Prehistoric wisdom

One of the false notions modern civilization embraces is that humankind has a superior intellect to that of former times—especially prehistoric times.

But Emanuel Swedenborg and George Gurdjieff both disputed this contemporary assumption. They insisted that the human intellect has actually atrophied since remote times. Proof of this seemingly anti-intuitive position is that modern academics have great difficulty interpreting prehistoric and cave artwork. An element of mystery always surrounds ancient art.

Scholars try to interpret these images in purely natural terms, believing that ancient humans were merely trying to understand the physical world and habitat around them. They do leave some room for abstract thought and primitive religious expression. However, this abstract thought is seen as an early expression of human fantasy and superstition.

Not so!

What is misjudged is the depth of intellectual abstraction portrayed in the images used by prehistoric humans. These ancient images represent supra-natural (other-worldly) knowledge and wisdom!

Swedenborg called this superior knowledge the science of correspondences. Ancient civilizations based this science on the premise that all things and processes in the visible terrestrial world were analogs of things existing in the invisible spiritual realm. Ancient artists, therefore, used objects and animals found in nature to represent heavenly and theological realities.

Swedenborg went to great lengths to reintroduce this knowledge to the modern world.

For instance, a stag (like the one above) depicted not simply “food on the hoof,” but intellectual freedom. The antlers represented the intellectual power obtained from this freedom. (Gurdjieff maintained that the number of “forks” or branching displayed by the antlers represented a particular level of spiritual development enjoyed by either the artist or those of the tribe.)

Hunters with spears or bows and arrows represented those who had the persuasive power to teach spiritual lessons for the human heart. Killing an animal represented the death of an inferior state of mind and its transformation into a nobler level by becoming the food, which would support and maintain the higher qualities of the spiritual hunters. (If this idea seems strange, remember that Jesus told His disciples to become “fishers” of men.)

Not only did Jesus use this symbolic language (He only spoke in parables), Swedenborg claimed that all the narratives of the Lord God’s Holy Word contains the same symbolic language as that depicted by ancient artwork! (This revelation will eventually turn the modern worldview on its head.)

Grasping this sacred symbolic language requires opening a level of the human mind, which modern neuroscientists have yet to detect. This higher level of understanding in the human mind has been gradually closed off by the increased propensity of researchers to embrace merely natural philosophy and reductionist thinking.

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What is instinctive to women has to be learned by men

There is a saying that men know all about the world but women know all about the man. I believe this statement to be true.

This female knowledge is particularly keen among wives towards their husbands. In fact, according to the great seer Emanuel Swedenborg, this knowledge is how a woman becomes a wife, as opposed to a mere married partner or “significant other.”

Swedenborg claimed that this special female knowledge of their husband’s state of mind is increased in the spiritual world. God has given women this instinctive knowledge for a divine purpose.

This relationship is very much like the differences between the human cerebrum and the cerebellum. The cerebrum is designed to perceive data from the outer world while the cerebellum is aware of everything going on in the cerebrum (one’s internal reality).

Also, the cerebrum sleeps at night while the cerebellum keeps on working (a woman’s work is never done).

The only way men can learn how to benefit from this situation is through a revelation from God. Without such important spiritual enlightenment, men and husbands will marginalize women, or their wives, and misread a woman’s role—such as in “nagging.” This “nagging” is part of the female endeavor (stemming from deep love) to bend her partner’s will (heart) in a way that will make him a “prince.” (This is the symbolic message behind the “fairytale” of a beautiful princess kissing a frog.)

As the husband becomes a prince, through battling his flaws of character, the wife’s happiness and beauty increases. It is only through this challenging spiritual process that a husband comes to genuinely love his wife and gain real wisdom. (Men need women to help point out these flaws.) And, it is only through a husband becoming a prince that a wife elevates her spiritual status and destiny. In other words, it is the husband’s growing wisdom that a wife fuses her heart to. So spiritually, they need each other

(An individual person can only become half an angel!)

Men and husbands, oblivious to the God-designed role of women and wives, react negatively to this “character-nudging” and therefore eventually dismiss them as unimportant and a hindrance to their personal success. Sensing this coldness from men, women will respond with everything from sexual frigidity to pursuing their own professional success.

