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Conference hydra::dejavu

Title:Psychic Phenomena
Notice:Please read note 1.0-1.* before writing
Moderator:JARETH::PAINTER
Created:Wed Jan 22 1986
Last Modified:Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2143
Total number of notes:41773

807.0. "EMMANUAL SWEDENBORG'S REALITY" by PRYDE::ROCHA () Tue Jul 26 1988 21:00

    I AM ADDING THIS NOTE TO SEE IF ANY OF YOU ERUDITE PEOPLE HAVE
    
    DELVED INTO THE PHILOSOPHY OF EMMANUAL SWEDENBORG.
    
    Swedenborg was a prominent scientist of his day (17th Century, I
    believe) who spent the later (and more noteworthy) part of his life
    exploring and experiencing what he believed were the spirit realms.
    
    I  have done some reading and have found that the Divinity
    School of the Swedenborg Church is in Newton, MA. of all places
    and there is a church in Boston.  I'm not sure if this is the American
    headquarters.  But the church is international and serves as a
    repository and disseminator of information gathered by Swedenborg
    during his (earthly) life.  The data contains accounts
    of the other realms (the astral, etheric, etc. ) and man's role
    in the universe - his way to achieve ultimate fulfillment - salvation?
           
    Has anyone gone to the Swedenborg Church service?  I have spent
    a fair amount of time in the Spiritualist community here in greater
    Boston  (Greater Boston Spiritualist Church in Watertown) and would
    like to find out more about the Swedenborgians.
    
    Mary B. (just on Rocha's account)
    
    
    
    
    
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807.1SSDEVO::ACKLEYwowTue Jul 26 1988 21:1322
    I read Swedenborg's classic;  "Heaven And Hell", after reading
    Colin Wilson's review of it.    It was a very interesting book,
    and most of the information seemed quite in line with many other
    sources.   I found it to be quite inspiring and interesting.  In
    particular I liked his detailed descriptions of the 'correspondences'
    between spiritual realities and mundane realities.   For instance,
    he says that for a spirit, distance is defined by attitude and
    emotion, so that a spirit experiences 'emotional distance' where
    we experience 'physical distance'.   His concepts are deep and
    internally consistent.
    
    	I liked his dry, almost skeptical reporting of his unusual
    experiences.   No doubt his training as a scientist added some
    power to the quality of his writing.   At the age of 46, he
    began to have 'visions' and visitations by 'Angels'.   The
    book I read was an account of his tour of the afterlife, which
    has some similarities with Dante's.

    	I've never looked into the church though.   I understand
    they have become much like other protestant denominations.

		    		Alan.