We find, when we read Swedenborg's "Conjugial Love", number 270, one of the sections called "Memorable Relations", that he writes about an experience that he had. It occurred when he was deep in thought about conjugial love - the marriage of good and truth - and was concerned about where in a man's mind it resides. So, what he sees and experiences was in his thoughts; he was seeing with his spiritual eyes, that is, he was seeing with his understanding. There in the "Memorable Relations" his work takes on a different style where truths are taught in another way - through the medium of stories - much like how truths are taught in the parables, but in this case the story involves him personally. It is similar to the stories written by the Prophets, in which they are, to some degree, involved in the story as an observer which they later write about, except in Swedenborg's case he often participates
When you think about the human mind, what is it that you think about? Is it not thoughts, perceptions and their affections? Can a thought be without some affection or some love? With this in mind, let us see what the Lord instructed Swedenborg to write.
To an average person who places his faith and who believes in the written Word, he would say that the prophets and other writers were specially chosen people and that God had open up their mind and had shown them things that others could not see. In fact, their spiritual eyes had been opened in a time when such an understanding was not available to mankind, though it has been now. In a simple sort of way, a person believes because his faith teaches him that it is so, even though he does not understand rationally what is taught. He believes it is so, because his natural senses confirm it and, so, it appears to him to be so or to be true. He naturally understands the literal sense of the Word. He is not aware that only his natural understanding is open, that his spiritual mind is closed because of the state that he is in and that, because of his natural he forms from such reasoning, and not from any spiritual sense that comes from God.
To a person who is a 'new church' person, who is also one who believes and who has faith in the Word, he understands these stories that the prophets and that Swedenborg wrote and agrees certain men were indeed chosen and, so, could write about religious truths, but he is also aware that the things written through them have an internal sense as well. As such, then, when the prophets or Swedenborg's name is mentioned in the Word, it is not the person that is meant in the spiritual sense, but the quality that the person signifies.
For those who have not read this 'Memorable Relation' I quote. "One morning after sleep, my thought was deeply engaged on certain arcana of conjugial love, and finally, on the following: In what region of the human mind does love truly conjugial reside, and hence in what, conjugial cold? I knew that there are three regions of the human mind, one above the other, and that natural love dwells in the lowest region, spiritual love in the higher, and celestial love in the highest; also that in each region there is a marriage of love and wisdom, and that this marriage is the same as the marriage of the will and the understanding, the will being the receptacle of love and the understanding the receptacle of wisdom."
Here, in this 'Memorable Relations', we see Swedenborg in deep thought. Now, the qualities that he had exemplified was that of a servant to the Lord. He obediently wrote down all the things that the Lord revealed to him, even though some of what he wrote many would consider him 'beside himself'. Thus, in this way, we see it is not the person Swedenborg that is meant, but it is his quality; that of a servant; that he was obedient; that he was of use to the Lord. So, all those who become as Swedenborg - servants of the Lord - are those who allow the Lord to work through them for some higher good. In this sense they are of use in this world. Such a person is willing to be led; they can be taught; the Lord can teach them truths and give to them His love. The end is that they might become made into the image and likeness of the Lord.
A person should ask the question. 'What is that image and likeness of the Lord that we are to become'? By reading the Old and the New Testaments and the Latin Word - the religious works of Swedenborg - we know that God's qualities are Love and Wisdom. Love wishes, it desires, to give of itself. Such a love comes from or proceeds from God from Love's Wisdom. However, into what does such love flow? Isn't it into mankind, God's creation, into you and I? Isn't it into a person's will and their understanding, which is into one's mind? Love comes into the will and wisdom comes into the understanding.
In fact, we can say that the will is the receptacle and the faculty of God's love and that the understanding is the receptacle and the faculty of God's wisdom. Now, keep these two qualities of God - love and wisdom - in mind and keep in mind the two receptacles and faculties - the will and the understanding of man. They will help us later on to understand about such deep thought that, not only Swedenborg engaged in, but that anyone who might engage in who wishes to know even the question that Swedenborg was pondering.
Isn't the one, who is deep in thought, so to speak, in another world? And, when in deep thought, doesn't the person bring along with him or her that which they had acquired in this natural world through scientifics - both religious and secular? Well, that is the starting point, so to speak, and thus, we find that Swedenborg knew something about the human mind before he entered this other world. We read that he knew from scientific religious knowledge that there are three regions of the mind. Now, remember that the thought he was entertaining was about 'conjugial love'. If we know anything about 'love' it is that love wants to be with another and wants to share its own with that other, and, that unless there is a conjunction or a marriage between the two there is no real love, but only a longing, a desire. However, what does love want to be conjoined with or married to in a person? Before answering, let us, again, keep such a question in mind, for it is very crucial to learning, not only about the human mind, but also about this story or 'Memorable Relation' that Swedenborg experienced and wrote about.
