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Related Articles:

Spiritual Geography--Part 1-- Graphic Maps of Consciousness for Regeneration  ||  Dual Citizenship ||  Spiritual Psychology  ||   Spiritual Time and Space  ||  De Hemelsche Leer Article  ||  Theistic Science ||  Religious Psychology  ||  Discrete Degrees by Ian Thomspson || Discrete Degrees by N.C. Burnham

Spiritual Geography--Part 2:

Jacob's Ladder and Other Psycho-Dynamic Applications

A newer version of some of the charts and definitions continue in this article

Introduction: The Harmonizing (Matrix 19b)

NOTE:  We would be delighted to know your reactions to this collaborative research effort in Theistic Science (April 2001).
Please email us both:  Dr. Leon James and Dr. Ian Thompson

The two main articles to read for background are Ian Thompson's Discrete Degrees: A Top Down Presentation and De Hemelsche Leer Article  by Leon James

In this section we are attempting to reconcile and translate Leon's system of matrices in his article and Ian's system in his article. Our intent is to harmonize our two systems, independently conceived, but both grounded in Swedenborg's Writings. The following matrix 19b now includes the Thompson (IJT) labels for each of the James levels, as worked out by Dr. Thompson in April 2001.

Please note that this version was updated in May 2001 and can be viewed here.

Dr. Ian J. Thompson in an e-mail message writes (April 2001):

A full understanding of the relation between the James and Thompson schemes depends on seeing:

1) how the order of sensual externalizing celestial, spiritual and natural (I, II, III) in the Descending pathway is related to the opposite orders of sensual (2.33, 2.32), operational=outer scientific (2.31 ,2.23) and intellectual=inner scientific (2.22, 2.21) in the Thompson scheme. This arises because the 'celestial, spiritual and natural' order describes the order of generative creation of a young person through the heavens, but the Thompson order describes the progressive building up of psychological experience and abilities with cognitive development: the result of the generative creation.

2) why their recursive Thompson order is matched in pairs to the individual levels in various places, and in a different manner after the inversion. This arises because the externalizing is characterized by Leon James as 'sensuousl', whereas in fact there are both 'sensual' and 'scientific' developments necessary before the internalizing rational can be opened after the inversion. The matching in pairs is therefore necessary to 'cover the ground' before the inversion, but, more importantly, it is necessary to relate to the activities of the three heavens in their generative activities in the 'vertical community' associated with the growing child.

(A discussion of this solution is presented below.)

Please note that this version was updated in May 2001 and can be viewed here.

             Jacob's Ladder (Matrix 20c)

Here is the overall matrix of 36 zones. The sub-components and their explanations are given after the matrix.

           Note on how to read the charts

In order to follow these statements, it is necessary to refer to the chart to visually localize each zone number given and its marginals. The narrative is structured in such a way as to allow you to build up the chart's structure in your memory-knowledge so you can come to visualize it, and even reproduce it from memory by following the production logic specified by the marginals and numbers. If you read this on the screen it is necessary to have a printout of the chart, so that you can glance at it each time a zone number is mentioned. Without doing this every time the narrative becomes a meaningless monologue we want to skip without specifically extracting the referent discussed. But by following the narrative visually on the map you will be able to acquire the chart as a productive device in your mind that will generate new knowledge as well as arrange the old. Such is the amazing power of the hexagrammatic and enneadic charts in spiritual geography.

If it's easier to print the chart from a separate file, you can do this here.

Definitions

Note: this is an earlier version. For the next version please consult this later file.

1) There are six DEGREES in sequence corresponding to the three heavens, three exterior steps and three interior. In between there is an INVERSION. The three INTERIOR steps correspond to the arrangement of the three Heavens: CELESTIAL (Third Heaven--zones 31, 32, 33), SPIRITUAL (Second Heaven--zones 25, 26, 27), NATURAL (First Heaven--19, 20, 21). The three EXTERIOR steps correspond to the REVERSE order: NATURAL (First Heaven--22, 23, 24), SPIRITUAL (Second Heaven--10, 11, 12), CELESTIAL (Third Heaven--4, 5, 6).

2) The Descending steps are for the angels; the Ascending steps are for earthlings. The 6 descending steps and the six ascending steps correspond to each other in inverse order. The six Ascending steps correspond to the six periods of human development: Infancy, Childhood, Adolescence, Young adulthood, Adulthood, Old age.

