To say that each of us has an internal “self” and an external “self”
is not particularly revolutionary. We all have a natural sense that our thoughts and feelings are “inside” us and our bodies and actions are on the “outside” of us.
As Swedenborg describes it, though, “internal” and “external” are a little more nuanced: It divides our thoughts and feelings themselves into internal and external, with internal thoughts and feelings being those about spiritual things and concern for other people, and external thoughts and feelings being those that are about external concerns in the physical world.
So let’s say you’re cooking your family’s favorite dinner. When you’re measuring ingredients, setting the oven temperature, thinking about when to start cooking something to be done at a particular time, that’s all external thinking. When you’re imagining how happy your spouse and children will be, how nice it will be to sit down to eat together, feeling a sense of joy in doing something nice for people, that’s internal thinking and feeling.
So which is more important? Ultimately, our place in heaven (or hell) will be determined by what we love, what makes us happy. So it’s clear that ultimately internal things are more important. That makes sense because they feel “higher,” like they come from a part of us that is more “us.”
But externals are important too. For one, they give us the opportunity to express our internals. If you only think about that meal but don’t actually cook it, you won’t be sharing your love with your family in a very complete way. For another, our externals give us the chance to change. We can make ourselves do what’s right in externals even if we don’t really want to, and if we keep at it and ask the Lord to help he will ultimately change us so that we love to do good things.
Swedenborg makes one other key point about internals and externals, which is that while internals can “compel” externals (your deeper thoughts and feelings can control what you do on the outside), your externals cannot “compel” your internals (what you’re forced to do on the outside cannot control your thoughts and feelings on the inside). We see this all the time when one nation tries to rule over another, or when a repressive regime tries to control its own people. Ultimately hearts and minds cannot be controlled.
This is key when we are trying to help others: You might be able to force someone (your child, say, or your student, or someone who works for you) to do what you think is right, but unless you can appeal to his or her internals, you’re not really changing anything significant.
It’s also key when guiding ourselves in our own lives: Forcing ourselves to do the right thing is meaningless unless we also start an internal dialog about what we truly want and truly think, and start opening up inside to the Lord.
Passages from Swedenborg
Divine Providence (Rogers) n. 136
136.�(3) No one is reformed by threats and punishments, because they compel. People know that the external self cannot compel the internal self, but that the internal can compel the external. They know, too, that the internal self so refuses to be compelled by the external that it turns away. And they also know that external delights entice the internal self to a state of consent and of love. They may know as well that it is possible for one to have a coerced internal self and a free internal self.
Even though these points are known, however, still they must all be illustrated; for there are many concepts which, as soon as they are heard, are perceived as being so, because they are true, and so are affirmed, but which, if not at the same time confirmed by explanations, may be contravened by reasonings based on fallacies and at last denied. Consequently we must take up again the points we have just stated as known and rationally confirm them.
[2]�FIRST, that the external self cannot compel the internal self, but that the internal can compel the external: Who can be forced to believe or to love? No one can be forced to believe this or that any more than he can be forced to think that something is so when he does not think it is; and no one can be forced to love this or that any more than he can be forced to will something that he does not will. Belief, too, is a matter of the thought, and love a matter of the will.
Still, the internal self can be compelled by the external not to speak ill against the laws of the country, the moralities of life, or the sanctities of the church. The internal self can be compelled to this by threats and punishments, and also is so compelled and must be so compelled. But this internal is not the internal self that is peculiarly human, but the internal which the human being has in common with animals, which can be similarly compelled. The human internalresides above this animal internal. By the internal self we mean here the human internal, which cannot be compelled.
[3]�SECOND, that the internal self so refuses to be compelled by the external that it turns away: The reason is that the internal self wishes to be in freedom and loves freedom, for freedom is bound up with a person's love or life, as we have shown above. Consequently, when that freedom feels itself to be compelled, it withdraws into itself, so to speak, and turns away, and regards the compulsion as its enemy. Indeed, the love which constitutes the person's life is provoked, and causes the person to think that he is then not his own person, consequently that he has no life of his own.
A person's internal self is of such a character owing to the law of the Lord's Divine providence that a person act in freedom in accordance with his reason.
New Jerusalem and Heavenly Doctrine (Tafel) n. 47
FROM THE HEAVENLY ARCANA.
TheInternaland the External with man. It is known in the Christian world, that man has an Internal and an External, that is, an internaland an external man; but little is known of the quality of either, nos. 1889, 1940. The internal man is spiritual, and the external is natural, nos. 978, 1015, 4459, 6309, 9701-9709. How the internal man which is spiritual, is formed according to the image of heaven; and the external man which is natural, according to the image of the world; wherefore, man was called by the Ancients a microcosm, nos. 3628, 4523, 4524, 6057, 6314, 9706, 10156, 10472. The spiritual and natural worlds, therefore, are conjoined in man, nos. 6057, 10472. Man, consequently, is of such a quality, that he is able to look upwards towards heaven, and downwards towards the world, nos. 7601, 7604, 7607. When he looks upwards, he is in the light of heaven and sees from it; but when he looks downwards, he is in the light of the world and sees from it, nos. 3167, 10134. With man there is a descent from the spiritual world into the natural, nos. 3702, 4042.
