From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity
Although there is a succession and a progression of all things in heaven, as in the world, yet angels have no notion or idea of time and space; and this so completely that they do not even know at all what time and space are. (Heaven and Hell 162)
The truth is that there is no distance, but that the distance is an appearance according to the reception of Divine Love and Wisdom by the angels in their degree. That distances, in the spiritual world, are appearances. That the Divine is not in space. That the Divine, apart from space, fills all spaces. If there are no spaces, there are no distances, or, what is the same, if spaces are appearances, distances also are appearances, for distances are of space. (Divine Love and Wisdom 109)
For in the spiritual world or in heaven nothing of space or time enters the ideas, but instead what belongs to the state of life. It does indeed appear to spirits and angels that they advance and move from place to place, just as it appears to men; but still it is changes of the state of life that produce this appearance; just as it appears to them, as well as to men, that they live from themselves, when yet they do not live from themselves, but from the Divine of the Lord from whom is the all of life. These appearances with the angels are called real, because they appear as if they really were. (Arcana Coelestia 4882)
All fallacies which prevail with the evil and the simple arise from appearances which have been confirmed. So long as appearances remain appearances, they are apparent truths, according to which everyone may think and speak; but when they are accepted as real truths, which is done when they are confirmed, then apparent truths become falsities and fallacies. For example:–It is an appearance that the sun is borne around the earth daily, and follows yearly the path of the ecliptic. So long as this appearance is not confirmed it is an apparent truth, according to which anyone may think and speak; for he may say that the sun rises and sets and thereby causes morning, mid-day, evening, and night; also that the sun is now in such or such a degree of the ecliptic or of its altitude, and thereby causes spring, summer, autumn, and winter. But when this appearance is confirmed as the real truth, then the confirmer thinks and utters a falsity springing from a fallacy. It is the same with innumerable other appearances, not only in natural, civil, and moral, but also in spiritual affairs. (Divine Love and Wisdom 108)
The reason why the “uppermost” denotes the inmost is that with man who is in space, interior things appear as higher things, and exterior things as lower ones; but when the idea of space is put off, as is the case in heaven and also in the interior thought of man, there is then put off the idea of what is high and what is low; for height and depth come from the idea of space. Nay, in the interior heaven there is no idea of things interior and exterior, because something of space adheres to this idea also; but there is the idea of more perfect or more imperfect state; for interior things are in a more perfect state than exterior ones, because interior things are nearer the Divine, and exterior things are more remote from it. This is the reason why what is uppermost signifies what is inmost. (Arcana Coelestia 5146)
The reason why by “height” are signified degrees in respect to good and truth, is that by “what is high” is signified what is internal; therefore the higher anything is, so much the more interior it is. In heaven that which is more interior is nearer to the Lord, for the Lord is in the inmost, and from the inmost all things proceed. Distances from the inmost are degrees of good and truth from Him. As the Lord is the inmost, He is also the Highest, for He is the Sun of heaven, from which is all height in the heavens. For this reason it is that the Lord is called in the Word “the Highest.” (Arcana Coelestia 9773)
Key Points From The Video
The Source of Temporal and Spatial Appearances: Space arises from the imperfect reception of Divine love, while time results from the imperfect reception of Divine wisdom, appearing as progression in finite minds.
The Infinite Source and Its Manifestations: The Lord, beyond space and time, is the source of all wisdom and truth. While He exists outside these confines, He is the cause of space and time as they appear to finite beings.
The Appearance vs. Reality in Spiritual Perception: In heaven, space and time are real to the senses but are not independent phenomena. Instead, they manifest from finite beings’ limited reception of Divine life.
The Unity of Love and Wisdom: The Lord’s perfect unity of love and wisdom contrasts with finite beings’ divided reception, which produces the appearances of space and time. Greater alignment with Divine love and wisdom brings perceptions closer to spiritual reality.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What gives rise to the appearance of space in spiritual perception?
a) the perfect reception of Divine love
b) the imperfect reception of Divine love
c) the progression of knowledge
d) the Lord’s omnipresence
Answer b)
2. How does the Lord exist in relation to time and space?
a) as an entity within them
b) in a limited form
c) only within the perception of angels
d) beyond the confines of both
Answer d)
3. Why do time and space appear real to angelic beings?
a) because they are external realities
b) due to the Infinite source’s perfection
c) as a result of finite minds’ limited reception of Divine life
d) because they exist as separate phenomena
Answer c)
4. What leads to the divided perception of love and wisdom in finite minds?
a) the unity of love and wisdom
b) the Lord’s creation of independent time and space
c) the imperfect reception of Divine love and wisdom
d) the angels’ progressive lives
Answer c)
5. What happens as angels receive Divine love and wisdom more perfectly?
a) space and time align more closely with spiritual reality
b) the unity of love and wisdom increases
c) space and time become more prominent
d) they lose the sense of divine presence
Answer a)
Reflective Questions
1. How does your current perception of time and space affect your experience of reality?
2. In what ways can you strive to receive Divine love and wisdom more perfectly in your daily life?
3. How do you distinguish between the appearances of space and time and their true spiritual significance?
Experiential Integration
Take a moment to pause and reflect on how your internal state influences your perception of time and space. Notice if, when calm and centered, time seems to slow or expand.
Record these reflections in a journal, noting any insights into how Divine love and wisdom might be affecting your perceptions.