Report 4
Spring 2008, Psychology 459, Generation 27
Instructor: Dr. Leon James
Jarrett
Ku, Yuko
Ono, Jeremy
Haire, & Paula
MacCormac
Virtues of the Soul & Combating Evil
Lecture Content (The
Immense Value of Virtues, Spiritual
Combat)
Section 1: Lecture Content
By: Paula
MacCormac
Lecture
Section 8: The Immense Value of
Virtues
According to Swedenborg, human virtues are valued less highly than other things that we like to do because they go against our natural loves. It is easy for us to love something that we do naturally, whether we it is hellish or heavenly (and whether we know it or not), but it is infinitely harder to go against what we want to do in place of virtues that we know will be better for us in the long run.
Continuing self-destructive habits even though we are aware of them, such as smoking, not eating healthy, not exercising regularly, poor hygiene, etc., pushes us further and further into disorder in our natural mind. This is far from ideal as it is in our best interest to regenerate the natural mind, and to open up the spiritual mind so that we may find ourselves in our eternal heaven after resuscitation. Through virtues, we are able to rearrange our natural layers into a more heavenly order, thus allowing us to find ourselves further along in our lifetime regeneration process.
It is important for us to nurture and to continue the heavenly virtuous habits that we have in order to promote our heavenly life in eternity. Examples of this would be exercising regularly, protecting our belongings and family, eating healthy, learning new truths, obeying laws and regulations, etc. We are also capable of promoting our heavenly life in eternity by rearranging our materialistic order in our natural-rational mind through spiritual truths that we learn, understand, and acquire through correspondences from Sacred Scripture.
Personally, I feel that virtues are essential in establishing some kind of order and purpose in our lives. Since it opposes our natural wants and loves (which inherently are hellish ones), it gives us an opportunity to voluntarily change our behavior for self-betterment of our physical or natural body, and for those who study and have learned theistic psychology, for the self-betterment of our spiritual body.
Lecture
Section 9: Spiritual Combat
The Divine Psychologist brings situational dilemmas into our conscious awareness in order for us to experience spiritual combat and to make our own decisions as to whether or not we will battle our own hellish loves. For example, you constantly lie to your parents about what kind of grades you are getting. You know that it is wrong to lie, but you want to spare yourself your parents’ punishment for getting bad grades by telling them that you are getting good ones. We feel guilty when we lie, therefore the Divine Psychologist is bringing to our conscience this dilemma. At this point we are ready to engage in combat by recalling the spiritual truths we have acquired through the study of Sacred Scripture. We know that it is bad to lie, therefore every day we attempt to tell the truth to our parents, and once we have finally done so we extend this habit to our interactions with everyone. By compelling ourselves to be truthful even though we don’t want to (because we anticipate the negative consequences of telling the truth), we begin to regenerate our interior-natural mine (layer 7).
Natural
Temptations
It is important to understand the differences between spiritual and natural temptations. Whereas spiritual temptations and spiritual combat begin in our adolescent or early-adolescent years, we have already experienced natural temptations ever since childhood. In essence, natural temptations are conflicts in which we base our decision on a consequence in the natural world, not in the afterlife or spiritual world. This all takes place before reformation, and it is only when we gain a good grasp of spiritual knowledge of the afterlife can we begin to be challenged by the Divine Psychologist in spiritual combat.
An example of a natural temptation would be presented in a situation where a person is debating whether or not to chase a driver of a vehicle that has been driving recklessly in order to express your anger. Out of anger we would naturally want to speed and catch up to them in order to express our emotions, but we are also aware of the consequences of doing so. Could there be a cop around that would notice that we are exceeding the speed limit, and give us a ticket? It could also be worse – we could end up in an accident and possibly get our license suspended. These are examples of natural consequences of our actions, and that is what we anticipate when we experience natural combat.
Spiritual
Temptations
Before going into details of spiritual temptations, it is first important to understand the fact that we are free to make our own decisions when it comes to spiritual combat. Even if the situation involves potential injury to the person experience the spiritual temptation or those around him/her, in the end it us up to the person involved in the combat whether or not to resist or to give in to the temptation. Through spiritual temptations, the Divine Psychologist is presenting us with an opportunity to turn the temptation into a spiritually benefiting experience. The only way for us to overcome temptations and to emerge victorious is if we make the decision for ourselves – the fact that we want to change our hellish traits will enable us to take a step further into overcoming them and rearranging our natural layers into a more heavenly order.