The internal man which is spiritual, and the external man which is natural, are altogether distinct, nos. 1999, 2018, 3691, 4459. The distinction is as between cause and effect, and between what comes first (prior) and afterwards (posterior), and there is no continuity, nos. 3691, 5145, 5146, 5711, 6275, 6284, 6299, 6326, 6465, 8603, 10076, 10099, 10181. The distinction, consequently, is as between heaven and the world, or between the Spiritual and the Natural, nos. 4524, 5128, 5639. The interiors and exteriors of man are not continuous, but distinct according to degrees, and each degree is bounded, nos. 3691, 4145, 5114, 6326, 6465, 8603, 10099. Whoever does not perceive the distinctions, according to degrees, of man's interiors and exteriors, and who does not understand the quality of these degrees, cannot comprehend man's Internal and External, nos. 5146, 6465, 10099, 10181. The things which are in a higher degree are more perfect than those which are in a lower, no. 3405. There are in man three degrees according to the three heavens, no. 4154. The exteriors with man are more remote from the Divine, and therefore are respectively obscure; they are also general, no. 6451; comparatively they are also without order, nos. 996, 3855. The interiors are more perfect, because nearer to the Divine, nos. 5146, 5147. In the Internal there are thousands and thousands of things, which in the External appear as one general thing, no. 5707. Therefore thought and perception are the clearer as they are more interior, no. 5920. From this, it follows that a man ought to be ininternal things, nos. 1175, 4464.
With the man who is in love and charity, the interiors of the mind are actually elevated by the Lord, otherwise they would look downwards, nos. 6952, 6954, 10330. Influx and enlightenment out of heaven with man consist in an actual elevation of the interiors by the Lord, nos. 7816, 10330. Man is elevated when he rises towards spiritual things, no. 9922. In proportion as a man is elevated from external towards interior things, he comes into light, and thus into intelligence; and this is meant by his being withdrawn from sensual things, as it was called by the ancients, nos. 6183, 6313. Elevation from the External towards interior things, is as from fog into light, no. 4598.
Influx from the Lord is through the internal into the external man, nos. 1940, 5119. Interior things can flow into exterior, but not conversely; wherefore, there is a spiritual, and not a physical, influx, that is, an influx from the spiritual man into the natural, and not from the natural into the spiritual, nos. 3219, 5119, 5259, 5427, 5428, 5477, 6322, 9110. From the Internal, in which is peace, the Lord governs the External, in which is unrest, no. 5396.
The Internal can see all things in the External, but not conversely, nos. 1914, 1953, 5427, 5428, 5477. When man lives in the world, he thinks from the Internal in the External, wherefore, his spiritual thought flows into natural thought, and in it presents itself naturally, no. 3679. When a man thinks correctly, his thought is from theInternal or Spiritual in the External or Natural, nos. 9704, 9705, 9707. The external man thinks and wills according to its conjunction with the internal man, nos. 9702, 9703. There are interior and exterior thought; the quality of both, nos. 2515, 2552, 5127, 5141, 5168, 6007. During a man's life in the world, the thought and affection which are in the Internal are not perceived by him, but only those which are from it in the External, nos. 10236, 10240. In the other life, however, external things are removed, and the man is then let into his internals, no. 8870. The quality of his internals then becomes manifest, nos. 1806, 1807.
The Internal produces the External, nos. 994, 995. The Internal then clothes itself with such things as enable it to produce an effect in the External, nos. 6275, 6284, 6299; through which it is then enabled to live in the External, nos. 1175, 6275. The Lord conjoins the internalor spiritual man to the external or natural man, when He regenerates the latter, nos. 1577, 1594, 1904, 1999. The external or natural man is then brought into order through the internal or spiritual man, and is subordinated, no. 9708.
The External must be subordinated and subjected to the Internal, nos. 5077, 5125, 5128, 5786, 5947, 10272. The External was so created, as to serve the Internal, no. 5947. The Internal must be the lord, and the External the minister and, in a certain respect, the servant, no. 10471.
The External ought to be in correspondence with the Internal, that there may be conjunction, nos. 5427, 5428, 5477. What the quality of the External is when it corresponds with the Internal, and what when it does not correspond, nos. 3493, 5422, 5423, 5427, 5428, 5477, 5511. In the external man there are such things as correspond and agree with the internal, and there are such things as do not correspond and agree, nos. 1563, 1568.
