From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

This One God is Substance itself and Form itself and angels and men are substances and forms from Him, and so far as they are in Him and He in them are images and likenesses of Him. As God is Esse He is also Substance; for unless Esse is substance it is a figment of the reason; for substance has subsistent being. Moreover, one who is a substance is also a form; for unless a substance is a form it is a figment of the reason. Wherefore both substance and form may be predicated of God, but in the sense that He is the only, the very, and the primal Substance and Form… this Form is the verily Human Form, that is, God is verily Man, infinite in every respect … angels and men are substances and forms created and organised for receiving what is Divine flowing into them through heaven. For this reason they are called in the Book of Creation “images and likenesses of God” (Genesis 1:26, 27); and elsewhere “His sons,” and “born of Him.” … so far as man lives under Divine direction, that is, suffers himself to be led by God, so far he becomes an image of God more and more interiorly. Unless an idea is formed of God as the primal Substance and Form, and of His Form as the verily Human Form, the human mind may easily involve itself in spectral fancies about God Himself, the origin of man, and the creation of the world. It would then have no other conception of God than as the nature of the universe in its first principles, that is, as its expanse, or else as emptiness or nothingness; nor any other conception of man’s origin than as a flowing together of elements into that form by mere chance; nor of the creation of the world than that its substances and forms originated in points, and afterwards in geometrical lines, which are essentially nothing, because nothing can be predicated of them. (True Christian Religion 20{2})

The Divine Esse which is God in Himself is the Itself, they illustrated thus: God is the Itself because He is love itself and wisdom itself, that is, He is good itself and truth itself, and therefore life itself. Unless these in God were love and wisdom itself and were good and truth itself and therefore life itself, they would not be anything in heaven and in the world, because there would be nothing in them related to the Itself. Every quality is what it is from the fact that there is an Itself in which it originates, and to which it must be related in order to be what it is. This Itself, which is the Divine Esse, is not in place; but it is present with and in those who are in place in accordance with their reception of it, since place, or progress from place to place, cannot be predicated of love and wisdom nor of good and truth, nor of life therefrom, which are Itself in God, and are even God Himself. On this rests His omnipotence. So the Lord says that He is in the midst of them, and that He is in them and they in Him. (True Christian Religion 25{3})

That man lives from the Lord alone, and not of himself is established by the following reasons: There is one sole essence, one sole substance, and one sole form, from which are all the essences, substances and forms that have been created. This one sole essence, substance and form, is the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, from which are all things relating to love and wisdom in man. It is also Good itself and Truth itself to which all things have relation; and these are life, which is the source of the life of all and of all things pertaining to life. Moreover, the One Only and the Self is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent; and this One Only and the Self is the Lord from eternity, or Jehovah. … This one sole essence, substance and form is the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, from which are all things relating to love and wisdom in man… In man the things which appear to live have relation to his will and his understanding; and that these two constitute the life of man everyone perceives and acknowledges from his reason. What else is there in life except “I will this, and I understand this,” or in other words, “I love this, and I think this?” As a man wills what he loves, and thinks what he understands, so all things of the will relate to love, and all things of the understanding to wisdom; and since love and wisdom cannot exist in anyone from himself, but only from Him who is Love itself and Wisdom itself it follows that they exist from the Lord who is from eternity, that is, Jehovah. If they did not exist from this source man would be love itself and wisdom itself, thus God from eternity; but from this human reason itself recoils. Nothing can exist except from what is prior to itself; and this prior thing can exist only from what is still prior to it, and thus finally only from the First which is in its Self. (Divine Providence 157)

Of things created and finite, Esse [Being] and Existere [Taking Form] can be predicated, likewise substance and form, also life, and even love and wisdom; but these are all created and finite. This can be said of things created and finite, not because they possess anything Divine, but because they are in the Divine, and the Divine is in them. For everything that has been created is, in itself, inanimate and dead, but all things are animated and made alive by this, that the Divine is in them, and that they are in the Divine. (Divine Love and Wisdom 53)

Divine Love and Divine Wisdom are substance and are form. The idea of men in general about love and about wisdom is that they are like something hovering and floating in thin air or ether or like what exhales from something of this kind. Scarcely any one believes that they are really and actually substance and form. Even those who recognise that they are substance and form still think of the love and the wisdom as outside the subject and as issuing from it. For they call substance and form that which they think of as outside the subject and as issuing from it, even though it be something hovering and floating; not knowing that love and wisdom are the subject itself, and that what is perceived outside of it and as hovering and floating is nothing but an appearance of the state of the subject in itself. There are several reasons why this has not hitherto been seen, one of which is, that appearances are the first things out of which the human mind forms its understanding, and these appearances the mind can shake off only by the exploration of the cause; and if the cause lies deeply hidden, the mind can explore it only by keeping the understanding for a long time in spiritual light; and this it cannot do by reason of the natural light which continually withdraws it. The truth is, however, that love and wisdom are the real and actual substance and form that constitute the subject itself. (Divine Love and Wisdom 40)

Key Points From The Video

Divine Substance as Sustainer: Spiritual Christianity asserts that the Divine Substance is not only the Creator but also the continual sustainer of all creation, a process called “perpetual creation.”

Misconceptions of Space and Divine Magnitude: Common misconceptions arise when space is viewed as an independent entity, leading to erroneous beliefs about God’s omnipresence involving spatial magnitude.

Creation from State, Not Space and Time: Spiritual Christianity emphasises that the universe should be understood as created from the state of the human will and intellect rather than spatial and temporal dimensions.

Independence from Space and Time: The Divine Being is not extended in space nor mutable in time, reinforcing the distinction between finite spatial-temporal properties and the nature of God.

Divine Form and Non-Form: Natural and spiritual forms are finite and mutable, while the Divine Mind is infinite and non-form, indicating the absence of limitations inherent in space and time.

Essential Substance and Form: Jehovah is described as the Essential Substance, sustaining all through His spaceless omnipresence, and as the Essential Form, providing the initiaments of all forms.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is meant by “perpetual creation” in the teachings for Spiritual Christianity?
a) The continuous sustenance of all creation by the Divine Substance.
b) The ongoing process of physical evolution.
c) The cyclical nature of creation and destruction.
d) The idea that creation happens only once in eternity.
Answer: a)

2. How does Spiritual Christianity suggest one should understand the creation of the universe?
a) As an event occurring in a specific place and time.
b) Through the concepts of space and temporal progression.
c) From the state of the human will and intellect.
d) As a series of physical transformations in space.
Answer: c)

3. Why does Spiritual Christianity reject the notion of Divine omnipresence involving spatial magnitude?
a) Because it limits God’s presence to physical forms.
b) Because it aligns God too closely with material objects.
c) Because it diminishes the infinite nature of God.
d) Because it implies that God exists in space as finite beings do.
Answer: d)

4. What does Spiritual Christianity mean by the Divine Mind being “Non-Form”?
a) The Divine Mind lacks any form of structure or order.
b) The Divine Mind cannot be perceived by human senses.
c) The Divine Mind is infinite and universal, free from limitations of form.
d) The Divine Mind changes form constantly.
Answer: c)

5. How does Spiritual Christianity describe Jehovah as the Essential Form?
a) Jehovah embodies all physical forms in creation.
b) Jehovah provides the initiaments of all forms, both spiritual and natural.
c) Jehovah has a fixed form that is eternal.
d) Jehovah’s form is the same as that of human beings.
Answer: b)

Reflective Questions

1. How does understanding Divine Substance as the continual sustainer of creation affect your perception of the relationship between the Creator and the created world?
•. Reflect on how this perspective influences your view of ongoing Divine involvement in the existence and maintenance of the universe.

2. In what ways does the idea of the Divine Mind as Non-Form challenge or expand your understanding of the nature of God?
• Consider how this concept alters or deepens your spiritual beliefs about God’s presence and influence beyond physical and perceptible forms.

