-system; for they are the means by which juices are drawn up the plant, which explains why a tree stripped of its leaves bears no fruit. So it is also that in the Word leaves mean truths constituting faith, 885; for by means of those truths the vital element from which good is formed is in a similar way made to rise up. The blossoming before the fruit comes corresponds to that state and time in people’s lives when thoughts of marriage enter their minds and make them glad, thus when truth is joined to good. But the fruit corresponds to actual good, which, to the extent that it matures like fruit, manifests itself in deeds. So it is that in the Word fruit means the deeds of charity, and that the blossoming before the fruit is compared to the voice and the joy of a bride and bridegroom; and so on with all the rest. Anyone therefore who is able to stop and reflect sensibly will recognize most clearly that the heavenly paradise is represented in the earthly paradise, and consequently that all things within the natural order resemble such realities as exist in the spiritual world. And one who is able to draw further conclusions may see that the natural order is not self-existent but is held in being by influx from heaven, that is, from what is Divine there, so completely that if that contact were taken away everything composing the planet would collapse into nothingness. (Arcana Coelestia 10185)
The reason why a person enters heaven and becomes an embodiment of the Church when governed by good is that the Lord flows into the good residing with a person, and through the good into his truth. He flows into the internal man, where heaven within that person exists, and through the internal into the external, where the world within that person exists. Therefore unless the person is governed by good his internal man is not opened but remains closed, no matter how many truths he knows on a doctrinal level. And since heaven exists within his internal man the person is in heaven when that internal man is opened; for heaven does not exist in some place but within a person’s interiors. (Arcana Coelestia 10367)
With regard to the origin of all things, every single thing comes from the Lord. From Him comes the celestial; by way of the celestial from Him the spiritual comes into being; by way of the spiritual comes the natural; by way of the natural comes that which constitutes the body and the senses. And just as these come into being from the Lord in this way, so in the same way they are kept in being, for as is well known, being kept in being is constant coming into being. People who assume that things arise and come into being in any other way, as those do who worship nature and trace the origin of things back to that, are governed by assumptions so dismal that the delusions of wild animals roaming the forest can be said to contain far more sanity. There are many such persons who seem to themselves to excel everybody else in wisdom. (Arcana Coelestia 775)
Key Points From The Video
Essential Similarities and Differences: The natural and spiritual worlds are similar in form but differ in manifestation due to the nature of the minds perceiving them.
Spiritual Perception of Divine Influx: Spiritual minds recognise Divine Life as the source of all experience, understanding the world as a manifestation of continual Divine influx.
Natural Perception and Its Limitations: Natural minds, lacking spiritual knowledge, believe thoughts and the external world are self-evolved and independent.
The Influence of Natural Sciences: Natural sciences, operating within a spatial and temporal framework, reinforce the belief in the independent existence of the physical world.
The Limitations of Sensory Perception: Sensory perception, by its nature, fails to convey the deeper reality of continuous Divine influx, presenting a fragmented view of existence.
Transcending Sensory Limitations: Grasping the interconnected nature of the worlds requires transcending sensory presentations and recognising the dependence of all objects and experiences on the mind.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What is the primary difference between the natural and spiritual worlds?
a. The nature of the minds perceiving them and their spiritual development
b. The presence or absence of physical matter
c. The laws of physics that govern each world
d. The degree of Divine intervention in each world
Answer a)
2. How do spiritual minds perceive their conscious experiences and the world around them?
a. As random occurrences without meaning
b. As self-created illusions
c. As manifestations of continual Divine influx
d. As independent realities separate from the Divine
Answer c)
3. What is a common conclusion drawn by those rooted in natural thought?
a. That their thoughts and emotions are Divinely inspired
b. That the external world exists independently of them
c. That the natural and spiritual worlds are indistinguishable
d. That the universe is fundamentally chaotic
Answer b)
4. How do the natural sciences often contribute to the belief in an independent physical world?
a. By emphasising the importance of subjective experience
b. By proving the existence of a spiritual realm
c. By disproving the existence of a Creator
d. By deducing that objects possess an actual external existence within space and time
Answer d)
5. What is required to truly grasp the interconnected nature of the natural and spiritual worlds?
a. Developing advanced technology
b. Transcending the limitations of sensory perception and spatial thinking
c. Rejecting all scientific knowledge
d. Isolating oneself from the external world
Answer b)
Reflective Questions
1. How has your understanding of the natural sciences influenced your perception of the relationship between the mind and the external world? How can you reconcile scientific findings with the concept of Divine influx?
2. In what specific ways do you feel limited by your sensory perception? Can you identify any instances where your senses have misled you or prevented you from seeing a deeper truth?
3. How might cultivating a deeper awareness of the Divine source of all life and reality change your daily actions and interactions with others?
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.
Observe any shifts in your awareness or sense of connection that arise from this practice.
Further Exploration
Afterwards I was taken by the Lord to a planet in the universe which was further away from ours than the first dealt with at the ends of several foregoing chapters. I was allowed to know that it was further away by the fact that it took two days to convey me there as to my spirit. This planet lay to the left, but the first to the right. Lying further away in the next life is not due to spatial remoteness but to difference of state, which however produces there the appearance of a spatial remoteness, in accord with what has been stated previously in 9440. From the time therefore that it took to get there, which was two days, as has just been said, I was able to deduce that the state of the interiors with those people, that is, the state of affections and consequent thoughts, was in like measure different from the state of the interiors that exists with spirits from our planet. And since I was conveyed there as to my spirit by means of changes of the state of the interiors I was allowed to note the actual changes taking place one after another before arrival there. This happened when I was wide awake. (Arcana Coelestia 9967)
I was conveyed to yet another planet in the universe outside our solar system, which was accomplished by means of changes in the state of my mind, thus changes as to my spirit. For as stated several times before, the only way in which a spirit is conveyed from one place to another is by means of changes in the state of the spirit’s interiors, though these changes still seem to him to be like movements from place to place or journeys. (Arcana Coelestia 10734)