Before trying to explain this exquisite little switch in our spiritual
wiring, we’d like to offer a warning: Swedenborg says its essential nature “defies any description that is intelligible” (Arcana Coelestia 5411). Angels, it says, see it “as if in broad daylight,” but us... not so much.
So we’ll do our best, but will ask your indulgence.
In the act of creation, the Lord established two aligned realities: natural reality, the world of our bodies and our senses and the thoughts connected to them; and spiritual reality, the world of our minds, our deeper thoughts and our deepest loves. As long as we are living in natural reality, we are almost entirely unaware of spiritual reality, but Swedenborg says that after we die our senses will be freed to experience spiritual reality, and life will continue.
There is, however, no direct contact between the two realities. You can’t make a spiritual decision to wave your natural arm in the air, and you can’t drive down to the corner store and buy some love of the Lord. “But wait a minute!” you might say. “If I feel love for my wife and stop at the store buy her flowers on my way home, isn’t that a spiritual decision to do a natural thing?”
Yes, it is – but in order to get from the spiritual feeling of love to the natural gift of flowers it had to go through some intermediaries. The feeling of love had to express itself as an idea of your wife, thoughts about what makes her happy and then ideas of how to provide it. As they proceeded they got more and more natural: Where’s the flower shop? Do I have enough money? Will I get stuck in traffic? But the key transfer was that idea of your wife and an understanding of what would please her.
That intermediary, that transfer point is what Swedenborg calls the “spiritual of the celestial.” It is the mechanism that takes a pure, internal feeling – love – and puts it into ideas, forms, little bits of truth that can pass over into the natural realm and communicate with your natural self.
Some other places in Swedenborg use other terminology for this. One is the “truth of good.” That sounds a bit like a paradox, but it simply means true ideas that flow from a desire for what is good – like going to the flower shop because you love your wife.
The fact is, our purely natural ideas are just that – ideas, with no real intrinsic value – until we connect with our desires (hopefully our good desires). Then they come to life, having a purpose and an impact and becoming that much more real.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia 4585
[4] All the same, because such ideas are contained in the internal sense of the Word, though they cannot be explained without suitable terms to depict them, and as no terms more suitable exist than 'natural' to express exterior things and 'rational' to express interior, or 'spiritual' to express matters of truth and 'celestial' masters of good, the use of words like these is unavoidable. For without the right words nothing can be described. Therefore so that some idea may be formed by those who have a desire to know what the spiritual of the celestial is, which 'Benjamin' represents and which 'Bethlehem' means, a brief reference to it must be made here. The subject so far in the highest sense has been the glorification of the Lord's Natural, and in the relative sense the regeneration of man's natural. It was shown above, in 4286, that 'Jacob' represented the external man of one who belongs to the Church, and 'Israel' his internal man, thus that 'Jacob' represented the exterior aspect of the natural and 'Israel' the interior aspect; for the spiritual man develops out of the natural, but the celestial man out of the rational. It was also shown that the Lord's glorification advanced, even as the regeneration of man advances, from external things to more interior ones, and that for the sake of such a representation Jacob received the name Israel.
[5] But now the subject is further progress towards aspects more interior still, that is, towards the rational, for as stated immediately above, the rational constitutes the internal man. The part which exists between the internal of the natural and the external of the rational is what the term 'thespiritual of the celestial' - meant by 'Ephrath' and 'Bethlehem', and represented by 'Benjamin' - is used to denote. This intermediate part is derived to some extent from the internal of the natural, meant by 'Israel', and to some extent from the external of the rational, meant by 'Joseph'; for that intermediate part must be derived to some extent from each one, or else it cannot serve as an intermediary. So that anyone who is already spiritual can be made celestial he must of necessity make progress by means of this intermediate part. Without it no advance to higher things is possible.
[6] The nature of the progress made therefore by means of this intermediate part is described here in the internal sense by the statements that Jacob went to Ephrath, and that Rachel gave birth to Benjamin there. From this it is evident that 'they travelled on from Bethel, and there was still a stretch of land to go to Ephrath' means a continuation of the progress of the Lord's Divine from the Divine Natural to the spiritual of the celestial, meant by 'Ephrath' and 'Bethlehem', and represented by 'Benjamin'. The spiritual ofthe celestial is the intermediate part about which something is said above; it is spiritual insofar as it is derived from the spiritual man, which regarded in itself is the interior natural man, and it is [celestial] insofar as it is derived from the celestial man, which regarded in itself is the rational man. 'Joseph' is the exterior rational man, and therefore he is spoken of as the celestial of the spiritual derived from the rational.
* i.e. in 4594
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5411
'And Benjamin, Joseph's brother' means the spiritual of the celestial, which is the intermediary. This is clear from the representation of 'Benjamin' as the spiritual of the celestial, dealt with in 4592, where it may also be seen that the spiritual of the celestial is the intermediary. In general it should be recognized that what is internal cannot have any communication with what is external, or conversely what is external with what is internal, unless an intermediary exists. Consequently truth from the Divine, which is 'Joseph', cannot have any communication with the truths that exist as a general whole within the natural, which are 'the sons of Jacob', unless the intermediary that is represented by 'Benjamin' and is called thespiritual of the celestial is present. And to be the intermediary it must partake of both, of both the internal and the external. The reason an intermediary is needed is that the internal and the external are utterly distinct from each other, so distinct that they can be separated from each other, just as a person's external or lowest part, which is his body, can be separated when it dies from his internal part, which is his spirit. The external is dead when the intermediary is severed from it but living when the intermediary is in place; also, the amount and the nature of the life that the external possesses depends on the amount and nature of the life that the intermediary present within it possesses. Because Jacob's sons did not have Benjamin, who is the intermediary, with them, Joseph could not therefore reveal who he was to his brothers. He consequently spoke hard words to them, calling them spies and placing them in custody, as a consequence of which they did not recognize him as Joseph.