3) There are three EXTERNALIZING activities in the mind made of A/C/S units and three INTERNALIZING activities in the mind made of the REVERSE sequence of S/C/A units. In between there is an INVERSION. The left half of the matrix make up the 18 A/C/S/ units called "externalizing" because the sequence starts in the Affective mind (A) and this is the organ of the will which is inmost, so each unit is progressing outward toward the sensory mind. Similarly, the right half of the matrix make up the 18 zones of S/C/A units in the reverse sequence and these are called "internalizing" because the units are progressing inward from the sensory towards the will. Externalizing units [A/C/S] are unconscious while internalizing units [S/C/A] are conscious.

4) The left half of the matrix makes up the 18 externalizing A/C/S/ zones. They are GENERATIVE (=synthetic, productive). They are in themselves unconscious or subconscious but produce SENSUOUS CONSCIOUSNESS as an EFFECT in our awareness. The right half of the matrix make up the 18 internalizing S/C/A zones and are ANALYTIC. They are in themselves conscious and produce RATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS as an EFFECT in our awareness.

5) There are four QUADRANTS made of 9 zones each. Each quadrant is called an ENNEAD zone.

The UPPER LEFT quadrant is called the INTERIOR SENSUOUS ENNEAD made of Zones [1,2,3], [7,8,9], and [13,14,15].

The UPPER RIGHT quadrant is called the INTERIOR RATIONAL ENNEAD made of Zones [4,5,6], [10,11,12], and [16,17,18].

The LOWER LEFT quadrant is called the EXTERIOR SENSUOUS ENNEAD made of Zones [19,20,21], [25.26.27], and [31,32,33].

The LOWER RIGHT quadrant is called the EXTERIOR RATIONAL ENNEAD made of Zones [22,23,24], [28,29,30], and [34,35,36].

6) The INTERIOR RATIONAL MIND (upper right quadrant) is located WITHIN the INTERIOR SENSUOUS MIND (upper left quadrant) in SIMULTANEOUS ORDER.

The EXTERIOR RATIONAL MIND (lower right quadrant) is located WITHIN the EXTERIOR SENSUOUS MIND (lower left quadrant) in SIMULTANEOUS ORDER.

7) The INTERIOR SENSUOUS MIND  (upper left quadrant) is FIRST in SUCCESSIVE ORDER, followed by EXTERIOR SENSUOUS MIND (lower left quadrant).

Similarly, the INTERIOR RATIONAL MIND (upper right quadrant) is FIRST in SUCCESSIVE ORDER, followed by EXTERIOR RATIONAL MIND (lower right quadrant).

8) The label for each zone follows from the marginal definitions of the matrix. Some examples:

Zone 11=THOUGHTS in the INTERIOR RATIONAL MIND during the ADULTHOOD period in communication with the SPIRITUAL ANGELS (Second Heaven)

Zone 16=SENSATIONS in our INTERIOR RATIONAL MIND during the young adulthood period in communication with the NATURAL ANGELS (First Heaven)

Zone 18=FEELINGS in our INTERIOR RATIONAL MIND during the young adulthood period in communication with the NATURAL ANGELS (First Heaven)

Zone 29=THOUGHTS in the EXTERIOR RATIONAL MIND of the SPIRITUAL ANGELS (Second Heaven)

Zone 27=SENSATIONS in the EXTERIOR SENSUOUS MIND of the SPIRITUAL ANGELS (Second Heaven)

Zone 21=SENSATIONS in the EXTERIOR SENSUOUS MIND of the NATURAL ANGELS (First Heaven)

Etc.

9) Now let's use the regeneration map to describe a particular theory of how the Ascending and Descending functions apply to human development as well as to the steps of regeneration. This theory was independently extracted by me (Leon James) in 2001 and by Rutger Perizonius in 1978. Rutger's chart came to me today by mail (April 17, 2001). It was reproduced in the Second Restart Issue of De Hemelsche Leer which is edited and published by Rutger from Holland. The title of the Restart uses the more modern spelling of De Hemelse Leer (a link to this publication will be provided here in the near future). The issue was delivered by the mailman earlier today as I was typing out this article on Phase 2. The issue is a collection of things Dr. Perizonius gathered together to stimulate readers to start writing about the Doctrine of the Church as expounded in De Hemelsche Leer (for my own view on this see De Hemelsche Leer Article. One of the items (p.82) was the chart Dr. Perizonius created on the description of regeneration given in De Hemelsche Leer by Harrie Groeneveld's paper on "The Coming of the Lord for Conjunction with the Church" and the commentary written on it by Ernst Pfeiffer, fellow member to The Hague Society of the New Church around 1932.