3. How might the notion of creation from the state of human will and intellect, rather than space and time, impact your approach to understanding human creativity and purpose?
• Think about how this framework might influence your understanding of human agency, creativity, and the connection between human and Divine purpose.

Meditative Exercise

Dedicate 10-15 minutes to reflect on the idea of the Divine Substance as the sustainer of all creation. Contemplate how this continuous Divine action maintains existence. Consider specific aspects of your life or the world around you that reflect this sustaining presence. Journal any thoughts or realisations that come from this reflection.

Steps:

1. Find a quiet space and sit comfortably.
2. Close your eyes and take several deep breaths to centre yourself.
3. Contemplate the concept that the Divine Substance continually sustains all existence, including your own life and surroundings.
4. Reflect on examples in your life where this sustaining presence might be observed or felt.
5. Write down any insights or reflections that arise during this exercise.

Creative Integration

Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through, perhaps a different one from what you have chosen previously. Consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise and also document any differences in what is awakened in you with this new modality.

You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.

Music

“The Lark Ascending” by Ralph Vaughan Williams

Visual Art

“Sky Above Clouds IV” by Georgia O’Keeffe

Further Exploration

He who, by some thought, can become accustomed to, and can comprehend [the idea of] Esse and Existere in itself can certainly become accustomed to the idea, and can comprehend that it is the Very and One Only [Reality]; that is called the Very Reality which Alone is, and that it is called the One Only from which every other thing is. Now because the Very and One Only is substance and form, it follows that it is the Very and One Only substance and form. And because this Very substance and form is Divine Love and Wisdom, it follows that it is the Very and Only Love and the Very and Only Wisdom; consequently, that it is the Very and Only Essence, as well as the Very and Only Life, for Life is Love and Wisdom. (Divine Love and Wisdom 45)

God is infinite because he is intrinsic reality and manifestation, and all things in the universe have reality and manifestation from him. So far I have shown that God is one, that he is the Absolute, that he is the primary reality that underlies all things, and that all that exists, takes shape, and endures in the universe is from him. It follows then that he is infinite. Just below [32] I will show that many phenomena in the created universe enable human reason to see the infinity of God. Yet although the human mind can use those phenomena to support an acknowledgment that the first entity or primary being is infinite, still it cannot come to know what the Infinite is like. The only way it can define the Infinite is to say that it is utterly without limits and self-sufficient, and is therefore the absolute and only substance. Because substance has no attributes without form, it is also the absolute and only form. What substance and form are in their full infinity, however, is not apparent. The human mind itself, even the most highly analytical and elevated mind, is finite; it cannot be rid of its own limitations. It will never have the capacity to see the infinity of God as it truly is, or God as he truly is. It can see God in a shadow from behind, as Moses was told to do when he begged to see God. He was put in a crevice in the rock and saw God’s back (Exodus 33:20-23). “God’s back” has as a general meaning the phenomena visible in the world and has as a specific meaning the things that are comprehensible in the Word. (True Christian Religion 28)

God is order because He is substance itself and form itself: substance, because all things which subsist came into existence and continue to exist from Him; and form, because every quality possessed by substances came, and continues to come, from Him; and quality results only from form. Now, because God is substance and form itself, the only and the first, and at the same time the only Love itself and the only Wisdom itself; and because wisdom from love constitutes form, and the quality of its state is according to the order in it, it follows that God is order itself; and consequently that God from Himself introduced order into the universe and into all its parts; and that He introduced the most perfect order, because all things He created were good, as it is written in the Book of Creation. It will be shown in due course that evil came into existence together with hell after Creation. Meanwhile attention will be directed towards such matters as more deeply enter, more clearly illumine and more gently impress the mind. (True Christian Religion 53)

Before Moving On To the Next Subsection: Heaven

Allow yourself the ‘time and space’ to process what you have worked through on these 8 modules on the Divine Being. Also, inner reflective work can give rise to states of uncertainty and conflict, as well as opening up many questions. If you would like to talk with someone to explore these more, then please Contact Us.

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

There is only one substance which really is substance. Everything else is a formation from it, and that one and only substance reigns not solely as the form but as that too which is not the form (lit non form), for instance, as that which gave rise to them. If this were not so, what has been formed could not remain in being and operate. But these matters are stated for him who may be able to understand them. (Arcana Coelestia 7270)

Everyone who thinks in the light of clear reason sees that the universe was not created out of nothing, since he sees that something cannot be produced from nothing. For nothing is nothing, and to make something out of nothing is self-contradictory. Furthermore, anything that is self-contradictory is contrary to the light of truth that emanates from Divine wisdom, and whatever does not accord with Divine wisdom also does not accord with the Divine omnipotence.Everyone who thinks in the light of clear reason also sees that all created things have been created from a substance which is substance in itself, for this is being itself, from which can spring all things that are. Consequently, because God alone is substance in itself, and so being itself, it follows that the origin of things is from no other source. Many people have seen this, because reason grants them to see it. But they have not dared to assert it, fearing that if they did so they might perhaps end up thinking that the created universe, being from God, is God, or that nature exists from itself, and thus that its inmost component is what we call God. As a result, even though many have seen that the origin of all things is from no other source than God and His being, still they have not dared to venture beyond their first thought concerning it, lest they entangle their understanding in a so-called Gordian knot from which they would afterward be unable to extricate it. They would be unable to extricate their understanding for the reason that they have thought of God and about the creation of the universe by God in terms of time and space, which are properties of nature, and no one can comprehend God and the creation of the universe from the perspective of nature. On the other hand, everyone whose understanding possesses some inner light can comprehend nature and its creation from the perspective of God, because God does not exist in time and space. (That the Divine does not exist in space may be seen in nos. 7-10 above. That the Divine fills every space and interval of space in the universe independently of space, in nos. 69-72.  And that the Divine is present through all time independently of time, in nos. 69-72.) In subsequent discussions we will see that although God created the universe and all its constituents out of Himself, still there is not the least particle in the created universe that is God. (Divine Love and Wisdom 283{1&2})

Key Points From The Video

Divine Esse as Essential Substance and Form: Spiritual Christianity describes the Divine Esse, or Jehovah, as Essential Substance and Essential Form, abstracted from spatial and material attributes.

Non-Physical Substance: Unlike physical substance, which is perceptible or serves as a substratum for material properties, Divine Substance transcends space and time, existing as the universal sustaining principle of all creation.

Universal Substance: Jehovah is the Universal Substance, the origin and sustainer of all creation, without being confined to spatial properties or the substratum of natural objects.

Sustaining Life: The concept of substance in the Divine context signifies the non-progressive, sustaining life from which all created beings derive their existence.

Distinction Between Creator and Creation: Spiritual Christianity emphasises that attributing spatial or material properties to the Divine reduces Him to the level of finite beings, thus failing to recognise His supreme and transcendent nature.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Spiritual Christianity mean by the term ‘Essential Substance’ in relation to the Divine?
a) A physical entity that can be touched and seen.
b) The underlying material of all physical objects.
c) The universal sustaining principle beyond space and time.
d) The sum of all natural substances.
Answer: c)

2. How does Spiritual Christianity’s view of Divine Substance differ from common physical understandings of substance?
a) Divine Substance can be observed through scientific instruments.
b) Divine Substance exists within the properties of matter.
c) Divine Substance is similar to a physical substratum.
d) Divine Substance is abstracted from spatial and physical attributes.
Answer: d)

3. Why does Spiritual Christianity reject the idea of God as a substratum for natural properties?
a) Because it implies that God has a physical form.
b) Because it limits God to the realm of finite beings.
c) Because it suggests that God evolves over time.
d) Because it equates God with physical objects.
Answer: b)

4. What is meant by Jehovah being the ‘Universal Substance’?
a) Jehovah is the non-physical origin and sustainer of all creation.
b) Jehovah is composed of all substances in the universe.
c) Jehovah is a collection of various natural elements.
d) Jehovah occupies infinite space within the universe.
Answer: a)

5. How does Spiritual Christianity’s concept of the Divine Esse emphasise the difference between the Creator and creation?
a) By stating that the Creator and creation are essentially the same.
b) By attributing spatial and temporal properties to the Creator.
c) By defining the Creator as beyond spatial and material constraints.
d) By suggesting that the Creator evolves like the creation.
Answer: c)

Reflective Questions

1. How does the idea of the Divine Esse as the Essential Substance and Form challenge or deepen your current understanding of the nature of God?
• Reflect on how this perspective might influence your view of the relationship between the Divine and the physical universe.

