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My spiritual cognition is a result of my conscious efforts to understand my human nature. By striving to be more conscientious, extending myself to others, being truthful, and aligning my behavior with those truths, I have observed the social and spiritual dynamics. By seeking God's guidance with a sincere mind, I am calmed and inspired when spiritual truths are revealed. With this perspective I'm better prepared to make a more conscious effort. God responds in many ways, providing many gifts and opportunities to use spiritual science. I've evolved as a person by looking to God for guidance. I'm optimistic, not cynical about the results. I believe God is love, good and truth. The science presented by Swedenborg is confirming my understanding of spirituality and defining it in rational terms. Physical science can produce evidence of effects but if the causal factors or spiritual science isn't observed our science is superficial.

In this course we read from two texts. The first text, Testimony to the Invisible, Essays on Swedenborg, is written by intellectuals and noted scholars who analyze the work of accomplished individuals influenced by Swedenborg's writings. Each author explained the significance of Swedenborg's spiritual science according to their own cognitive understanding of it. This is a speculative look at Swedenborg, applying principals of psychoanalysis to explain him and content of his writings. It was difficult at times because it was one person's opinion of another person's incorporation of Swedenborg's writing, as it was reflected in their work. Some literary artists used Swedenborg's words in their literature, and were considered great works of fiction and artistic expression. The scientific analysis praised Swedenborg, yet cast doubt in areas they couldn't explain in rational terms of physical science. The outlook of this book is at the Mystical level of understanding of spiritual correlations.

In Jorge Luis Borges's essay from Testimony To The Invisible, pg. 13, Borges's makes this statement: "In the Gospels, salvation is an ethical process. Righteousness is fundamental; humility, misery, and misfortune are also exalted. To the requirement of righteousness, Swedenborg adds another, never before mentioned by any theologian: intelligence." Borges recognizes Swedenborg's writings are unique in that Swedenborg doesn't make statements to followers to simply believe, he asks them to understand the significance of the divine creator's words, so that they are understood and incorporated. A clearer concept of God will require better cognitive understanding of the Divine Creator and his intentions for mankind. We must develop a higher level of intelligence to comprehend the higher order of all things. We must go beyond belief to understanding. The result of better cognitive processing on this science will produce a internalized understanding and more appropriate actions in response to that internalization.

In Colin Wilson's essay, "The Reality of the Visionary World", on pg. 100 of Testimony To The Invisible, Wilson states, "Swedenborg is no cranky religious messiah, demanding total credence and allegiance. Wilson admits "Swedenborg is an intellectual, who prefers to be understood rather than believed." Wilson describes a scenario where a preacher said it was important to "keep our reason in subjection to faith". Swedenborg responds, "there is no point in talking about "mysteries" unless you are prepared to try and look inside them and try to understand them. The priest is furious and the congregation makes their way home contentedly, intoxicated with paradoxes, bewildered with verbiage and enveloped in darkness." Theology as is any science is knowledge of operations with general laws, understood by study and experiment. We must observe what goes on in this world and try to understand the law of correspondences Swedenborg has written for us.

In Eugene Taylor's essay Emerson: The Swedenborgian and Transcendentalist Connection, pg. 152 of Testimony To The Invisible , Taylor says of Emerson's Nature that "the main theme, of course, was that the highest use of nature is to draw forth the latent energies of the soul and lead men away from self-love". Taylor said, "this was Swedenborg's definition of correspondence". There is visible truth, beauty and perfection in nature. This is a science, not of man's making. Pg. 162, Taylor remarks, "Swedenborg was our example of the genius who was inwardly oriented and who, in his writings, gave us a vision of our spiritual interiors." Perhaps interior thinkers themselves, Taylor and Emerson could recognize these spiritual correspondences. Swedenborg observed both the exterior and interior worlds and saw the correlation of the two. Swedenborg discovered the causal conditions were from the soul as God had communicated to him.

In "Suedenborugu" by D. T. Suzuki, on Pg. 176 of Testimony To The Invisible, Suzuki says of Swedenborg: "His statements are sincere and not exaggerated. If we consider them in light of common sense, we find they ring true."