Aside from furthering us along our process of regeneration, spiritual combat is brought upon us by the Divine Psychologist in order to provide us with an opportunity to catch our ruling love in a particular act (good or bad), and to become aware of what our ruling love really is. Through our possession of spiritual truths, we can fight against our ruling love that is self-destructive in the natural world and is detrimental to our spiritual life in eternity after natural death. Essentially, the Divine Psychologist is giving us the freedom to continue to do the inherited love that we possess, or to resist it and change it into a more heavenly love.
By giving in to our inherited love or giving in to temptation, we are weakening our connection with spiritual truth, and in effect we are farther away from being able to open up the heavenly layers of the mind. By resisting it through our knowledge of spiritual truths, we are on the path to opening up our heavenly layers, and therefore will be one step closer to eternity in our own heaven.
One of the examples provided in the text, was the example of a driver who is driver recklessly. Should you encounter this driver, and he cuts you off instead of yielding, your first reaction would be to become angry and to want to retaliate. First of all, we don’t do so because we are afraid of the consequences (i.e. getting a ticket from the cops) – and as stated above, this is our natural temptation. Even though we hold back on the physical level, we may still be harboring negative thoughts and feelings towards the other driver, and it is here where we find ourselves in a spiritual temptation. We realize through our knowledge of spiritual truths that it is not heavenly to enjoy or to want to punish people. Once you realize this, you will also realize that you should forgive, in order to stop venting in your mind.
I feel that spiritual combat takes a lot more self-monitoring or self-awareness (in terms of your thoughts and feelings) in order to resist spiritual temptations. It isn’t as easy as making decisions based on natural consequences, as is presented in natural temptations. However, I’m pretty sure that if an individual is able to recognize a spiritual temptation they find themselves in, and are able to resist it, it would be a much more rewarding experience (physically and emotionally, in the long run) than just avoiding the negative consequences in the natural world, as what is defined by natural temptations.
Section
2. Team Presentation on Readings - Sections
8 and Section
9
By: Yuko Ono
Jarrett
Ku presented the contents of section 8 and section 9 by answering to the three
questions.
Spiritual
combat is the next level to the natural temptation and mental combats. As Dr. James told us, this is one of the most
important sections for the theistic psychology because regeneration can be done
only by the spiritual combat. We experience natural temptations in order to be
socially more acceptable and moral person. While natural temptation is for
something we want in this physical world, spiritual combat concerns the
immortal life in eternity by using our spiritual truth acquired from Sacred
Scripture. Since we live our immortal life in eternity in our spiritual mind,
it is called spiritual. When we experience the spiritual combat, we are free to
choose either heavenly trait or hellish trait. It is fully voluntarily and we
can choose the either one we love.
The
Divine Psychologist brings us spiritual combat in everyday by moment by moment.
Facing the spiritual temptation will be possible only if we already have
spiritual truths and be able to fight against our ruling love or its sub loves,
which are our inherited evil loves. However, we cannot leave what we love,
which is the evil traits, by ourselves. Through self-monitoring of all our
enjoyments with spiritual truth, we will be able to resist hellish traits. We
will be motivated to stop any form of hellish behaviors, which are doing,
thinking, and feeling. With the spiritual truth from Sacred Scripture, we can
define what is hellish and heavenly but we cannot do so while we are still
attached to hellish loves.
I
found myself how much my behaviors are motivated by hellish love. I am trying
to monitor myself and to face the spiritual combat with the knowledge I
acquired from the class in everyday life. It is not easy at the beginning
however, winning the combat bring me a peace of my mind and the feeling
encourage me to win the next temptation. By repeating this, I believe I will be
able to behave in heavenly manner without difficulties.
Jarrett
explained the Laws of Divine Providence and Permissions and their relation to
human freedom. Laws of Divine Providence and Permissions are two Divine laws,
which God use to manage the universe. They contrast each other, like heaven and
hell. The Laws of Providence is the way God brings His ideas and plans into a
living reality in the two worlds. God manages everything, all the inert physical
objects of all creatures, including human beings, and the every details of
their environment. The difference from others created by God, Human being are
immortal, live in mental eternity and only human has freedom. God permits us to
choose what we want on the basis of our cognitive operation. If we are forced
to choose, then it will not be free anymore. When we are free to choose, we
always choose the one we love. Whenever we make decision, we are following our
ruling love.
I
also think if I am not free to choose anything, my life means nothing because
we are making decisions by moment by moment, what to drink, where to go, what
to do, etc. We do not conscious that God is actually managing everything and
permit us to choose what we love. It is also challenging because it means that
we are free to choose hell or heaven in eternity. If I do not know these Laws
and do not acquire the knowledge from the class, I would be choosing the
hellish traits most of the times because my hellish love is really strong and
enrooted inside of me. Now, I start to concern my life in eternity and try to
choose heavenly traits in everyday.