2. In what ways does viewing the Divine Esse as the universal sustaining life alter your perception of existence and creation?
• Consider how this concept could change your approach to understanding the origins and continuities of life and being.

3. How might the abstraction of substance, that is, from having physical attributes, impact your spiritual practices or beliefs?
• Think about how this abstraction might affect your personal connection with the Divine or your interpretation of spiritual teachings.

Meditative Exercise

Spend 10-15 minutes in a quiet and comfortable setting to meditate on the idea of the Divine Esse as the Essential Substance. Visualise the concept of a non-physical, sustaining presence that is the source of all existence but is itself free from spatial and material limitations. Write down any insights or shifts in understanding that occur during this visualisation.

Steps:

1. Sit comfortably in a quiet place and close your eyes.
2. Take several deep breaths to centre yourself.
3. Imagine a formless, boundless presence that sustains all life and creation.
4. Reflect on this presence as the source of all being, without any physical or spatial constraints.
5. Note any thoughts or insights that arise from this meditation.

Creative Integration

Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through, perhaps a different one from what you have chosen previously. Consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise and also document any differences in what is awakened in you with this new modality.

You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.

Music

“Romance for violin and orchestra F minor opus 1” by Anton Dvorák

Visual Art

“Abstract Landscape 1951” by Helen Frankenthaler

Further Exploration

Listen to the audio recording of the book Spiritual Christianity. Collected from the theological works of Emmanuel Swedenborg by Charles Augustus Tulk which is what this short course series is based on.

Listen HERE to Spiritual Christianity: Chapter 1-Part 4 (YouTube channel)

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

The reason why the infinity of God predicated of space is called immensity, is that the term ‘immense’ is used of what is great and large, and also what is extensive and in this respect spacious. But the reason why the infinity of God predicated of time is called eternity is that ‘for eternity’ is used of progressive stages, which are measured by time, without end. For example: the globe with its land and sea surfaces is in itself what enables objects to be regarded as spatial; and its rotation and motion in orbit is what enables them to be regarded as temporal. These movements create periods of time and the surface of the globe creates distances, and they are so perceived through the senses in the minds of those that reflect on them. But as shown above, there is no space or time in God, yet space and time begin from Him. Hence it follows that immensity means His infinity predicated of space, and eternity His infinity predicated of time.

The angels in heaven understand by the immensity of God the Divinity as to Its Being (Esse), and by His eternity the Divinity as to Its Coming-into-Being (Existere); also by immensity they understand the Divinity as to Love and by eternity the Divinity as to Wisdom. This is because the angels banish space and time from their ideas of the Divinity, and this is the result. But because human beings are incapable of thinking except by means of ideas formed from spatial and temporal concepts, they cannot form any idea of the immensity of God before space existed or His eternity before time existed. In fact, when the human mind wishes to form such an idea, it is as if it lapsed into unconsciousness, almost like a shipwrecked mariner who has fallen into the water, or someone swallowed up by the earth in an earthquake. Indeed, if the mind persists in the attempt to penetrate these mysteries, it can easily become deranged, and thus be led to deny the existence of God.

I too was once in a state like this, when I was thinking what God did from eternity, or before the world was made: did He deliberate about creation and work out the order to be followed? was deliberative thought possible in a total vacuum? and other useless speculations. But to prevent me becoming deranged by such speculations, I was lifted up by the Lord into the sphere and light enjoyed by the interior angels; and when the idea of space and time which had previously restricted my thinking was there to a small extent removed, I was allowed to grasp that the eternity of God is not an eternity of time, and that because time did not exist before the creation of the world it was quite useless to engage in such speculations about God. (True Christian Religion 31{2&3})

People know that God is infinite, because He is called infinite; but He is called infinite because He is infinite. He is infinite not only for the reason that He is being and expression itself in itself, but because He has infinite elements in Him. An infinite entity without infinite elements in it is not infinite except in name only. The infinite elements in God cannot be said to be infinitely many or even to be infinitely all, because of people’s natural idea of “many” and “all.” For a natural idea of “infinitely many” is limited, and the idea of “infinitely all,” while being indeed unlimited, still draws its origin from the limited elements in the universe. Consequently, because people have a natural idea of these, they cannot by extrapolation or estimation arrive at a perception of the infinite elements in God. On the other hand, because angels have a spiritual idea of them, they can by extrapolation and estimation arrive at a perception of them beyond the level attainable by people, though still not reaching the goal. (Divine Love and Wisdom 17)

Key Points From The Video

Divine Absence of Space: Spiritual Christianity posits that God exists without spatial extension, meaning God does not occupy space or have physical magnitude.

Reconceptualising Immensity: God’s immensity is understood not in terms of spatial magnitude but as the absence of space and the ultimate cause of space itself.

Divine Perfection Beyond Measurement: God’s perfection transcends any spatial measurements, emphasizing that His nature cannot be quantified or confined by space.

Cause of Space: God is the inmost cause of space, implying that while space originates from Him, He remains unbounded by spatial attributes.

Transcendence and Incomprehensibility: This understanding preserves the idea that God’s immensity reflects His supreme nature, which remains beyond the finite constraints of space and time.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Spiritual Christianity describe God’s relationship to space?
a) God occupies infinite space.
b) God is extended in a unique form of space.
c) God does not occupy space or have spatial magnitude.
d) God is contained within the boundaries of the universe.
Answer: c)

2. What does Divine immensity signify in Spiritual Christianity’s theology?
a) The vast physical size of God.
b) The measurement of God’s physical extension.
c) The infinite number of spaces God can occupy.
d) God’s nature as free from spatial extension and as the cause of space.
Answer: d)

3. Why can God’s perfection not be measured by spatial attributes according to Spiritual Christianity?
a) Because God is larger than the universe.
b) Because God is beyond any form of spatial measurement.
c) Because God changes size according to need.
d) Because spatial attributes are irrelevant to theology.
Answer: b)

4. In what way is God the cause of space, as per Spiritual Christianity’s explanation?
a) God occupies a special kind of Divine space.
b) Space exists independently, and God shapes it.
c) God is the inmost cause from which space originates but is not defined by it.
d) God fills all space with His essence.
Answer: c)

5. How does Spiritual Christianity’s concept of immensity preserve the incomprehensibility of the Divine?
a) By asserting that God’s immensity reflects His boundless nature, free from spatial constraints.
b) By relating God to familiar spatial concepts.
c) By explaining God’s physical dimensions.
d) By suggesting that God can be partially understood through spatial analogy.
Answer: a)

Reflective Questions

1. How does the idea of God’s immensity as devoid of spatial extension influence your understanding of Divine attributes?
• Reflect on how this concept changes or reinforces your perception of God’s nature and presence.

2. What are the implications of viewing God as the cause of space but not confined by it, in terms of how you approach spiritual concepts?
• Consider how this might affect your approach to prayer, meditation, or your general spiritual worldview.

3. In what ways can recognising the spaceless nature of God reshape your thoughts on the relationship between the Divine and the material world?
• Think about how this understanding could influence your beliefs about creation, existence, and the presence of the Divine in everyday life.