Since these two articles are the very same as those I used to create matrix 1 and the derivative matrices as explained in that location. The chart Perizonius drew from those two articles in 1978 and those I drew in 2001 from the same textual material is therefore an independent test of their validity. This assumes that the text of the Hemelsche Leer written by Groeneweld and Pfeiffer in 1932 is valid. There is no doubt about the accuracy of their narrative based entirely on the quoted Numbers from Swedenborg's Writings. They arranged the selections from the Third Testament in such a way as to illumine the Doctrine of the Church that lies within the literal. For these considerations I have confidence in the accuracy of the matrix 1 above (Phase 2) upon which these derivations are based.

Here is matrix 1 above again but marking only the ascending and descending progression of the human mind in conjunction with the angels. The vertical community is such that it links by correspondence the events taking place in the minds of people on earth to the events taking place in the minds of those who already dwell in the spiritual world. The minds of angels--those who have reached the rational degree of consciousness, are linked to our minds here in such a way as to facilitate and guide the events in our mind that pertain to our regeneration. These linkage structures are described in the Writings of Swedenborg using the narrative details of the wanderings and adventures of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Book of Genesis. Swedenborg's exegesis is not his own but given or revealed by the Divine as a sensuous or scientific revelation. The knowledge Swedenborg had to use to reveal the correspondences in the Old and New Testaments had to be experienced by him in actual experience, not through intellectual insights and philosophical constructions. This is why many of the revelations we read in the Writings come from his spiritual travelogues or narrative descriptions of events seen and heard. The sub-title of his principal work in 6 volumes shows this:  "Heavenly Secrets Contained In The Holy Scriptures Or Word Of God Unfolded -- Beginning With The Book Of Genesis Together With Wonderful Things Seen In The World of Spirits And In The Heaven Of Angels." This sensuous consciousness of the spiritual world is possible when our sensual consciousness has a rational consciousness within it. When this state is reached fully, the spirit body is set free in the spiritual world. Normally this happens only at the death of the physical body, but Swedenborg's mission, as the scientific architect of the Second Advent, required special treatment, so that he was admitted into such sensuous consciousness while he still lived in the physical body--and this for 27 years, enough time to write the many volumes of the Third Testament. (A discussion on the Second Advent will be found here.)

Here is Matrix 20c again for convenience. It is used as a description of how this is accomplished. It applies to all levels: evolution of civilizations, history of ages and Churches on earth, biographical descriptions of the periods of life, and the attainment of illustration with some particular truth. Thus the progression described can take thousands of years or a couple of seconds. It is the same progression working itself out in different media.

See also:  Discrete Degrees by Ian Thomspson || Discrete Degrees by N.C. Burnham

                 Descending and Ascending Paths

Note that the PRIMARY ZONES shown on the matrix make an X with four components. One side of the X goes from zone 1 to zone 36. These are the six primary steps we must make in our regeneration before we leave the physical body. The other side of the X goes from zone 31 to zone 6. These are the six primary steps we must make after we leave the physical body--when we have become angels. Therefore the path marked by zones [1,8,15] and [22,29,36] is called "our path of regeneration" (also: earthlings), while the path marked by zones [31,26,21] and [16,11,6] is called "the angels' path of regeneration."

Further, both paths consist of an ASCENDING segment and a DESCENDING segment. For us, the descending segment is marked by the primary zones [1,18,15],  which is followed by the Inversion, and the ascending segment marked by the primary zones [22,29,36]. For the angels, the descending segment is marked by the primary zones [31,26,21],  which is followed by the Inversion, and the ascending segment marked by the primary zones [16,11,6].