Lastly,
Jarrett discussed sexual behavior in terms of regeneration. Any kind of sexual
involvement and enjoyment with someone will hurt our spirituality and also hurt
our romantic or marital relationship. The soul mate is the person who can live
with individuals in the heaven in the eternal life. However, we cannot resist
our sexual interests at layer 8 and 9 level since they are inherited and
located in layer 11. Inherited sexual interests are hellish since they are
incompatible with heavenly layers, layer 6, 5, and 4. Before the reformation,
we cannot resist our hellish sexual behaviors unless we experience fear of the
law or social rejection. We enjoy and love these activities.
We also think it is okay
to fantasize because it will not hurt anybody and enjoy only in our minds.
However, when we concerned the regeneration and heaven in eternal life, any
form of sexual behavior will be problems. Sexual feeling come from our physical
body, which is layer 12. The sexual sensations we experience in this world are
in the lower layer, layer 9S and 8S, but not higher level. In the highest
heaven, our sensation become greatest and it includes the sexual sensation as
well. While we are enjoying the sexual sensations in the lower layer, we
disconnect the relationship to the higher layer and spiritual line from layer 4
to 9. Since the operations at each layer of the mind are reactions to the
corresponding operations in the layer immediately above, the sexual feelings,
which come from the bottom, it breaks the chain from the higher layer. Because
of the broken chain, the layer 4, 5, 6 has been closed and not developed and
therefore, we cannot be regenerated which result in the life in hell after
resuscitation
Real
sex means the experiencing sexual pleasure through the spiritual body, not
through the physical body, which is only the preparatory to the real sex. With
this knowledge, we will take care not to break the spiritual line from layer 4
and we starts from layer 7, where allows us to operate post-reformation
cognitive operations. While non-theistic psychology says it is not harmful to
the marriage relationship if engage in sexual fantasy with other partners or
pornography, however, not only the overt sexual behavior but also fantasy and
sexual promiscuity through novels, magazines, and TV are hellish trait. As we
learned from the importance of the motivation, what we need to look at is not
the overt behavior but our mental operations. It is important to monitor
yourself how you react to those sexual exposures and the encouragement, whether
it is breaking the chain of conjugal correspondences or not. We will have
endless sexuality in heaven with each soul mate if we acquire the strength to
combat the sexual promiscuity with all forms of enjoyments.
This
discussion was very interesting to me because any religions, as far as I know,
consider sexuality as evil but theistic psychology explains the sexuality in
every different way. It admits the sexual feelings in the heaven, even saying
the feeling will be greatest in the higher layer, and focuses on the problems
of sexual behaviors in our mental operations. It makes much more sense to me
why it is not okay to fantasize and it hurts the relationship. I encourage all
men to read this section to have true relationship with women… I cannot count
how many women will be happier and saved if men truly agree and follow this
manner.
Section 3: Presentation on Exercises
By: Jarrett Ku
(a) Summarize the main ideas presented by the team.
Presenters included Paula, Charyse, and Angela and their duty was to present a skit where one person will have to make a decision after listening to the “Angel” and “Demon” within. The idea of the skit was for the listeners to realize that every behavior, every task given to us needs to be weighed with our virtues to function at a higher level. The team presented in three different manners, namely: a natural temptation in layer 8, natural temptation in layer 7, and a spiritual temptation in layer 7. The team’s presentation comprised of the values of virtues relative toward spiritual combat. Every member of the group was able to cover all three parts, namely: the individual in conflict, an angel from the grand human, and a demon from the grand monster. Charyse covered natural temptation in layer 8 and described the temptation of the drive to eat McDonald’s. Paula included a natural temptation in layer 7, and responding to a person driving recklessly. Angela’s presentation consisted of spiritual temptation in layer 7, and went through the stream of consciousness when preparing to go out with the boyfriend and weather she should make him wait.
Each temptation had emotional implications (affective organs) and showed how the process may take place under the different levels (focus mostly on layers eight and seven). The importance of the presentation includes highlighting the key difference between a natural temptation and a spiritual temptation, which is simply the revelation of the task relative to the after life. Secondly, the skit shows the difference in mentality of layer eight vs. seven (this denotes that in seven we understand the heavenly traits and attempt to keep them pure). Additionally, the skits of the person facing the spiritual combat spoke through the situation while the angel and demon voiced their motivations behind behaving in the manner that coincides with the grand human or monster respectively. In all situations, the individual was able to overcome the temptation that illustrates the power of the Divine Psychologist.
(b) Describe what they did and how they
interpreted it.
