Logopraxis

The atonement and appearances of a vengeful God

Doctrine of the Lord 18. It is believed in the church that the Lord was sent by the Father to make an atonement for the human race, and that this was effected by His fulfilling the law, and by the passion of the cross; and that in this way He took away condemnation, and made satisfaction; and that without this expiation, satisfaction, and propitiation, the human race would have perished in eternal death, and this on account of justice which by some is called vengeful justice. It is true that without the Lord's advent all in the world would have perished; but how it is to be understood that the Lord fulfilled all things of the law, and why He suffered the cross, may be seen above, in chapters II. and III., which show that it was not on account of any vengeful justice, because this is not a Divine attribute. Divine attributes are justice, love, mercy, and good; and God is justice itself, love itself, mercy itself, and good itself; and where these are, there is not anything of vengeance, and therefore no vengeful justice.

The division of the Trinity into three persons

True Christian Religion 168. When it is said that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the three essentials of the one God, like soul, body, and operation in man, it seems to the human mind as if these three essentials are three persons, which is impossible. But when it is understood that the Divine of the Father, which constitutes the soul, and the Divine of the Son, which constitutes the body, and the Divine of the Holy Spirit or the proceeding Divine, which constitutes the operation, are the three essentials of the one God, the statement is comprehensible. For God the Father is His Divine, the Son from the Father is His Divine, and the Holy Spirit from both is His Divine; and as these are one in essence and one in mind they constitute one God. But if these three Divine essentials are called persons, and if to each person is attributed his own property, to the Father imputation, to the Son mediation, and to the Holy Spirit operation, the Divine Essence, which in fact is one and not divisible, becomes divided: and thus none of the three is God in fullness, but each has a sub-triple power; and this a sound understanding must needs reject.

The Trine of the Lord

Arcana Colestia 9303... there is one God and He is the Lord, that His Human is the Deity Himself in outward form, and that the holiness proceeding from Him is the Holy Spirit, thus that though there is a Trinity the Deity is intrinsically One.

10822. People possess the idea of three entities in one Person when their thought is that the Father is within the Lord and that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Lord. Then the Trinity resides within the Lord, consisting of the Divine itself, called the Father, the Divine Human, called the Son, and the Divine Proceeding, called the Holy Spirit.

10738. Before these things were said, they had believed that our company also was one of those which desired to confuse them about God by the idea of three; and therefore after hearing these words, they said that some have been sent by God (whom they then called the Lord) to teach them about Him; and that they are not willing to admit visitors who disturb them, especially by means of three Persons in the Godhead, because they know that God is one, consequently that the Divine is one, and not a unanimity of three-unless their visitors are willing to think of God as of an angel, in whom there is an inmost of life that is invisible, and from which he thinks and is wise; and an external of life that is visible under the human form, and from which he sees and acts; and also a proceeding of life which is a sphere of love and faith around him. For from the sphere of life proceeding from him, the quality of every spirit and angel in respect to his love and faith is perceived at a distance. And in regard to the Lord they said that the proceeding sphere of life from Him is the Divine Itself that fills the heavens and makes them, because it is from the very Being of the life of love and of faith. [2] After hearing these words it was given to say that such an idea about what is trine and at the same time one, is in agreement with the angelic idea about the Lord, and that it is from the very doctrine of the Lord about Himself, for He teaches that the Father and He are one, that the Father is in Him and He in the Father, that whoso seeth Him seeth the Father, and whoso believeth in Him believeth in the Father and knoweth Him, and also that the Paraclete, whom He calls the Spirit of truth and also the Holy Spirit, proceeds from Him and does not speak from Himself, but from Him, whereby is meant the Divine proceeding.[3] And it was given to say, further, that an idea of what is trine and at the same time one is in agreement with the Being and Manifestation [Esse et Existere] of the life of the Lord when He was in the world. The Being of His life was the Divine Itself, for He was conceived of Jehovah; and the being of the life of everyone is that from whom he is conceived. The Manifestation of life from this Being is the Human in form. The being of the life of every man, which he has from his father, is called the soul; and the manifestation of life thence derived is called the body. The soul and the body constitute one man. [4] The likeness between the two is like that between that which is in an endeavor and that which is in the consequent act; for an act is an endeavor acting, and thus these two are one. In man, endeavor is called “will;” and endeavor acting is called “action.” The body is the instrumental by which the will, which is the principal, acts; and in acting the instrumental and the principal are together a one. And so it is with the soul and the body. The angels in heaven have such an idea about the soul and the body; and from this they know that the Lord made His Human Divine from the Divine in Himself, which was His soul from the Father. Moreover, the faith everywhere received in the Christian world does not dissent from this, for it teaches, “As the body and soul are one man, so also in the Lord, God and Man are one Christ.”

Apocalypse Revealed 613… by Father is meant the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love, which in the Word of the Evangelists is everywhere meant by the Father, when named by the Lord, and the Divine truth of the Divine wisdom by the Son; which two were united as soul to body and body to soul, when the Lord glorified His Human … [2] That the Divine, which is called the Father, and the Divine Human, which is called the Son, are One, like soul and body, and consequently that the Lord is to be approached as to the Divine Human, and that thus and not otherwise the Divine, which is called the Father, is approached, appears from so many passages in the Word, that they would fill many pages, if they were to be adduced; a large collection of them may be found in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Lord 29-36, 38-45, and following; from which a few only shall here be quoted by way of confirmation, which are these: The angel said to Mary, Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest. But Mary said, How shall this be, since I know not a man. The angel answered, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, therefore also, that Holy One which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God, (Luke 1:30-35).

AC 10067.. no one can be conjoined by faith and love with the Divine Itself without the Divine Human; for the Divine Itself, which is called the “Father,” cannot be thought of, because it is incomprehensible, and what cannot be thought of cannot become a matter of faith, nor therefore an object of love; when yet the chief of all worship is to believe in God, and to love Him above all things. That the Divine Itself, which is the “Father,” is incomprehensible, the Lord also teaches in John: No man hath ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath set Him forth (John 1:18).

Doctrine of Holy Scripture 28. The learned reader will comprehend that these three may be called end, cause, and effect; also esse, fieri, and existere; 1 and that the end is the esse, the cause the fieri, and the effect the existere; consequently, that in every complete thing there is a trine, which is called first, middle, and ultimate; also end, cause, and effect; and also esse, fieri, and existere. When these things are comprehended, it is also comprehended that every Divine work is complete and perfect in its ultimate; and likewise that the whole is in the ultimate, which is a trine, because the prior things are together, or simultaneously, in it. Footnote 1. That is, being, becoming, and coming forth. The being of a thing is what we call its existence; and therefore it was said by the ancients that in God we live, and move, and have our being (Acts of the Apostles 17:28). Here our being means the inmost of our life (Arcana Coelestia, 5605e). The becoming of a thing is its being taking form. And the coming forth of a thing is the presentation or manifestation of that thing as an actual reality. Thus the Latin word existere has a very different meaning from the English exist, and cannot be translated by it without causing a complete misconception in the mind of the English reader. [Translator]

AC 3704 [15] From all these places it is clear that it is Divine Good which is called 'the Father' and Divine Truth 'the Son', and that the Lord governs every single thing in all creation from Divine Good by means of Divine Truth. This being so, manifestly so from the Word, it is astounding that people in the Christian world know and teach that the whole of the Trinity resides in the Lord, and yet they do not,...