Such is the human predicament of the post-modern and “liberated” world. This lack of understanding between the spiritual roles of men and women is why there is a war of the sexes.

Swedenborg’s book Conjugial Love, written from observations made in the Spiritual realm (by divine permission), describes marital love as transcending the mere bonding of two people. This profound marital relationship, is more than a means of connecting the two, it is the means to a new creation—a complete angel. The book demonstrates how two people become truly married if they contribute to each other’s unified spiritual growth­—through increased intimacy (sincerity) for an eternity.

All men need to read this book! Especially Christian men, who according to Swedenborg, commit adultery more than those of any other major religion.

Constancy and Change

If one contemplates the world around oneself, it is fairly easy to conclude that reality seems to consist of two opposing concepts—constancy and change.

For instance, the seasons of the planet Earth change, but there is constancy in their repetition. Another example is a seed growing into a tree and the tree producing seeds. In fact, every living process of various biological systems maintains its constancy through cyclic process.

All change follows similar and constant rules—no matter the level of complexity within any whole (complete) process. The universe could not be rationally ordered and unified in any other way.

Even in our own person-level experience, we can observe a continuity of individuality within our ever-changing thoughts and emotions as they encircle our intentions and goals. All our bodily bio-systems maintain their integrity from cyclic processes as well.

But how can a blind universe, consisting of dead matter, weave such opposing concepts together? Perhaps such a dynamic has its origins in consciousness itself. A circular process is a geometrical expression of consciousness and awareness because every point along the trajectory must be oriented to returning to its beginning.

Scientist/theologian Emanuel Swedenborg claimed that constancy and change emerged from two universal (and living) principles—essence and a coming forth. In theology this translates into God’s Love and Truth. In physics it translates into force and form.

Unfortunately, science has yet to discover why anything takes coherent form (nature shows us an incessant endeavor and compulsion for self-organization). According to Swedenborg, nothing takes form unless it serves some purpose in perfecting that which already exists.

All ancient wisdom traditions understood this cyclic dynamic of unity and portrayed “wheels” in their artwork. To offer a few examples, in the Old Testament Ezekiel had a vision of wheels within wheels, the Hindu word chakra means “wheel,” Buddhists have “prayer wheels,” Dervishes danced in a rotational movement and the native American Indians had medicine wheels.

The universe shows us a grand theater by which there is a perfection of unity through diversified utility. The essence of love is to unite—through the subordination and coordination of all process and all change—within a divine trajectory and goal.

That is, indeed, a miracle that can fall within the comprehension of the human mind!

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The Devil and the Cross

The Devil had a serious look of concern on his face. Jesus had been nailed to the cross for several hours and still showed no signs of trying to get off and kick some butt. This is not what the Devil had planned.

While in the desert, the Devil had already failed to entice the Lord into becoming a ruler over the entire earth. The crucifixion was the Devil’s last chance to tempt the Lord into making a big mistake.

If Jesus could just be persuaded to get off that cross to save his own hide and exercise his power over the Roman soldiers and their oppressive rule, the Devil’s devious plan would succeed. For this would mean that Jesus had finally conceded and accepted his offer of earthly dominance.

But the physical pain was not enough to break the Lord’s will.

The Devil knew that as long as Jesus had a human body of flesh and a human disposition, he knew the Lord could be tempted. So the Devil decided to raise the stakes with more serious temptations. He would add psychological pain to crucifixion.

Poor people, oppressed and persecuted people, people suffering all kinds of injustices, punishments and misfortunes were sent to the crucifixion site and pleaded for Jesus to get off the Cross and—with His angelic army—alleviate their suffering and bring justice to the land. This indeed put more pressure on Jesus to do something tangible. Now!

The human side of Jesus yelled out that His Father in heaven was forsaking Him. But this was a final test by which the Lord would gain full control over his flesh and worldly inclinations in order to unify His human nature with His Divine nature. Jesus resisted the vanities and allurements of the earthly kingdom and chose the heavenly kingdom instead.

Jesus died, squashing everyone’s expectations, but was glorified for this painful decision.

The Devil knew he had failed to destroy God’s spiritual integrity. But he did not feel completely defeated. He knew that mortal men’s and women’s minds were still worldly, and if not now, would in the future expect the Lord to make a physical return to set things right on earth.

