Day: March 22, 2017

Evolution Mystery Solved?

 

When did we become human? This is a question that still remains to be solved by anthropologists.

Did we become human when we first stood up on two legs, freeing our hands for tool making, which demanded more mental ingenuity? Was it the creation of language? Art?

In order to understand at what point our species became human, we need to understand what it means to be human.

Humans enjoy both an external (corporeal) and inner (spiritual) reality. Our external reality is similar to that of other creatures, which have natural and worldly desires for food, comfort and sex. But our deeper, inner reality is something other creatures do not share.

This inner reality provided a medium by which God could affect the minds of men and women and enter into a most unique relationship. Through this medium and relationship, the human species can override its corporeal or natural level and continue to evolve inwardly into new spiritual beings called angels.

According to the theological writings and personal discoveries of Emanuel Swedenborg, we became human when we first began to both recognize and worship God. We are human from what we receive from God through our inner, psychical world.

God has given men and women two capacities in life that make us human. They are free will and discernment. These two capacities are the essence of human form (not ten toes and fingers or an upright stance). These two gifts are the finite equivalent of God’s Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. Free will has reference to love and discernment has reference to wisdom.

It is the two capacities of free will and discernment that make us an image of the Lord God. They allow God to make a covenant with the human race.

The Infinite essence is Love. Love is living and conscious (wise). Love is Infinite Personality. So God’s form is infinitely and divinely human.

Therefore one could also say that standing upright is what made us human—if we look at this as an inner or mental posture—which allows us to gaze towards heaven rather than have our eyes always fixed to the earth. In this way “standing upright,” means becoming an upright citizen through the observance of God’s tenets.

Our special God-given inner reality, called spirit, is the means by which men and women can gain eternal life and happiness.

Posted onMay 23, 2008by
http://www.provinggod.com
This entry was posted in god, Inner growth, Life after death, love, psychology, Reality, religion, spirituality, unity and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Chapter VII. Internal Will and Understanding, and External Will and Understanding.

THE internal will and understanding B and C pertain to the spiritual mind, the external will and understanding, D and E, to the natural mind, as shown in this diagram.

The external will and understanding may be either conjoined with the internal and act in harmony with them, or be severed from them and act in opposition.

In a state of order the external will and understanding are in agreement and co-operation with the internal and are conjoined with them, so that they constitute as it were one will and understanding.

With the wicked, the spiritual will and understanding, although never perverted, are yet closed and quiescent; but their natural will and understanding, though open and operative, are defiled with evil and falsity and severed from the spiritual, and hence act in opposition to them.

The will and understanding are here presented as organic faculties of the mind; the external organism being an outbirth from the internal. Their varying states will be presented in other diagrams.

The will is drawn in red because it is the receptacle of love, the understanding in white because it is the receptacle of truth.

The spiritual body F and the natural body H are only more ultimate forms and instruments of the will and understanding. (DLW 362. See Chap. IV. page 21)

Astrology – Mumbo jumbo or ancient wisdom?

AstrologyAstrology is an important part of popular Western culture. Just browse  through some general magazines and newspapers to see that. People often go along with the notion that the position and movements of the planets, against the backdrop of the night sky, tells them something about their personal lives. For many, a horoscope, based on their individual time of birth, might explain aspects of their personality and even predict significant events.

In astrology, each planet exercises a particular influence by its position and its aspects with respect to other planets. Astrologists give psychological distinctions to the various planets ruling over the 12 signs of the Zodiac. They say that some of these planets benefit us more than others. Yet, the position and motions of the stars and planets affect people by no scientifically understood mechanism of action.

Unfortunately, most horoscopes you see in the media only make vague untestable statements that can apply to almost anyone. On the other hand, astrologists do give individuals discriminating profiles and these have been examined in controlled experiments. But, these consistently correlate with personality, measured by other means, at a rate no higher than chance.

Sceptics say believers in astrology tend to selectively remember predictions that turn out to be true and do not remember those that turnout false. They further claim that astrological theory often shows poor reasoning and astrologists disagree among themselves.

All this doesn’t seem to matter to those many followers who do not claim astrology is a science with predictive power. Instead, they seem to want astrology to help them understand their personal lives in a way that transcends science.