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6579. Verses 22, 23. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim's sons of the third generation: the sons also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph's knees. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, signifies the life of the memory-knowledges of the church from the internal; he and his father's house, signifies from the internal and its good; and Joseph lived a hundred and ten years, signifies the state and quality; and Joseph saw Ephraim's sons of the third generation, signifies the setting up again of the church in respect to the intellectual, and its derivatives; the sons also of Machir the son of Manasseh, signifies, and in respect to the will and its derivatives; were born upon Joseph's knees, signifies that they were from good conjoined with truth from the internal.

6580. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt. That this signifies the life of the memory-knowledges of the church from the internal, is evident from the signification of dwelling, as being life (see n. 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451, 6051); from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (n. 6499); and from the signification of Egypt, as being the memory-knowledges of the church (n. 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004). In the preceding verses of this chapter the subject treated of is the spiritual church that was to be set up again; and after the external or natural has been made completely submissive to the internal or spiritual-which is signified by Joseph's brethren falling down before him and offering themselves to him for servants-the subject now treated of is this church when set up again, which is described in these verses by Joseph's dwelling in Egypt, and by sons being born of Ephraim, and of Machir the son of Manasseh. With the man who is a spiritual church there is life from the internal in the memory-knowledges of the church; for the memory-knowledges with him are made subordinate, and reduced into such order that they receive the influx of good and of truth, so as to be receptacles of influx from the internal. It is otherwise with those who are not a church, the memory-knowledges with these persons being so disposed that things confirmatory of truth and good have been rejected to the sides, thus far removed from the light of heaven; and thereafter the things that remain are receptive of falsity and evil.

6581. He and his father's house. That this signifies from the internal and its good, is evident from the representation of Joseph, who here is he, as being the internal (see n. 6499); and from the signification of house, as being good (n. 2048, 3720, 4982).

6582. And Joseph lived a hundred and ten years. That this signifies the state and quality, is evident from the signification of numbers in the Word, as being things (see n. 575, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 5265, 6175); and indeed the state and quality of the thing (n. 4670). So also it is with the number a hundred and ten, which contains the state and quality of the life of memory-knowledges from the internal.

6583. And Joseph saw Ephraim's sons of the third generation. That this signifies the setting up again of the church in respect to the intellectual and its derivatives, is evident from the representation of Ephraim, as being the intellectual of the church (see n. 3969, 5354, 6222, 6234, 6238, 6267); and from the signification of sons of the third generation, as being derivatives; for as sons and the sons of sons descend from a parent, they denote the derivatives of that which is represented by the parent. The setting up again of the church from the internal, that is, through the internal from the Lord, is signified by Joseph saw. (What the intellectual of the church represented by Ephraim is, see n. 6222.)

6584. The sons also of Machir the son of Manasseh. That this signifies and in respect to the will and its derivatives, is evident from the representation of Manasseh, as being the will of the church (see n. 5351, 5353, 5354, 6222, 6238, 6267, 6296); and from the signification of his sons and sons' sons, here the sons of Machir, as being the derivatives (n. 6583); the derivatives of the will of the church-signified by the sons of Machir-are goods conjoined with truths, thus also truths from good, for the truths that have been derived from good are forms of good. That the sons of Machir denote goods conjoined with truths is signified by their being born on Joseph's knees, as presently follows; and that they denote truths from good is signified in the book of Judges: Out of Machir shall come down lawgivers (Judg. 5:14); lawgivers denote truths from good (n. 6372).

6585. Were born upon Joseph's knees. That this signifies that they were from good conjoined with truth from the internal, is evident from the signification of bringing forth on the knees, as being the conjunction of good and truth (see n. 3915); and from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (n. 6499). The sons of Machir being born upon Joseph's knees involves that Joseph acknowledged them as his own, for when it is so said, it is signified that they are adopted as his own, as may be seen from the sons born of Bilhah the maidservant of Rachel, concerning whom Rachel says:

Behold my handmaid Bilhah, come unto her, and she shall bear upon my knees, and I also shall be built up by her (Gen. 30:3).

The reason why these sons were acknowledged by Joseph as his own, was that by Manasseh is represented the will of the church, thus its good; and the internal which is represented by Joseph flows in with good, but not with truth except through good; hence it is that these are said to be born upon Joseph's knees.

6586. Verses 24-26. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die; and visiting God will visit you, and will make you go up out of this land unto the land which He sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the sons of Israel, saying, Visiting God will visit you, and ye shall make my bones go up from hence. And Joseph died, a son of a hundred and ten years; and they embalmed him, and he was put in an ark in Egypt. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, signifies a prediction that the internal of the church will cease; and visiting God will visit you, signifies that the last time will come; and will make you go up out of this land unto the land which He sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, signifies that they will come to the state of the church in which the ancients were; and Joseph took an oath of the sons of Israel, signifies a binding; Visiting God will visit you, signifies when this last of the church will come; and ye shall make my bones go up from hence, signifies that there will be the representative of a church, but not a representative church, which must be in the internal also; and Joseph died, signifies that the internal of the church ceased to be; a son of a hundred and ten years, signifies the state then; and they embalmed him, signifies preservation still; and he was put in an ark in Egypt, signifies concealment in the memory-knowledges of the church.

6587. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die. That this signifies a prediction that the internal of the church will cease, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (see n. 6499), here the internal of the church, because in what precedes the subject treated of has been the church set up again by the internal, that is, through the internal by the Lord; and from the signification of dying, as being to cease to be such (n. 494); thus to cease. (That dying denotes the last time of the church, may be seen above, n. 2908, 2912, 2917, 2923.) Prediction concerning this time is signified by Joseph said unto his brethren; for in what now follows, even to the end, the subject treated of is the further state of the church. Hence it is plain that by Joseph said unto his brethren, I die, is signified that the internal of the church will cease.

[2] The case herein is this. A church in order to exist must be internal and external, for there are those who are in the internal of the church, and those who are in its external; the former are few, but the latter are very numerous. Nevertheless with those with whom is the internal church, the external must be also, for the internal of the church cannot be separated from its external; and also with those with whom is the external church, the internal must be also, but with these the internal is in obscurity.

[3] The internal of the church consists in willing good from the heart, and in being affected with good; and its external consists in doing it, and this according to the truth of faith which the man knows from good; but the external of the church consists in the devout performance of rituals, and in doing works of charity, according to the precepts of the church. From this it is evident that the internal of the church is the good of charity in the will. Therefore when this ceases, the church itself also ceases, for the good of charity is its essential. External worship indeed remains afterward, as before, but then it is not worship, but a rite, which is preserved because it has been so appointed; but this rite, which appears like worship, is like a shell without a kernel, for it is an external which remains wherein is no internal. When such is the state of the church it is at its end.

