From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

All constituents of the three kingdoms exist [in the spiritual world as in the natural] and in the midst of them stands the angel. He sees these things about him, and also knows that they are representations of him. Indeed, when the inmost plane of his intellect is opened, he recognises himself and sees his image in them, almost as if he were looking in a mirror. (Divine Love and Wisdom 63)

As there are like things in heaven and in our world, in the heavens there are spaces and times, but the spaces there, like the lands themselves and the things upon them, are appearances; for they appear according to the states of the angels, and the extensions of spaces and distances appear according to the similarities and dissimilarities of states.  By states are meant states of love and wisdom, or of affections and of thoughts therefrom, which are manifold and various. According to these the angelic societies in the heavens are distant from each other, also the heavens are distant from the hells, and the societies of the hells from each other.  It has been granted me to see how likeness of state conjoins, and lessens the extension of space or distance, and how unlikeness of state separates, and produces extension of space or distance. Those there who appear to be a mile apart can instantly be present with each other when the love of one for the other is stirred up, and on the other hand those who are talking together can instantly become a mile apart when anything of hatred is aroused.

That spaces in the spiritual world are mere appearances has also been made evident to me by this, that many from distant lands, as from various kingdoms of Europe, from Africa, and from India, also the inhabitants of different planets and of widely separated earths, have been present with me.  And yet spaces in the heavens appear extended in the same way as the spaces of our earth. But as the spaces there have only a spiritual origin, and not at the same time a natural origin, and thus appear according to the states of the angels, so the angels can have no idea of spaces, but they have instead an idea of their states; for the changeableness of the spaces gives rise to the idea that they are from a spiritual origin, thus from a likeness or unlikeness of affections and of thoughts therefrom.

It is the same in regard to times, for as spaces are so are times, since progressions through spaces are also progressions through times.  Times also are appearances of states because the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, does not there make days and years by its revolutions and progressions, as the sun of the world seems to do; consequently in the heavens there is perpetual light and a perpetual spring, and therefore times there are not fixed, permanent, and measurable.  And as times also vary according to the states of the affections and of the thoughts therefrom, for they are short or diminished by things delightful to the affections, and are long or lengthened by things undelightful to the affections, so the angels cannot have from appearance an idea of time, but they have instead an idea of states from its origin. All this makes clear that the angels in heaven have no idea of space and time, but they have a spiritual idea about these, which is an idea of state.

But this idea of state with the consequent idea of the appearance of space and time comes solely in and from the ultimates of creation there; the ultimates of creation there are the lands upon which angels dwell.  It is there that spaces and times appear, and not in the spiritual things themselves by which the ultimates were created; nor do they appear in the affections themselves of angels, except when the thought from them extends to ultimates.  But it is otherwise in the natural world where spaces and times are fixed, permanent, and measurable, and therefore enter into the thoughts of men and limit them, and distinguish them from the spiritual thoughts of angels. This is the chief reason why man cannot easily comprehend the Divine omnipresence and omniscience, for even when he wishes to comprehend them he is liable to fall into the error that God is the inmost of nature, and is for that reason omnipresent and omniscient. (Apocalypse Explained 1219{2-5})

That heaven is from the human race, is evident from this, that angelic and human minds are similar; both enjoying the faculty of understanding, of perceiving, and of willing; both being formed for receiving heaven. For the human mind possesses wisdom as well as the angelic; but it is not so wise in the world, because it is in a terrestrial body, in which its spiritual mind thinks naturally, for its spiritual thought, which it has in common with an angel, then flows down into the natural ideas corresponding with the spiritual, and is thus perceived in them. But it is otherwise when the mind of man is freed from its connection with the body; then it no longer thinks naturally but spiritually; and when spiritually it then thinks what is incomprehensible and ineffable to the natural man, as an angel does. Hence it is evident, that man’s internal, which is called his spirit, in its essence is an angel. That an angel is in a perfect human form, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell (73-77): but when man’s internal is not opened above, but only below, then still, after its removal from the body, it is in a human form, but a direful and diabolical one, for it cannot look upwards to heaven, but only downwards to hell. (Last Judgement 18)

The reason why groves, and also forests, gardens, and paradise gardens, as well as trees according to their species, mean such things lies in representative objects in the next life. The angels’ intelligence and wisdom determine what kinds of objects appear there; for whatever makes its appearance has a celestial or spiritual origin. (Arcana Coelestia 10644)

The changes of state of the affections appear to the life in the face of angels. When they are in their own society they are in their own face, but when they come into another society their faces are changed according to the affections of good and truth of that society; and yet the genuine face is as a plane, which is recognized in these changes. I have seen the successive variations according to the affections of the societies with which they were communicating, for every angel is in some province of the Grand Man, and thus communicates generally and widely with all who are in the same province, though he himself is in the part of that province to which he properly corresponds. I have seen that they varied their faces by changes from one limit of affection to another; but it was observed that the same face in general was retained, so that the ruling affection always shone forth with its variations, and thus the faces of the whole affection in its extension were shown. (Arcana Coelestia 4797)

Key Points From The Video

The Angelic Mindscape: Angels perceive a sensory world that appears as real as natural landscapes do to humans, but they see beyond physical appearances, discerning meaning related to their own inner states and relationships.

Spiritual Nature of Sensory Objects: In heaven, all sensory objects, including the bodies of angels, are spiritual and represent the states of the mind, embodying affection and the thoughts that arise from it.

Mental and Spiritual Origins: Sensory objects in heaven originate from internal, mental, or spiritual states, not from external causes, appearing in space and time as expressions of the Divine life through the will and intellect of angels.

Representations of Affections: Changes in angelic affections manifest visibly, such as through facial expressions, which can shift according to the prevailing affections of the society they are visiting, while their core essence remains constant.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How do angels perceive the sensory world?
a) as random occurrences
b) as unchanging realities
c) as illusions with no meaning
d) as reflections of their inner states and affections
Answer d)

2. What is meant by the “spiritual nature of sensory objects” in heaven?
a) all objects are entirely imaginary
b) objects are purely physical
c) objects represent the mental and emotional states of angels
d) objects do not change in appearance
Answer c)

3. What are the origins of sensory objects in heaven?
a) external sources independent of the mind
b) Divine life manifested through angelic will and intellect
c) physical principles
d) natural forces
Answer b)

4. How do changes in affections affect the appearance of angels?
a) they remain the same regardless of affection
b) they only change if the angel wants them to
c) their faces change to reflect the affections of the society they visit
d) they disguise themselves completely
Answer c)

5. What remains constant in angels when they move between societies?
a) their genuine countenance as a core representation of their essence
b) their surroundings
c) their outer clothing
d) their mood
Answer a)

Reflective Questions

1. How do you interpret the experiences and people you encounter daily—are they reflections of your inner states?

2. What does it mean to you that the “whole spirit” of a person is made up of their affections and the thoughts arising from them?

3. How could recognising the spiritual origin of sensory perceptions change your approach to everyday life?

Experiential Integration

Take a moment to reflect on one sensory experience (sight, sound, or smell) that stands out to you. Consider how this experience may reflect your current inner state, including any affections or emotions that seem connected to it. Record any insights about the connection between your mental or emotional state and your perception of the sensory experience.

