Two Suns — One Spiritual, One Natural

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
TO UNDERSTAND AND THENCE TO PERCEIVE AND ALSO TO HAVE FAITH

NATURAL LIGHT is from the sun of the world, and SPIRITUAL LIGHT is from the sun of heaven, which is the Lord. All the truths of faith that man learns from infancy are apprehended by means of such objects and derivative ideas as are from the light of the world, thus all and each are apprehended naturally; for all the ideas of man's thought, so long as he lives in the world, are founded upon such things as are in the world; and therefore if these were taken away from him, his thought would utterly perish. The man who has not been regenerated is wholly ignorant that there is SPIRITUAL LIGHT, or even that there is in heaven a light that has nothing in common with the light of the world, still less does he know that it is this light that enlightens the ideas and objects which are from the light of the world, and enables man to think, infer, and reflect. That SPIRITUAL LIGHT can do this is because this light is the wisdom itself that proceeds from the Lord, and this is presented as light before the sight of the angels in heaven. From this light appear all and each of the things that are below, or that are in man from NATURAL LIGHT; but not the converse, unless the man has been regenerated, in which case the things of heaven, that is, of good and truth, by enlightenment from SPIRITUAL LIGHT appear in the NATURAL as in a representative mirror.

From this it is evident that the Lord, who is light itself, sees all things and each that are in the thought and will of man, nay, that are in universal nature, and that nothing whatever is hidden from Him.

(from Arcana Coelestia 5477)

In regard to "seeing" as denoting to understand and thence to perceive and also to have faith, be it known that there are two things with man which make his life, namely, SPIRITUAL LIGHT and SPIRITUAL HEAT.

SPIRITUAL LIGHT makes the life of his understanding, and SPIRITUAL HEAT the life of his will. SPIRITUAL LIGHT is from its first origin - Divine truth from the Divine good of the Lord, and hence is the truth of faith from the good of charity. And SPIRITUAL HEAT is from its first origin - the Divine good of the Divine love of the Lord, and hence is the good of celestial love, which is love to the Lord, and the good of spiritual love, which is love toward the neighbor. These two, as before said, constitute the whole life of man.

As regards SPIRITUAL LIGHT, it is with this in the understanding of man as it is with NATURAL LIGHT in his external sight; namely, in order that the eye may see, it is necessary that there be light to illumine, and then the eye sees in the light all things which are round about outside of it. So the intellectual mind, (which is man's internal eye), in order that this eye may see, it is necessary for the light of heaven, which is from the Lord, to illumine it; and when this eye is illumined by this light, it then sees the things which are round about outside of itself; but the objects which it sees are spiritual, namely, memory-knowledges and truths. But when this light does not illumine, the intellectual mind or internal eye of man, like the external or bodily eye, is in darkness and sees nothing, that is, from memory-knowledges nothing of truth, and from truths nothing of good.

The light which illumines the intellectual mind is in very truth LIGHT, and such light that it a thousand times surpasses the midday light of the world, which I bear witness to because I have seen it.

By this light all the angels in the heavens see the things which are round about outside of themselves, and also by the same light they see and perceive the truths which are of faith, and their quality. Hence then it is that by "seeing" is signified in the spiritual sense not only the understanding, but also whatever is of the understanding, as thought, reflection, observation, prudence, and many such things; likewise not only faith, but also whatever is of faith, as truth, doctrine from the Word, and the like.

But as regards SPIRITUAL HEAT, it is with this in the will of man as it is with NATURAL HEAT in the body, in that it vivifies. But in its first origin, which origin is from the Lord, SPIRITUAL HEAT is nothing else than the Divine love toward the universal human race, and from this the reciprocal love of man to Him and also toward the neighbor.

And this SPIRITUAL HEAT is in very truth HEAT, which gladdens the bodies of the angels with heat, and at the same time their interiors with love.

Hence it is that by "heat," "flame," and "fire" in the Word are signified in the genuine sense those things which are of love, as the affections of good and of truth, and also good itself.

(from Arcana Coelestia 6032)

The Influx and Operation of The Divine of the Lord

Selection from Arcana Coelestia ~ Emanuel Swedenborg
THERE MUST BE INFLUX AND OPERATION INTO EACH AND ALL THINGS OF WORSHIP

It is believed by those who are not acquainted with the arcana of heaven that worship is from man, because it proceeds from the thought and affection which are in him; but the worship which is from man is not worship, consequently the confessions, adorations, and prayers which are from man, are not confessions, adorations, and prayers which are heard and received by the Lord; but they must be from the Lord Himself with man. That this is so is known to the church, for it teaches that nothing that is good proceeds from man, but that all good is from heaven, that is, from the Divine there. From this also is all the good in worship; and worship without good is not worship; consequently in holy worship the church prays that God may be present and lead the thoughts of the discourse. The case herein is this. When a man is in genuine worship, then the Lord flows into the goods and truths which are with him, and raises them to Himself, and with them the man, insofar and in such a manner as he is in them. This elevation does not appear to the man unless he is in the genuine affection of truth and good, and in the knowledge, acknowledgment, and faith that everything good comes from above, from the Lord.