6588. And visiting God will visit you. That this signifies that the last time will come, is evident from the signification of being visited, as being the last time, here the last time of the oppression of the sons of Israel in Egypt; in the internal sense, the last time of an old church, and the first of a new one. In the Word this last time is called visitation, and is predicated both of the church in general, and also of those who are within the church in particular; and of the

The Three States of Awakening

Heaven and Hell 491. There are three states that man passes through after death before he enters either heaven or hell. The first state is the state of his exteriors, the second state the state of his interiors, and the third his state of preparation. These states man passes through in the world of spirits. (HH 491).

 

The exteriors are projections of the interior states

489... But the delights of life of those who have lived in the world in heavenly love are changed into such corresponding things as are in the heavens, which come into existence from the Sun of heaven and its light, that light presenting to view such things as have what is Divine inwardly concealed in them. The things that appear in that light affect the interiors of the minds of the angels, and at the same time the exteriors pertaining to their bodies; and as the Divine light, which is Divine Truth going forth from the Lord, flows into their minds opened by heavenly love, it presents outwardly such things as correspond to the delights of their love. It has already been shown, in the section on representatives and appearances in heaven (170-176), and in the section on the wisdom of the angels (265-275), that the things that appear to the sight in the heavens correspond to the interiors of angels, or to the things pertaining to their faith and love and thus to their intelligence and wisdom.

(3)... In every object they see what is Divine; the objects they see indeed with their eyes; but the corresponding Divine things flow in immediately into their minds

(6)... And as all the objects that come into existence round about them correspond to their interiors, these assume such an appearance that others can clearly perceive what they represent and signify.

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

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566. WHAT HELL FIRE IS AND WHAT THE GNASHING OF TEETH IS.

What eternal fire is, and what the gnashing of teeth is, which are mentioned in the Word in reference to those who are in hell, scarcely any one as yet has known, because the contents of the Word have been thought about only in a material way, and nothing has been known about its spiritual sense. So fire has been understood by some to mean material fire, by others to mean torment in general, by others remorse of conscience, and others have held that it is mentioned merely to excite terror in the wicked. Likewise some have supposed the gnashing of teeth to mean actual gnashing, and some only a horror, such as is excited when such a collision of teeth is heard. But any one who is acquainted with the spiritual meaning of the Word may know what eternal fire is, and what the gnashing of teeth is; for every expression and every meaning of the expressions in the Word contains a spiritual meaning, since the Word in its bosom is spiritual; and what is spiritual can be set before man only in natural forms of expression, because man is in the natural world and thinks from the things of that world. Therefore it shall now be told what is meant by eternal fire and the gnashing of teeth into which the spirits of evil men enter after death, or which their spirits, then in the spiritual world, endure.

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567. There are two origins of heat, one the sun of heaven which is the Lord, and the other the sun of the world. The heat that is from the sun of heaven, that is, the Lord, is spiritual heat; and this in its essence is love (see above, n. 126-140); but the heat from the sun of the world is natural heat, and this in its essence is not love, but serves spiritual heat or love as a receptacle. Evidently love in its essence is heat, since it is love, in accord with its degree and quality, that gives heat to the mind, and thence to the body; and this man experiences as well in the winter as in the summer. The heating of the blood is from the same source. That the natural heat that springs from the sun of the world serves spiritual heat as a receptacle is evident from the heat of the body, which is excited by the heat of its spirit, and is a kind of substitute for that heat in the body. It is especially evident from the spring and summer heat in animals of every kind which then annually renew their loves. [2] It is not the natural heat that produces this effect, but it disposes their bodies to receive the heat that flows into them from the spiritual world; for the spiritual world flows into the natural as cause into effect. Whoever believes that natural heat produces these loves is much deceived, for influx is from the spiritual world into the natural world, and not from the natural world into the spiritual; and as all love belongs to the life itself it is spiritual. [3] Again, he who believes that any thing comes forth in the natural world without influx from the spiritual world is deceived, for what is natural comes forth and continues to exist only from what is spiritual. Furthermore, the subjects of the vegetable kingdom derive their germinations from influx out of the spiritual world. The natural heat of spring time and summer merely disposes the seeds into their natural forms by expanding and opening them so that influx from the spiritual world can there act as a cause. These things are mentioned to make clear that there are two kinds of heat, spiritual heat and natural heat; and that spiritual heat is from the sun of heaven and natural heat from the sun of the world, and that influx and consequent cooperation produce the effects that appear before the eyes in the world.[1]

[1] There is an influx from the spiritual world into the natural world (numbers 6053-6058, 6189-6215, 6307-6327, 6466-6495, 6598-6626).

There is also an influx into the lives of animals (see number 5850).

And into the subjects of the vegetable kingdom (see number 3648).

This influx is a continual endeavor to act in accordance with the Divine order (number 6211 at the end).

568. Spiritual heat in man is the heat of his life, because, as was said above, it is in its essence love. This heat is what is meant in the Word by fire, love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor by heavenly fire, and love of self and love of the world by infernal fire.

569. Infernal fire or love springs from a like origin as heavenly fire or love, namely, the sun of heaven, or the Lord; but it is made infernal by those who receive it. For all influx from the spiritual world varies in accordance with reception, that is, in accordance with the forms into which it flows, just as it is with the heat and light from the sun of the world. The heat from that sun flowing into shrubberies and beds of flowers produces vegetation, and draws forth grateful and sweet odors; but the same heat flowing into excrementitious and decaying substances produces putrefactions, and draws forth rank and disgusting stenches. In like manner the light from the same sun produces in one subject beautiful and pleasing colors, in another unbeautiful and disagreeable colors. The same is true of the heat and light from the sun of heaven, which is love. When the heat, or love, from that sun flows into good, as it does in good men and angels, it makes their good fruitful; but when it flows into the evil it produces a contrary effect, for their evils either suffocate it or pervert it. In like manner when the light of heaven flows into the truths of good it imparts intelligence and wisdom; but when it flows into the falsities of evil it is turned into insanities and phantasies of various kinds. Thus in every instance the result is in accordance with reception.

570. As infernal fire is the love of self and of the world it is also every lust of these loves, since lust is love in its continuity, for what a man loves he continually lusts after. Infernal fire is also delight, since what a man loves and lusts after he perceives, when he obtains it, to be delightful. Man's delight of heart is from no other source. Infernal fire, therefore, is the lust and delight that spring from these two loves as their origins. The evils flowing from these loves are contempt of others, enmity, and hostility against those who do not favor them, envy, hatred, and revenge, and from these fierceness and cruelty; and in respect to the Divine they are denial and consequent contempt, derision, and detraction of the holy things of the church; and after death, when man becomes a spirit, these evils are changed to anger and hatred against these holy things (see above, number 562). And as these evils breathe forth continually the destruction and murder of those whom they account as enemies, and against whom they burn with hatred and revenge, so it is the delight of their life to will to destroy and kill, and so far as they are unable to do this, to will to do mischief, to injure, and to exercise cruelty. [2] Such is the meaning of fire in the Word, where the evil and the hells are treated of, some passages from which I will here quote in the way of proof:

Everyone is a hypocrite and an evil doer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For wickedness burneth as the fire; it devoureth the briers and thorns, and kindleth in the thickets of the forests, and they roll upward in the rising of smoke; and the people is become like food for fire; no man spareth his brother (Isaiah 9 verses 17 to 19).