When you think about the human mind, what is it that you think about? Is it not thoughts, perceptions and their affections? Can a thought be without some affection or some love? With this in mind, let us see what the Lord instructed Swedenborg to write.
To an average person who places his faith and who believes in the written Word, he would say that the prophets and other writers were specially chosen people and that God had open up their mind and had shown them things that others could not see. In fact, their spiritual eyes had been opened in a time when such an understanding was not available to mankind, though it has been now. In a simple sort of way, a person believes because his faith teaches him that it is so, even though he does not understand rationally what is taught. He believes it is so, because his natural senses confirm it and, so, it appears to him to be so or to be true. He naturally understands the literal sense of the Word. He is not aware that only his natural understanding is open, that his spiritual mind is closed because of the state that he is in and that, because of his natural he forms from such reasoning, and not from any spiritual sense that comes from God.
To a person who is a 'new church' person, who is also one who believes and who has faith in the Word, he understands these stories that the prophets and that Swedenborg wrote and agrees certain men were indeed chosen and, so, could write about religious truths, but he is also aware that the things written through them have an internal sense as well. As such, then, when the prophets or Swedenborg's name is mentioned in the Word, it is not the person that is meant in the spiritual sense, but the quality that the person signifies.
For those who have not read this 'Memorable Relation' I quote. "One morning after sleep, my thought was deeply engaged on certain arcana of conjugial love, and finally, on the following: In what region of the human mind does love truly conjugial reside, and hence in what, conjugial cold? I knew that there are three regions of the human mind, one above the other, and that natural love dwells in the lowest region, spiritual love in the higher, and celestial love in the highest; also that in each region there is a marriage of love and wisdom, and that this marriage is the same as the marriage of the will and the understanding, the will being the receptacle of love and the understanding the receptacle of wisdom."
Here, in this 'Memorable Relations', we see Swedenborg in deep thought. Now, the qualities that he had exemplified was that of a servant to the Lord. He obediently wrote down all the things that the Lord revealed to him, even though some of what he wrote many would consider him 'beside himself'. Thus, in this way, we see it is not the person Swedenborg that is meant, but it is his quality; that of a servant; that he was obedient; that he was of use to the Lord. So, all those who become as Swedenborg - servants of the Lord - are those who allow the Lord to work through them for some higher good. In this sense they are of use in this world. Such a person is willing to be led; they can be taught; the Lord can teach them truths and give to them His love. The end is that they might become made into the image and likeness of the Lord.
A person should ask the question. 'What is that image and likeness of the Lord that we are to become'? By reading the Old and the New Testaments and the Latin Word - the religious works of Swedenborg - we know that God's qualities are Love and Wisdom. Love wishes, it desires, to give of itself. Such a love comes from or proceeds from God from Love's Wisdom. However, into what does such love flow? Isn't it into mankind, God's creation, into you and I? Isn't it into a person's will and their understanding, which is into one's mind? Love comes into the will and wisdom comes into the understanding.
In fact, we can say that the will is the receptacle and the faculty of God's love and that the understanding is the receptacle and the faculty of God's wisdom. Now, keep these two qualities of God - love and wisdom - in mind and keep in mind the two receptacles and faculties - the will and the understanding of man. They will help us later on to understand about such deep thought that, not only Swedenborg engaged in, but that anyone who might engage in who wishes to know even the question that Swedenborg was pondering.
Isn't the one, who is deep in thought, so to speak, in another world? And, when in deep thought, doesn't the person bring along with him or her that which they had acquired in this natural world through scientifics - both religious and secular? Well, that is the starting point, so to speak, and thus, we find that Swedenborg knew something about the human mind before he entered this other world. We read that he knew from scientific religious knowledge that there are three regions of the mind. Now, remember that the thought he was entertaining was about 'conjugial love'. If we know anything about 'love' it is that love wants to be with another and wants to share its own with that other, and, that unless there is a conjunction or a marriage between the two there is no real love, but only a longing, a desire. However, what does love want to be conjoined with or married to in a person? Before answering, let us, again, keep such a question in mind, for it is very crucial to learning, not only about the human mind, but also about this story or 'Memorable Relation' that Swedenborg experienced and wrote about.