[2] But the essential nature of this intermediary represented by 'Benjamin' and called the spiritual of the celestial defies any description that is intelligible. For not even any rough ideas exist about the celestial of the spiritual, which is 'Joseph', or about the truths of the Church existing merely as known facts, which are 'the sons of Jacob', and therefore no rough ideas exist either about the spiritual of the celestial, which is 'Benjamin'. But in the light of heaven the nature of this intermediary is seen as if in broad daylight. Its essential nature is revealed by the use of indescribable representatives seen in the light of heaven, which light at the same time holds perception within it. For the light of heaven is essentially intelligence flowing from the Divine which enables every single thing represented in the light of heaven to be perceived. The same is not so with the light of the world, for that light does not hold any intelligence at all within it; yet the understanding is formed by means of it - by means of the inflowing light of heaven into it, and at the same time by means of the inflowing of the power of perception which the light of heaven contains within itself. This being so, a person dwells in the light of heaven insofar as intelligence exists with him, while intelligence exists with him insofar as the truths of faith do so, and the truths of faith exist with him insofar as the good of love does so. Consequently a person dwells in the light of heaven insofar as the good of love exists with him.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6440
'Benjamin' means the truth of good present in the spiritual Church, which is 'Joseph'. This is clear from the representation of 'Benjamin' as thespiritual of the celestial, dealt with in 4592. Which - the spiritual of thecelestial - is the truth of good. In this instance the truth of the good present in the spiritual Church, which is represented by 'Joseph' in this prophetic utterance made by Israel, is meant; for since 'Joseph' represents the spiritual Church, 6417, he also represents the good present in that Church (a Church is a Church by virtue of good). And the truth of that good is 'Benjamin'.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5600
'Have you a brother?' means regarding interior truth. This is clear from the representation of 'Benjamin' as the spiritual of the celestial, or what amounts to the same, the truth of good, which is interior truth. For 'Benjamin' is truth that has good within it, or the spiritual of the celestial, see 3969, 4592. This interior truth is what acts as the intermediary between truth from the Divine and truth within the natural.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6247
'That is, Bethlehem' means replacing this, a state in which there is a new affection for truth and good. This is clear from the meaning of 'Bethlehem' as the spiritual of the celestial in a new state, dealt with in 4594, thus a state in which there is a new affection for truth and good. For thespiritual of the celestial is the truth of good, thus an affection for truth derived from good. The situation so far as the contents of this verse in the internal sense are concerned must be stated. What the verse deals with is the casting away of a former affection for truth and the acceptance of a new one. The former affection for truth exists while a person is being regenerated, but a subsequent and new one exists once he has become regenerated. In the former state the person has an affection for truth because he is intent on becoming intelligent, but in the subsequent state on becoming wise; or what amounts to the same, in the former state he has an affection for truth out of concern for doctrine, but in the subsequent state out of concern for life. When it is a concern for doctrine he looks from truth towards good, but when it is a concern for life he looks from good towards truth, so that the subsequent state is a reversal of the former. For that reason the former state is cast away while a person is being regenerated, and the subsequent and new one is received. Also, compared with the subsequent new state the former one is impure, for when a person has an affection for truth out of concern for doctrine because he is intent on becoming intelligent, he is also moved at the same time by a desire for reputation and glory. This desire is inevitably present in that former state, and its presence is allowed so that it may lead on into the next, because that is what people are like. But when he has an affection for truth out of concern for life, he casts aside glory and reputation as his ends in view and instead embraces the good of life, that is, charity towards the neighbour.
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 5586
5586. 'Unless your brother is with you' means unless the intermediary is with you. This is clear from the representation of 'Benjamin' as the intermediary, dealt with in 5411, 5413, 5443. The intermediary represented by 'Benjamin' serves as the link between the internal and the external, that is, between the spiritual man and the natural man; also, it is the truth of good that goes forth from truth from the Divine, represented by 'Joseph'. This truth of good is called the spiritual of the celestial - 'Benjamin' being the spiritual of thecelestial, see 3969, 4592. A person's internal and external are completely distinct and separate from each other; for his internal dwells in the light of heaven, his external in the light of the world. And being completely distinct and separate they cannot be joined together except through the intermediary which derives its existence from both of them.
Who (or What) is Swedenborg?
The ideas on this site are based on the works of Emanuel Swedenborg, an 18th-century Swedish scientist and theologian. Swedenborg claimed that his religious writings, the sole focus of the last three decades of his life, were done at the behest of the Lord himself, and constituted a revelation for a successor to the Christian Church.
In keeping with Swedenborg’s own statements, modern believers downplay his role as author, attributing the ideas to the Lord instead. For this reason they generally refer to Swedenborg’s theological works as “the Writings,” and some resist the label “Swedenborgian” as placing emphasis on the man rather than the message.
Since “the Writings” would be an unfamiliar term to new readers, we have elected to use the name “Swedenborg” as a label for those theological works, much as we might use “Isaiah” or “Matthew” to refer to books of the Bible. The intent, however, is not to attribute the ideas to Swedenborg, any more than we would attribute the divinity of the Bible to Isaiah the man or Matthew the man.
So when you read “according to Swedenborg” on this site, it’s really shorthand for “according to the theological works from the Lord through Swedenborg.” When you read “Swedenborg says,” it’s really shorthand for “the theological works of Swedenborg say.”