I will show wonders in the heavens, and in the earth blood and fire, and pillars of smoke; the sun shall be turned into darkness (Joel 2 verses 30, 31).

The land shall become burning pitch; it shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever (Isaiah 34 verses 9, 10).

Behold the day cometh burning as a furnace, and all the proud and every worker of wickedness shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall set them on fire (Malachi 4 verse 1).

Babylon is become a habitation of demons. They cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning. Her smoke goeth up unto the ages of the ages (Revelation 18 verses 2, 18; 19 verse 3).

He opened the pit of the abyss, and there went up a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened, and the air, by the smoke of the pit (Revelation 9 verse 2).

Out of the mouth of the horses went forth fire and smoke and brimstone; by these was the third part of men killed, by the fire and by the smoke and by the brimstone (Revelation 4 verses 17, 18).

If any one adores the beast he shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God mixed with unmixed wine in the cup of His anger, and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone (Revelation 16 verses 9, 10).

The fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given unto it to scorch men with fire; therefore men were scorched with great heat (Revelation 16 verses 8, 9).

They were cast into a lake burning with fire and brimstone (Revelation 19 verse 20; 20 verses 14, 15; 21 verse 8).

Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire (Matthew 3 verse 10; Luke 3 verse 9).

The Son of man shall send His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire (Matthew 13 verses 41, 42, 50).

The King shall say to them that are on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25 verse 41).

They shall be sent into everlasting fire, into the hell of fire, where their worm shall not die, and the fire shall not be quenched (Matthew 18 verses 8, 9; Mark 9 verses 43 to 49).

The rich man in hell said to Abraham that he was tormented in flame (Luke 16 verse 24).

In these and in many other passages fire means the lust pertaining to love of self and love of the world, and the smoke therefrom means falsity from evil.

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Spiritual Experiences 5163. Man, from infancy even to adult age, is in the world of spirits as to his spirit, because he is successively in different states, and is then in freedom, so that he can be reformed.

Heaven and Hell 487... All these things have been said to the intent that man may examine himself and may recognize his love by his delights; and thus, so far as he can make it out from a knowledge of correspondences, may know the state of his life after death.

497. All spirits who arrive from the world are connected with some society in heaven or some society in hell, and yet only as regards their interiors; and so long as they are in exteriors their interiors are manifested to no one, for externals cover and conceal internals, especially in the case of those who are in interior evil. But afterwards, when they come into the second state, their evils become manifest, because their interiors are then opened and their exteriors laid asleep.

503... In this state(the state of interiors) the spirit thinks from his very will, thus from his very affection, or from his very love; and the thought then makes one with the will, and one in such a manner that he seems scarcely to think but only to will. It is nearly the same when he speaks, yet with the difference that he speaks with a kind of fear that the thoughts of the will may go forth naked, since from a civil life in the world this has come to be a part of his will.

507 …what they then did and said secretly being now made manifest; for they are now restrained by no outward considerations, and therefore what they have said and done secretly they now say and endeavor to do openly, having no longer any fear of loss of reputation, such as they had in the world. They are also brought into many states of their evils, that what they are may be evident to angels and good spirits. Thus are hidden things laid open and secret things uncovered, in accordance with the Lord's words:

There is nothing covered up that shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be known. Whatsoever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light, and what ye have spoken in the ear in the inner chambers shall be proclaimed on the housetops (Luke 12:2, 3).

And elsewhere:

I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36)   (507 HH).

 

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Arcana Coelestia 6465(2)... He who conceives of exterior and interior things as being continually more and more pure, and thus cohering by continuity, thus without distinction by formations of posterior things from prior ones, cannot apprehend otherwise than that when the external dies, the internal dies also; for he thinks that they cohere, and by reason of their coherence and continuity, when the one dies the other dies, because the one draws the other with it. These things have been said in order that it may be known that the internal and the external are distinct from each other; and that interior and exterior things succeed in order; and also that all interior things are together in exterior things, or what is the same, all prior things in posterior ones, which subject has been treated of in these verses in the internal sense.

 

The pain arises from the evil spirits with a person

The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine 187... for spiritual temptations are pains of mind induced by evil spirits with those who are in goods and truths. When these spirits excite the evils which are with such persons, there arises that feeling of distress, which belongs to temptation. Not knowing this origin, the man does not know whence that distress comes.

NJHD196 ...  A temptation is said to be spiritual, when interiorly in a man the truths of faith are assaulted which he believes at heart, and according to which he loves to live; especially when the good of love, in which he places spiritual life, is assaulted. These assaults take place in various ways: as for instance, by an influx into the thoughts, and also into the will of stumbling-blocks against good and truth; further, by a constant rising up and bringing into remembrance, of the evils which a man has done, and also of the falsities which he has thought - and thus by a flooding of such things; and at the same time by an apparent closing up of the interiors of the mind, and thus of the communication with heaven, whereby there is intercepted from a man the thought flowing from his own faith, and the volition springing from his own love. These things are caused by the evil spirits who are with a man; and when they happen, they take place under the form of an interior distress and of pangs of conscience; for such things affect and torture a man's spiritual life, the man not believing that they arise from evil spirits, but from himself in his interiors. A man does not know that these things arise from evil spirits, because he does not know that there are spirits with him; evil spirits in his evils, and good spirits in his goods; and that they are in his thoughts and affections. These temptations are most grievous, when conjoined with pains inflicted on the body; and still more so, if these pains continue long, and become intensified, and if the Divine Mercy is implored, and there is no deliverance: hence comes despair which is the end.

 

The Lord as a wolf

AC 6439. Verse 27. Benjamin is a wolf; he shall seize in the morning, he shall devour the spoil, and at even he shall divide the prey. “Benjamin,” signifies the truth of the good of the spiritual church, which is “Joseph;” “is a wolf,” signifies the avidity of rescuing and delivering the good; “he shall seize in the morning, he shall devour the spoil,” signifies that when the Lord is present it shall be done; “and at even he shall divide the prey,” signifies their possession in the Lord’s kingdom, when as yet they are in obscurity.

6442... “he shall seize in the morning” denotes that when the Lord is present, then shall be rescuing and deliverance of the good; and from the signification of “devouring the spoil,” as being to appropriate to Himself those whom He has rescued and delivered.

6443... they who are being elevated into heaven are at first in obscurity; for they cannot come to clearness until they have been in heaven, and have been instructed with respect to truths by the Lord through the angels, into whose society they are sent; for there is need of time in order that the obscurity induced by falsities may be dissipated.

Isaiah 65: 23-25. They shall not labor in vain, Nor bring forth children for trouble; For they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, And their offspring with them. It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, Says the Lord.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

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6544. Verses 12, 13. And his sons did unto him as he had commanded them; and his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a sepulcher from Ephron the Hittite, upon the faces of Mamre. And his sons did unto him as he had commanded them, signifies the effect according to the influx; and his sons carried him to the land of Canaan, signifies that the church was transferred thither; and buried him signifies resuscitation there; in the cave of the field of Machpelah, signifies the beginning of regeneration; which Abraham bought with the field, signifies those whom the Lord had redeemed; for a possession of a sepulcher, from Ephron the Hittite, signifies those who receive the truth and good of faith, and suffer themselves to be regenerated; upon the faces of Mamre, signifies the quality and the quantity.

