From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity
But be it known that the life of sense with spirits is twofold, namely, real and not real. The one is distinguished from the other by the fact that everything is real which appears to those who are in heaven, whereas everything is unreal which appears to those who are in hell. For whatever comes from the Divine (that is, from the Lord) is real, because it comes from the very being of things, and from life in itself, but whatever comes from a spirit’s own is not real, because it does not come from the being of things, nor from life is, itself. They who are in the affection of good and truth are in the Lord’s life, thus in real life, for the Lord is present in good and truth through the affection; but they who are in evil and falsity through the affection, are in the life of what is their own, thus in a life not real, for the Lord is not present in evil and falsity. The real is distinguished from the not real in this that the real is actually such as it appears, and that the not real is actually not such as it appears. (Arcana Coelestia 4623)
Whatever is impelled by good and at the same time by truth is real, and whatever is impelled by evil and at the same time by falsity is not real. It may be seen in no. 11 above that whatever is impelled by good and at the same time by truth is real. It follows, therefore, that whatever is evil and at the same time false is not something real. By something’s not being real we mean something without any power and without any spiritual life. Spirits impelled by evil and at the same time by falsity – all of whom are in hell – do indeed have power among themselves, for an evil spirit can do evil, and also does do evil in a thousand ways. However, he can do evil to the evil only because of their evil but cannot in the least do evil to the good. If in fact he does do evil to the good, as sometimes happens, it is by conjoining himself with their evil. This is what occasions temptations or trials, which are infestations by evil spirits present in oneself, and the resulting combats by which good people can be freed from their evils. Since evil spirits do not have any power, therefore the whole of hell in the Lord’s sight is not only as something of no consequence, but it is something totally of no consequence as regards its power. I have seen the reality of this confirmed by a good deal of experience. Astonishing, however, is the fact that evil spirits believe themselves to be powerful, while good spirits believe themselves to be without power. The reason for this is that the evil attribute everything to their own power, and thus to their cleverness and malice, and nothing to the Lord, whereas the good attribute nothing to their own prudence, but everything to the Lord, who has all power. Whatever is evil and at the same time false is not something real also for the reason that it is without any spiritual life. It is because of this that the life of spirits in hell is called not life but death. Consequently, since everything real is assignable to life, nothing real can be assigned to death. (Divine Providence 19(8) {1-2})
One’s Own Prudence Is Not Real and Only Appears to Be, and Also Ought to So Appear; but Divine Providence, Owing to its Presence in the Least Particulars, Is Universal. The idea that one’s own prudence is not real is altogether contrary to the appearance and so contrary to many people’s belief. And because that is the case, no one who, owing to the appearance, holds the belief that human prudence accomplishes all things, can be convinced otherwise except by the arguments of a deeper investigation, which must be drawn from causes. The appearance is an effect, and causes disclose the reason for it. In this introduction we will say something about the commonly held faith in connection with this subject. Contrary to the appearance is the teaching of the church that love and faith spring not from man but from God, likewise wisdom and intelligence, and so, too, prudence – in general all goodness and truth. When these tenets are accepted, accepted also must be the idea that one’s own prudence is not real, but only appears to be. Prudence is simply the product of intelligence and wisdom, and these two are produced simply by the intellect and its ensuing thought about truth and goodness. This – what we have just stated – is accepted and believed by people who acknowledge Divine providence, but not by those who acknowledge only human prudence. Now either what the church teaches must be true, that all wisdom and prudence spring from God, or what the world teaches, that all wisdom and prudence spring from man. Can these views be reconciled in any other way than to say that what the church teaches is the truth and that what the world teaches is the appearance? For the church affirms its teaching in the light of the Word, while the world affirms its in the light of human nature, and the Word originates from God, while human nature originates from man. Since prudence springs from God and not from man, therefore when the Christian person is engaged in prayer, he prays that God may guide his thoughts, intentions and deeds, and also adds as the reason that he cannot do so of himself. Moreover, when he sees someone doing good, he says that God led him to do it, and many other like things. Can anyone speak in this way unless at the time he inwardly believes it? And to inwardly believe it comes from heaven. But when he thinks to himself and assembles arguments on the side of human prudence, he may believe the opposite, and that comes from the world. Yet the internal belief prevails in those who at heart acknowledge God, while the external belief prevails in those who do not at heart acknowledge God, however much they may do so with their lips. (Divine Providence191{1-2})
Key Points From The Video
The Peril of Sensory Thinking in Spiritual Beings: When angels are guided by their senses they experience a separateness from the Divine Life.
The Dominance of Sensualism: Sensualism fosters desire for power originating within the self, leading to belief in self-generated life and aversion to dependence on another source.
Dialogues with Sensual Spirits: Believing in external space offers no advantage. Acknowledging life as derived aligns thoughts with truth, moving away from fallacies of the senses.
The Distinction Between Real and Unreal Worlds: The spiritual world is real as it appears to heavenly beings—a convergence of interconnected minds receptive to Divine Life. The natural world is unreal, shaped by the fallacy of sensory appearance, the light of life is dimmed by the deceptive light of the senses.
Insight on Reality: We give reality to objects of this world’s light by allowing heaven’s light to illuminate them.
The Imperfect Nature of Conjunction: Despite imperfect conjunction, even fleeting glimpses of truth reassure us that thinking this way engages with the spiritual world.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What illusion would arise if angels and benevolent spirits were guided by their sensory impressions?
a. the illusion of perfect unity with the Divine
b. the illusion of possessing a life separate from the Divine Life
c. the illusion of understanding the true nature of space and time
d. the illusion of being self-sufficient and independent
Answer b)
2. What inherent desire emerges when sensualism dominates both the will and the intellect?
a. the desire to serve others selflessly
b. the desire for all power to originate and center within the self
c. the desire to seek Divine guidance in all things
d. the desire to renounce worldly possessions
Answer b)
3. What are sensuous spirits shown in the teachings for Spiritual Christianity?
a. that believing in external space offers them a significant advantage
b. that their sensory consciousness changes when they believe in external space
c. that believing in external space offers them no advantage
d. that external space is the key to understanding spiritual truths
Answer c)
4. What is described as the core difference between the spiritual and natural worlds?
a. the presence or absence of physical laws
b. the presence or absence of sensory experiences
c. the distinction between real and unreal worlds
d. the ability to reason logically
Answer c)
5. What is the relationship between natural states of mind and spiritual perception?
a. it means we see only what is perfect and Divine
b. it means we are entirely deluded
c. it means we are more likely to see and act as those from the spiritual world do
d. it limits our ability and means we can only catch fleeting glimpses of the reality that truly is
Answer d )
Reflective Questions
1. How do you personally experience the tension between the information of your senses, and your more enlightened self?
2. In what ways do you find yourself drawn to the illusion of self-reliance, and what specific steps can you take to cultivate a greater awareness of your dependence on a higher source?
3. How can you actively engage with the spiritual world and give reality and life to otherwise lifeless and unreal experiences, even amidst the limitations of natural perception?
Experiential Integration
Throughout your day, choose a specific emotion or feeling that arises within you. Instead of reacting to it immediately, pause and ask yourself: What beliefs or assumptions might be underlying this emotion? Are these beliefs rooted in sensory impressions or in spiritual truths? If you identify beliefs that are based on sensory impressions, consciously challenge them by reframing the situation in light of spiritual principles. For example, if you feel anger towards someone, remind yourself that everyone is on their own journey and that love and understanding are always the higher path.