Rather than seek a heavenly kingdom beyond time and space, people on earth will always demand a terrestrial utopia.

A wicked smile slowly grew across the Devil’s face…

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The two religious buddies

Once upon a time there lived two close buddies, Bob and Frank. Although both were very religious, they each attended very different churches.

On this particular day, Bob was suffering from a bout of depression and called his good friend Frank to come over to cheer him up.

When Frank arrived and walked in, he was surprised to see Bob looking awful and wearing a blanket.

“Are you coming down with a cold?” asked Frank.

“Oh no,” answered Bob, “I got this blanket from my church. It is kind of a security blanket, to remind me that they offer comfort, support and the warmth of love.”

“So why do you still look so awful?” questioned Frank.

“I don’t know. Maybe it is because the world is getting so crazy. Or, maybe it is something in me,” replied Bob. “Tell me. Why is it that you are always so happy and full of vitality?”

Frank thought about it for a moment then said, “My church doesn’t offer blankets but something much, much better.”

“What is that,” asked Bob?

Frank’s reply was blunt. “Enemas.”

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“As complexity descends, utility ascends.”

The title for this post represents one of my favorite quotes from Emanuel Swedenborg. It comes from his scientific writings, rather than from his theological works, yet it is full of spiritual significance.

In fact, Swedenborg based his science on the existence of God (theistic science). Since God is Infinite, reality starts with unimaginable complexity. The process of creation and evolution (through divine influx into increasingly receptive forms) is simply the trajectory of the created universe to more closely mirror and correspond to this divine complexity.

Creation is a downward movement away from first principles. Evolution is the movement of this same creative process to return to first principles and God (otherwise the universe and its laws could not be inwardly consistent—which today’s scientists believe is the case). The human brain (and its conscious mind) is spearheading this cosmic and transcendental circular process, not only because it is the most complex structure in the universe; the human brain also has the greatest capacity to elevate utility and usefulness beyond (and above) anything else seen in the universe.

This elevated utility is spiritual love (which everyone recognizes as humanity living and acting at its very best). Such a love would produce a civilization and commerce consisting of the noblest and highest expressions of utility and helpfulness.

How does empathy and love to the neighbor represent a return to first principles? Well, God is Love. Anything promoting such love moves closer to God’s intentions and the nature of a truly heavenly kingdom. The human heart (will) and mind (intellect) was designed for such exalted utility.

As Swedenborg moved from a scientist to a theologian he put forth a worldview in which love is actually the primal substance and first creative cause of the universe. Evidence for this is the fact that nothing comes into existence except through co-existence. All organized and coherent systems are based on successive and simultaneous cooperation. (He viewed angels as the highest and noblest expression of the process of evolution to exalt this endeavor towards increased cooperativeness.)

Science will fail to advance unless it comes to understand love as the essence of reality and the fundamental force ruling the physics and laws of the universe.

My award winning book Proving God offers insights as to how scientists can rationally apply Love into their models of reality.

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God takes aim right between the eyes

The other day, while reading Emanuel Swedenborg’s spiritual translation of Exodus in Holy Scripture (Arcana Coelestia, volume 10), I came upon a passage which produced a new synapse in my brain. (I say spiritual translation because Swedenborg revealed layers of deeper meaning within the literal text of God’s Holy Word.) The passage that caught my attention was:

And for a memorial between the eyes (Exodus 13:9).

I was immediately struck by the fact that in Hindu culture one often paints a dot on the forehead symbolizing a “third eye.” This third eye is the mind’s eye, which sees through the understanding.

Swedenborg’s deeper or spiritual translation of the above biblical passage assigns a similar meaning of the Hindu third eye to Jehovah’s command of keeping a reminding factor between the eyes. The spiritual meaning of this divine command is that those who are sincerely faithful should always remember that Jehovah God was (and still is) solely responsible for all liberation from the human predicament of spiritual (inner) captivity.

Therefore, in the biblical passage quoted above, we are each called to constantly remind ourselves of this cosmic truth, that is, to keep this acknowledgment of God’s activity to liberate us, always in our understanding and consciousness (third eye).

Painting a dot on the forehead between the eyes, in Hindu custom, indeed represents a symbolic memorial or constant reminder to the human psyche that is profoundly similar to Jehovah’s sacred request in the Bible.