The paths of regeneration in the human race are united by the Lord as in one person. Our regeneration and the regeneration of the angels are connected into a vertical community. The angels communicate with components of our mind and our regeneration cannot take place without their support, influx, or attendance. Conversely, their regeneration cannot take place without their connection to us. Since their regeneration goes on to eternity, it is necessary for earthlings to also exist to perpetuity. This insures that the physical universe will never cease as an environment for earthlings who are being regenerated. Remember that when we discuss "angels" we mean us after the death of the body. This is why the basic chart has 36 zones of regeneration and all 36 belong to "us." But half of these (or 18) for the phase in our physical body, and the other half of the phase in our eternal spirit body.

It is important to remember something about the description in the Word of the vision Jacob saw of the ladder standing on earth upon which angels were "ascending and descending". This is a description of the sensual natural vision seen by Jacob in a dream. The spiritual meaning of the vision needs to be extracted by applying considerations from the correspondences that produced the vision and its details. Spiritual events create natural events. We need to consider what caused the vision to include Jacob, his seeing a ladder, angels, and their going up and down. In reality, angels stay put but what descends is the influx from the Lord. Swedenborg saw steps and going up and down when truth in the mind was modified from more interior to less, and vice versa. Angels refers to truths. The consciousness of truths is modified either closer to the Lord (ascending path) or more distant (descending path), and this appears in the spiritual world as steps or a ladder, according to what Swedenborg witnessed many times. The steps of descent and ascent as discussed in Swedenborg's exegesis of the Book of Genesis will be discussed more fully in subsequent sections (e.g., click here now), but to give a brief explanation here:

Jacob in this stage of his journeyings represents us in our early steps of sensuous consciousness, that is, infancy-childhood (zones 1,2,3 and 7,8,9). The ladder he saw standing on earth and reaching to heaven, even unto Jehovah, is the ladder of our regeneration which the Lord closely oversees as the path to Him, that is, to conjoining with Him, for it is through conjunction alone that He can bestow eternal heavenly blessings and powers to our mind. This is the purpose of regeneration and why it is so crucial for us to understand it, that we may cooperate in our ascending and descending. But the ascending and descending is done spiritually, the vision of Jacob merely being the effect, the appearance it gives rise to. The real event in our regeneration is the "lifting of our spirit" and more specifically God's lifting our spirit up closer to His Divine Love and Wisdom. The lifting of the spirit is not accomplished by fiat or Divine pronouncement or snapping of Divine fingers. If this were possible the Lord would do this instantly for us, such is His Love and Mercy. But in reality and in Divine Order the lifting of our spirit is accomplished ORGANICALLY by the opening or growth of our organs of consciousness in the mind or spirit body.

Therefore when we say that we are ascending and descending we are actually referring to our conscious awareness suddenly finding itself here or there in the spiritual geography places as portrayed in the charts and its zones and movements. When we move in our regeneration from infancy to childhood, we "descend" from primary zone 1 to 8, from influx from celestial angels into our affective mind (zone 1) to a new influx into the cognitive mind (zone 8) from spiritual angels. We say that we took a step down, and this means that our awards suddenly finds itself no longer focused in the affective mind but in the cognitive (zone 8). Further, it is a "down" only in the sense that the prior awareness in the affective mind was from celestial angels and the current awareness in the cognitive mind is from the spiritual angels. This is "down" in relation to the Lord, for the celestial angels are in the Third Heaven, and this is nearer to the Spiritual Sun were the Lord is than the Second Heaven where the spiritual angels are. We start life and consciousness with celestial felicity from unconscious influx in our affective mind. This is our infancy. but then we must move out and down, away from closeness to the Divine, that we may develop our physical body, natural mind, and scientific intellect. Only when that is sufficiently prepared can we go on to rational and true human consciousness as we climb back up to God and influx from the celestial angels (zone 36). In between the three descending and three ascending steps (zones 1 to 36) lies our whole life and development on earth. First, we are born close to God; then, we descend and put distance between us and God so that we can develop our sensuous consciousness of our body, other people, nature, and society; finally, we ascend back up to God using our rational consciousness.