Further Exploration

For in the other life, and in heaven itself, there appear most beautiful colors, all deriving their origin from good and truth.  For the sphere of the affections of good and truth is sensibly presented before the eyes of angels and spirits by means of colors, and specific things by variously colored objects. They are presented to the nostrils also by means of odors. For everything celestial, which is of good, and everything spiritual, which is of truth, is represented in the lower heavens by such things as appear in nature, thus to the very senses of the spirits and angels there.  The reason why the spheres of the affection of good and truth are visibly presented by means of colors, is that the colors are modifications of heavenly light, thus of intelligence and wisdom. (Arcana Coelestia 9466)

In the heavens appear colors of unspeakable beauty, because they are modifications of heavenly light, and heavenly light is the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. From this it is evident that colors are presented to view there according to the variations of good and truth; thus they are modifications of the light that proceeds from the Lord through the angels. (Arcana Coelestia 9865{2})

For all colors visible in the other life signify something of good and truth, because they come into existence from the light of heaven, which in itself is wisdom and intelligence from the Lord’s Divine. The variations or modifications of that light are the consequent variations, and so to speak modifications, of wisdom and intelligence, consequently of good and truth. (Arcana Coelestia 4922)

Colors also are seen in the other life which in splendor and refulgence surpass the luster of the colors of this world to such a degree that scarcely any comparison is possible. These colors are produced by the variegation of the light and shade there; and as it is the Intelligence and wisdom that come from the Lord which there appear as light before the eyes of angels and spirits, and at the same time inwardly illumine their understandings, in their essence these colors are variations or so to speak modifications of intelligence and wisdom. (Arcana Coelestia 4530)

Moreover, in the spiritual world, where all are spiritual even as to their bodies, the eyes of all are formed to see from their own light. The life’s love of everyone makes an understanding for itself, and so also a light; for love is like the fire of life, from which is the light of life. (Divine Providence 167{3})

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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.

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

Angels do not know what time is, although with them there is a successive progression of all things, as there is in the world, and this so completely that there is no difference whatever and the reason is that in heaven instead of years and days there are changes of state; and where there are years and days there are times, but where there are changes of state there are states. (Heaven and Hell 163)

For the states of love and light vary with the angels as vary in the world the states of the times of the day, which are morning, noon, evening, night or twilight, and again morning. When the angels are in a state of love, it is morning with them, and the Lord appears to them as a rising Sun; when they are in a state of light, it is noon with them; but when they are in a state of light in obscurity, it is evening with them; and afterward when they are in a state of love is obscurity or in some cold, it is night with them, or rather twilight before the morning. Such states succeed continually with the angels, and by means of them they are continually perfected. But these variations do not arise from the Sun there, its rising and setting, but from the state of the interiors of the angels themselves. (Arcana Coelestia 10135{1,2})

The variations of the light of heaven are not variations like those of the light of the world every day and every year, but are variations of intelligence and love; for the light of heaven is nothing else than Divine intelligence from the Lord, which is bright before the eyes; and the heat of this light is the Lord’s Divine love, which is warm to the sense.  It is this light which gives man understanding, and this heat which gives him vital warmth and a will of good.  Morning in heaven is a state of enlightenment as to those things which are of good and truth, which state exists when it is acknowledged, and still more when it is perceived, that good is good and that truth is truth. Perception is internal revelation; hence by the “morning” is signified what is revealed; and because then that becomes clear which before was obscure, by “morning” is also signified what is clear. Moreover by “morning” is signified in the supreme sense the Lord Himself, for the reason that the Lord is the Sun from which comes all the light in heaven, and He is always in the rising, thus in the morning.  Moreover He is always rising with everyone who receives the truth which is of faith and the good which is of love, but He is setting with everyone who does not receive these-not that the Sun there sets, for as just said He is always in the rising; but that he who does not receive, causes Him as it were to set with himself. (Arcana Coelestia 5097{1,2})

That by “morning” is signified a state of love and of the consequent light in the internal man, is because when an angel is in a state of love and light, he is then in his internal man; but when he is in a state of light and love in obscurity, he is then in the external man.  For the angels have an internal and an external, and when they are in the internal, the external is almost quiescent; but when they are in the external, they are in a more gross and obscure state.  Consequently when they are in a state of love and light, they are in their internal, thus in their morning; and when they are in a state of light and love in obscurity, they are in the external, thus in their evening; from which it is plain that variations of states are made by elevations toward more interior things, thus into a higher sphere of heavenly light and heat, consequently nearer to the Lord; and by lowerings toward more exterior things, into a lower sphere of heavenly light and heat, and thus more remote from the Lord. (Arcana Coelestia 10134{4})

Times which are proper to nature in its world are in the spiritual world pure states, which appear progressive because angels and spirits are finite, it may be seen that in God they are not progressive because He is Infinite, and infinite things in Him are one.  From this it follows that the Divine in all time is apart from time. (Divine Love and Wisdom 75)

Key Points From The Video

Time in the Natural Mind: For humans, time appears as an external progression tied to sensory change and the sun’s movement, reinforcing a belief that time exists independently of the individual.

Time in the Angelic Mind: Angels perceive time as rooted in mental changes rather than external sequences, seeing it as an internal succession within the mind.

Connection to Space: In the spiritual realm, time and space are experienced as internal changes rather than continuous, independent realities, unlike natural perception.

Ceasing Natural Thought: In spiritual life, individuals transcend natural conceptions of time and space, viewing them as mere appearances rather than reality.

Dawn of Spiritual Light: In spiritual understanding, truths are recognised as originating from the mind, not from an independent reality of space and time.

The Necessity of Sensuous Appearances: Appearances of space and time remain important in the angelic mind to make inner states perceptible, allowing self-awareness and communication.

Boundaries in Spiritual and Natural Worlds: Space and time set thought boundaries in both worlds, defining natural thought through fixed perceptions, unlike the fluidity in spiritual thought.

Difficulty in Comprehending Divine Omnipresence: The natural mind struggles to understand Divine omnipresence, mistakenly associating it with physical space and time rather than an independent, mental reality.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In the natural mind, how is time primarily perceived?
a) as a succession of mental changes
b) as an independent external progression
c) as entirely nonexistent
d) as a mental construct only
Answer b)

2. How do angels perceive the concept of time?
a) as dependent on external objects
b) as an independent, continuous stream
c) as a series of internal mental changes
d) as a concrete measure of external reality
Answer c)

3. What challenge does the natural mind face in understanding Divine Omnipresence?
a) identifying God as an abstract concept
b) equating God’s presence with natural space and time
c) denying any existence of space and time
d) completely separating God from all creation
Answer b)

4. What does the “dawn of spiritual light” help individuals realize about truths?
a) that they come from an external reality of space and time
b) that they are inherently unknowable
c) that they originate within the perceiving mind
d) that they have no connection to the mind
Answer c)

5. Why are sensuous appearances of space and time still necessary for angelic minds?
a) to create a feeling of progression
b) to understand natural thought
c) to make interior states perceptible
d) to experience material life
Answer c)

Reflective Questions

1. How does your perception of time affect your inner peace or state of mind?

2. In what ways do you notice external events as a reflection of your internal state?

3. How can you begin to understand Divine Omnipresence in a way that goes beyond physical space and time?

Experiential Integration

Practice observing your perception of time throughout the day. When feeling hurried or stressed by time, pause and reflect on whether this sense of urgency is an external reality or an internal state.

Note any shifts when you focus on a calm, present-centred awareness rather than a rushed timeline.

Write down a few notes about this reflection in a journal to track any patterns over time.

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

The Divine omnipresence may be illustrated by the wonderful way in which angels and spirits become present to each other in the spiritual world.  Because there is no space in that world, but only an appearance of space, an angel or spirit may instantly become present with another whenever he comes into a like affection and consequent thought; for it is these two that cause the appearance of space. (True Christian Religion 64)

Since angels and spirits are affections of love and thoughts thence derived, they are consequently not in space and time, but only in the appearance of them. To them there is an appearance of space and time according to the states of their affections and of the thoughts arising from these. When anyone therefore thinks of another from affection, intently desiring to see him or to speak with him, he instantly appears in his presence. Hence it is, that there are present with every man spirits who are in like affection with himself, evil spirits with one who is in the affection of similar evil, and good spirits with one who is in the affection of similar good; and they are as really present as if the man were included in their society. Space and time contribute nothing to presence, because affection and thought thence derived are not in space and time, and spirits and angels are affections and thoughts derived from these. (Divine Providence 50{1,2})

That “removal far away” denotes aversion, originates from the removals of this kind which appear in the spiritual world, in that they are according to dissimilarities, differences, and aversions, in respect to the things of spiritual life. For those who appear there in one place are in a like state of the affections and of the derivative thoughts; but as soon as they are at variance, they are separated and go far away from one another; and this according to the degree of their variance. This comes to pass because in the spiritual world both spaces and times are states, and therefore distances are differences of states.  Nevertheless, before the external sight, states appear there as spaces, and their differences as distances. That spaces and distances, and also times, are states, but that nevertheless there are appearances of spaces and distances, which originate from changes of state in the interiors. (Arcana Coelestia 9261)