6545. And his sons did unto him as he had commanded them. That this signifies the effect according to the influx, is evident from the signification of doing, as being the effect; and from the signification of commanding, as being influx (see n. 5486, 5732).

6546. And his sons carried him into the land of Canaan. That this signifies that the church was transferred thither, is evident from the signification of they carried, as being to be transferred, that is, the church, for this is signified by the land of Canaan (see n. 1413, 1437, 1607, 1866, 3038, 3481, 3705). (Why the church was transferred thither may be seen above, n. 6516.)

6547. And buried him. That this signifies resuscitation there, is evident from the signification of being buried, as being resuscitation (see n. 5551, 6516).

6548. In the cave of the field of Machpelah. That this signifies the beginning of regeneration, is evident from the signification of the cave of the field of Machpelah, as being faith in obscurity (see n. 2935); and Machpelah denotes regeneration (n. 2970); thus the signification is the beginning of regeneration, for then faith is in obscurity.

6549. Which Abraham bought with the field. That this signifies those whom the Lord had redeemed, is evident from the signification of buying, as being redemption (see n. 6458, 6461); from the representation of Abraham, as being the Lord (see n. 1965, 1989, 2011, 2172, 2198, 3245, 3305, 3439, 3703, 4615, 6098, 6185, 6276); and from the signification of field, as being the church (n. 2971, 3766). Hence it is evident that by which Abraham bought with the field are signified those who are of the church, whom the Lord had redeemed.

6550. For a possession of a sepulcher from Ephron the Hittite. That this signifies those who receive the truth and good of faith, and suffer themselves to be regenerated, is evident from the signification of a sepulcher, as being regeneration (see n. 2916, 2917, 5551, 6459); and from the representation of Ephron the Hittite, as being those with whom good and truth can be received (n. 6458).

6551. Upon the faces of Mamre. That this signifies the quality and the quantity, is evident from the signification of Mamre, as being the quality and quantity of that to which it is joined (see n. 2970, 2980, 4613, 6456). That something special is signified by Abraham's having bought the cave of the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, from Ephron the Hittite, is evident from its being said so many times, as in previous chapters:

The field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, was made sure (Gen. 23:17).

After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah upon the faces of Mamre. And the field and the cave that is therein were made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a sepulcher from the sons of Heth (Gen. 23:19, 20).

They buried Abraham in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is upon the faces of Mamre; the field which Abraham bought from the sons of Heth (Gen. 25:9, 10).

Bury me in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is upon the faces of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a sepulcher. The purchase of the field, and of the cave that is therein, was from the sons of Heth (Gen. 49:30-32).

And in this chapter:

They buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a sepulcher, from Ephron the Hittite, upon the faces of Mamre (Gen. 50:13).

The special thing which is signified by this frequent repetition in nearly the same words, is that by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is represented the Lord; by their burial is represented resurrection and resuscitation; by the cave of the field of Machpelah, the beginning of regeneration; by Ephron the Hittite, those who receive the good of faith and suffer themselves to be regenerated; and by the sons of Heth, the spiritual church. And it is because all these things combined signify the setting up again of a spiritual church that they are so many times repeated.

6552. Verse 14. And Joseph returned into Egypt, he and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. And Joseph returned into Egypt, he and his brethren, signifies the life of the internal celestial and of the truths of faith in memory-knowledges; and all that went up with him to bury his father, signifies all things that conduce to regeneration; after he had buried his father, signifies to resuscitate the church.

6553. And Joseph returned into Egypt, he and his brethren. That this signifies the life of the internal celestial and of the truths of faith in memory-knowledges, is evident from the signification of returning, as being to live (see n. 5614, 6518); from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal celestial (n. 5869, 5877, 6177); from the representation of the sons of Israel, who are here his brethren, as being the truths of faith in the complex (n. 5414, 5879, 5951); and from the signification of Egypt, as being memory-knowledges (n. 1164, 1165, 1186, 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966). The life of the internal celestial and of the truths of faith in memory-knowledges, has been treated of in the chapters where Joseph is made lord of the land of Egypt and governor to the house of Pharaoh; and afterward where is described the journeying of the sons of Jacob to Joseph, and their coming with their father Jacob to Egypt (see n. 6004, 6023, 6052, 6071, 6077).

6554. And all that went up with him to bury his father. That this signifies all things that conduce to regeneration, is evident from the signification of burying, as being regeneration and resurrection (see n. 2916, 2917, 4621, 6516); and as being the resuscitation and setting up again of the church (see n. 5551, 6516). All things which conduce thereto are signified by all that went up with him, for they were the whole house of Joseph, also the house of his father, and likewise the elders of the house of Pharaoh, and the elders of the land of Egypt; and by the house of Joseph are signified the celestial things of the spiritual (n. 6526); by the house of his father, all things of spiritual good (n. 6528); by the elders of the house of Pharaoh, those which agree with good (n. 6524); and by the elders of the land of Egypt, those which agree with truth (see n. 6525). Hence it is plain that by all who went up with him to bury are signified all things that conduce to regeneration. That to bury signifies both regeneration and resurrection, and likewise the resuscitation and setting up again of the church, is because these significations involve what is like; for regeneration is resurrection, because when man is being regenerated he is becoming alive from being dead, thus is rising again. And in like manner when the church is being resuscitated and set up again in a man; for this is effected by regeneration, thus by resurrection from death unto life.

6555. After he had buried his father. That this signifies to resuscitate the church, is evident from the signification of being buried, as being the resuscitation of the church (see n. 6554); and from the representation of Israel, as being the spiritual church (n. 4286, 6426, 6514, 6517, 6522).

6556. Verses 15-21. And Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, and they said, Peradventure Joseph will hate us, and returning will return unto us all the evil that we requited to him. And they commanded Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, Thus shall ye say unto Joseph, I pray forgive I pray the transgression of thy brethren, and their sin, because they requited evil to thee; and now forgive I pray the transgression of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before him; and they said, Behold we are thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear ye not; for am I in God's stead? And you thought evil upon me, but God thought it for good, in order to do as it is this day, to make alive a great people. And now fear ye not; I will sustain you, and your babes; and he comforted them, and spake upon their heart.

And Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, signifies the things alienated from truth and good, and a perception that the church was resuscitated; and they said, Peradventure Joseph will hate us, signifies that they had rejected the internal; and returning will return unto us all the evil that we requited to him, signifies the penalty therefore impending according to the desert; and they commanded Joseph, saying, signifies influx from the internal and the consequent perception; Thy father did command before he died, saying, signifies that it is by command of the church; Thus shall ye say unto Joseph,...

This Is The Way

The Logopraxis approach has been built on a single principle - that the Lord is the Word.  This is its common use or good and all else flows forth from that. This is its heart, and the lived life of the Word in its practitioners are like its lungs, breathing life into the rest of the body, willing each area to thrive and function in its own unique use.

