A compact, accessible introduction to the life and spiritual thought of Emanuel Swedenborg, the extraordinary Enlightenment scientist and mystic. Emanuel Swedenborg’s work is a vast, complex, dazzling world, filled with lands and seas of extraordinary beauty and richness . . . Now George F. Dole has swept away the stuffiness and stiffness of earlier [translations] and given us Swedenborg as he is meant to be: a thrilling visionary, a poetic seer of the first order. In every respect, this is a triumph. Swedenborg reaches out to the secular mind with a vision of order and beauty pregnant with meaning and direction and appeals to human experience and reflection (rather than scriptural interpretation) in making the case for the presence of GodÂ’s love and GodÂ’s wisdom. From GodÂ’s infinite love and wisdom to our own individual desires and perceptions, there is an underlying unity on which we can rely. In Divine Providence, the focus is directed toward earth, at a world so troubled that the loving hand of God is often hidden from our sight and brought into question. How can we believe in the goodness and power of God when we constantly see injustice and war? The answers that are offered turn us toward a deeper understanding of our own human nature and process. Only divine love and wisdom can provide us with the accountability that gives meaning to our lives.
A Scientist Explores Spirit
George Dole & Robert Kirven Heaven and Hell
Emanuel Swedenborg Divine Love and Wisdom
Emanuel Swedenborg Divine Providence
Emanuel Swedenborg
Throughout the final 27 years of his life, Swedenborg explored the realms of heaven and hell and spoke with angels about the nature of life after death, discussed with newly arrived spirits their misconceptions bout the afterlife, and debated with devils or spirits from hell. As an Enlightenment scholar, Swedenborg recorded these encounters, attesting to God’s will that humanity might know the truth of eternal life. Hell is not literally a place of fire, as much of orthodox religion teaches. As Swedenborg saw it, it was more a fire of the mind. The souls in this state continue to love the material more than the spiritual. ‘In the same degree in which angels have wisdom and intelligence, infernal spirits have malice and cunning,’ Swedenborg wrote. These devils use their cunning to negatively influence those still living on the earthly realms. Japanese philosopher D.T. Suzuki once called Swedenborg the Buddha of the North. The 18th-century Swedish mystic’s visionary writings also deeply influenced Emerson, Blake, Strindberg and Helen Keller. First published over 50 years ago and now available in English for the first time, Benz’s superb biography brings to life this scientific and religious genius. Available for the first time in English, LammÂ’s classic study (first published in 1915) has stood as the standard humanist interpretation of SwedenborgÂ’s writings and has influenced generations of European scholars. His detailed investigation of the philosophical and religious background of SwedenborgÂ’s thought is an illuminating inquiry into the mystery of how Swedenborg was transformed from a scientist to a seer.
Conversations with Angels
Emanuel Swedenborg Debates with Devils
Emanuel Swedenborg Visionary Savant
E. Benz, N. Goodrich-Clarke Development of Thought
Lamm, Spiers, Hallengren
Out of the simple structure of space the author generates 1, 2, and 3 spaces and 4 dimensional space-time. He then generates 5, 6, and 7 spaces and shows them to be functional levels of mind — a startlingly original work. Psychologist Wilson van Dusen examines SwedenborgÂ’s findings through the lenses of philosophy, science, mysticism, and psychology. Extraordinary mystical experiences are explained on the level of everyday understanding and experience, leading to a more ethical way of living. A lifelong explorer of the spiritual realm speaks insightfully of the transcendent dimension. Wilson Van Dusen enumerates the common characteristics of the mature mystic and presents a brief history of mysticism. He explains how religion fits within the context of culture and then how mysticism fits or does not within the context of religion. A useful chapter introduces a simple, effective meditative practice. The St. Christopher Window is one of three stained glass windows in the San Francisco Swedenborgian Church. This book weaves a web with strands that connect a favorite saint, an American revolution in stained glass design, a west-coast cultural renaissance, and a now obscure Swedish scientist and theologian. With beautiful photographs and prose, it brings to life the art and science of art conservation as dedicated people of various talents and interests struggle to preserve a cherished part of America’s cultural heritage.
Just Beyond Physical
Wilson Van Dusen Presence of Other Worlds
Van Dusen & Moody Mystical Mind
Wilson Van Dusen The Most Creative Bit of Glasswork in the City: The Art and Conservation of Bruce Porter’s St. Christopher Window
Douglas G Stinson, with contributions from Ariana