It has been stated that the angels dwell separate from each other; some in the eastern quarter, some in the western, some in the southern, and some in the northern; and that those who dwell in the eastern quarter are in a higher degree of love; those in the western, in a lower degree of love; those in the southern, in the light of wisdom; and those in the northern, in the shade of wisdom. This diversity of dwelling-places appears as though it were from the Lord as a sun, when, in fact it is from the angels.  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; and this makes them appear to themselves to be more or less distant from one another, and also variously as regards the quarters.  From this it follows that quarters-in the spiritual world are nothing else than various receptions of love and wisdom, and thence of heat and light from the Lord as a sun.  In the spiritual world distances are appearances. (Divine Love and Wisdom 124)

Everyone can see from reason alone that the Lord, who is Good itself and Truth itself, cannot enter into man unless the evils and falsities in him are removed. For evil is the opposite of good, and falsity is the opposite of truth; and two opposites can in no wise mingle together, but when one approaches the other a combat takes place, which lasts till one gives way to the other; and the one that yields departs while the other takes its place. In such opposition are heaven and hell, or the Lord and the devil. Can anyone from reason think that the Lord can enter where the devil reigns, or that heaven can be where hell is? Who does not see, from the rationality granted to every sane man, that for the Lord to enter, the devil must be cast out, or that for heaven to enter, hell must be removed?This opposition is meant by Abraham’s words from heaven to the rich man in hell: Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Luke 16:26.Evil itself is hell and good itself is heaven; or what is the same, evil itself is the devil and good itself is the Lord; and the man in whom evil reigns is a hell in the least form, and the man in whom good reigns is a heaven in the least form. Since this is the case, how can heaven enter hell when between them there is such a great gulf fixed that there can be no crossing from one to the other? Hence it follows that hell must be completely removed that it may be possible for the Lord to enter with heaven. (Divine Providence 100{1,2})

Evils and goods are opposites or contraries, and two opposites or contraries cannot be together, for they turn away from each other, and are in conflict. This can be plainly seen from the fact that evils are from hell, and goods from heaven; and that hell is as far as possible from heaven – not in respect to distance, because in the other life there is no distance – but in respect to state. (Arcana Coelestia 9346)

Key Points From The Video

The Speed of Change as Reflection of Love and Mind: Slow changes in the heavenly externals indicate imperfections of the mind, while rapid changes reflect intense, transcendent love.

Universal Language and Divine Life: Angels gain proficiency in a universal spiritual language as they align with Divine life, making the external world reflect their internal spiritual state.

Application to Heavenly Societies: Spiritual proximity in heaven is determined by receptivity to Divine goodness, affecting how societies interact and fulfil unique roles.

The Relationship Between Heaven and Hell: Heaven and hell are governed by contrasting internal states and remain distinctly separated, illustrated by the “great gulf” mentioned in Scripture.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the speed of change in heaven primarily signify?
a) the alignment of material wealth
b) the mind’s imperfections or intensity of love
c) the desire for power
d) the persistence of physical attributes
Answer: b)

2. As an angel aligns with Divine life, what happens to their external world?
a) it fades away completely
b) it becomes irrelevant
c) it mirrors their internal thoughts and affections
d) it merges with the physical world
Answer: c)

3. What determines the spiritual distances between heavenly societies?
a) their material wealth
b) their earthly accomplishments
c) their receptivity to Divine goodness
d) their physical appearance
Answer: c)

4. What does the “great gulf” represent in the relationship between heaven and hell?
a) an actual physical distance
b) the distinction between divine beings and humans
c) the separation of different religions
d) the profound divide between contrasting spiritual states
Answer: d)

5. In the heavenly realm, the principle of manifestation applies to:
a) both individual and collective spiritual states
b) individual minds only
c) only collective societies
d) only earthly experiences
Answer: a)

Reflective Questions

1. Is there a difference between perceived positive and negative changes that are slow and quick, and what might this reflect regarding the speed of change in heaven versus hell?

2. In what ways do you notice your external experiences reflecting your inner world? Can you draw any parallels to the idea of a “universal language” of spirit?

3. How do you experience “distances” in your spiritual relationships? Do you sense a form of “proximity” or “distance” with people based on shared values or state of mind?

Experiential Integration

Spend a few minutes reflecting on any significant changes you noticed in your day. Consider the speed at which they occurred and what that might reflect about your current state of mind, love, or alignment with your inner truth.

Write down a few notes about this reflection in a journal to track any patterns over time.

Further Exploration

But let him know that in the spiritual world knowledge and acknowledgment produce all presence, and that affection which is of love effects all conjunction.  For spaces there are nothing else but appearances according to similarity of minds, that is, of affections and thence of thoughts. Wherefore when anyone knows another either by reputation, or from intercourse with him, or from conversation, or from relationship, while he thinks of him from the idea of that knowledge, he becomes present with him, although he might be to appearance a thousand stadia off. And if one also loves another whom he knows, he dwells with him in one society; and if he loves him inmostly, in one house. (Apocalypse Revealed 937)

In the other life those who enter the house of another, and converse together in one room, so communicate their thoughts with all who are there, that the latter absolutely know no otherwise than that they themselves are thinking these thoughts from themselves.  But if they stand outside, the thoughts are indeed perceived, but as coming from another, and not from themselves.  This happens every day in the other life; and therefore those who are of one opinion, or of one sentiment, appear together in one house; and this is still more the case if they appear in one room of the house; and when these same persons disagree, those who do so disappear.  In the other life such appearances are everywhere, and are continually happening.  The reason is that parity of thoughts conjoins and causes presence, for thought is internal sight, and distances of places there, are not as in the world. (Arcana Coelestia 9213{5})

Some of the spirits of this earth passed over to the spirits of the earth Saturn, who as already said are afar off at a vast distance, for they appear at the end of our solar world.  The passage is effected in a moment, for distances in the other life are appearances arising from diversity of the states of life; and conjunction is effected by a state of desire to speak with another.  From this it is that in the other life those meet together, when they so desire, who have been in some conjunction in the world, either by love, or by friendship, or by high regard; but they are afterward separated according to the unlikenesses of their state of life. (Arcana Coelestia 9104)

On account of the differences of reception of the Lord by the angels, the heavens also appear separate from one another.  The highest heaven, which is called the third, appears above the second, and the second above the first; not that the heavens are apart, but they appear to be apart, for the Lord is present equally with those who are in the lowest heaven and with those who are in the third heaven.  That which causes the appearance of distance is not in the Lord but in the subjects, that is, the angels. (Divine Love and Wisdom 110)

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

The spaces and distances, and thence the progressions in the natural world, are, in their origin and first cause, changes of the state of the interiors, and with angels and spirits appear according to these changes; and that thus they can by these changes be apparently transferred from one place to another. (Earths in the Universe 125)

That the universe of the spiritual world resembles in an image the human being can be plainly seen from the fact that all the phenomena [present before them] vividly appear and take form around an angel and around angelic societies as effects seemingly produced or created by them – effects that remain around them and do not go away. Their being effects seemingly produced or created by them follows from the fact that when an angel leaves, or when a society transfers elsewhere, the phenomena no longer appear. Moreover, when other angels come in their stead, the appearance of all their surroundings changes. Parks change in respect to the trees and fruits they contain. Flower gardens change in respect to the kinds of roses and seeds found in them. Fields change as well in respect to their herbs and grasses, and the species of animals and birds change, too. These phenomena take form and change as described because they all exist in accordance with the affections and consequent thoughts of the angels. For they are correspondent forms. And because forms that correspond accord with that to which they correspond, therefore they are a representative image of it. This image is not apparent when any of these phenomena are viewed in terms of their forms, but it is seen when they are viewed in terms of their uses. I have been given to see that when angels have their eyes opened by the Lord and view these phenomena from the perspective of their corresponding uses, they recognize and see themselves in them. (Divine Love and Wisdom 322{1,2})