Through the exchange of the life with the Word with one another, Logopraxis enables individuals to integrate their personal experiences of the Word into the community as a whole, creating a shared understanding and deeper spiritual connection. This shared understanding allows the community to support each other's spiritual growth and well-being, fostering a culture of mutual care and support. The ways in which the Word as the Lord achieves this is described in the following…

The affection of truth that is suited to the use is insinuated by various means, most of which are unknown in the world; chiefly by representatives of uses which in the spiritual world are exhibited in a thousand ways, and with such delights and pleasures that they permeate the spirit from the interiors of his mind to the exteriors of his body, and thus affect the whole. In consequence, the spirit becomes as it were his use. Therefore, when he comes into his society, into which he is initiated by instruction, he is in his life by being in his use. From these things it can be confirmed that cognitions, which are external truths, do not bring anyone into heaven; but the life itself, which is a life of uses implanted by means of cognitions. (HH 517)

Supported and surrounded by others in their heavenly society, which is their heavenly home, every spirit is brought into its own love, clothed with its unique understanding of the Word, and its specific use that flows forth from the marriage of those two. Each finds their place and function in that society. The more they receive truths that are integrated into their life and loved because they are the Lord, the more they come into this use.  Each forgetting themselves and their individual needs, their focus is the Lord as the Word, their desire is to do His will. Each looking to see how they might draw forth what is of the Lord in one another, of how they might nurture the unique gifts and abilities in each other, so that together they might be more effective in fulfilling the Lord’s purposes.

When spirits have been prepared for heaven by instruction in the places above described… they are clothed with angelic garments, which are mostly glowing white as if made of fine linen; and they are thus brought to the way that leads upwards towards heaven, and are delivered there to angel guards, and afterwards are received by other angels and introduced into societies and into many blessednesses there. After this, each one is led by the Lord into his own society, which is also effected by various ways, sometimes by winding paths. The ways by which they are led are not known to any angel, but are known to the Lord alone. When they come to their own society then their interiors are opened; and as these are in conformity with the interiors of the angels who are in that society they are immediately recognized and received with joy. (HH 519)

By means of the spiritual light that the Word as the Lord offers through the practice of its truths, the church as a spiritual form, both individually and collectively, may be directed and guided in its thoughts and affections. As each member of the community is led into its unique function and use, so too is the collective led into its own unique function and use. Each little heaven, an image of the larger heaven. This is so that all who come into contact with the church might be touched by the living witness that she is to the transforming power of His love. The Lord is her very life and fires her affection for truths so that this love might be expressed in real and tangible ways: always seeking the salvation of all and always looking to show her the path that leads to heaven.

Go ye back from the way, cause ye to turn aside from the path. Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, This is the way, go ye in it.  (Isaiah 30:11,21)

 

Conclusion

… no angel or spirit ever thinks of death; indeed they do not at all know what it is to die; wherefore, when death is mentioned in the Word, the angels understand by it either damnation, which is death in the spiritual sense, or the continuation of life and the resurrection. (LJ 25)

Once we remember that the Text before us is a spiritual text and therefore must be describing our spiritual experiences, then a whole new possibility of meaning opens up for us that has practical application to the work involved in the reformation and regeneration of our life in the here and now. The descriptions of death then in the awakening series in Heaven and Hell become illustrations of the reordering and sorting out of our inner psychological life, that is, of the inner world of our feelings and thoughts. As we consciously engage with the Word, seeking to apply its truths to examine the quality of our mental life, it awakens the mind in this inner spiritual world that is the life of the spirit, and it leads us through a process:

1.     “The state of exteriors” (HH 491-498)

2.     “The state of interiors” (HH 499-511)

3.     “The state of preparation’ or “instruction of those who come into heaven” (HH 512-520).

The state of exteriors can be seen then as an illustration of the stripping away of self-images to reveal the true nature of the loves that have been driving them. And the meeting of relatives and friends in the spiritual world in this first state then becomes the revisiting and reworking of concepts about spiritual life that we have been affectionally attached to and have had relationship with.  We see that there is a need to examine these now in the light of what is being revealed by the Word as their interior natures are exposed.

The work done in this first state of awakening paves the way for what must unfold in the second state of interiors where things start to get sorted into two classes: those states which acknowledge the Lord as the Word and those that don’t. As truths from the Word are applied in life, those that offer damnation because they are being ruled by the loves of the hellish proprium are identified for the states of death that they are and effectively cast into hell in this recognition. What then remains as a result of this sorting process is the potential to be instructed further by the Word in preparation for entering heavenly states of life, or a life of use aligned with the Lord’s end.

This instruction is the third and final state and completes the process of awakening to spiritual life which culminates in a resurrection and continuation of life in heaven. It involves the elevation of truths from the memory, through their practise, so that they can be integrated into the very core of one’s life. As the ability to think and live consciously from the Word starts to deepen, there is more stability experienced than there was previously in the first two states. This increased inner stability and deepening of spiritual literacy offers a foundation upon which we can become more attuned to the Lord's presence in our lives and in our interactions with others. As such there is a shift in focus away from working for the sake of one’s own regeneration to working for the sake of what can be offered back to others and to the collective community though one’s work with the Word. The result is a movement toward being more consciously aligned with the Lord’s universal end, the common use, which is the love for the salvation of all.

There is also an increased acknowledgement that the work of each brought together as a whole, forms an invaluable contribution to our ongoing learning of how to be in a spiritual community that is centred on the lived experience of the Word. The conscious effort to work to live from the Word brings a new meaning to what it means to be in a life of charity, and it also opens up the possibility of seeing what it means to be a church, both on an individual and collective level. These experiences, through our Logopraxis work, can be viewed as illustrations of the descriptions of the heavenly communities that the spirits find themselves led into in the third state of instruction.

We can see then that our conscious participation and as-of-self effort to engage with the Word as the Lord Himself is paramount to the processes that are involved in spiritual awakening. Logopraxis therefore seeks to provide a structure and spiritual practice that supports the cultivation of a deep love and reverence for the Word and to bring people together in a shared commitment to the practise of it to experience its transformative power. Through self-examination and repentance, the way is opened for the mental structures of our natural mind to be re-formed into vessels that are able to hold what is higher in our conscious awareness. The experiences that arise from this practice, when shared, becomes incredibly instructive both on an individual and collective level.

Practise is therefore essential, and nothing can substitute this - for it is our willingness to practise at each state of awakening that opens us up to receive the goods and truths we need to be carried through to the next state. No one can leapfrog a state.  Each stage is linked to a state of life that arises from changes in the psycho-spiritual structures of a person’s mind as they undergo states of reformation and regeneration. As was pointed out at the very outset in the introduction of this three-part paper, no one can think their way into the next state, nor can anyone enter a state through sheer force of their will any more than a person can hasten their developmental progression from childhood into adolescence or adolescence into adulthood....

Spiritual Literacy Skills

Working to give the Word authority in our life through a conscious effort to apply its spiritual principles to the life of our mind, leads to the development of what, in Logopraxis work, are called “spiritual literacy skills”. Spiritual literacy involves using truths from the Word as a basis for examining the quality of the thoughts and affections that make up our state of mind. By engaging in this practice, the Word provides a way of thinking where what is exterior becomes reframed as spiritual states or states of mind. This is the true meaning of repentance or “metaonia’ that was discussed in the previous section in the state of interiors and refers to  the “new mind” that the Word offers us.