That it is so may be comprehended even by those who are wise from the world, for they know from their learning that natural influx, which is called by them physical influx, is not possible, but only spiritual influx; that is, that nothing can flow in from the natural world into heaven, but only from heaven into the world. From all this it can be seen how it is to be understood that the influx and operation of the Divine of the Lord are into each and all things of worship. That it is so has frequently been given me to experience; for it has been given me to perceive the very influx, the calling forth of the truths which were with me, their application to the objects of prayer, the affection of good that was adjoined, and the elevation itself.

Nevertheless a man must not let down his hands and await influx, for this would be to act like an effigy devoid of life; in spite of all he must think, will, and act as of himself, and yet must ascribe to the Lord everything of thought of truth and of endeavor of good; by so doing there is implanted in him by the Lord the capability of receiving Him and the influx from Him.

For man was created no otherwise than to be a receptacle of the Divine; and the capability of receiving the Divine is formed in no other way. When this capability has been formed, he afterward has no other will than that it should be so; for he loves the influx from the Lord, and is averse to any working from himself; because the influx from the Lord is the influx of good, whereas any working from himself is the working of evil. In such a state are all the angels in heaven; therefore by "angels" in the Word are signified truths and goods which are from the Lord, because the angels are receptions of these.

(from Arcana Coelestia 10299)

Degrees Related to Divine Order

Selection from Heaven and Hell ~ Emanuel Swedenborg

Things interior and things exterior are not continuous but distinct and discrete in accordance with degrees, and each degree has its bounds

One thing has been formed from another, and the things so formed are not continuously purer and grosser.

One who does not perceive the difference between what is interior and what is exterior in accordance with such degrees can clearly understand neither the internal and external man nor the interior and exterior heavens.

He who does not know how degrees are related to Divine order cannot comprehend how the heavens are distinct or even what is meant by the internal and the external man. Most people in the world have no other idea of what is interior and what exterior, or of what is higher and what lower, than as something continuous or coherent by continuity from what is purer to what is grosser. But the relation of what is interior to what is exterior is not continuous but discrete. There are two kinds of degrees, those that are continuous and those that are not. Continuous degrees are related like the degrees of the waning of light from a bright blaze until it is obscured, or like the degrees of the decrease of vision from objects in the light to those in the shade, or like degrees of purity of the atmosphere from its depths to its highest point. These degrees are determined by distances.

On the other hand, degrees that are not continuous but discrete are distinguished like prior and posterior, like cause and effect or like what produces and what is produced. Whoever looks into the matter will see that in each and all things in the whole world, whatever they are, there are such degrees of producing and compounding, that is, that from one thing comes another, and from the other a third and so on.

One who does not acquire for himself a perception of these degrees cannot possibly discern the distinctions of the heavens, nor between the interior and exterior faculties of man, nor the distinction between the spiritual and the natural world, nor between the spirit of man and his body. So neither can he understand the nature and source of correspondences and representations nor what influx is. Sensual men do not apprehend these distinctions, for even where these degrees are concerned, they make increases and decreases to be continuous. Therefore, they cannot have any conception of what is spiritual otherwise than as a purer natural. Consequently, they stand outside, and are far removed from intelligence.

Finally, respecting the angels of the three heavens, it is permissible to relate a certain arcanum which has not hitherto entered the mind of anyone because degrees have not been understood. Namely, with every single angel and also with every single man, there is an inmost or highest degree or an inmost or highest something into which the Divine of the Lord first or most closely inflows and from which it disposes the other interior things which succeed in accordance with the degrees of order with them. This inmost or highest degree may be called the entrance of the Lord to the angel and to the man, and His very Own dwelling-place with them. It is by virtue of this inmost or highest that a man is a man and is distinguished from the brute animals, which do not have it. It is from this that a man, unlike the animals, is capable, in respect of all his interior things which pertain to his mind (mens) and "animus", of being raised up by the Lord to Himself; of believing in the Lord, of being moved by love to the Lord and thereby beholding Him, and of receiving intelligence and wisdom, and speaking from reason. Also it is by reason of this that he lives to eternity. But what is arranged and provided by the Lord in this inmost does not openly inflow into the perception of any angel, because it is above his thought and transcends his wisdom.

(from Heaven and Hell 38, 39)