The External takes its quality from the Internal, nos. 9912, 9921, 9922. How great the beauty of the external man is, when it is conjoined with the internal man, no. 1590; and how great its deformity when it is not conjoined, no. 1598. Love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour conjoin the external man with theinternal, no. 1594. Unless the internal man is conjoined with the external man there is no fructification, no. 3987.
Interior things successively flow into exterior things, even into the Outermost or Last, and in it they exist and subsist together, nos. 634, 6239, 9216. They not only flow in successively, but in the Ultimate they also form the Simultaneous; in what order, nos. 5897, 6451, 8603, 10099. All interior things are held together in connection by the First through the Last, no. 9828. From this also there is strength and power in last or ultimate things, no. 9836. Wherefore replies and revelations took place from the last or ultimate things, nos. 9905, 10548. Hence also the Ultimate or Last is more holy than the interior things, no. 9824. In the Word, therefore, by the First and the Last are signified each and all things, and thus the whole, nos. 10044, 10329, 10335.
The internal man has been opened with him who is in Divine order, but closed with him who is not in Divine order, no. 8513. There is no conjunction of heaven with the external man apart from the internal, no. 9380. Evils and the falsities of evil close the internal man, and cause man to be only in external things, nos. 1587, 10492; especially evils from the love of self, no. 1594. If the Divine is denied, the interiors are closed even to the Sensual which is the last or ultimate, no. 6564. With the intelligent and learned of the world, who confirm themselves from the sciences against the things belonging to Heaven and the Church, the Internal is closed more than with such as are simple-minded, no. 10492.
Since the internal man is in the light of heaven, and the external in the light of the world, therefore those who are in an External without an Internal, that is, those with whom the Internal has been closed, do not care for the internal things which belong to Heaven and the Church, nos. 4464, 4946. In the other life they cannot at all endureinternal things, nos. 10694, 10701 10707. They do not believe anything, nos. 10396, 10400, 10411, 10429. They love themselves and the world above all things, nos. 10407, 10412, 10420. Their interior things, that is, those which belong to thought and affection, are vile, filthy, and profane, however they may appear in externals, nos. 1182, 7046, 9705, 9707. The ideas of their thought are material, and not at all spiritual, no. 10582. Further, how those are with whom the Internal which has respect to heaven has been closed, nos. 4459, 9709, 10284, 10286, 10429, 10472, 10492, 10602, 10683.
So far as the Internal, which is spiritual, is opened, so far truths and goods are multiplied; and so far as the Internal, which is spiritual, is closed, so far truths and goods disappear, no. 4099. The Church is in the internal, spiritual man, because this is in heaven; and not in the external without it, no. 10698. the external Church, consequently, is nothing with a man, apart from the internal Church, no. 1795. External worship apart from internal worship is not worship, nos. 1094, 1175. Concerning those who are in the Internal of the Church, of worship, and of the Word; concerning those who are in an External in which is all Internal; and concerning those who are in an External apart from any Internal, no. 10683. The External apart from the Internal is hard, no. 10602.
The merely natural man is in hell, unless he becomes spiritual through regeneration, no. 10156. All those who are in an External apart from an Internal, that is, with whom the spiritual Internal has been closed, are in hell, nos. 9128, 10483, 10489.
The interiors of a man are actually turned in accordance with his loves, no. 10702. In each and all things there ought to be an Internaland all External, in order that they may subsist, no. 9473.
Above and high, in the Word, signifies what is internal, nos. 1735, 2148, 4210, 4599. In the Word, consequently, what is high signifies what is interior, and what is low, what is exterior, no. 3084.
True Christian Religion (Dick) n. 401
401.* "(5). The Internal and the External Man. 1. Man is so created as to be at the same time in the spiritual world and in the natural world. The spiritual world is where angels are, and the natural world is where men are. Because man is so created he is endowed with aninternal and an external; by virtue of the internal he is in the spiritual world, and by virtue of the external he is in the natural world. Hisinternal is called the internal man, and his external is called the external man.
[2] "2. Every man has both an internal and an external; but with a difference in the case of the good and the evil. With the good, theinternal is in heaven and its light, and the external is in the world and in the light of its intelligence. This intellectual light of the world is with them illuminated by the light of heaven;** and thus the internaland the external act in unity, like cause and effect, or like what is prior and what is posterior. On the other hand, with the evil theinternal is in hell and in its light,*** which, compared with the light of heaven, is thick darkness, while their external may be in the intellectual light similar to that which the good enjoy; that is, the interior state of the evil is an inverted one. This is the reason why the evil can speak and teach concerning faith, charity and God, but not, like the good, from faith, charity and God.