Meditative Exercise

Spend 10-15 minutes in a quiet space to reflect on the concept of God’s immensity as free from spatial extension. Imagine the boundless, spaceless nature of the Divine and consider how this infinite nature might be present in your life and surroundings. Write down any insights or feelings about the presence of a Divine that is not limited by physical space.

Steps:

1. Sit comfortably in a quiet place and close your eyes.
2. Take several deep breaths and centre your thoughts.
3. Contemplate the idea that the Divine is beyond any physical boundaries or space.
4. Let your mind explore the idea of a spaceless presence filling your environment.
5. Conclude by noting any new understandings or reflections that arise during this contemplation.

Creative Integration

Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through, perhaps a different one from what you have chosen previously. Consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise and also document any differences in what is awakened in you with this new modality.

You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.

Music

“Experience “by Ludovico Einaudi

Visual Art

“Composition VIII” by Wassily Kandinsky

Further Exploration

Listen to the audio recording of the book Spiritual Christianity. Collected from the theological works of Emmanuel Swedenborg by Charles Augustus Tulk which is what this short course series is based on.

Listen HERE to Spiritual Christianity: Chapter 1-Part 3 (YouTube channel)

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

People inevitably confuse Divine Infinity with infinity of space. And because they do not conceive of infinity of space as anything other than nothingness, as indeed it is, neither do they believe in Divine Infinity. The same applies to Eternity. They cannot conceive of it except as an eternity of time, but it is manifested continually by means of time to those who dwell within [space and] time. (Arcana Coelestia 1382)

A natural man inevitably falls into a nonsensical way of thinking about God when with notions involving the passage of time he contemplates what God was doing before the creation of the world, that is, what He was engaged in from eternity up to then. Nor can he be extricated from that tangled knot until notions of time and space are banished. When angels contemplate that eternity they never do so with notions of time but with ideas of state. (Arcana Coelestia 8325)

Anyone who does not know this, and who cannot from any perception think of God independently of time, is utterly incapable of conceiving of eternity other than as an eternity of time. In that case he also cannot help but think irrationally of God’s being from eternity, for he thinks in terms of a beginning, and a beginning is characteristic solely of time. His irrational thinking continues to the point of judging that God originated from Himself, and from that it slips headlong into supposing the origin of nature to be from itself. From this idea he can be extricated only by a spiritual or angelic concept of eternity, which is one independent of time; and when thought of independently of time, eternity and Divinity are one and the same, the Divine being Divine in itself, and not from itself. Angels say that they can indeed conceive of God’s being from eternity, but not in any way of nature’s being from eternity, still less of nature’s originating from itself, and not at all of nature’s being nature in itself. For what exists in itself is being itself, the origin of all else, and being in itself is life itself, which is the Divine love belonging to Divine wisdom and the Divine wisdom belonging to Divine love. This to angels is eternity, being thus independent of time, as the uncreated is independent of the created, or the infinite independent of the finite, which do not have even a mathematical relation (ratio). (Divine Love and Wisdom 76)

Since God is eternal, He is, also, infinite; but as there is a natural idea as well as a spiritual idea of what is eternal, so is there also of what is infinite. The natural idea of what is eternal is derived from time, but the spiritual idea of this is not from time. The natural idea also of what is infinite is derived from space, but the spiritual idea of it is not from space. For as life is not nature, so the two properties of nature, which are time and space, are not properties of life, for they are from the life which is God, and were created with nature. The natural idea of the infinite God, derived from space, is, that He fills the universe from end to end; but from this idea concerning the infinite the thought arises, that the inmost of nature is God, and that therefore He is extension, whereas all extension is a property of matter.  Thus because the natural idea does not at all agree with the idea of life-wisdom and love – which is God, therefore what is infinite must be viewed from the spiritual idea, in which, as there is nothing of time, so there is nothing of space, because there is nothing of nature. It is from the spiritual idea, that the Divine Love is infinite, and that the Divine Wisdom is infinite; and since the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom are the life which is God, therefore the Divine Life is also infinite; God therefore is consequently infinite. That the Divine Wisdom is infinite, is evident from the wisdom of the angels of the third heaven. Because these excel others in wisdom, they perceive that there is no comparison between their wisdom and the Divine Wisdom of the Lord, for there can be no comparison between infinite and finite. They say also that the first degree of wisdom is to see and acknowledge that this is the case; it is similar in regard to the Divine Love. (Apocalypse Explained 1131{2&3})

Key Points From The Video

Divine Transcendence: Spiritual Christianity asserts that the Divine Being (Jehovah) transcends space and time, which are properties of the finite, natural world, not of the Divine.

Misconceptions in Theology and Philosophy: Common theological and philosophical perspectives erroneously apply concepts of space and time to the Divine, leading to misunderstandings about Divine Infinity and Eternity.

Negative Theology: Spiritual Christianity uses a negative approach, defining the Divine by what He is not, rather than by positive attributes, to emphasize the absence of spatial and temporal limitations.

Infinity and Eternity: Infinity means the absence of spatial extension in the Divine, while Eternity denotes the absence of temporal progression, distinguishing Divine nature from the finite experience of time and space.

Avoiding Perplexities: Misinterpreting Divine Infinity and Eternity through natural reasoning leads to confusion and paradoxes about the nature of the Divine.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Spiritual Christianity teach about the Divine Being in relation to space and time?
a) The Divine Being exists within space and time.
b) The Divine Being transcends space and time.
c) The Divine Being creates space and time but is bound by them.
d) The Divine Being only exists in time, not in space.
Answer: b)

2. How does Spiritual Christianity suggest that we understand the terms Infinity and Eternity in relation to the Divine?
a) As extensions of space and time.
b) As concepts relevant only to human experience.
c) As finite extensions of Divine properties.
d) As complete absence of space and time.
Answer: d)

3. What is the common mistake in theological and philosophical reasoning that Spiritual Christianity addresses?
a) Associating the Divine Being with finite properties of space and time.
b) Considering the Divine Being as having physical form.
c) Believing the Divine Being is subject to moral laws.
d) Imagining the Divine Being as an abstract concept without real existence.
Answer: a)

4. What does the term ‘negative theology’ mean in the context of the teachings for Spiritual Christianity’s teachings?
a) Describing the Divine through positive attributes.
b) Focusing on what the Divine is not.
c) Denying the existence of the Divine.
d) Using negative experiences to understand the Divine.
Answer: b)

5. According to Spiritual Christianity, what leads to dangerous perplexities in understanding the Divine?
a) Scientific approaches to theology.
b) Political interpretations of religious texts.
c) Natural reasoning based on space and time.
d) Mystical experiences without doctrinal basis.
Answer: c)

Reflective Questions

1. How does Spiritual Christianity’s concept of Infinity and Eternity challenge your current understanding of the Divine?
• Reflect on how this perspective affects your view of the nature of God and the limitations of human understanding.

2. What implications does the absence of space and time in the Divine Being have for your personal spiritual beliefs or practices?
• Consider how this idea might change the way you perceive spiritual experiences or the practice of prayer and meditation.

3. How might recognising the limitations of natural reasoning in theological contexts alter your approach to spiritual or philosophical questions?
• Think about how acknowledging these limitations could affect your engagement with complex or paradoxical theological issues.

Meditative Exercise

Set aside 10-15 minutes for a meditative practice. Focus on the idea that the Divine transcends the spatial and temporal dimensions of your immediate experience. Reflect on the notion that all changes and variations you perceive are aspects of your finite existence, not applicable to the Divine. Write down any insights or feelings that arise from contemplating the Divine as beyond space and time.