Similarly when we say that the angels are ascending and descending we are referring to something that is happening to their mind. Remember that their mind is just our mind later when we become angels! So when we are angels in our spirit body in heaven we are either celestial, spiritual, or natural, depending on where we dwell in our consciousness, which in turn is determined by how far we have been regenerated when we pass into the spiritual world. If we ascend and consummate all the steps in the chart our spirit body is matured to its old age period (zones 34, 35, 36). This means that we are living with influx from the celestial angels. In that case upon passing we continue life as celestial angels (zones 4, 5, 6). Otherwise we become inhabitants of the spiritual heaven (zones 10, 11, 12) or the natural heavens (zones 16, 17, 18). The celestial angels have their consciousness focused in the affective mind (zone 6) which is why they appear as infants from a distance, as testified by Swedenborg. The spiritual angels have their consciousness focused in the cognitive mind (zone 11), so that they may be called "children" of God. The natural angels have their consciousness focused in the sensorimotor mind (zone 16) which why we can look upon them as angelic "adolescents." But all this refers to the PRIMARY ZONE of consciousness which represents the center of our being in any particular phase of regeneration. Angels therefore must take descending and ascending steps to continue their life in eternal progression and felicity. Every angel enjoys the maximum amount of the specific happinesses and powers they can support.

When angels are said to descend we're referring to a certain modification taking place in their mind, corresponding to the modification taking place in ours since we are connected by the Lord's arrangements of the vertical community. For instance, when we say on the chart that angels descend from zone 31 to zone 26 we are referring to influx from the Spiritual Sun into the affective mind of the celestial angels (zone 31), which in turn (successively) produces a corresponding influx into the cognitive mind of the spiritual angels. The original influx from the Spiritual Sun descends from a distance into the affective of the celestials and then into the cognitive of the spirituals, and finally into the sensorimotor of the natural angels. So strictly speaking what is "descending" is the influx, while the angels remain in place that they normally inhabit, carrying on their daily fun of activities and uses, perhaps not even mindful of this influx. The celestial angels are more aware of the influx than the lower angels. While the Divine influx thus descends through the successive parts of the mind of angels, it also descends through the successive parts of the minds of people still tied to the physical body (earthlings). So the vertical community ties us and them together into a pathway for the Divine influx. Each time the influx makes a descending step it has different consequences. These consequences are determined not by the influx, which remains Divinely constant, but the degree of the mind that receives it.

Moreover, the path taken by influx through the angels corresponds specifically to our path. When we take our three descending steps--zones [1,8,15], the angels take their three descending steps--zones [31,26,21]. Then, after we both cross the Inversion, we take our three ascending steps--zones [22,29,36], and the angels take their three ascending steps--zones [16,11,6].

Note how our three descending steps--zones [1,8,15], are marked by the marginals. On the right: infancy, childhood, adolescence. On the left: celestial, spiritual, natural. As our physical body grows from infancy to adolescence, our mind also grows. Our path of regeneration indicates that it is a "descent" because we go from being supported by celestial angels (our infancy period, zone 1), to being supported by spiritual angels (our childhood period, zone 8), to being supported by natural angels (our adolescence period, zone 15). These are our three descending steps with regards to regeneration. It is necessary for the up-building of our external sensuous mind (upper left quadrant) to make this descent. In the Word it is called "descending into Egypt." Also, in the story about the good Samaritan, it is referred to as "a man going from Jerusalem to Jericho." This is a descent geographically since Jerusalem is on high ground and Jericho on low ground. Similarly in spiritual geography, we descend in our regeneration as we communicate with the highest angels called celestial, leave them and communicate with the angels of the middle heaven called spiritual, and finally with the angels of the lowest heaven called natural. This is why we are descending in regeneration as we are growing physically. But then there is an inversion. As we continue to grow physically from adolescence to young adulthood, we are beginning our ascending steps in regeneration.

The big change in the inversion is that we are then leaving sensuous consciousness, which is external, and are entering rational consciousness, which is internal. This is an equivalent steps in the history of the Churches (in an earlier matrix) where civilization leaves the sensuous idea of God and enter a rational idea of God. This occurred during the Incarnation when the Christian Church was established, but not fully until the Resurrection and Ascension when the Holy Spirit was given. The Holy Spirit can only be seen in rational consciousness, which is an internal state. So in our physical growth we enter young adulthood in our first ascending step of regeneration (zone 22). Then we continue our ascent in regeneration as we enter adulthood (zone 29) and at last old age (zone 36). Always keep in mind that these periods of development refer to all regeneration steps at all recursive levels. At the level of history a single regeneration step might take thousands of years, as for instance the infancy state of human kind in the Golden Age of the Most Ancients on this earth. The old age state was not reached until the Writings were given and completed at the end of the 18th century AD. At the level of an individual, the infancy step and the old age step are just a few decades. At the level of temptations, the six steps from infancy to old age might take just a few days or hours. And so on.