[3] "3. The internal man is what is called the spiritual man, because it is in the light of heaven, and this light is spiritual; and the external man is what is called the natural man, because it is in the intellectual light of the world, and this light is natural. The man whose internal is in the light of heaven, and whose external is in the intellectual light of the world, is a spiritual man as to both; for spiritual light from within illuminates the natural light, and makes it as its own. The case is the reverse with the wicked.
[4] "4. The internal spiritual man, viewed in himself, is an angel of heaven; and, while living in the body, although not conscious of the fact, is also associated with angels, amongst whom he is introduced after his release from the body. But with the evil, the internal man is a satan, and while living in the body, is also associated with satans, and amongst these he is introduced after his release from the body.
[5] "5. The interiors of the mind of those who are spiritual men are actually raised up towards heaven; for heaven is the primary object of their regard; but with those who are merely natural, the interiors of the mind are turned away from heaven and directed towards the world, because this is their primary object of regard.
[6] "6. Those who entertain only a general idea concerning theinternal and the external man, believe that it is the internal man that thinks and wills, and the external that speaks and acts; because thinking and willing are internal, while speaking and acting are external. It should be known, however, that when a man thinks and wills rightly concerning the Lord and the neighbor, and concerning the things which respectively belong to them, he then thinks and wills from a spiritual internal, because he does so from the faith of truth and the love of good; but when a man thinks evil concerning them and wills evil to them, he then thinks and wills from an infernalinternal, because from the faith of falsity and the love of evil. In short, so far as a man is principled in love to the Lord and in love towards the neighbor, he is in a spiritual internal, from which he thinks and wills, and also speaks and acts; but so far as a man is in the love of self and in the love of the world, he thinks and wills from hell, let his words and actions be what they may.
[7] "7. It is so provided and ordered by the Lord that, in proportion as a man thinks and wills from heaven, the spiritual man is opened and developed; this opening is into heaven, even to the Lord, and the development is in the direction of those things that pertain to heaven. On the other hand, however, so far as a man thinks and wills, not from heaven but from the world, the internal spiritual man is closed, and the external is opened, and developed; and this opening is into the world, and the development is towards those things that pertain to hell.
[8] "8. Those with whom the internal spiritual man is opened into heaven to the Lord, are in the light of heaven, and in enlightenment from the Lord, and consequently in intelligence and wisdom. These see truth from the light of truth, and have a perception of good from the love of it. But those with whom the internal spiritual man is closed, do not know what the internal man is; neither do they believe in the Word, nor in a life after death, nor in the things that pertain to heaven and the Church. Moreover, as they are only in natural light (lumen), they believe nature to be derived from itself, and not from God; they see falsity as truth, and perceive evil as good.
[9] "9. The internal and the external here treated of are the internaland the external of man's spirit. His body is only a superadded external, within which the others exist; for the body does nothing from itself, but acts from the spirit which is within it. It should be known that a man's spirit, after its separation from the body, retains this capacity to think and will, to speak and act; for thought and will constitute its internal, and speech and action now constitute its external."
True Christian Religion (Chadwick) n. 420
VII
Charity and good deeds are two different things, as are wishing well and doing good.
Everyone has aninternaland an external. The internal is what is called the internal man, the external is what is called the external man. Anyone who is unaware of what the internal and external man are, might think that the internal man is the one who thinks and wills, and the external man is the one who speaks and acts. Admittedly speech and action are functions of the external man, and thought and will of the internal man; but they are not essentially what constitute the external and internal man. As commonly understood it is a person's mind which is the internal man; but the mind itself is divided into two zones, and the one which is higher and interior is spiritual, the other which is lower and exterior is natural. The spiritual mind concentrates on the spiritual world and the objects of its attention are the contents of that world, either the kind of things to be found in heaven, or the kind to be found in hell; both heaven and hell are part of the spiritual world. The natural mind, however, concentrates upon the natural world, and the objects of its attention are the contents of that world, whether good or evil. Every action and utterance by a person comes directly from the lower zone of his mind, and indirectly from the higher zone, since the lower zone of the mind is closer to the bodily senses, and the higher zone is more distant from them. Human beings have this division of the mind, because they were created to be simultaneously spiritual and natural, and thus not animals but human beings.
[2] This shows plainly that a person who looks to the world and himself in the first place is an external man, because he is natural not only in body but also in mind, while a person who looks in the first place to what belongs to heaven and the church is an internal man, because he is spiritual in both mind and body. He is spiritual in body too, because his actions and utterances come from his higher mind, which is spiritual, by way of the lower mind, which is natural. For it is well known that effects come from the body, and the causes which produce them from the mind, and the cause is wholly in the effect. This division of the human mind is obvious from the fact that a person can put on a pretence, or play the part of a toady, hypocrite and actor; he can assent to another's statements, while yet laughing at them. The laughter comes from his higher mind, the assent from the lower.
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.”