Steps:

1. Find a quiet place and sit comfortably.
2. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
3. Contemplate on the idea that the Divine exists beyond any spatial or temporal constraints and that any changes you perceive are due to your finite existence.
4. Observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment.
5. Conclude the session by noting down any reflections or new understandings.

Creative Integration

Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through, perhaps a different one from what you have chosen previously. Consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise and also document any differences in what is awakened in you with this new modality.

You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.

Music

Prayer by G.I. Gurdjieff, Anja Lechner, Vassilis Tsabropoulos

Visual Art

“The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dalí

Further Exploration

To make it clearer still what appearances of truth are, let the following example be added: It is well known that the Divine is infinite as regards Being (Esse) and eternal as regards Manifestation (Existere), and that what is finite is incapable of comprehending what is infinite, or indeed of comprehending what is eternal, since what is eternal is the Manifestation (Existere) of what is infinite. And because the Divine itself is infinite and eternal, so are all things which proceed from the Divine infinite and also eternal. And as those things are infinite angels are quite incapable of grasping them, for they too are finite beings. That being so, things that are infinite and eternal present themselves to angels within appearances that are finite, though within appearances such as are very far above the range of what man can comprehend. For example, man is quite incapable of possessing any idea of what is eternal except from what is temporal. And being incapable of having any idea other than this he is incapable of comprehending what ‘from eternity’ is and so what the Divine prior to the existence of time or creation of the world is. And as long as his thinking contains any idea at all that is formed from what is temporal, he slips inevitably, if he thinks about what is eternal, into errors from which he cannot be rescued. But the angels, whose ideas are not formed from anything temporal but from timeless state, are enabled to perceive it supremely well, for to them eternity is not eternity of time but eternity of state devoid of any idea of that which is temporal. From this one may see what the appearances existing with angels are like compared with man’s, and how superior their appearances are to man’s. For man cannot have one shred of thought, not even the least shred, that is not in some way temporal and spatial in origin, whereas angels’ thought has no such origin at all. Instead their thought has its origin in timeless state, in which the being (esse) and the manifestation (existere) of things is the only consideration. (Arcana Coelestia 3404{2&3})

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

Nature has two properties, space and time. A person in the natural world forms his mental concepts and thus his understanding in accordance with them. If he remains immersed in these concepts and does not raise his mind above them, he is incapable of ever perceiving anything spiritual or Divine, for he wraps his notions of them in ideas drawn from space and time, and to the extent that he does this, to the same extent the sight of his intellect becomes merely natural. To think from this sight in reasoning about spiritual and Divine matters is like thinking from the darkness of night about things which appear only in the light of day. That is the origin of naturalism.* In contrast, one who knows how to raise his mind above concepts drawn from space and time passes from darkness into light, and he discerns matters spiritual and Divine, and finally sees the components in them and effects springing from them. Moreover, from the light in which he is then, he dispels the darkness of his natural sight and banishes its misconceptions from the center to the peripheries. Every man possessing the intellect has the capacity to think on a level above the aforesaid properties of nature, and also actually does so think, and he then affirms and sees that the Divine, being omnipresent, is not bounded by space. He is also able as well to affirm and see those points which we have presented above. But if he denies the Divine omnipresence and attributes all phenomena to nature, he is in that case unwilling to be elevated, even though he has the capacity to be. * The general philosophical position that all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural causes and laws. (Divine Love and Wisdom 69)

The Divine is not in space and extended, but it is the cause of space and extension, existing in the ultimates of His creation, in the heavens apparently, but in the world actually. But still space and extension are not space and extension before God, for He in His Divine is everywhere. (Apocalypse Explained 1222{4})

‘On the morrow’ means into eternity. This is clear from the meaning of ‘the morrow’. When yesterday, today, or tomorrow is mentioned in the Word eternity is meant in the highest sense, ‘yesterday’ meaning from eternity, ‘today’ eternity, and ‘tomorrow’ into eternity. As regards ‘today’ meaning eternity, see 2838. Indeed periods of time mentioned in the Word – ages, years, months, weeks, days, hours – mean states, as has often been shown. With the Lord however there are no states, but everything is eternal and infinite. (Arcana Coelestia 3998)

Jehovah God is Being in itself, because He is I am, the very, sole and prime source, from eternity to eternity, of everything in existence, which allows it to exist. In this and no other sense He is the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, Alpha and Omega. One cannot say that His Being is from itself, because ‘out of itself’ presupposes what is earlier and thus time; but time is inconsistent with the Infinite, which is said to be ‘from eternity’. It also presupposes another God, who is God in Himself, and thus God originating from God; in other words, that God formed Himself, so that He could not be uncreated or infinite, because in this case He would have distinguished Himself either from Himself or from another. (True Christian Religion 21)

From all this it can be seen what is the nature of the Word in the sense of the letter, and also what Divine truth is in its most general form, namely, that it is according to appearances; and this for the reason that man is such that what he sees and apprehends from his sensuous, he believes; and what he does not see nor apprehend from his sensuous, he does not believe; thus does not receive. Hence it is that the Word in the sense of the letter is according to things that so appear; and yet it has genuine truths stored up in its inward bosom; and in its inmost bosom, the truth Divine itself which proceeds immediately from the Lord; thus also Divine good, that is, the Lord Himself. (Arcana Coelestia 6997{7})

Key Points From The Video

Reconciliation of Divine Immutability and Scriptural Depictions: Spiritual Christianity reconciles the immutable nature of Jehovah with the anthropomorphic depictions in Scripture by explaining these representations as adaptations for human comprehension.

Self-Evident Truths and Divine Transcendence: Jehovah’s immutability and transcendence beyond space and time are self-evident to enlightened reason, though Scripture often depicts God as having finite attributes for didactic purposes.

Divine Instruction Adapted to Human Comprehension: Scripture conveys spiritual truths using natural and even sensual language, making Divine concepts accessible to individuals at all levels of spiritual development.

Universal Truth and Scriptural Interpretation: Firmly understanding Jehovah’s lack of spatial and temporal attributes enables proper interpretation of Scriptural passages which use finite terms to describe God.

Jehovah as the Source of All Being: Titles like “the Beginning and the Ending” signify Jehovah’s role as the origin and sustaining cause of all existence, rather than indicating any temporal sequence or spatial limitation.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Spiritual Christianity reconcile Jehovah’s immutability with the anthropomorphic depictions in Scripture?
a) By asserting that Jehovah actually changes in response to events.
b) By explaining that these depictions are adaptations for human comprehension.
c) By denying the accuracy of these scriptural depictions.
d) By attributing finite qualities to Jehovah in specific contexts.
Answer: b)

2. According to the teachings for Spiritual Christianity, why does Scripture use finite attributes to depict God?
a) To provide an accurate representation of God’s nature.
b) To conform to ancient cultural beliefs.
c) To illustrate God’s temporal and spatial limitations.
d) To help human beings better understand Divine truths.
Answer: d)

3. And what is the purpose of using natural and sensual language in Scripture?
a) To mask the true nature of Jehovah.
b) To enhance the sensory experiences of human beings.
c) To simplify complex theological concepts for general understanding.
d) To critique human perceptions of divinity.
Answer: c)

4. How should titles like “the Beginning and the Ending” be interpreted from a Spiritual Christianity perspective?
a) As symbolic of Jehovah’s role as the source of all existence.
b) As indicative of Jehovah’s temporal sequence.
c) As literal descriptions of Jehovah’s nature.
d) As metaphors for human perceptions of time.
Answer: a)

5. What allows for the reconciliation of Scriptural depictions of God’s actions and attributes with Jehovah’s transcendence?
a) A flexible interpretation of Divine attributes.
b) Understanding that these depictions are symbolic.
c) Accepting that Jehovah possesses spatial and temporal qualities.
d) Interpreting Scripture according to cultural contexts.
Answer: b)

Reflective Questions

1. How does the understanding that Scriptural depictions of Jehovah are adaptations for human comprehension influence your reading of the Bible?
• Reflect on how recognising the symbolic nature of these depictions might change your interpretation and understanding of Scriptural narratives.