The first presentation focused on the thought process of choosing to eat well while lusting for Mcdonald’s (layer 9/8) french-fries. The scenario had Charyse deciding to eat healthy and exercise in order for her to feel good which allowed her to overcome the temptation of eating unhealthy. This is a layer 8 mentality as is weighs on a logical scale and leads to a beneficial outcome.
The second was functioning on a layer seven mentality on if the
individual should hurry up and meet their boyfriend or make them wait. The view was on a layer seven by thinking
because it was weighing how the boyfriend would feel. This is natural, as it isn’t taking
consideration of the effects in the afterlife; however, being with the person
raises the ability of the person to spend the afterlife with them. The mentality following someone that is
driving then is suddenly cut-off and almost struck by a reckless driver. The automatic response of the driver is
anger, which is acceptable, however what follows this first emotion is where
the spiritual combat takes place. This portrays a person in
spiritual combat facing a natural temptation in layer 7. The
group had the demon attempt to encourage the anger of the individual and have
them act upon the emotion negatively.
Specifically, the attempt of the demon was to sway the person to chase
after the car to show and voice their anger at the reckless driver. This feeling is based upon the natural feeling
of attempting to bring justice by means of acting reckless and venting the
anger on the person that caused it. The
task of the angel, if person is on layer 7, to bring about the meaning of the
action as a task brought on by God and to think on how our reaction may
influence our judgment in the afterlife.
The last presentation of the group demonstrated a
person facing a spiritual temptation in layer 7, in which they were in conflict
regarding how long to take to get ready as the boyfriend I waiting. The group attempted to cover a layer 7
cognitive process toward a positive outcome by justifying that taking longer
will eventually end in the man being more pleased because she looks good. This skit resolved with the person choosing
to avoid the spiritual temptation in layer 7 because she understood that the
boyfriend could have been upset at waiting.
(c)
Describe some of the ideas that needed a better justification or greater
amplification.
I believe that the demons in all examples could have played more on the
physical feeling thus becoming more aggressive as it would justify the many
that cave to their evils. Additionally,
I don’t think that the group had mentioned that by recognizing the task and
having the affective organ in coordination with thinking of the task as
spiritual combat will lead to defeating the demon.
The last skit also didn’t pull into a layer 7 attitude because the act
wasn’t about the understanding of the afterlife and how her action may weigh
via the Swedenborg reports. If the group
hadn’t announced that they were doing a layer 7 spiritual conflict then I
wouldn’t have been able conclude so.
Furthermore, it seemed like the choices were all simple relevant to real
life. Decisions of weighing situations
where both choices could lead to negative outcomes (go to prom with someone
they’re not attracted to or saying no and breaking someone’s heart) would have
been more interesting instead of behaviors that are trivial to life.
(d) What was the success of the
approach they used?
This group was able to make a reality of the layers, spiritual combat,
and the relevance of the material.
Additionally, the group was stellar by means of being natural and
illustrating that we are successful in overcoming a temptation unless we function
on a lower level and choose to ignore the voice of good and rationality.
Another point made by the group is how we may run into conflicts when
we may not even realize it. The
importance of this perspective is essential to Theistic Psychology has it shows
its significance in daily behavior.
Through the understanding of our link in eternity, we may understand how
our thoughts guide us be considered just as bad as the action. Otherwise said, our thoughts guide our
actions and thinking hellish thoughts is against that of the Grand Human
therefore pulls us away from the heaven of the Grand Human.
(e) What improvements needed in the
procedures or in the instructions?
I think that if the group had used the same example across the span of
thought processes, it would have contributed to a better understanding of the
difference. Otherwise, the contrast of
events is beneficial by exemplifying that spiritual combat is everywhere. Again, if the example chosen were more
complex, the skit would be more entertaining and have a better conflict.
(f) What are the limitations of these
types of exercises?
There aren’t any limitations aside from a lack of time to go over more
examples and ways to make the fight towards the virtues easier. Otherwise, the group presenting the types of
spiritual combats could question the audience upon how they should handle the
situation if they are functioning at a certain level.
Another way to improve this activity is if the conflicts that the team
had to present on were in the examples of the lecture notes so we may fully
analyze a spiritual combat. This
procedure will lead to a more universal and standard way to solve conflicts
(like a math problem via an algorithm).
(g) Describe what happened when you
did some of the steps of the exercises.
The steps were difficult because I didn’t seek out other students of
the class so instead I tried to go throughout the day in spiritual combat
(thinking of everything as a task of God).
To tell the truth, I believe attempting to act out a skit is easier than
attempting to bring the skit to my personal life. It comes to show that everything that we do,
every thought that crosses our mind is a conflict with a good and bad decision.