Every regeneration step we take, at all levels long or short, the angels must make a corresponding step or else the step cannot be made. As we descend, the angels descend, and as we ascend the angels ascend, both mutually necessary to one another. Thus, we proceed with our activities in zone 1 while being connected, or receiving influx, from the celestial angels who are in zone 31. Zones 1 (us) and 31 (angels) correspond and are active synchronously or simultaneously. Similarly as we descend to the next step, zone 8, the angels in zone 26 connect with us. Similarly with zones 15 (us) and 21 (angels). The as we ascend, our zone 22 communicates with their zone 16, our zone 29 with their zone 11, and our zone 36 with their zone 6.

Note that our descent (zones 1,8,15) and their descent (zones 31,26,21) are both in sensuous consciousness which is a state external to the rational, which is not yet. Then as we enter the inversion and start the ascent (young adulthood period--zone 22), we begin life in rational consciousness which is interior to sensuous consciousness. Similarly, the angels also enter their rational consciousness as the cross the inversion and ascend (zone 16). But the angels go from interior sensuous consciousness (lower left quadrant) to exterior rational consciousness (upper right quadrant), which is the mirror image of our going from exterior sensuous consciousness (upper left quadrant) to interior rational consciousness (lower right quadrant).

Let's look at these relationships through a visual representation--graphic ennead 1:

Note that in sensuous consciousness the angels are on the inside and we are on the outside. The reverse is the case with rational consciousness: we are on the inside and angels are on the outside. Note also that the inside is always made of internalizing [S/C/A] units and the outside is always made of externalizing [A/C/S] units. In the infancy period of sensuous consciousness, we are on the outside in a descending externalizing unit (zones 1,2,3) while inside of us are the angels in an ascending internalizing unit (zones 4,5,6) that corresponds to ours. In the childhood period of sensuous consciousness, we are on the outside in a descending externalizing unit (zones 7,8,9) while inside of us are the angels in an ascending internalizing unit (zones 10,11,12) that corresponds to ours. In the adolescence period of sensuous consciousness, we are on the outside in a descending externalizing unit (zones 13,14,15) while inside of us are the angels in an ascending internalizing unit (zones 16,17,18) that corresponds to ours. Then there is the inversion and we change places in terms of inside and outside. In the adolescence period of rational consciousness, we are on the inside in an ascending internalizing unit (zones 22,23,24) while outside of us are the angels in an descending externalizing unit (zones 19,20,21) that corresponds to ours. In the young adulthood period of rational consciousness, we are on the inside in an ascending internalizing unit (zones 28,29,30) while outside of us are the angels in an descending externalizing unit (zones 25,26,27) that corresponds to ours. Finally, in the old age period of rational consciousness, we are on the inside in an ascending internalizing unit (zones 34,35,36) while outside of us are the angels in a descending externalizing unit (zones 31,32,33) that corresponds to ours.

Note that the 36 zones of consciousness are organized in specific structures of dyads, triads, hexagrams, and enneads (see these articles on ethnosemantic structures for explanations on these "discourse structures" as they constitute our consciousness-- article 1 ||   article 2  ||  article 3).

One dyadic structure relates to sensuous consciousness vs. rational consciousness. Another dyadic structure is pre-inversion vs. post-inversion. A third is externalizing [A/C/S] units vs. internalizing [S/C/A] structures. A fourth is the mind of angels vs. our mind.

One triadic or trigrammatic structure relates to units of experience and behavior. Both externalizing and internalizing units are made of three components--A (affective mind), C (cognitive mind), and S (sensorimotor mind). A second trigrammatic structure relates to sequenced periods--the three pre-inversion periods (infancy, childhood, and adolescence) vs. the three post-inversion periods (young adulthood, adulthood, old age). A third trigrammatic structure relates to degrees as defined by the heavens--the three descending steps (celestial, spiritual, natural) vs. the three ascending steps (natural, spiritual, celestial).