2. In what ways can the recognition of Jehovah’s immutable and non-spatial nature deepen your spiritual practice?
• Consider how this theological insight can influence your perception of Divine interactions and your personal relationship with Jehovah.

3. How can understanding the purpose of anthropomorphic depictions in Scripture help you explain Divine concepts to others?
• Think about how you might use the framework of Spiritual Christianity to clarify complex theological ideas for those who are new to these concepts.

Meditative Exercise

Spend 5-10 minutes reflecting on how Divine truths are communicated in ways accessible to human understanding. Consider how Jehovah’s transcendence is conveyed through symbolic language in Scripture.

Steps:

1. Find a quiet place and sit comfortably, taking a few deep breaths.
2. Choose a Scriptural passage that describes God in anthropomorphic terms.
3. Reflect on the symbolic meaning behind this description, considering how it conveys a higher truth about Jehovah’s nature.
4. Contemplate how this understanding can enhance your perception of Divine interactions in your own life.
5. Write down any insights in a journal, noting how this exercise affects your view of Divine communication.

Creative Integration

Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through, perhaps a different one from what you have chosen previously. Consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise and also document any differences in what is awakened in you with this new modality.

You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.

Music

“Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber

Visual Art

“The Creation of Adam” by Michelangelo

Further Exploration

All naturalism arises from thinking of Divine subjects from the properties of nature, which are matter, space, and time. The mind which clings to these properties, and unwilling to believe anything that it does not understand, is bound to obscure its understanding, and from the thick darkness into which it has plunged it, deny that there is any such thing as Divine Providence, and affirm as a consequence that omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience have no existence. These attributes are, nevertheless, precisely as religion teaches, both within nature and above it, but they cannot be comprehended by the understanding unless space and time are removed from its ideas in thinking on the subject; for these properties of matter are, in some way or other, inherent in every idea of thought. If therefore they are not removed, no other thought can be formed than that nature is everything, that it is self-existent, that life is from it, that its inmost is that which is called God, and that all beside it is imaginary. I know that men will also be astonished to hear that there is any existence possible where there is neither time nor space; that the Divine itself exists apart from them; and that spiritual beings are not in them, but merely in the appearances of them – though Divine spiritual things are nevertheless the very essences of all things that have ever existed or that do exist-and that natural things without spiritual things are like bodies without souls, which become mere carcasses. (Apocalypse Explained 1220)

Now, because intervals of time-which are properties of nature in its own world-are nothing but states in the spiritual world, states which appear progressive there because angels and spirits are finite, it can be seen that in God states are not progressive, because He is infinite, and because the infinite elements in Him are one, in accordance with the points we demonstrated above in nos. 17-22. From this it follows that the Divine is present through all time independently of time. (Divine Love and Wisdom 75)

Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed, and concerning the Lord.- Because God is uncreated, He is, also, eternal; for life itself, which is God, is life in itself, neither from itself, nor from nothing, thus it is without origin; and what is without origin is from eternity, and is eternal. But an idea of that which is without origin cannot be grasped by the natural man, neither can the idea of God from eternity; but these things are apprehended by the spiritual man. The thought of the natural man cannot be separated and withdrawn from the idea of time, this idea inhering in it from nature in which the natural man is; neither can it be separated and withdrawn from the idea of origin, because it regards origin as implying a beginning in time. The appearance of the sun’s progression has impressed this idea on the natural man. But the thought of the spiritual man, because it is elevated above nature, is withdrawn from the idea of time, and instead of this idea of time there is the idea of state of life, and instead of the duration of time there is the idea of the state of thought from affection, which constitutes life. (Apocalypse Explained 1130{3})

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

The Divine is not variable and mutable as everything connected with space and time is, or as everything connected with nature is, but is invariable and immutable. Consequently it is everywhere and always the same. (Divine Love and Wisdom 77)

The Divine Being, which is in itself God, is the same; not the same in a simple way, but infinitely the same, that is, the same from eternity to eternity. He is the same everywhere, the same with each person and in each person; but all the changes and differences occur in the person who receives Him, and it is his state which causes this. (True Christian Religion 253)

The Lord is not in a greater and lesser degree of love and wisdom, that is, as a sun He is not in a greater or lesser degree of heat and light with one than with another, for He is everywhere the same. But He is not received by one in the same degree as by another. (Divine Love and Wisdom 124)

That such various things of the Lord are represented, is not because various things are in the Lord, but because His Divine is variously received by men. This is like the life in man, which flows in and acts upon the various sensory and motive organs of the body, and upon the various members and viscera, and everywhere presents variety. For the eye sees in one way, the ear hears in another, the tongue perceives in another; so the arms and hands move in one way, and the loins and the feet in a different way; the lungs act in one way and the heart in another; the liver in one way and the stomach in another, and so on; but nevertheless it is one life which actuates them all so variously, not because the life itself acts in different ways, but because it is differently received; for the form of each organ is that according to which the action is determined. (Arcana Coelestia 4206)

What flows in from the Lord is received by man according to his form. Form means here man’s state in respect both to his love and to his wisdom, consequently in respect both to his affections for the goods of charity and to his perceptions of the truths of faith. That God is one, indivisible, and the same, from eternity to eternity, not the same simply but infinitely the same, and that all variableness is in the subject in which He dwells… That the recipient form or state induces variations, can be seen from the life of infants, children, youths, adults, and aged persons; in each there is the same life, because the same soul, from infancy to old age; but as one’s state is varied according to age and what is suitable thereto, in like manner is life perceived. (True Christian Religion 366{3})

Key Points From The Video

Immutability Beyond Simple Sameness: Spiritual Christianity holds that Jehovah’s immutability should not be equated with a static, monotonous sameness. Instead, it represents a constant state of Divine perfection that transcends simplistic interpretations of immutability.

Perfection in Complexity: Spiritual Christianity states that true perfection is linked to complexity and diversity. Jehovah, as the Divine Esse, embodies a perfect complexity, manifesting His perfection through the intricate and diverse nature of creation rather than uniformity.

Divine Sameness and Human Variability: Jehovah’s sameness is not uniformity but a consistent Divine nature experienced differently by recipients due to their varying states. This variability is in humans and other created beings, reflecting their capacities and conditions to perceive the Divine presence.

The Dynamic Nature of the Divine: Spiritual Christianity highlights that Jehovah’s perfection is dynamic, involving infinite organization and diversity. The perceived changes are in the recipients, not in the immutable Divine Esse.

The Perception of Divine Presence: While Jehovah remains perfect and immutable, human experiences and perceptions of the Divine vary based on individual states and capacities, illustrating the complex interaction between the Divine and creation.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Spiritual Christianity mean by Jehovah’s immutability?
a) Jehovah changes frequently according to circumstances.
b) Jehovah maintains a static, unchanging monotony.
c) Jehovah embodies a constant and perfect state that transcends simplistic interpretations.
d) Jehovah’s nature is uniform and devoid of complexity.
Answer: c)

2. How does Spiritual Christianity define perfection in relation to the Divine Esse?
a) As uniformity and simplicity.
b) As a static state without any complexity.
c) As a monotonous sameness.
d) As linked to complexity and diversity.
Answer: d)

3. According to Spiritual Christianity, why do variations in the perception of Jehovah exist?
a) Jehovah changes according to different environments.
b) Variations arise from the mutable nature of Jehovah.
c) Variations are effects produced by the state of the recipients.
d) Jehovah lacks a consistent nature.
Answer: c)

4. What does Spiritual Christianity emphasise about the nature of Jehovah’s perfection?
a) It is simple and devoid of variation.
b) It is found in infinite organisation and diversity.
c) It is the same as human perfection.
d) It changes in response to human actions.
Answer: b)

5. How does Spiritual Christianity’s concept of Jehovah’s immutability differ from scientific reductionism?
a) It aligns with the idea of uniformity and simplicity.
b) It suggests Jehovah’s perfection involves infinite complexity.
c) It portrays Jehovah as a static entity.
d) It views immutability as monotony.
Answer: b)

Reflective Questions

1. How does the idea of perfection as complexity and diversity challenge your previous notions of Divine immutability?
• Reflect on the implications of understanding Divine perfection through complexity and how it contrasts with simpler interpretations of immutability.