Hmmm…

This is evidence that all religion had similar origins and guiding principles. Humankind needs to develop its third eye again in order to rediscover this universal truth.

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Everyone comes in two different sizes

All humans fall under two kinds of measurement. One is our physical stature and the other is the size of our hearts and minds. The second measurement involves the extent or boundary of our inner spirit.

Each kind of measurement relies on a different metric. One is measurable by the scientific method, the other by a kind of inner perception and evaluation that transcends the world of physical energy and matter, or even spacetime.

Even though science does not include this second type of measurement in its model of reality, all humans instinctively use it to get a more accurate measurement of a person’s true quality.

If someone acts selfishly, we sense that person to be “small.” If a person is selfless in their actions toward us we often say this person is greater than others and has a “big heart.” Obviously, a “big heart” cannot be adequately explored by a terrestrial cardiologist. Yet, its existence is as real as anything we can experience.

When we say that a person has “big shoes” to fill we are not talking about Shaquille O’Neil’s sneaker size.

This discrepancy between physical and non-physical measurement needs to be given more attention. And, serious questions need to be asked and contemplated.

How is it that the most relevant and important measurement of a person’s true stature is not physical? And, how is it that we can detect non-physical sizes, nevertheless?

I believe such profound sensitivity to others is evidence of another, deeper world— a spiritual world.

What do you think?

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British physicist Stephen Hawking offers proof of Swedenborg’s findings concerning women.

In a recent online article, world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking admitted that women were, to him, the biggest mystery in the cosmos.

Scientist/theologian Emanuel Swedenborg made a similar discovery about men being totally confounded by women in an amazing experiment. The experiment was amazing because it took place not on earth, but in the Spiritual World!

In his theological book Conjugial Love, Swedenborg observed an experiment between husbands and their wives in the afterlife. He reported that all women emit a sphere of love, which has a profound effect on the psyche of men. The experiment consisted of separating the husbands from their wives, then—from Divine permission—the sphere of love emanating from each wife was removed.

After that, the angelic husbands were reunited with their angelic wives.

Surprisingly, the husbands not only failed to recognize their wives but they no longer had the slightest clue as to what women even were. When the sphere of love was restored to the wives, their husbands’ recognition returned.

You would have to read Swedenborg’s entire book to make sense of this spiritual phenomenon.

However, several years ago I had some fun with this unique spiritual dynamic, reported by Swedenborg. When I was attending seminary in California, a fellow female student who was from another faith-system but quite liberated, was conversing (and complaining) to me about the insensitivity of men.

Recalling Swedenborg’s observation from my memory, I told her the problem was even worse than she could imagine.

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Harmony collapses the wave function

One of the biggest mysteries in physics is how the probability distributions in a quantum process collapse into a single outcome of measurement. How does one formal outcome emerge from all the possibilities? And what happens to all those other possibilities after a specific outcome manifests?

This challenge is known as the measurement problem in quantum theory. Without an answer, present day physicists do not know how the fuzzy quantum world interconnects with the classical world of reliable macroscopic measurement. There cannot be two kinds of physical worlds ruled by two kinds of laws. The unity of the universe is evidence that one set of laws rules.

One of the difficulties is that physicists are not in agreement as to whether the different probability trajectories in a quantum event are real or imaginary. Their activity (quantum foam) does not lead to anything that can be measured. Some scientists describe these “ghostlike” trajectories as the action of virtual particles.

I believe that scientist/theologian Emanuel Swedenborg provided the answer and I wrote about it in my award-winning book, Proving God.  Swedenborg, too, envisioned virtual-like particles existing in a realm prior to physical measurement. However, he claimed that these different (and indeterminate) virtual particles produced a formal outcome (“collapse”) from their cooperation and incessant drive towards harmony (self-organization through relational holism).

Swedenborg maintained that for new things to come into existence previous (a priori) things had to co-exist. In this way he was able to demonstrate how natural law emerged from spiritual law. The essence of Love (real spiritual force) is to unite, and all nature shows us a profoundly oriented, ordered and unified design.

If the term “harmony” seems unscientific and too romantic, please keep in mind that modern string theory suggests that the universe is built up on a grand musical model of differently vibrating strings.

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