The growth of spiritual literacy involves developing essential skills such as, being able to divide our attention, reflect on our internal chatter, and examine the motives behind our responses. With regular practise, these skills can become second nature allowing us to live more consciously from the Word. They can help us lead more meaningful lives by supporting our spiritual development and allowing us to be more aware of the Word when reflecting on our states when alone and when in contact with others. They provide the basis for developing greater insight into the nature of the proprium, opening the way to experiencing the boundless mercy of the Lord as He works to free us from it. Developing spiritual literacy also means that we are better able to draw distinctions between levels of existence and so become clearer about boundaries and what belongs where.

The ability to draw cognitive boundaries between our inner, mental world and the outer, material world is crucial for maintaining psychological balance. These cognitive boundaries help us to distinguish between our internal world of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, and the external world of people, events, and circumstances. Without these boundaries we can become overwhelmed by external influences causing confusion, anxiety, and stress. This is because without the clear distinctions between levels that the practice of the Word provides, we are prone to give power to external influences as causal. To do this is to fall into the false belief that the external conditions of life are the cause of our inner psychological states which is contrary to what the Word teaches.

It appears to man that the objects of the world enter through his bodily or external senses, and affect the interiors; and thus that there is an entrance from the ultimate of order into what is within; but that this is a mere appearance and fallacy is manifest from the general rule that posterior things cannot flow into prior; or what is the same, lower things into higher; or what is the same, exterior things into interior; or what is still the same, the things which are of the world and of nature into those which are of heaven and of spirit; for the former are of a grosser nature, and the latter of a purer one; and those grosser things which are of the external or natural man come forth and subsist from those which are of the internal or rational man; and they cannot affect the purer things, but are affected by the purer things. (AC 3721{2})​

To be spiritually literate allows us to step back from what’s presenting so that we become aware of the spiritual principles that we can employ to govern our perceptions and responses in any given situation and circumstance in our daily life. We can then make distinctions between the outer, material world manifestations and the inner world of our thoughts and feelings that constitute the life of the spirit. Again, this is the doctrine for life that the practice of the Word offers.

So, the first two states of exterior and interior concerns of a spiritual awakening occur as we are exposed to the Lord’s truths.  These two states of awakening guide individuals through transformative processes that enable them to develop a deeper understanding of the distinction between their interior and exterior aspects of life. Specifically, they facilitate the discernment of what pertains to the interior and exterior states of existence, which in turn reflects the distinction between the interior and exterior levels of their natural mind. It is essential to recognise that what manifests in the external realm is fundamentally rooted in its internal counterpart, serving as its underlying cause and origin. Thus, these states of awakening not only foster an individual’s awareness of the interplay between the spiritual and natural aspects of their being but also offer insights into the intricate dynamics that shape their spiritual and natural minds. This is because, as we have seen, a life in accordance with doctrine drawn from the Word opens the spiritual mind, and light from heaven flows into the mind, enlightening it and giving it the ability to see” (AR 320).  It is the practice of truths from the Word that offer a new capacity to discern the source of our thoughts and emotions so that we can develop the ability to detach from them as something coming from us. These cognitive boundaries therefore offer us new ways to manage our reactions to external stimuli, resulting in a more stable, centred state of mind.

Being willing to let go of negative and harmful thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, and embracing those that are in harmony with the Word's teachings forms the foundation for the expansion of spiritual literacy skills. As the individual becomes accustomed to the work of detaching from proprial states concerned with self, the Lord by means of the Word implants a love to serve the Lord’s desire for the regeneration of all. This shift brings a change in focus in how the spiritual literacy skills are directed to support the spiritual well-being of others and the spiritual community as a whole.

… so far as the Lord flows into the life of any one He instructs him, for so far He kindles the will with the love of knowing truths and enlightens the thought to know them; and so far as this is done, the interiors of man are opened and heaven is implanted in them and furthermore, what is Divine and heavenly flows into the honest things pertaining to moral life and into the just things pertaining to civil life with man, and makes them spiritual, since man then does these things from the Divine, since they are done for the sake of the Divine. (HH 512).

So, what the three states of awakening show is that spiritual development involves a progressive movement from working with the Word, where the main focus is on our own personal regeneration, to a focus on the Lord’s ultimate end, which is the salvation of the human race. This third state of instruction is therefore a time when individuals learn to align their lives with the Divine will and purpose. For entering into the life of heaven involves engaging in activities that promote the regeneration of the human mind, as heaven is the Lord's kingdom, and its essence is the performance of uses that support the Lord's love for the salvation of all.

 

Spiritual Community

We can see then that developing spiritual literacy skills is crucial for both our personal regeneration and our ability to support others in their process. And that the acquisition of these skills means that we are able to participate more fully in the life of a spiritual community. For everyone who seeks to live a spiritual life is in a practice of self-examination and repentance, in an effort to shun evils as sins against the Lord as the Word and while this can only ever be an individual practice, it isn’t something that is done in isolation.  Heaven is a kingdom of uses that are organised by the Lord in support of His desire for a heaven from the human race.  He coordinates all spiritual uses into an orderly form, both individually and collectively, so that His end is achieved. Everything that is ordered to achieve this end can be said to be in the human form which is good and truth working together as one in life, in use. A spiritual community therefore is a community of interdependent functions or uses that work together in support of the regeneration of the human mind.

One way of understanding this process is that a regenerating mind is a mind that is becoming more fully human in its form. Such a mind is being inwardly formed or in-formed through the type of instruction described in the third state of awakening, which as we have seen, is instruction that is provided from the application of truths to one’s life. The instillation of truths into good transforms the mind into a living expression of charity or a spiritual use. Of the angelic form of mind we read…

…the whole angel, and especially the face, is as it were charity, the charity both plainly appearing to the view and being perceived by the mind. When this form is beheld, it is unutterable beauty that affects with charity the very inmost life of the beholder’s mind. Through the beauty of this form the truths of faith are presented to view in an image, and are even perceived from it. Such forms, or such beauties, do those become in the other life who have lived in faith in the Lord, that is, in the faith of charity. All the angels are such forms, with countless variety, and of such is heaven. (AC 553)

In Logopraxis, we seek to engage in the conscious application of truths from the Word through actively seeking to discern and think from the principles it teaches. To practice truths to shun evils is what it means to acknowledge the Divinity of the Word. For if the Word is to have authority in our life, then its acknowledgment can't just be merely theoretical but must be lived out in our actions. This acknowledgment, in the activity of shunning evils as sins through the use of its truths, serves as a testament to the life of charity and constitutes a vibrant embodiment of what it truly means to be a church.

There are three essentials of the church,...

Each Has A Unique Use That Serves The Common Good

The Lord provides that everyone should love the uses suited to his peculiar disposition and that love is exalted by the hope of becoming an angel…. All uses of heaven have reference to the common use which is for the Lord’s kingdom, … since all particular and individual uses are excellent in proportion as they relate more nearly and more fully to that common use. (HH 517)

The common use in heaven is the expression of the common good or common love and this is the Lord’s love which is a love for the salvation of what is human, the human form being the union of good and truth in life.