Suzuki also said, (pg. 177), "Swedenborg's theological doctrine is very similar to that of Buddhism: that we must leave proprium (illusion of self-guidance); that salvation is based on the harmony between faith and practice; that the Divine is wisdom and love itself, yet love is higher and deeper than wisdom; that divine providence prevails over everything, great and small; that nothing in the world is accidental (because) divine providence is contained in every iota, in which the actualization of love and wisdom is recognizable."

Two wise men of divergent cultures and time, but of a similar science and level of consciousness, speak the same internal language. This is a perfect example of spiritual science as truth that is timeless and unchanging.

In the second text, Spirituality that makes Sense by Douglas Taylor, Taylor explains the functional mechanics of the biblical scriptures by explaining the logic and ideology in the terminology. Taylor takes away ambiguity by providing rational explanation of the symbolic references through out the scriptures. Taylor puts things into a perspective order, matching the time line of events. This text was easier to understand. I could better comprehend the importance of these sacred documents with Taylor's logical interpretation. This author articulates his theological understanding with precise commentary and spiritual diplomacy. Taylor clearly is of a rational faith. He understands the logic and orderly relationships of the writing. As a biblical curator he guides us through the sacred literature. His careful handling of the scriptures, and attention to Swedenborg's mastery, is a credit to the science of theology and the Swedenborg Foundation. Here are but a few of my favorite references:

(pg. 4) In response to "the first and great commandment that we should love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength" (Deuteronomy 6:5, Mark 12:30), (page 6) Taylor explains this as an immutable law. "A law is a description of the way a thing operates. One cannot break the laws of the physical universe without incurring some penalty. ... Can a rotten tree bring forth good fruit? A deed is only as good as the motive from which it springs." This is similar in content to a definition by Emanuel Swedenborg, from True Christian Religion 133, (pg. 7) "On the idea of God and the idea of redemption...everything of the church depends." Taylor opens chapter one with that Swedenborg quote. With that Swedenborg laid the 1st brick in the foundation of spiritual science, and as a modern caretaker of this scared science, Taylor dutifully polishes the platform.

Taylor articulately explains the significance of understanding the redemption. (pg. 6) He says in popular language "To redeem" means to buy back by paying a stipulated price. In theological terms it refers to the whole purpose of the Lord's coming, the process by which the Lord bought back or redeemed the human race from every kind of destruction, and the price He paid in achieving that. (pg. 7) Salvation refers to a particular redemption--the saving or rescue of an individual person from a life of hell (here and hereafter)--not simply from the punishment inherent in evil, but from sinning itself." On this concept Swedenborg wrote: "The Lord from eternity who is Jehovah, came into the world to subjugate the hells and to glorify His Human; and without this no mortal could have been save; and those are saved who believe in Him." True Christian Religion 2 .

Taylor breaks this down for us. He says: "Jesus is Jehovah on earth in His own human form. The creator came in order to be the Savior and Redeemer." Pg. 14, "I (Jehovah) am the First, and I am the Last (Isaiah 44:6). I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (revelation 22:130. "Only from the Divine can we bear witness to the Divine. Only through what flows into us from the Lord above can we, in heart, believe in the virgin birth." Pg. 16, Taylor continues by explaining The law of influx. The Lord operates first in the spiritual world of causes and then in the natural world of effects. Influx is the higher action upon the lower. For example feelings of friendship act upon our facial muscles to produce a smile. The feelings are higher, the smile is lower.

(Pg. 24) "Thought brings presence" is a law of the spiritual world. In both the mind and the spiritual world, thought brings presence. Think of him clearly. The quality of the thought determines the quality of the presence." (Pg. 30) "Receiving what comes from the Lord is what makes heaven; rejecting that is what makes hell. "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21), we can safely conclude that heaven is essentially a state of mind. This state of mind is manifested as a place or a region for the simple reason that the whole spiritual world is a representative world. What we really feel and think in our minds is re-presented, projected outwardly there in visible form. Our predominant state of mind--whether good or evil--creates our environment in the spiritual world. "The kingdom of God is within you." You chose what to think.