So what is a fair-minded rational person to make of astrology? Has it something useful to offer even it cannot be called a science?

Night sky as symbolism

What interests me about astrology is its symbolism. I wonder whether it can  illuminate something, about the various states of mind, we experience in our life’s spiritual journey. I am attracted to the idea that there is a correspondence of natural objects in the universe – such as stars and planets – with positive and negative states of human consciousness. The most general idea behind this is expressed in the Emerald Tablet as “as above, so below”.

“Although the concept of correspondences bears some relationship to analogy, metaphor, and symbolism, it goes far beyond that. What the ancients had was not merely the observation that the human mind can use something concrete as a stand-in for something abstract. It was an understanding that everything in the universe embodies something spiritual” (Jonathan Rose)

I would suggest the natural universe mirrors both positive and negative human states of mind. For example in the world of nature on our planet we find both gentle and fierce creatures, destructive earthquakes and beautiful geographical scenes. If so, it is not a big step to say that the qualities and positions of the planets also have some correspondence with human psychology. Therefore, I would suggest the planets do not directly influence us as such but rather mirror our inner states of consciousness.

For me, this symbolism can for example be seen in the sign of Aries the Ram.

Aries the Ram

In their book ‘Twelve Qualities of a Spiritual Mind‘, Harry Barnitz and Dawn Barnitz Potts point out that the sun enters Aries at the spring equinox. And so Aries initiates the season of spring, the warmth of new light, the beginning of the year in ancient times. There is a renewed awareness of being alive and a trust in the sustaining source of light and warmth. This reminds us of the life-sustaining power of love and light present in our minds. A new vision and inspiration. A state of mind awakening to something beyond the material. An intuition which is experienced on a regular cycle throughout life – each time felt on a deeper level.

astrologyThe ram symbolises this quality of innocent trust in life.  Astrologers claim that people born under the sign of Aries the Ram are visionary and creative innovators with an active imagination and deeply perceptive mind.

This initial state of spiritual awakening still has with it much of egoism. The ram also has connotations of aggression. Shepherds know that while sheep are generally a docile animal, this is not usually the case with rams, especially during the breeding season. Rams can be very aggressive and have been known to cause serious injuries.

And so astrologers say that those born under the sign of Aries the Ram, because of the ego-mind, are also likely to be fiery, and violent because of the planet Mars which is said to rule over this first sign.

If the positive and the negative go together then it is not surprising to find a visionary awareness of and innocent trust in a spiritually sustaining source. Also it is not surprising to find the opposite illusions derived from a proud and aggressive self-reliance.

My feelings about astrology

Astrology says the planetary configuration, at the time of our birth, mirrors our individual natural disposition and quality of feeling. This fits in with the idea that we each have a unique potential. The notion that each one of us can have a distinctive and useful function in the grand scheme of things.

I suspect that astrology has a fair bit to offer in terms of spiritual guidance along these lines. By coming to understand what feelings and desires are leading the choices we make in our daily life, we can begin to see a path before us away from the things of ego-mind.

Distortion of ancient wisdom over the ages

According to Emanuel Swedenborg, many thousands of years ago people knew the real meaning of the correspondence between the natural and spiritual. However, in the process of time, this ancient wisdom was distorted. Spiritual knowledge was turned into things like witchcraft and fortune-telling. However, it may be true that that there are still glimpses of ancient truths in the customs, fables, writings and religions of all lands. I wonder if this is also the case for some things said by astrology about the Zodiac signs and their relationship to the higher life of the spirit?

Copyright 2016 Stephen Russell-Lacy
Author of  Heart, Head & Hands  Swedenborg’s perspective on emotional problems

 Posted on17th September 2016Authoreditor18CategoriesLatest post, Meaning of life, SymbolismTags, , , ,

Communication of higher awareness.

Has a new kind of uplifting perception or intuition ever come to you? Perhaps a sense of wholeness or timelessness, or an encounter with a side to reality that goes beyond the world as we usually know it. A short moment when you sensed that something new has been revealed – something usually hidden? Communication of such illumination can be problematic.