2. In what ways can recognising the variability in human perception of the Divine enhance your spiritual journey?
• Consider how accepting the differences in Divine perception due to individual states can influence your approach to spirituality and how you relate to others.

3. How can the concept of Divine sameness amidst human variability inform your interactions with others in a spiritual context?
• Think about how this understanding of Divine sameness and human variability can shape your perspective on unity and diversity in spiritual communities.

Meditative Exercise

Spend 5-10 minutes contemplating the complexity and diversity inherent in Divine perfection. Reflect on how Jehovah’s perfection manifests in the intricacy and variety of creation.

Steps:

1. Find a quiet place and sit comfortably, closing your eyes and taking deep breaths.
2. Consider an aspect of nature that illustrates complexity and diversity.
3. Reflect on how these complexities point to a higher perfection beyond simple sameness.
4. Contemplate how Jehovah’s perfection is manifested through this dynamic intricacy.
5. Conclude with a moment of gratitude for the richness and diversity of Divine creation and record any insights in a journal.

Creative Integration

Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through, perhaps a different one from what you have chosen previously. Consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise and also document any differences in what is awakened in you with this new modality.

You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.

Music

“Requiem” by Gabriel Fauré

Visual Art

“Juin-Octobre 1985” by Zao Wou-Ki

Further Exploration

Listen to the audio recording of the book Spiritual Christianity. Collected from the theological works of Emmanuel Swedenborg by Charles Augustus Tulk which is what this short course series is based on.

Listen HERE to Spiritual Christianity: Chapter 1-Part 2 (YouTube channel)

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

When the verb ‘says’ is used of Jehovah, nothing else is meant than ‘is so’ or ‘is not so’, or ‘happens’ or ‘does not happen’; for no other verb can be used of Jehovah than Is. The things which are said of Jehovah throughout the Word are there for the benefit of people who cannot grasp anything apart from that which comes within man’s actual experience. That is why the sense of the letter takes the form it does. The simple in heart are able to be taught from appearances as they belong to man’s actual experience, for their knowledge of things goes scarcely any further than that based on sensory experience; therefore it is their mental grasp of things that determines the way anything is said in the Word. (Arcana Coelestia 926)

All thoughts which man has are confined within natural things experienced by his senses, and anything that is said which does not draw on and does not fit in with those natural things is not comprehended but perishes, like sight gazing into some ocean or universe without any object there on which it may focus. Consequently if matters of doctrine were presented to man in any other manner, they would not be received at all, and so he would have no respect for them. This may become quite clear from each detail in the Word. There purely Divine things are for the same reason presented as natural, indeed sensory ones, such as that Jehovah has ears, eyes, and a face, has affections as man does, anger, and many more things. (Arcana Coelestia 2553)

It is well known that Jehovah does not have ears or eyes as man does but that some attribute which may be ascribed to the Divine is meant by the ear and the eye, namely infinite will and infinite understanding. Infinite will is providence, and infinite understanding foresight; and it is these that are meant in the highest sense by ear and eye when these are attributed to Jehovah. (Arcana Coelestia 3869{14})

The Lord, who is the God of the universe, is uncreate and infinite, whereas man and angel are created and finite. And because the Lord is uncreate and infinite, He is Being [Esse] itself, which is called “Jehovah,” and Life itself, or Life in itself. From the uncreate, the infinite, Being itself and Life itself, no one can be created immediately, because the Divine is one and indivisible; but their creation must be out of things created and finited, and so formed that the Divine can be in them. Because men and angels are such, they are recipients of life. Consequently, if any man suffers himself to be so far misled as to think that he is not a recipient of life but is Life, he cannot be withheld from the thought that he is God. ​(Divine Love and Wisdom 4​)

Key Points From The Video

Human Limitation in Knowing Jehovah: The teaching for Spiritual Christianity emphasises that due to the inherent limitations of human cognition, we cannot fully grasp what Jehovah is in Himself. Our understanding is restricted to knowing what Jehovah is not, which serves to exclude finite and imperfect attributes from the Divine nature.

Instruction through Pre-eminence and Negation: Spiritual Christianity articulates the nature of Jehovah by highlighting His pre-eminence and by negating finite properties. Jehovah is described as uncreated, underived, immutable, and improgressive, indicating the absence of characteristics common to imperfect, finite beings.

Safeguarding the Concept of Jehovah: The use of negation is essential to prevent misattributing finite and temporal attributes to Jehovah. This method ensures that our conception of Jehovah avoids finite analogies, preserving the infinite and eternal nature of the Divine Esse.

Immutability and Improgression of Jehovah: Jehovah is depicted as immutable and improgressive, meaning He does not undergo change or progression. This highlights that Jehovah’s nature is perfect and unchanging, reinforcing His status as the fullness of perfection.

Divine Transcendence and Perfection: Spiritual Christianity maintains that Jehovah transcends human comprehension, embodying ultimate perfection that is free from the limitations and imperfections of finite existence.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why does Spiritual Christianity emphasise negation in describing Jehovah?
a) To align Jehovah with finite characteristics.
b) To emphasise what Jehovah is not and prevent misconceptions.
c) To illustrate the Divine as similar to human understanding.
d) To suggest that Jehovah possesses all finite attributes.
Answer: b)

2. What does Spiritual Christianity mean by describing Jehovah as immutable and improgressive?
a) Jehovah’s nature undergoes constant change.
b) Jehovah evolves and progresses with time.
c) Jehovah’s nature is unchanging and does not undergo progression.
d) Jehovah is dependent on finite properties for His essence.
Answer: c)

3. How does Spiritual Christianity’s use of pre-eminence and negation safeguard the concept of Jehovah?
a) By ensuring Jehovah is understood as a finite being.
b) By highlighting that Jehovah possesses finite and imperfect traits.
c) By comparing Jehovah directly to human nature.
d) By excluding finite and temporal attributes from the Divine.
Answer: d)

4. According to Spiritual Christianity, what aspect of Jehovah is beyond human comprehension?
a) His limited influence on creation.
b) His progressive nature.
c) His essence and infinite perfection.
d) His resemblance to finite beings.
Answer: c)

5. What does Spiritual Christianity suggest is the only way to approach understanding Jehovah?
a) By recognising what He is not, through negation.
b) By affirming finite properties within His nature.
c) By assuming He has finite characteristics.
d) By comparing Him directly to human faculties.
Answer: a)

Reflective Questions

1. How does Spiritual Christianity’s approach of negation shape your understanding of the Divine, and in what ways does it challenge your preconceived notions about God?
• Reflect on how focusing on what Jehovah is not can impact your spiritual perspective and understanding of Divine nature.

2. In what ways does the concept of Jehovah’s immutability and improgression affect your view of Divine perfection and the nature of change?
• Consider how the idea of an unchanging and non-progressive Divine essence contrasts with the dynamic nature of the finite world.

3. How can recognising the limitations of human cognition in understanding Jehovah influence your spiritual practices and relationship with the Divine?
• Think about how acknowledging the incomprehensibility of Jehovah might inform your worship, prayer, and overall spiritual approach.

Meditative Exercise

Spend 5-10 minutes each day contemplating the concept of Jehovah through the lens of negation. Reflect on the attributes that are commonly associated with finitude and imperfection and how Jehovah transcends these qualities.