The baptism, representing as it did the baptism of temptation--the washing away of hereditary tendencies to evil--was a forecast of what the Lord was about to do. A dove is well known for instinctively remaining faithful to one mate. The dove has also become a symbol for peace, the essential idea in peace being unity rather than division, strife, or separateness. A dove in the Word of God stands for truth wedded to goodness. The truth tells us what is good, but we must actually do the good thing. Then truth and goodness are wedded together; there is a union, a marriage, between what we know and what we do. (Pg. )

Pg. 34, "All the evils forbidden in the Ten Commandments and elsewhere in the Divine Word are what make hell to be hell. They are the opposites of the good qualities that make heaven." (Pg. 37) "The punishment of hell, then, is self-inflicted. The selfish love of dominating is what makes hell to be hell." "Heaven may be the dominion of love, but hell is the love of dominion" (spiritual Experiences 5000). Pg. 45. "The Lord always provides a church on earth to ensure that there is a link between heaven and earth, so that the Lord's will may be done on earth as it is done in heaven." Pg. 66 The Lord did not save us by His death. He saved us by His life, every moment of it. While He lived on earth the Lord was continually battling against the hells. (Luke 4:130) Jesus is our role model.

On page 116 of Wilson Van Dusen's "a Mystic Look At Swedenborg  "Quite obviously, we stand on the borderline of a new domain of knowledge, and we know as little of it as Marco Polo knew of China or the earliest explorers of Africa. One thing seems clear: there are mental states in which we can glimpse vistas of knowledge that remain concealed from us in "everyday consciousness."

02/26/04 "Do the Writing Contain Scientific Revelations?"

This oral presentation was delivered beautifully with unwavering confidence and certainty that the laws of spirituality were as sound and systematic as the natural laws of physical science. This presentation was my favorite because the logic of the writings being scientific was crystal clear. Science is define as: "The state of knowing: knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding. Knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws."--Webster's Dictionary "Science is a tool of the rational mind and is shaped by it. Rational investigations form the content of modern science. Science grows and changes, sometimes in explosive or revolutionary ways, but it never lets go of the rational method. This is the essence of science"--Leon James

Swedenborg's data was obtained empirically through systematic observation and experiments. His explanation of cause and effect is coherent, logical, rational, and makes perfect sense. The cause is the spiritual or the mind and the effect is the body and the brain. The body is a tool, as Science is a tool for a system of rational thought. "The mind is our spiritual organ, which functions through the affective and the cognitive to create actions and sensations". "Good and truth flow into our mind through a process called influx. Good into our affective and truth into our cognitive. The reception or rejection of these spiritual substances create the state and quality of our spiritual life (mind)". "The infinite variety of our mental states is a direct product of how we receive the life that is given to us, from God, through good and truth." This is logical and true.

02/26/04 "Emerson: The Swedenborgian and Transcendentalist Connection"

This chapter was interesting chapter because of the many great minds that were influenced by Swedenborg. Ralph Waldo Emerson like Swedenborg was the son of a preacher, and both found the means to go on to prestigious colleges and receive a quality education. I enjoyed reading about Emerson 's college life and the influences he had, Swedenborg's Heavenly Doctrines being one of them. The nucleus of the first Boston Swedenborgian Society was formed in Cambridge at the boardinghouse of Mrs. Thomazine E. Minot, in hopes of furthering the work of the church among Harvard students. The core of the students that gathered there became the founders of the First Swedenborgian New Church. From that group was Sampson Reed and Thomas Worcester who brought Swedenborg to the greater public and greatly influence Emerson and later the Transcendental movement. The transcendental movement was famous but not, as a whole, based on science.

"Genius is divine not when man thinks he is God but when he sees his powers are from God." Pg.145. Emerson seemed to think his genius was of his own making. He took the great works of Swedenborg and fashioned them to fit his own purposes. Swedenborg denounced fame to publish his writings of spiritual truths. Emerson denounced spiritual truths to publish his writings and gain fame.