The merely natural person thinks in terms of ideas that he has acquired from objects visible to his sight, all of which exhibit in them a configuration possessing length, breadth and height and having a shape delimited by these, whether angular or curvilinear. These dimensions are clearly present in his mental conceptions of visible objects in the world, and they are also present in his mental conceptions of things not visible, as in his conceptions of civil and moral matters. He does not, indeed, see them, but still they are present as extended concepts. It is otherwise in the case of a spiritual person, especially in the case of an angel in heaven. His thinking is unrelated to configuration and form having anything do to with spatial length, breadth or height, but having to do with the state of a thing arising from the state of a person’s life. Consequently, instead of spatial length he pictures the goodness of a thing arising from the goodness of a person’s life, instead of spatial breadth the truth of a thing arising from the truth of a person’s life, and instead of height degrees of these. Thus he thinks in terms of correspondence, which is the relation of spiritual and natural things to each other. And it is because of this correspondence that length in the Word symbolizes the goodness of a thing, breadth the truth of a thing, and height degrees of these. It is apparent from this that when an angel in heaven reflects on the Divine omnipresence, it is utterly impossible for him to think otherwise than that the Divine fills all things independently of space. What an angel thinks is true, because the light that enlightens his intellect is Divine wisdom. (Divine Love and Wisdom 71{1,2})

“To see” signifies to understand because the sight of the eye corresponds to the sight of the mind, which is understanding.  That correspondence is from this, that as the understanding sees spiritual things so the sight of the eye sees natural things.  Spiritual things are truths from good, and natural things are objects in various forms. Truths from good, which are spiritual things, are seen in heaven as distinctly as objects before the eye, yet with much difference; for these truths are seen intellectually, that is, they are perceived; and the nature of this sight or perception cannot be described by human words; it can be apprehended only so far as this, that it has in it consent and confirmation from the inmost that so it is.  There are, indeed, confirming reasons in very great abundance, which present themselves to the intellectual sight as a one, and this one is as it were a conclusion from many particulars.  These confirming reasons are in the light of heaven, which is Divine truth or Divine wisdom proceeding from the Lord, and which operate in each angel according to his state of reception.  This is the spiritual sight of the understanding. Since with angels this sight operates upon the sight of the eyes, and presents the truths of the understanding in correspondent forms that appear in heaven not unlike the forms in the natural world that are called objects, so “to see,” in the sense of the letter of the Word, signifies to understand. (Apocalypse Explained 260)

In the other life there is no space, but only the appearance of space according to the affinities of the thoughts and affections. (Arcana Coelestia 10146{3})

Key Points From The Video

Appearance of Space and Movement: Objects in the heavens resemble objects from the natural world, but angels do not actually occupy space, nor do they move in the natural sense. Their movements and positions are perceived as spatial appearances.

Representative Appearance: Angelic sensory experiences are representations of mental relationships, where distances signify the harmony between relationships of use.

Distances Represent States of Reception: In heaven, distances symbolise how Divine life is received. The natural mind, separates from spiritual causes, and thus cannot grasp how time and space are mental projections and lacks an understanding of the correspondence between mental states and external events.

Outward and Inward Perception: Externally, both natural and spiritual minds perceive space similarly, but their internal perceptions differ greatly. The natural mind views space and matter as both subjects and objects, while the spiritual mind treats them solely as objects.

Spiritual Thought and Intuition: Angelic consciousness sees every object as arising from internal causes and thinks “above” space. Natural thought, however, attributes sensations to external causes, leading to fallacious conclusions as it cannot perceive beyond the objects themselves.

Spiritual and Natural Perception: The spiritual mind understands the symbolic meanings of objects intuitively, like comprehending familiar language. Conversely, the natural mind perceives without grasping deeper meanings, like hearing an unfamiliar language without understanding.

Multiple Choice Questions

How do angels perceive space in heaven?
a) As an external, physical reality
b) As a representative appearance of relationships
c) As infinite and never-ending
d) As a limitation of Divine power
Answer: b)

What do distances in heaven represent?
a) Physical separation between objects
b) States of Divine reception
c) The size of an angel’s spiritual energy
d) The growth of celestial bodies
Answer: b)

What is the main difference between spiritual and natural perception?
a) Spiritual perception focuses on external objects
b) Natural perception understands the mental causes behind appearances
c) Spiritual perception focuses on internal causes, while natural perception focuses on external characteristics
d) Both spiritual and natural perception are exactly the same
Answer: c

How does the natural mind perceive space and time?
a) As projections of thought
b) As mental constructs that are constantly changing
c) As both subjects and objects of thought
d) As unnecessary illusions
Answer: c)

In what way is spiritual thought intuitive?
a) It automatically perceives the internal causes behind objects
b) It relies on scientific reasoning and logical deductions
c) It treats objects as inherently meaningless
d) It focuses only on the outer appearance of things
Answer: a)

Reflective Questions

1. How does the idea that space and distance are reflections of spiritual states change your understanding of physical distance in your life?

2. In what ways do you tend to focus on external appearances without considering the internal causes behind them?

3. How can you apply the spiritual perception of relationships and states of reception in your interactions with others?

Experiential Integration

Observing Internal Causes in Daily Life: Take a few minutes to reflect on your relationships and interactions with people around you. Instead of focusing solely on their external actions or the distance between you, try to perceive the internal causes and mental states influencing these dynamics. Ask yourself:

• What spiritual states might be reflected in this situation?
• How does my perception of this interaction change when I consider the underlying mental and emotional states?

Document your thoughts and note how this shift in focus alters your daily experiences.

Further Exploration

Moreover, the angelic societies in the heavens are at a distance from each other as their goods differ in general and in particular. For in the spiritual world the only ground of distance is difference in the state of interiors, thus in the heavens difference in the states of love, those who differ much being far apart, and those who differ but little being but little apart, and likeness causing them to be together. (Heaven and Hell 42)

Take also as an example the fact that in the other life it is according to order that states of affection and thought cause the idea of place and distance; and that the inhabitants appear distant from one another, so far as they are in a diverse state.  This order is from the Divine, to the intent that all who are in the Grand Man may be distinct from one another. (Arcana Coelestia 7337{3})

It is a universal thing in the other life that all are conjoined according to the love of good and truth from the Lord; consequently the whole heaven is such conjunction…That “coming near” denotes conjunction and presence, is because in the other life the distances of one from another are altogether according to the dissimilitudes and diversities of the interior things that belong to the thought and affection (Arcana Coelestia 9378{2,3})

All approach in the spiritual world is effected by the determination of the thought. (Arcana Coelestia 7568)

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

God, since the world was created, is in space apart from space, and in time apart from time. That God, and the Divine which proceeds immediately from Him, is not in space, although He is omnipresent, and with every man in the world, with every angel in heaven, and with every spirit under heaven, cannot be comprehended by merely natural thought, but it may, in some degree, by spiritual thought. The reason is that space is associated with merely natural conceptions, as these are formed from objects in the world, in every one of which, as these are visible to the eye, there is space. Everything great and small there is spatial, likewise everything that has length, breadth and height; in a word, every measure, figure and form there is spatial. Nevertheless a man may, in some degree, comprehend this idea by his natural thought if he admits into it some spiritual light. However, something must first be said concerning spiritual thought. This derives nothing from space, but everything from state. State has relation to love, life, wisdom, affections, joys, and, in general, to good and truth. A truly spiritual idea concerning these has nothing in common with space: it is on a higher level, and looks down upon spatial ideas beneath it as heaven looks down upon the earth. (True Christian Religion 30{3})

But be it known that by “the extremity of heaven” is not meant any extremity of space, but of the state of good and truth; for in heaven there is no space, but only the appearance of it according to the states of good and truth. (Arcana Coelestia 9666)