One hexagrammatic structure relates to the six movements (us vs. angels dyads) of sensuous consciousness vs. the six movements of rational consciousness, as can be seen by the six arrows for the two types of consciousness. For instance, in the infancy period, celestial angels inside of us experience an internalizing unit (zones 4,5,6) synchronously with us experiencing an externalizing unit (zones 1,2,3). these two units together constitute one hexagram. There is a contrasting hexagram in the old age period--this time we are inside the celestial angels as we experience an internalizing unit (zones 34,35,36) synchronously with the angels who are experiencing an externalizing unit (zones 31,32,33).

Future research will have to determine how these formal relations apply to content, that is, how they help us understand what's going on in the human mind as it grows and regenerates. I will present some applications following this section. Especially it will be important to figure out how influx varies with gender of the angels and the earthlings, since it is a universal principle given in the Writings that nothing whatsoever in a woman is like anything in a man, and vice versa. Hence the dynamics of influx and regeneration must be contrastive for men and women.

                    The Affective Mind, Cognitive Mind, and Sensorimotor Mind

In our descending path of regeneration our physical development progresses by increasing strength and maturity of organs and muscles, and our mental development progresses by externalizing steps. This means building-up the [A/C/S] units of our mind. The A component refers to our affective mind or the organ of the will. The C component refers to our cognitive mind or the organ of understanding. The S component refers to our sensorimotor mind or the sensory (sensations). The building up of these [A/C/S] units constitutes the growth of our sensuous consciousness (exterior). Note from the chart that this development of of our sensuous consciousness (upper left quadrant), has three primary zones: [1,8,15]. During the infancy period (zone 1) our sensuous consciousness is built up with the support of influx from the celestial angels (third heaven) (zone 31). There is communication between their affective mind and our affective mind. But in the next descending step we switch to spiritual angels (middle heaven) and now our cognitive mind in zone 8 communicates with their cognitive mind in zone 26. And next for our third descent we switch to natural angels who communicate with us from their sensorimotor mind (zone 21) to ours (zone 15). Our sensuous development thus depends on our descending from the celestials in the infancy period, to the spiritual in the childhood period, to the natural in the adolescent period. This procedure is necessary for our mind to grow intellectually through knowledge and reasoning skills.

Note how this intellectual growth is accomplished. In infancy (zone 1) our primary zone is the affective and it receives influx into the affective. This is unconscious as is all influx into any of the primary zones. When the primary zone of influx is the affective, as in infancy, it is us who as-of-self must struggle to acquire and adjoin the other two components of externalizing (C and S).  As the unconscious influx of the celestials into our affective mind proceeds in zone 1, we adjoin to it elements from zone 2 and zone 3. This is how we share the growth effort: the angels into the affective, and us adjoining the cognitive and the sensorimotor. But in the next step, our primary zone is cognitive with the spiritual angels (zone 8) and we adjoin as-of-self the A and S components. And in our adolescent period, the unconscious influx is from the natural angels into our sensorimotor mind (zone 15) and we must adjoin as-of-self the A and C components. When the adolescent period is consummated, the nine zones of the upper left quadrant contain all the [A/C/S] units needed to cross the inversion and enter rational consciousness. Then the ascending path commences and a comparable growth process must take place. Illustrations of these events will be given in the next section where the journeyings of the patriarchs in Genesis is taken up.

              Externalizing (Sensuous) and Internalizing (Rational) Units

In the ascending path the units we must build up are rational units, not synthetic (sensuous). Rational units are analytic, thus the reverse of synthetic: [S/C/A]. We make our first rational ascending step in the period called young adulthood. This is accomplished when the natural angels switch from zone 21 to 16. From their zone 16 they are in their sensorimotor mind and communicate with our sensorimotor mind (zone 22). As we climb in rational consciousness, the spiritual angels then communicate into our cognitive mind (zone 29) from their cognitive mind (zone 11). At last in the period called old age, we receive influx from the celestial angels into our affective mind (zone 36) from their affective mind (zone 6). Now our rational consciousness is fully interior, fully celestial (for that unit of regeneration at whatever level is being discussed. The chart therefore maps all the zones of regeneration. In our ascending path of more interior rational consciousness the same psychodynamic principles operate in the up-building of the [S/C/A] units. In the period of young adulthood, our primary zone is 22 which is an S component. This influx is unconscious and we do not control any of it. Instead we adjoin as-of-self seemingly through our own efforts the C and A components. When the necessary [S/C/A] units are built and consummated, we make our next step into rational consciousness in zone 29. This period is called adulthood during which we receive unconscious influx into our cognitive mind (zone 29) from the spiritual angels in their cognitive mind (zone 11). We then adjoin through our own effort the S and A components. Finally, in the old age period we reach our inmost rational consciousness as the celestial angels flow in unconsciously into our affective mind (zone 36) from their affective mind (zone 6). Thus is completed another unit of regeneration at whatever level is being considered.