3/15/04 Suzuki on Swedenborg.

Suzuki was a Buddhist scholar who brought Zen Buddhism to the West and Swedenborg to the East. Suzuki had a great appreciation for Swedenborg. He understood his scientific genius and his spiritual science. Suzuki saw Swedenborg's observances in the spiritual world as lessons for us on how to live. Suzuki thought that Swedenborg and his doctrines should be taught to the world. "To please the minds of worldly people in vain is to forget the great purpose of my mission. That is not the will of Heaven." (pg. 184)

In this report we learned that Swedenborg did an in-depth study of breathing techniques. In his doctrine he stated the lungs correspond to intellect and the heart corresponds to love. "If you know one you understand the other. Control our feelings means to improve out intelligence. Because your internal breathing lies inside of you parallel to your spirit." I want to learn more about this.

"Our spiritual character is our spiritual body". "Character reformation is by means of victories in temptations". Love unselfishly, do good, speak truths and knows God more deeply. Selfish love is turning away from God and toward darkness and evil. God gives us a choice in all things. We are free to chose so that we know the power of our own decisions. If God made all the choices for us we would be robots preprogrammed to God's instructions. To have true knowledge and great wisdom is to know the opposite of that dichotomy. Learn from doing and reflecting on our experiences, from seeing the outcome of our actions. By exercising the intelligence and compassion gained with every choice we make we are instruments of God's will and intent. So knowing the potential of every choice is imperative to how we function and the causation we produce in this world.

Influx is Divine influence. Life flows into us. We are only receivers or recipients of life from the Lord, who alone is life in itself.  God is the soul of the universe, the source of life--in fact life itself. The spiritual world (consisting of heaven, the world of spirits, and hell is the mind of the universe. The natural world is the body of the universe. A human being as a soul, which, in relation to the mind and body , is like God in that it rules the mind and the body.  Some people are indeed completely angelic at death; they are the same within as they are outwardly, angelic inside and outside, fit for heaven immediately after death. They have long since been living according to the Two Great Commandments--love the Lord and charity toward the neighbor.

God is spiritual light and heat, parallel to the heat and light of the natural sun. Both are sources of energy from which all things are created. God is the creator of all things the universe and solar system included. God and his spiritual light came first and all things were manifested in response to God's will and intent. God is human essence; love, wisdom, strength, endurance and unyielding compassion, knowledge, patience, peace.

Swedenborg's life work was to describe the function and mechanics of life's intricacies and mysteries, and discover a reliable science. Physical science is only half of the puzzle. If only the physical evidence is considered, we've only made a half attempt to know the whole truth of our reality. Physical and spiritual science together make the whole of our personal and spiritual existence. By understanding the rational logic of God's intention for man, I am in a better position to do good in God's honor. The degree to which we can apply the laws of correspondence to produce good and truth, is the degree to which the potential for this scientific knowledge can be realize. The truth often reveals that what we chose to believe will manifest in our experiences. God is good, and his goodness has manifested in my life.

I'm pleased with the confirmation that I am at a higher consciousness of rational faith. This distinction is meaningful me because I've often been told that I think differently than most people. Differently being more rational in spiritual matters is a distinction I'm happy to make. I'm in very good company. I'd enjoy meeting other seekers of truth in my spiritual society. I look forward to learning more about Swedenberg's writings, and science both spiritual and physical, and having a greater understanding of our dual existence. What sounded crazy initially was above my comprehension. Now I'm a little more knowledge. I've started understanding spiritual science. I predict that my knowledge in this area will grow as I open myself up to the influx of spiritual truth. I hope to develop spiritually and intellectually, think more rationally and logically and become more confident in science.

My advice to future generation is to investigation Swedenborg's writings, theology and spiritual science. (Start early. There's a lot to digest.) This Swedish scientist named Swedenborg was a noble and knowledge fellow. After leaving the Swedish Board of Mines he discovered a much more valuable resource. And his writings may lead you to it.