The Lord is omnipresent, and is not in space, as was shown above; and therefore distance is an appearance according to conjunction with the Lord, conjunction being according to the reception of love and wisdom from Him; and since no one can be conjoined to the Lord as He is in Himself, He appears to the angels at a distance as a Sun; nevertheless, He is in the whole angelic heaven, as the soul is in man. In like manner He is in every society of heaven and also in every angel there; for a man’s soul is not only the soul of the whole man but also the soul of every part. (Divine Providence 162)

Above the angelic heaven there is a Sun which is pure love, fiery in appearance like the sun of this world; that from the heat of that Sun angels and men have their will and love, and from its light they have understanding and wisdom; and that the things from it are called spiritual, while those that proceed from the sun of this world are containants or receptacles of life, and are called natural. Further, that the expanse of the centre of life is called the spiritual world, which subsists from its own Sun, while the expanse of the centre of nature is called the natural world, which subsists from its sun. Now, since space and time cannot be predicated of love and wisdom, but instead of them, states, it follows that the expanse around the Sun of the angelic heaven is not an extension, although it is within the extension of the natural sun, and present with the living subjects of the natural world according to their reception of it; and their reception is according to their forms and states. (True Christian Religion 35 {11})

It has been said that in the spiritual world, just as in the natural world, there appear to be spaces, consequently also distances, but that these are appearances according to spiritual affinities which are of love and wisdom, or of good and  truth. From this it is that the Lord, although everywhere in the heavens with angels, nevertheless appears high above them as a sun. Furthermore, since reception of love and wisdom causes affinity with the Lord, those heavens in which the angels are, from reception, in closer affinity with Him, appear nearer to Him than those in which the affinity is more remote. From this it is also that the heavens, of which there are three, are distinct from each other, likewise the societies of each heaven; and further, that the hells under them are remote according to their rejection of love and wisdom. The same is true of men, in whom and with whom the Lord is present throughout the whole earth; and this solely for the reason that the Lord is not in space. (Divine Love and Wisdom 10)

Key Points From The Video

God as a Non-Spatial Being: The Lord God is omnipresent, but His being is not of a spatial kind. Unlike natural bodies, He does not fill space.

Implications for Spiritual Space: Space is not an independent reality but a mental construct. If space were real in an external sense, it would imply that God’s infinite nature would need to assume finite spatial qualities, which is impossible. Thus, God transcends time and space, and space exists as a reflection of the mental states of finite beings.

Space is an Appearance: In the spiritual world, space is perceived similarly to the natural world but recognised as an appearance. This spatial appearance reflects the imperfect reception of Divine life by finite minds thus space in the spiritual realm is subjective, not objective.

Imperfect Conjunction: Angels cannot be fully united with the Lord’s essential nature but receive Divine life imperfectly, creating a perception of separation or distance. This perceived distance between the Lord and angels manifests as spatial distance, similar to how the sun appears distant to humans.

The Lord and Space: The Lord does not perceive space as we do; both natural and spiritual space are representative images shaped by finite minds.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What is the nature of space in both the natural and spiritual worlds?
a) Real in the natural world but imaginary in the spiritual world
b) An illusion created by sensory perception
c) A mental construct reflecting finite minds in both worlds
d) A boundary that separates beings from each other
Answer: c)

2. How does Spiritual Christianity resolve the paradox of God’s omnipresence and space?
a) By claiming that God is limited by space
b) By stating that God fills space
c) By asserting that space is a mental construct
d) By denying God’s presence in space
Answer: c)

3. What does space represent in the spiritual world?
a) An independent external reality
b) A reflection of the limitations of the mind
c) A physical distance between beings
d) A boundary between the Lord and creation
Answer: b)

4. Why is it impossible for God to fill space according to this teaching?
a) Because God is too large for space
b) Because space is only real in the natural world
c) Because God’s infinite nature cannot assume finite spatial qualities
d) Because space does not exist
Answer: c)

5. What does the perception of space by angels symbolically represent?
a) The distance between angels and God
b) The state of reception of the divine life by the angel’s mind
c) The physical size of the spiritual world
d) The boundaries between different realms of existence
Answer: b)

Reflective Questions

1. How does understanding space as a mental construct change your perception of the physical world around you?

2. In what ways can the concept of space as a reflection of mental limitations influence how you relate to others or to God?

3. How does the idea that God is beyond spatial limitations inspire a deeper understanding of divine presence in your own life?

Experiential Integration

Mindful Perception of Space: Spend a few minutes reflecting on the space around you, whether indoors or outdoors. As you observe the distances between objects or your position within a room, remind yourself that space is not an external reality but a reflection of your mental state. Ask yourself:

• How does the idea of space shift when I think of it as subjective rather than objective?
• How might my perception of spiritual truths be shaped by the way I perceive space?

Write down any changes in how you feel about your environment or your sense of connection to spiritual realities.

Further Exploration

Angels turn their faces constantly to the Lord as a sun, because they are in the Lord, and the Lord in them; and the Lord interiorly leads their affections and thoughts, and turns them constantly to Himself; consequently they cannot do otherwise than look towards the east where the Lord appears as a sun; from which it is evident that angels do not turn themselves to the Lord, but the Lord turns them to Himself. For when angels think interiorly of the Lord, they do not think of Him otherwise than as being in themselves. Real interior thought does not cause distance, but exterior thought, which acts as one with the sight of the eyes; and for the reason that exterior thought, but not interior, is in space; and when not in space, as in the spiritual world, it is still in an appearance of space. But these things can be little understood by the man who thinks about God from space. For God is everywhere, yet not in space. Thus He is both within and without an angel; consequently an angel can see God, that is, the Lord, both within himself and without himself; within himself when he thinks from love and wisdom, without himself when he thinks about love and wisdom. (Divine Love and Wisdom 130)

Distance from the very good itself which proceeds from the Divine, causes the appearance of distance in heaven. The angelic societies there appear distinct and even remote from one another; but as already said this idea of space comes from distance from the good and truth which are from the Divine of the Lord. This must needs appear a paradox, nay, absurd, to many in the world. The reason is that the thoughts and their ideas with man are founded upon spaces and times, insomuch that man cannot think without them. Consequently if you abstract times and spaces from a man’s thought, he scarcely perceives anything.  Nevertheless the angels in heaven think absolutely without any idea of time and space, and with such fulness that in intelligence and wisdom their thoughts surpass the thoughts of man thousands, nay, myriads of times; and, wonderful to say, if there occurs to them an idea derived from time and space, shade and thick darkness at once come to their minds, because they then fall from the light of heaven into the light of nature, which to them is thick darkness. (Arcana Coelestia 8918)

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

By changes of state of angels their changes in respect to love and faith, and wisdom and intelligence therefrom, are meant, thus their changes in respect to states of life. (Heaven and Hell 154)

This can be very clearly seen from the representatives in the other life. Representatives are there presented according to the states of the interiors among spirits, for they are correspondences.  Around the spirits who are in truths from good appear most beautiful representatives, namely, houses and palaces flashing with gold and precious stones, also gardens and paradises of unspeakable beauty; all these things being from the correspondence. But around those who are in truths, and not from good, there appear nothing but stony places, rocks, and bogs, and sometimes shrubberies, but unpleasant and barren; these also being from the correspondence. And around those who are in falsities from evil appear swamps, privies, and many monstrous objects.  The cause of this being so is that all the representatives in the other life are outward things shaped according to the states of the interior ones; for in this way the spiritual world presents itself to view there. (Arcana Coelestia 10194)

That this is from correspondence is evident from the birds seen in the spiritual world, where all things that appear before the eyes and the other senses are correspondences. All sorts of animals of the earth, also flying things of heaven, both beautiful and unbeautiful, are seen there, and they appear from the affections and thoughts of angels or of spirits, the animals from affections, and the flying things from thoughts. It is known to everyone there that these are correspondences; and they know also to what affections and thoughts they correspond.  That they are correspondences of affections and thoughts is made to appear most clearly; since they are instantly dissipated when the spirit or the angel goes away or stops thinking about the matter. (Apocalypse Explained 1100)

All spirits and angels are clothed according to their intelligence, or according to their reception of truth in the life, this constituting intelligence; for the light of their intelligence is formed into garments, and when these are thus formed they do not merely appear as garments, but they also are garments. For all things that exist in the spiritual world, and appear before the eyes of those there, exist from the light and heat that proceed from the Lord as a sun; from that origin have been created and formed not only all things in the spiritual world, but also all things in the natural world; for the natural world exists and subsists by means of the spiritual world from the Lord. (Apocalypse Explained 395)

That “garments” denote truths, originates from the representatives in the other life, where angels and spirits appear clothed in garments according to the states of faith or of truth in which they are; and their garments vary according to the changes of this state.  Those who are in genuine truth appear clothed in white garments, and those who are in truths derived from good in shining garments; but those who are solely in good, as are the angels of the inmost heaven, who are called celestial, appear without clothing. (Arcana Coelestia 9212{3})

Key Points From The Video

Divine Light and Mental State: Because angels are in reception of Divine light they can see the things in their sensory field as symbols that reflect their mental and emotional states.