However, I can’t help but think that I am morally spoiled as my family has raised me so. In contrast with many of my friends, it minds me how lucky I am to have the family that I do. To be thankful, I believe, is important because it’s realizing that the life is a gift as it is taken most every second. This within itself provides the motivation to being a better person and becoming devoted to have a positive outcome in this life.
Section 4
By: Jeremy
Haire
Seven Steps To Slay Self-Destructive Behavior
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/slay-self-destructiveness-7-steps.html
A
webpage from a larger site that contains various information about green living
and human rights. This page in
particular is a short excerpt from the book Transforming
your Dragons by Dr. Jose Stevens.
It deals with the potential reasons for the problem of destructive
behavior as well as possibly solutions.
While it isn’t a direct relation, the information could be helpful to
those seeking to eliminate those pesky hellish traits and desires.
http://aibi.gospelcom.net/articles/intense_temptation.htm
This
webpage is a description of spiritual temptation from a Christian point of view
based on literal translations. It is
interesting to read this section with the idea of correspondence in mind as the
passages start to make sense and mesh with what we are learning about spiritual
temptation.
Spiritual
Temptations
http://www.swedenborg.org/odb/sermon_detail.cfm?sermonID=3493
A
sermon from the Swedenborgian Church about Spiritual Temptation. It is interesting to see this particular view
of Swedenborg and compare it to what we have learned in Theistic
Psychology. There are some interesting
key differences, even though the overall aspect seems to be intact.
Letters of Elder Macarius
of Optina
http://www.stvladimirs.ca/library/elder-macarius-purity.html
This
is an excerpt from the Letters of Macarius of Optina which talks about various
things that can sway us from the path of spiritual enlightenment. The major aspect of this article that
surprised me is that it is from an Orthodox Christian point of view, and I’ve
yet to find any decent article about past Swedenborg topics from an Orthodox
perspective. It details how certain
aspects of our spiritual life can be attacked and how we can fall from God
because of this attack. Macarius then
goes on to describe how we can combat a few of these hypothetical situations.
The Teachings of the Buddha
http://www.vri.dhamma.org/publications/buddha2.html
A
website about the views of temptation from the Buddhist perspective, which
gives advice on how to combat and, more importantly and why we experience
temptation. The most interesting aspect
of this article was how the Buddha views the affective > cognitive >
sensorimotor link as compared to theistic psychology.
http://meriter.staywellsolutionsonline.com/Wellness/Weight/GetStarted/1,2326
A
website describing the more traditional psychological view on how to diminish
bad habits that may interfere with spiritual regeneration, which can help with
spiritual combat for those of a dualist view.
It describes methods such as relying on friends and family for support
as well as creating a plan to combat the bad habits.
Habits
http://www.natural-humor-medicine.com/bad-habits.html
Another
layer 8, or scientific, view of habits and temptations as well as how to combat
them. More importantly, it describe why
we don’t change our bad habits when we can, and how we can start to remove
these habits. It does not view
temptations and habits from the 7th layer, so it does not believe in
the need for God or intervention in spiritual combat, but more of a self change
that we must all constantly engage in.
http://members.aol.com/johnodhner/Temptation.html
This
is another classic view of temptation from a Christian perspective. Like the other sites listed, it gives at
minimum a small overview about how to combat temptation and ensure we do not
fall into its clutches. Like other
traditional religious points of view though, it is heavily based on the direct
translations of the Bible in order to understand how one may combat the evils
that are presented to us. However,
unlike scientific viewpoints it does express the need to ask God for help in
combating these temptations much like Theistic Psychology.
http://sexuality.quaker.org/index.html
A
Quaker site dedicated to uniting spirituality and sexuality in people. It seeks to impart the idea of responsible
sexuality and responsible relationships that we as a society do not seem to
actively practice. In this essence, it
is close to the Swedenborg view in that sex should be with a partner in a
strong relationship and that people should not be having random promiscuous sex. However, it makes no mention of a spiritual
eternity, or how sex can correspond to such a thing. It also does not mention the need to defeat
the underlying mentality leading to thoughts of promiscuous sex or sex that can
lead to temptation in spiritual combat.
Reuniting
Sexuality and Spirituality
http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=114
A
site dealing with a predominantly Christian view on the new age ideas that a
religious person may encounter regarding sexuality, women and
spirituality. It talks about how we, as
a culture and society, have been advancing towards a more holistic view of God,
spirituality and sexuality all being linked.
It also describes sinful sex, and how in modern views it is a question
of whether the acts are done with the wrong person, in the wrong way or for the
wrong purpose compared to doing it with the correct person, the correct way and
for the right reasons.