Sensuous consciousness (left half of the matrix) is made of externalizing units called [A/C/S] since the movement is from affective (the will--inmost) to the sensorimotor mind (sensory--outmost). Then there is an Inversion and the units are reversed: [S/C/A]. This is called internalizing since the movement is from sensorimotor (the sensory--outmost) to the affective mind (the will--inmost). Thus, descending paths are externalizing units of sensuous consciousness while ascending paths are internalizing units of rational consciousness.

                    Successive and Simultaneous Relations

A general principle in the chart is: When the angels descend, we descend, and when the angels ascend, we ascend. This is one meaning of Jacob's Ladder in the Book of Genesis. The Lord has hooked angels in the spiritual world and people on earth together so that the parts of their mind can communicate with each other, that is, play into each other and be modified together by the regeneration process itself. So the first half of the cross in the chart consists of both angels descending (zones 31, 26, 21) and us descending (zones 1,8,15). This is called SUCCESSIVE order because the steps are taken in succession as a sequence of progression. Both our descent and the descent of the angels are called successive steps. There is also a SIMULTANEOUS order which connects the angels and us at each step insuring synchronous influx. The first descending step for both of us is in the affective mind (zone 31 for them and zone 1 for us). The affective mind of celestial angels communicates with our affective mind. This is called our infancy period (zone 1). Things that are in the celestial angel's affective mind are called celestial good, celestial love, and celestial feelings. So these celestial things are communicated to us unconsciously so that we now have celestial good and love in our affective mind. This is the simultaneous order so that zone 31 of the celestial angels communicates or infills our zone 1. These two zones correspond by simultaneous degrees and are connected by influx. The basis of vertical community lies in simultaneous degrees while the basis of development lies in successive degrees.

Note that these relations refer to the primary zones which support the unconscious influx. From this influx the effects play themselves out in each zone as we adjoin the other two components as-of-self seemingly through our own effort and struggle.

See also:  Discrete Degrees by Ian Thomspson || Discrete Degrees by N.C. Burnham

                    First Step: Infancy Period of Regeneration

Our first step in regeneration, overall and in each recursive segment, has this characteristic of containing celestial love and good. This type of good is in our unconscious in itself where it enters, but it then affects our sensuous consciousness as we adjoin the other two components. In this case with the infancy period, zone 1, it is our affective sensuous consciousness that is involved, thus, our feelings,   affections, motives, intentions. These affective states of the infancy period are called "remains" and later form the basis for heavenly life if our mind continues to be regenerated. For now, in the process of regeneration, their role is to bind together [A/C/S] units where the A component are the things in zone 1, and the C component are cognitive things that are congruent with the affective things. So zone 2 refer to the cognitions or truths that we must acquire as-of-self, apparently through our own effort, in such a way that these cognitions or thoughts be consistent with the affections in zone 1. Similarly with the S component shown as zone 3. So the [A/C/S] unit involving zones 1, 2, 3 constitute those mental habits and character tendencies that pertain to regeneration in the infancy period.

This communication with the celestial angels is entirely unconscious since at this point (Zone 1), we are in exterior sensuous consciousness. This state of our mind is called the infancy period of the regeneration unit during which we are like infants in that celestial angels from within give us delightful perceptions of the rich sensual world around us, including the proprioceptive sensations we have when engaging in voluntary motion. There must be something within this rich and delightful sensuous consciousness or experience, or else it cannot occur. This "within" is the communicating of the celestial angels with our sensuous in the affective mind, and the effect of this is to give our sensuous consciousness their characteristic delight. As a consequence it has value for up building our knowledges that we may grow in intellect. This up-building of our corresponding cognitive mind (zone 2) and our corresponding sensorimotor mind (Zone 3) completes the adjoining and conjoining of the [A/C/S] unit of infancy (Zones 1, 2, 3). When this is consummated, we step into Zone 8 as the spiritual angels communicate with us from their Zone 26. Thus we begin the period called childhood.