Reflected Images of the Lord’s Kingdom: Through Divine light, angels intuitively grasp the spiritual meaning of the objects they perceive, seeing them as representations of the Lord’s kingdom of love, wisdom, goodness, and truth.

Distinctness and Externality: Objects of the spiritual world possess all the characteristics of externality that belong to the objects of the natural world.

Sensuous Objects as Representation: For angels, sensory appearances are understood as representations of mental and spiritual truths, not physical objects in themselves, unlike how they are perceived in the natural world.

Sensory Perception: Angelic thought transcends the sensory experiences as it is in the immediate perception of the mental causes of which the sensations are effects.

Unnecessary Appendages: Unlike the natural world, angels understand that space and time are unnecessary constructs, serving no real purpose in their spiritual experience.

Spiritual Understanding: Angels are able to understand the meaning behind the appearances of the sensory world and so can perceive the deeper truths and uses of the objects of their world.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What do angels intuitively perceive through sensory objects?
a) The material composition of the objects
b) The symbolic meaning reflecting their mental states
c) The future events that the objects represent
d) The physical laws governing the objects
Answer: b)

2. What allows angels to perceive the deeper spiritual meaning of objects?
a) Their advanced sensory perception
b) The knowledge acquired through study
c) Their ability to manipulate matter
d) Divine light flowing into their minds
Answer: d)

3. In the spiritual world, how do objects correspond to the perceiving angel?
a) They represent Divine intervention
b) They are projections of their sensory desires
c) They correspond to the angel’s active mental state
d) They symbolise the physical world’s laws
Answer: c)

4. What is unnecessary in the spiritual world, according to angels’ perception?
a) Space and time
b) External physical laws
c) Sensory objects
d) Mental states and emotions
Answer: a)

5. How do angels perceive sensory appearances in contrast to humans?
a) As material objects with no spiritual meaning
b) As physical phenomena with Divine influence
c) As symbols of deeper spiritual truths
d) As illusions created by their senses
Answer: c)

Reflective Questions

1. How does the symbolic nature of objects in the spiritual world change your perception of the sensory world in your daily life?

2. In what ways can you begin to view the sensory experiences in your life as reflections of your mental or emotional states?

3. How does the understanding that space and time are unnecessary in the spiritual world challenge your current understanding of reality?

Experiential Integration

Symbolic Reflection on Sensory Objects: Take 10 minutes to observe an object in your environment (such as a flower, rock, or tree) and reflect on what it might symbolise in relation to your current mental or emotional state. Journal your thoughts on how this object could represent something deeper about your inner life.

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

There are two things which while man lives in the world appear to be essential, because they are proper to nature, namely, space and time. Hence to live in space and time is to live in the world or in nature. But in the other life these two things are of no consequence. In the world of spirits indeed they do appear to be of some consequence, for the reason that spirits fresh from the body still retain the idea of natural things; yet it is not long before they perceive that there is no space and time there, but state instead; and that in the other life states correspond to spaces and times in nature; to spaces states as to Being [esse], and to times states as to Coming forth [existere]. From this anyone can see what kind of an idea a man may have, while in the world or in nature, respecting the things of the other life and many arcana of faith; namely, that he is not willing to believe them until he apprehends them by means of the things in the world, nay, by sensuous things; for he must needs suppose that if he were to put off the idea of space and time, and still more space and time themselves, he would become absolutely nothing; and thus that he would have nothing left from which he could feel and think, except something confused and incomprehensible; when yet the case is exactly the reverse. Angelic life is of such a nature as to be the wisest and happiest of all. (Arcana Coelestia 2625)

There are two universals through which the Divine is expressed, namely, the infinite and the eternal. The infinite is the Divine as to its being (esse); and the eternal is the Divine as to its existence (existere); each of which must be understood in a supereminent sense, namely, without space and without time. Anyone who thinks about the infinite and the eternal from space and time falls into errors; for space and time belong to nature, and man’s ideas are in these so long as he lives in the natural world, but are not in them when be leaves this world and comes into heaven.  Spaces and times indeed appear in heaven exactly similar to those in the world; but they are only appearances of the states with angels, for the states of their affection and consequent thought are presented in appearance before their external senses as spaces and as times, and yet they are not spaces and times like those in the natural world. (Apocalypse Explained 870)

As state and change of state are so often mentioned, and as few know what is meant, it will be well to explain.  Time and the succession of time, or space and the extension of space, cannot be predicated of man’s interiors, that is, of his affections and the thoughts therefrom; because these interiors are not in time nor in place although to the senses in the world it appears as if they were but are in interior things which correspond to time and place. These interior things which correspond we have to call states, because there is no other word by which these corresponding things can be expressed. (Arcana Coelestia 4850)

To think spiritually is to think apart from time and space, and to think naturally is to think with time and space; for something of time and space adheres to every idea of natural thought, but not to any spiritual idea. The reason is, because the spiritual world is not in space and time like the natural world, but in the appearance of space and time. (Conjugial Love 328)

How the case is with the doctrinal things of faith among men has been stated above, namely, that there are two principles from which they think, a negative and an affirmative; and that those think from the negative principle, who believe nothing unless they are convinced by what is of reason and memory-knowledge; nay, by what is of sense; but those think from the affirmative who believe that things are true because the Lord has said so in the Word, thus who have faith in the Lord. They who are in the negative in regard to a thing being true because it is in the Word, say at heart that they will believe when they are persuaded by things rational and memory-knowledges. But the fact is that they never believe; and indeed they would not believe if they were to be convinced by the bodily senses of sight, hearing, and touch; for they would always form new reasonings against such things, and would thus end by completely extinguishing all faith, and at the same time turning the light of the rational into darkness, because into falsities…truths should be known and believed; for man is enlightened by truths, but is made blind by falsities. By truths there is opened to the rational an immense and almost unbounded field; but by falsities comparatively none at all, although this does not appear to be so. It is because the angels are in truths that they enjoy wisdom so great; for truth is the very light of heaven. They who have blinded themselves by not being willing to believe anything which they do not apprehend by the senses, until at length they have come to believe nothing, were in old times called “serpents of the tree of knowledge;” for such reasoned much from sensuous things and their fallacies, which easily fall into man’s apprehension and belief, and thereby they seduced many. In the other life such are readily distinguished from other spirits by the fact that in regard to all things of faith they reason whether it be so; and if they are shown a thousand and a thousand times that it is so, still they advance negative doubts against every proof that is offered; and this they would go on doing to all eternity. So blind are they on this account that they have not common sense, that is, they cannot comprehend what good and truth are; and yet every one of them thinks himself wiser than all in the universe; making wisdom to consist in being able to invalidate what is Divine, and deduce it from what is natural. Many who in this world have been esteemed wise, are preeminently of this character; for the more anyone is endowed with talent and knowledge, and is in the negative, the more insane he is, beyond all others; whereas the more anyone is endowed with talent and knowledge, and is in the affirmative, the wiser he is able to be. It is by no means denied man to cultivate the rational faculty by means of memory-knowledges; but that which is forbidden is to harden ourselves against the truths of faith which belong to the Word. (Arcana Coelestia 2588 {2,8,9})

Key Points From The Video

Spiritual Understanding and the Nature of Reality: In the spiritual world, space and time are reflections of the state of will and intellect, not independent entities.