Steps:

1. Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed.
2. Sit comfortably and close your eyes, taking a few deep breaths.
3. Consider one attribute of finitude (e.g., change, limitation, dependency) and reflect on how Jehovah, as the Divine Esse, is beyond this attribute.
4. Think about how this negation preserves the infinite and perfect nature of Jehovah.
5. Conclude with a moment of gratitude for the Divine perfection and record any insights in a journal.

Creative Integration

Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through, perhaps a different one from what you chose for the previous module. Consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise and also document any differences in what is awakened in you with this new modality.

You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.

Music

“Lux Aeterna” by Morten Lauridsen

Visual Art

“Suprematist Composition” by Kazimir Malevich

Further Exploration

Listen to the audio recording of the book Spiritual Christianity. Collected from the theological works of Emmanuel Swedenborg by Charles Augustus Tulk which is what this short course series is based on.

Listen HERE to Spiritual Christianity: Chapter 1-Part 1 (YouTube channel)

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

The Divine Being (Esse) will be discussed first, then the Divine Essence. It looks as if these two are one and the same, but in fact Being (Esse) is more universal than Essence, since Essence presupposes Being, and comes into existence from Being. The Being of God, or the Divine Being, is indescribable, since it transcends all ideas of human thought. This cannot grasp anything except what is created and finite. What is uncreated and infinite, such as the Divine Being, is incomprehensible. The Divine Being is Being Itself, the source of all things and which must be in all things for them to exist. (True Christian Religion 18)

It is well known that Jehovah means ‘I am’ and ‘Being’. It is clear from the Book of Creation, called Genesis, that God was so called from most ancient times; for there He is called God in the first chapter, but in the second and subsequent ones Jehovah God. Later on when the descendants of Abraham, starting with Jacob, forgot the name of God owing to their long stay in Egypt, it was recalled to their memory. About this we read: Moses said to God, What is your name? God said, I am who I am; thus shall you say to the Children of Israel, I am has sent me to you; and you shall say, Jehovah the God of your fathers has sent me to you. This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial from generation to generation. Exod. 3:[13,] 14, 15. Since God alone is I am or Being, that is, Jehovah, therefore there cannot be anything in the created universe which does not owe its being to Him. (True Christian Religion 19)

Because God is life, it follows that He is uncreated. He is uncreated because life can create but cannot be created, for to be created is to have existence from another, and if life had existence from another there would be another being even as to life, and that life would be life in itself. If this First were not life in itself it would be either from another or from itself; and you cannot say life from itself because from itself involves an origin, and that origin would be from nothing, and from nothing, nothing can originate. This First, which has being [esse] in itself and from which all things have been created, is God, who is called Jehovah because He is Being in Himself. This, especially if it is illustrated by things created, reason can see. Now as there can be no Being unless it exists, so being and existing [esse et existere] in God are one; for when there is being there is existing, and when there is existing there is being. This, therefore, is the life itself which is God and which is Man. (Apocalypse Explained 1126{2})

That which goes forth directly from the Divine itself cannot be understood even by angels in the inmost heaven. The reason for this is that it is infinite and so surpasses all understanding, even that of angels. (Arcana Coelestia 5321)

Key Points From The Video

Divine Esse as the Ground of All Being: Jehovah, the Divine Esse, is the ultimate reality and source of all existence. This concept emphasizes Jehovah as the Ground of Being, embodying an all-encompassing perfection beyond human comprehension.

Creation as an Expression of the Divine Esse: The act of creation stems from Jehovah, where all created things contain traces of Divine perfection. Creation involves a separation from the infinite perfection into finite forms, creating a diverse universe that reflects the Creator to varying degrees.

The Finite Nature of Man: Human beings, as finite creations, have limited understanding and existence. This finiteness contrasts sharply with the infinite nature of Jehovah, shaping human experience and comprehension within limited bounds.

The Limits of Human Perception: Human understanding is confined by finite faculties, which makes the true essence of Jehovah incomprehensible. While we can acknowledge Jehovah’s perfection, our grasp of His true nature is limited by our finite perception.

The Incomprehensibility of Jehovah: Jehovah’s essence is beyond the reach of human thought and language. The Divine transcendence means that while we can recognise and worship Jehovah, His true nature remains profoundly beyond full human understanding.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is meant by the Divine Esse in the teachings for Spiritual Christianity?
a) A being among other beings with finite qualities.
b) The essence and source of all being, embodying ultimate reality.
c) A spiritual entity with limited influence over creation.
d) The personification of natural forces and laws.
Answer: b)

2. How does creation relate to the Divine Esse according to the teachings for Spiritual Christianity?
a) It is a separate process unrelated to the Divine.
b) It is a direct manifestation of Jehovah’s infinite perfection in finite forms.
c) It happens independently of Jehovah’s influence.
d) It is a random occurrence without Divine origin.
Answer: b)

3. Why can human beings not fully comprehend Jehovah’s true nature?
a) Because Jehovah does not interact with the finite world.
b) Because human understanding is limited by finite perception.
c) Because Jehovah’s essence is too simple for human minds.
d) Because Jehovah’s true nature is identical to that of human beings.
Answer: b)

4. What does the “finite nature of man” mean within the perspective of Spiritual Christianity?
a) Humans have an unlimited capacity to understand the universe.
b) Humans are limited in understanding and existence compared to Jehovah.
c) Humans can comprehend Jehovah’s perfection fully through reason.
d) Humans are as infinite as Jehovah in their essence.
Answer: b)

5. How does Spiritual Christianity describe the act of creation from Jehovah?
a) As a manifestation of finite entities completely independent of the Divine.
b) As an expression of Jehovah’s infinite perfection in finite and diverse forms.
c) As a process that depletes Jehovah’s essence over time.
d) As a mere illusion created by human perception.
Answer: b)

Reflective Questions

1. How does the concept of the Divine Esse as the Ground of All Being alter your understanding of existence and the relationship between the Creator and the created world?
• Reflect on how this foundational perspective influences your view of the Divine presence in all aspects of existence and its sustaining role.

2. In what ways does the finite nature of human beings affect your spiritual or philosophical beliefs about knowledge and understanding of the Divine?
• Consider how acknowledging human limitations can shape your approach to spiritual growth and your perception of Divine mysteries.

3. How does recognising the limits of human perception in understanding Jehovah influence your approach to worship and reverence for the Divine?
• Think about how this awareness of limitation and mystery might affect your practices and attitudes towards the Divine in daily life.

Meditative Exercise

Spend 10-15 minutes in contemplation focusing on the concept of the Divine Esse as the Ground of All Being. Reflect on how everything around you, including your own existence, is sustained by this Divine source. Acknowledge the limitations of your understanding while recognising the profound connection to the Divine.

Steps:

1. Find a quiet place and sit comfortably.
2. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths to centre yourself.
3. Contemplate the idea that your existence and everything around you emanates from and is sustained by the Divine Esse.
4. Acknowledge your finite nature and the vastness of the Divine mystery.
5. Conclude with a moment of gratitude for the Divine sustenance in your life and record any insights in a journal.

Creative Integration

Choose one of the key points from the video and try to express and integrate it creatively through your senses. Pick a modality to do this through – consider drawing or painting, making or listening to music, poetry, exercise, gardening, cooking, or even just watching the colourful or dramatic impressions of the natural world. There are so many ways you can engage with it. Record your insights from this exercise.

You will have your own personal preferences, but here are two pieces of music and art that you might like to use for inspiration to get you started. Try to be sensitive to the emotions and thoughts that present as you engage with these, and reflect on how this might relate to your chosen key point.

Music

“Spiegel im Spiegel” by Arvo Pärt

Visual Art

“No. 61 (Rust and Blue)” by Mark Rothko