… for Being (Esse) itself, or Jehovah, is nothing else than mercy, which is the manifestation of love towards the whole human race. (Arcana Coelestia 2253)

The closing of the second state of awakening, the state of interior concerns, brings about two important realisations. The first is the awareness that one’s inner nature determines the quality of one’s external actions and speech. The second, and most significant realisation, is that acknowledging the Lord involves acting on what one understands to be true from the Word. This acknowledgement is essential for receiving the genuine insights and states of enlightenment that are necessary as the spirit moves into the third state, the state of instruction.

From a Logopraxis perspective, this parallels with the essential need to compel oneself to engage in the disciplines of self-examination and repentance, so that the insights and states of enlightenment needed to support inner work may arise. But it can’t be said that such states are a product of self-compulsion. In Logopraxis we have the aphorism that, “your effort achieves nothing but without effort nothing is achieved”, meaning that we work from an ‘as of self’ effort whilst striving to be in the acknowledgement that all work is the Lord’s.

Through practicing the Word, self-awareness is heightened, enabling the identification of those states of mind that hinder the reception of the Lord’s goods and truths, thus allowing these obstructive states to begin moving to the peripheries of our mind. This process of purification leads to an increased ability for those in a community of spiritual practice to harmonise their efforts in support of the common good. In this way the unique uses of the different individuals in such a community combine to form a shared or ‘common use’ that unites the members into a body that is focused on a unique work.

This common good or love is the Lord’s love for the salvation of what is human. And in this third state of awakening, the state of instruction, there is a notable change in perspective where this love comes forward into the centre of a spirit’s life. This shift involves moving away from an inward focus for the sake of one’s own regeneration, which is characteristic of the initial states of exteriors and interiors. The emphasis now lies on serving the spiritual well-being of others and working towards the greater purpose, aligned with the Lord’s love for the salvation of the human race.  The nature of the guidance received during the state of instruction is determined by this shift towards focusing on use for others, for the society that the spirit lives in and for the general whole of the Lord’s kingdom. In Logopraxis, this can translate to working for others in one’s Life Group, for the whole of the Logopraxis community, for all those we have contact with in our life and for the general whole of the Lord’s kingdom. This infilling and expansion of common good or use is the primary focus of the third state of instruction.

Further to the role of use regarding instruction in the third state of awakening we read…

For spirits are affections and are therefore in a human form that is similar to their affections. Being such, they are constantly inspired with the affection of truth with regard to the uses of life; … with everyone the affection of truth is so conjoined with the affection of use that they act as one; and thereby truth is so implanted in use that the truths they learn to know are truths of use. In this way are angelic spirits instructed and prepared for heaven. (HH 517)

We see from this statement that a key aspect of the process of instruction is the cultivation of the “affection of truth with regard to the uses of life.”   The transformative work that the Lord undertakes as the Word in reforming and regenerating an individual’s mind always aligns with His universal end of the salvation of the human race taken as a whole. Consequently, through the Word, the Lord inspires a deep love for use into each individual. This love of use is not something that is forced upon individuals but rather it is something that arises naturally from their own unique dispositions and abilities foreseen by the Lord. The Lord, through the Word as means, provides that “everyone should love the uses suited to his peculiar disposition”. As individuals begin to cultivate this love of use, through looking to the Word as the Lord in their practice, they are filled with an expanded sense of purpose and meaning. They are driven by the “hope of becoming an angel”, of using the talents and abilities they have been gifted with in support of the spiritual well-being of others and so more effectively contributing to the greater good, the “common use”.

All of the “particular and individual uses” that individuals engage in within a spiritual society or community are valued to the extent to which they are aligned with the common use of regenerating the human mind. In this way, even the most mundane and seemingly insignificant tasks in one’s practice of the Word can take on a deep spiritual significance when they are held within the context of the Lord’s end in view.

So, we can see that the affection of truth and its practice, and the love of use are two sides of the same coin for, “the affection of truth is so conjoined with the affection of use that they act as one”. They are so closely intertwined that they become one and, in this way, truth becomes implanted in use. It is through this process of aligning our own goals and aspirations with those of the Lord’s kingdom that we become instructed and prepared to engage in the spiritual life of our community more fully.

The implications of this in our Logopraxis work is that the more we make the truths of the Word the basis of our life, the more we become connected with the Word as the Lord. Through this practice, we can expect to see a growing desire to understand the Word’s truths on a deeper level of application to spiritual life.  It is an understanding that empowers us to live the uses we love. And because the Kingdom of Heaven is a kingdom of uses it is in the performance of use in serving others that increases the sense of fulfilment and purpose. Thus, it is in consciously working for the greater common good, that the Lord and His kingdom is ultimately served. And it is the practice of the Word as the Lord that is the key to unlocking our true spiritual potential as human beings.

 

The Practice Of The Word As The Lord

… the acknowledgment of the Lord, faith in Him, and love to Him, are the way to heaven; and the Word is what teaches the way: whence it is, that without the Lord, by means of the Word, there is no salvation. (Last Judgement 55)

Entrance to heaven is only possible through the Word for to experience the Word working in our life is to experience the Lord working in our life. The Word, doctrine drawn from the Word, and the Lord are all one and the same thing. This is the realisation of the experiential instruction that is received as the third state of awakening to spiritual life.

…there is no doctrinal thing, nor the smallest part of one, that is not from the Lord, because the Lord is doctrine itself. Hence it is that the Lord is called the “Word,” because the “Word” is doctrine (AC 3364)

The Word applied to life through the practice of spiritual principles informs the specific form of use that is needed in any given situation. This is the essence of doctrine drawn from the Word and it serves as the foundation for spiritual instruction.

All the instruction…(in preparing a spirit for heaven) is done from the doctrine drawn from the Word, and not from the Word apart from doctrine. (HH 516)

Sound doctrine drawn from the Word must absolutely shine before people and show them the way to go; those teachings are provided by the internal sense, and the person who is acquainted with them has the internal sense of the Word. (AC 10276{8})

The doctrine referred to here pertains to the internal sense of the Word and what it teaches, which is specifically adapted to support the regeneration of the human mind so that it might come into a heavenly life.  To receive this doctrine from the Word transforms us because the Word and the doctrine drawn from it, through the practice of truths, is the Lord. The Lord is experienced as the uses that flow from Him when the life of this practice is active, both directly so far as our own engagement is concerned or indirectly through others who are engaged in the inner practice of the Word with a focus on the spiritual wellbeing of others. But whether directly or indirectly, in every case, uses are expressions of that ‘common use’ or common good which is the Lord’s love and wisdom toward the human race.

…by “that they may serve Me” is signified elevation into heaven in order to perform uses therefrom. That “to serve the Lord” denotes to perform uses, is because true worship consists in the performance of uses, thus in the exercises of charity…The angels in heaven have all happiness from uses, and according to uses, so that to them uses are heaven. (AC 7038)

As we saw earlier, doctrine derived from the Word is not merely a set of memorisable statements such as we find in books. Certainly, these serve as a starting point but only as far as they open t