The Naturalist’s Perspective: Naturalistic thinking confines God within the limits of space and time, reducing the Divine to a material concept and leading to fragmented and flawed systems.

Two Modes of Thinking: There are two primary ways to approach understanding – thinking spiritually, as angels do, or thinking naturally, as humans typically do.

The Limits of Compromise: Embracing a spiritual perspective involves discerning truth beyond sensory perceptions and appearances, relying on Divine revelation and spiritual principles rather than trying to combine spiritual and naturalistic elements.

The Misuse of Science: We are called to adopt a mindset that focuses on spiritual realities rather than physical phenomena, recognising the limitations of a purely naturalistic perspective.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does Spiritual Christianity encourage us to transcend?
a) Materialistic thinking
b) Cultural biases
c) Technological advancements
d) Scientific inquiry
Answer: a)

2. According to the spiritual perspective, what do space and time represent?
a) Fixed and constant realities
b) Independent entities
c) States of will and intellect
d) Constructs of human imagination
Answer: c)

3. What is a consequence of adopting a purely naturalistic mindset?
a) Gaining a deeper understanding of spirituality
b) Reducing Divine qualities to physical concepts
c) Achieving enlightenment through meditation
d) Understanding the true nature of time and space
Answer: b)

4. Why is combining spiritual and naturalistic elements often unsuccessful?
a) It is too complex for most people to understand
b) It results in fragmented systems that collapse under scrutiny
c) It provides a balanced view of reality
d) It is unsupported by scientific evidence
Answer: b)

5. What does Spiritual Christianity suggest we rely on to understand the true nature of reality?
a) Sensory perceptions and appearances
b) Scientific reasoning
c) Philosophical debates
d) Divine revelation and spiritual principles
Answer: d)

Reflective Questions

1. How do your current beliefs about reality align or differ from the spiritual perspective described in the material?

2. What are some of the challenges you face in moving beyond a naturalistic view of space and time?

3. How does recognising the limitations of sensory perceptions change your understanding of the Divine or the nature of existence?

Experiential Integration

Contemplation on Transcendence: Spend 5-10 minutes contemplating the nature of space and time as spiritual rather than material concepts. Reflect on how your actions, thoughts, and emotions are influenced by the idea of them as mere representations of the state of your will and intellect. Write down insights or questions that arise during this contemplation.

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

If the minds of men did not form the idea that God is prime substance and form, and that His form is the very form of man, they would easily fall into fantastic, ghost-like, ideas about God Himself, the origin of man and the creation of the world. They could not avoid thinking of God as the primeval nature of the universe, and consequently as its expanse, or as it were a void or nothingness. They would think of the origin of man as if it were a fortuitous concourse of atoms to make such a form; of the creation of the world as owing its substances and forms to geometric points and lines, which since they lack attributes are in themselves non-existent. (True Christian Religion 20{2})

It is an illusion of the senses, a purely natural one, that the power which seeds have to grow into trees and flowers and to reproduce themselves was conferred on them when creation first began, and that that initial conferment is what causes everything to come into being and remain in being. People may be told that nothing can remain in being unless it is constantly being brought into being, in keeping with the law that continuance in being involves a constant coming into being, and with another law that anything that has no connection with something prior to itself ceases to have any existence. But though they are told all this, their bodily senses and their thought that is reliant on their senses, cannot take it in. Nor can they see that every single thing is kept in being, even as it was brought into being, through an influx from the spiritual world, that is, from the Divine coming through the spiritual world. This gives rise to another illusion of the senses, a purely natural one, that single entities exist called monads and atoms. For the natural man believes that anything comprehended by his external senses is a single entity or else nothing at all. It is an illusion of the senses, a purely natural one, that everything is part of and begins in the natural creation, though there are indeed purer and more inward aspects of the natural creation that are beyond the range of human understanding. But if anyone says that a spiritual or celestial dimension exists within or above the natural creation, this idea is rejected; for the belief is that unless a thing is natural it has no existence. (Arcana Coelestia 5084{3-4})

Ends are in the first degree, causes in the second, and effects in the third. Who does not see that the end is not the cause, but that it produces the cause, and that the cause is not the effect, but that it produces the effect; consequently that they are three distinct things which follow in order? The end with man is the love of his will, for what a man loves, this he proposes to himself and intends; the cause with him is the reason of his understanding, for by means of it the end seeks for mediate or efficient causes; and the effect is the operation of the body from them and according to them. Thus there are three things in man, which follow each other in order, in like manner as the degrees of altitude follow each other. When these three things appear in act, then the end is inwardly in the cause, and the end through the cause is in the effect, wherefore the three coexist in the effect. On this account it is said in the Word, that everyone shall be judged according to his works; for the end, or the love of his will, and the cause, or the reason of his understanding, are together in the effects, which are the works of his body; thus the quality of the whole man is in them. They who do not know these things, and do not thus distinguish the objects of reason, cannot avoid terminating the ideas of their thought in the atoms of Epicurus, the monads of Leibniz, or in the simple substances of Wolff, and thus they close up their understandings as with a bolt, so that they cannot even think from reason concerning spiritual influx, because they cannot think concerning any progression; for the author says concerning his simple substance, that if it is divided it falls into nothing. Thus the understanding stands still in its first light, which is merely from the senses of the body, and does not advance a step further. Hence it is not known but that the spiritual is a subtle natural, and that beasts have a rational as well as men, and that the soul is a breath of wind such as is breathed forth from the breast when a person dies; besides many things which are not of light but of thick darkness. (Interaction of the Soul and Body 17{15})

God is present in space apart from space, and in time apart from time because He is always the same from eternity to eternity, the same before the creation of the world as after it. There was neither space nor time in God and in His sight before creation, but after it, so that because He is the same, He is in space apart from space, and in time apart from time. Hence it follows that nature is separate from Him, while yet He is omnipresent in it, just as life is present in every substantial and material part of man, yet does not mingle with them; or as light is in the eye, sound in the ear, and taste in the tongue, and also as ether is in land and water, by which the terraqueous globe is held together and made to revolve, and so on. If those active factors were removed, the substantial and the material things would immediately collapse and be dispersed. Indeed, if God were not present in all its parts and at all times in the human mind, it would dissolve like a bubble in the air, and both divisions of the brain, in which it acts from first principles, would melt away like froth; thus all that is human would become as the dust of the earth, or as an odour wafted away on the breeze… That God is everywhere present in the created universe, while yet there is nothing of the world in Him, that is, nothing of space and time, can be perceived by the observant and attentive reader in many other places in the Word, as in this passage from Jeremiah: “AmI a God at hand,… and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see him?… do not I fill heaven and earth?” Jeremiah 23:23-24.  (True Christian Religion 30{2,3})

Key Points From The Video

A Materialistic View: Materialistic thinking aims to explain the world solely through physical processes, which shapes our understanding of existence, consciousness, and creation.

The Limits of Materialistic Thinking: A purely physical perspective reduces human consciousness to an emergent property of matter, suggesting that thoughts, emotions, and desires are byproducts of brain activity and external circumstances.

The Consequences of Reductive Thinking: Adopting a strictly physical view can trap us in the belief that we are merely physical entities, with consciousness arising from atomic arrangements.

The Naturalist’s View of Creation: According to materialism, the world and all life forms arose from lifeless atoms through a series of physical processes, supported by natural laws.