Trying to remember this sort of deep experience can be difficult because ordinary language seems unable to capture the essence of the thing. Perhaps you would love to convey something of the positive nature of what you have gone through to your partner or close friend. But how do you do this? How does one communicate something which seems to be different from common life?

communicationVerbal and non-verbal communication

You may talk about and show your feelings using tone of voice and facial expression. But this is only a communication about how you have reacted to the experience rather than saying anything about the experience itself. You may try to use the language of religion or mysticism to describe it but often the words used by these are off-putting, ambiguous or carry connotations that are not what you are trying to get at.

In communicating your experience one approach you might try is to write a poem. This isn’t quite as daft as it seems. A lot of the world’s mystical writing is couched in verse using poetic licence to convey impressions and ideas. You don’t even have to use poetry. Prose can also employ imagery to communicate something of a deeper side to existence.

In choosing imagery you might try using simile or metaphor as follows:

Using image of mountains for communication

For example perhaps your extraordinary consciousness showed you a higher and wider perspective on things, in which case you might refer to it as a ‘mountain-top’ experience e.g. glimpsing a higher aspiration in life for yourself which might become the summit of your achievement and worth all your effort to climb to the peak. We speak of ‘faith being able to move mountains’; and so if you believe in what you are doing, you can overcome any obstacle.

Using image of olive oil for communication

Alternatively, your moment of higher awareness may have been a sense of kindness and harmony. This perception might be conveyed in terms of olive oil. Don’t we speak of ‘pouring oil on troubled waters’. This image reflects a concern for resolving discord and conflict so that calm and agreement is restored. A small act of kindness can ‘oil the wheels’ of social interaction and make things run more smoothly.

Using image of lions for communication

Your special illumination may have been catching sight of that intangible thing we call courage – perhaps having a foretaste of the kind of confidence needed to turn round and face one’s personal difficulties. Using an image of the lion may express this positive feeling, for we speak of being ‘brave as a lion’ – a creature which has every reason to be a confident being, as it is, the top predator in its natural habitat. To ‘beard the lion’ would indeed be to confront danger using divine power within.

Using image of pearls for communication

Or perhaps you have had a deep experience of inner safety and stillness. The pearl comes to mind. The pearl is valued for its lustre. We speak of an important piece of advice as a pearl of wisdom. Protected by its oyster shell, it had laid quiet and still on the sea bed. You may come to value the perception about divine protection you gained in the quietness and stillness of your meditating mind.

Using image of the sun for communication

One of the most inspiring of all inner experiences is to feel in the presence of the source of all life – the love and light without which nothing that is good could exist. This is a consciousness of cosmic energy originating and sustaining not only our physical life but also our spiritual one. The light and warmth can go out of our life when we lose a loved one. We also feel in the dark and cold when we lose a sense of the spiritual light and heat which is the source of our soul. The sun with its heat and light is a wonderful emblem of this power house for all our creativity and growth.

Swedenborg on correspondence

The well known maxim ‘As above, so below‘ means that the elements of our higher consciousness correspond to the things of nature. In his exploration of this esoteric idea, the spiritual philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg shows in a lot of detail how our higher thoughts can be communicated in terms of the natural things of the world.

Furthermore he maintains that because natural things – such as in the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms – are created by God, they can reflect what is good that comes from God.

“The whole natural order is a theatre representative of the Lord’s kingdom.” (Emanuel Swedenborg)

Corruption

However, one needs to bear in mind what he also says about some parts of nature which can represent a corruption of what comes from the Divine Source – hence the existence of what is noxious, poisonous, or otherwise harmful as well as that which is nourishing, delightful, and protective.

Communication of images from animal kingdom

Alive and moving, animals in a good sense such as the lion he says can represent human desires including higher feelings.

Communication of images from vegetable kingdom

Swedenborg maintains that plants, which have growth but not movement, like the olive tree, can represent what needs inwardly nourishing and enlivening in human beings and thus potential stages of their spiritual growth.

Communication of images from mineral kingdom

There are non-living natural things such as mountains and the sun which neither move nor grow. He says these can represent spiritual resources for human nurturing and growth and thus both the ends and beginning of human endeavour.

In other words images of natural things can convey to others our higher awareness of spiritual reality.

Copyright 2015 Stephen Russell-Lacy

Author Heart, Head & Hands

Posted on9th November 2015AuthorEditorCategoriesConsciousness, Latest post, Meaning of life,Mystical experience, SymbolismTags, , , ,