The Consequences of Naturalism: This perspective implies that matter predates conscious life, and that a deity exists within and progresses through space and time.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does materialistic thinking attempt to explain?
a) The Divine nature of existence
b) The world through spiritual processes
c) The world through physical processes
d) The limits of human perception
Answer: c)

2. What is one consequence of adopting a purely physical worldview?
a) Understanding the spiritual basis of life
b) Seeing consciousness as a byproduct of matter
c) Gaining a deeper appreciation for metaphysics
d) Achieving a balanced view of existence
Answer: b)

3. How does a naturalistic view perceive the creation of life?
a) As a spiritual manifestation
b) As a series of physical processes
c) As a direct intervention of a deity
d) As an illusion
Answer: b)

4. What does the materialistic perspective suggest about the existence of a deity?
a) A deity transcends space and time
b) A deity is a human construct
c) A deity does not exist
d) A deity exists within and progresses through space and time
Answer: d)

5. What does the conclusion suggest we should seek regarding our understanding of reality?
a) A more materialistic view
b) A return to naturalistic thought
c) A nuanced understanding that acknowledges complexity
d) A dismissal of all previous beliefs
Answer: c)

Reflective Questions

1. How does your current understanding of consciousness align or differ from the materialistic perspective described in this material?

2. What are the potential limitations or consequences of viewing human experience solely through a materialistic lens?

3. How might considering a more nuanced understanding of existence affect your view of the relationship between mind, matter, and the Divine?

Experiential Integration

Contemplative Journaling: Spend 10 minutes reflecting on a personal experience, emotion, or thought. Write down how a materialistic perspective might interpret it, and then explore alternative interpretations that consider other dimensions, such as the spiritual or metaphysical. Notice how these different perspectives influence your understanding and feelings about the experience.

From The Doctrines For Spiritual Christianity

Sensory impressions are said to be cast aside when the things that are first and foremost in explanations place no reliance on them; for they are indeed sensory impressions, and impressions received by the mind directly through the senses are illusions. The senses are the source of all the illusions that reign in a person, and they are the reason why few have any belief in the truths of faith and why the natural man is opposed to the spiritual man, that is, the external man to the internal. Consequently if the natural or external man starts to have dominion over the spiritual or internal man, no belief at all in matters of faith exists any longer, for illusions cast a shadow over them and evil desires smother them. Few know what the illusions of the senses are and few believe that these cast a shadow over rational insights and most of all over spiritual matters of faith – a shadow so dark that it blots them out. This happens especially when at the same time what a person delights in is the result of desires bred by a selfish and worldly love. But let examples be used to shed some light on this matter, first some examples of illusions of the senses which are purely natural ones, that is, illusions about things within the natural creation, then some examples of such illusions in spiritual things. It is an illusion of the senses – a purely natural one, or an illusion about the natural creation – to believe that the sun is borne round this globe once a day, and that the sky too and all the stars are borne round at the same time. People may be told that it is impossible and therefore inconceivable that so vast an ocean of fire as the sun, and not only the sun but also the countless stars, should revolve once a day without undergoing any changes of position in relation to one another. They may be told in addition that one can see from the planetary system that our own globe performs a daily movement and an annual one, by rotations on its axis and by revolutions. This can be recognised from the fact that the planets are globes like ours, some of which have moons around them and all of which, as observation shows, perform daily and annual movements like ours. But for all that they are told, the illusion the senses prevails with very many people – that things really are as the eye sees them. (Arcana Coelestia 5084{1-2})

To all outward appearance the external senses, such as sight and hearing, flow into thought and initiate mental images there. For the appearance is that external objects activate the senses, first the external senses, then the internal ones, and speech too. But no matter how convincing that appearance may be, it is nevertheless a misconception. For what is external, being gross and material, cannot flow in and activate what is internal, which is pure and spiritual; that would be contrary to the nature of things. It is the power of the inward senses, a power belonging to the spirit itself, that perceives things, and it does so by means of the power of the outward senses. It is also the power of the inward senses that disposes an outward sensory organ to receive impressions of objects at its bidding. So it is that outward sensory organs – such as that of sight, which is the eye – instantly adapt themselves to all the objects of the senses. Nothing of this could happen in sensory organs without the inflow they receive from within; for all the fibres and small appendages, which are very many around each sensory organ, are instantly attuned to the nature of the object. Indeed the organ itself is also immediately conditioned to conform. (Arcana Coelestia 6322)

I know that many will say to themselves: How can anyone, interiorly in his rational (mind), comprehend anything apart from space and apart from time; and further comprehend not only that it is, but also that it is the All and the Self from which all things are? Think, however, interiorly whether love or any affection of love, or wisdom or any perception of wisdom, or indeed whether thought, is in space and in time, and you will find that they are not; and since the Divine is Love itself and Wisdom itself, it follows that the Divine cannot be conceived of in space and time; so neither can the Infinite. For a clearer perception of this, consider whether thought is in time and space. Suppose thought to go on for ten or twelve hours; may not this interval of time appear as one or two hours, or even as one or two days? The apparent duration is according to the state of the affection from which the thought has sprung. If the affection is one of joy in which one does not think of time, ten or twelve hours of thought seem no more than one or two; but the reverse is true if the affection is one of grief, when one thinks of time. From this it is clear that time is only an appearance according to the state of the affection from which thought springs. It is the same when one thinks of distance in space, either when taking a walk or when making a journey. (Divine Providence 49)

It is not the flesh that sensates the things which happen in the flesh, but the spirit. It is the same with this sense as with the others. Thus it is not the eye that sees and distinguishes the varieties in objects, but the spirit. So neither is it the ear that hears and distinguishes the harmonies of melodies in song, and the fitness of the articulation of sounds in speech, but the spirit. And the spirit sensates everything according to its own elevation into wisdom. The spirit which is not elevated above the sensual things of the body and so sticks in them, sensates no other delights than those which flow in from the flesh, and from the world through the senses of the body. These it seizes upon, with these it is delighted, and these it make its own. (Conjugial Love 440)

Key Points From The Video

Mistaking Appearances for Reality: The natural mind mistakes appearances for reality, assuming that thoughts, feelings, and sensations are purely byproducts of physical processes.

The Hypothetical Nature Of Reality: The natural understanding of the world is based on the assumption that it can independently and objectively observe reality.

The Illusionary Nature of Sensory Data: A natural mode of thought explains how sensory images are transmitted from external to internal external sources to the mind. It overlooks the fundamental question of how the mind connects with the external world and tracks the path of these particles.

The Limits of Perception: Sensory perceptions may not accurately represent the external world; they are merely sensations, not direct observations of objective reality.

The Deception of Certainty: There is no way to directly compare sensory data to the external world, so the connection between them remains unverifiable.

The Misconception of Mental Processes: The mind experiences only sensations, not the true causes of those sensations, which may be either spiritual or material.

The Reduction of Mind to Matter: A naturalistic view attributes mental processes to brain activity, ignoring the complexity of consciousness.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What does the natural mind rely on to understand reality?
a) Logical reasoning
b) Sensory perceptions
c) Intuition
d) External authority
Answer: b)

2. Why is it impossible to verify the connection between sensations and the external world?
a) Because sensations are incomplete
b) Because sensations are spiritual
c) Because we can’t experience both simultaneously
d) Because we can’t trust our senses
Answer: c)

3. What assumption does the natural mind make about thoughts and feelings?
a) They come from a Divine source
b) They are independent of the physical world
c) They are a result of brain activity
d) They are illusions
Answer: c)

4. What does Spiritual Christianity suggest about sensory transmission?
a) It is an accurate reflection of reality
b) It is an illusion
c) It is partially true
d) It can be verified scientifically
Answer b)

5. What do it’s teachings encourage us to do regarding our understanding of reality?
a) Trust our sensory perceptions
b) Rely on physical evidence
c) Ignore our sensations
d) Question our assumptions
Answer: d)

Reflective Questions

1. How do you currently understand the relationship between your senses and the external world? Do you trust your sensory experiences as a reliable source of truth?

2. In what ways have your assumptions about reality been challenged by the idea that there are limitations to your sensory perception?

3. How does the teaching that mental processes are not purely physical change your understanding of consciousness?

Experiential Integration

Mindful Observation Practice: Spend 5-10 minutes focusing on a specific sensory experience (sight, sound, taste, etc.). Notice the details and nuances of the sensation without immediately forming a conclusion about its source or meaning. Reflect on the possibility that what you perceive may not fully represent reality. Write down any insights or questions that arise during this practice.