ES’s EARLY VISIONS PRIOR TO HIS VISION OF DIVINE CALLING:
SIGNS HE USED TO AID THE VERIFICATION PROCESS:
Source: ES’s “Spiritual Diary (1748)” as quoted in Ernst Benz, “Swedenborg: Visionary Savant in the Age of Reason”

In my view, ES sometimes confuses his own percpetions and belief systems with divine revelation.  But his verifications are far, far superior to those of modern astral adepts.  So some of the features of the verification system set up for him should be of widespread interest--particularly in view of the lack of any system of verification in modern astral exploration.  I will now quote from his early diary:

“For several years I had not only dreams through which I was taught the very things I was now writing, but I also experienced changes in my state while writing.  An extraordinary light appeared in the things I wrote.  Later I had various visions with closed eyes and wonderful illuminations.  I also experienced visitations from spirits, so clear to the senses, as if they were occurring bodily.  I experienced various visitations from evil spirits whenever I was in temptation.  Whenever I wrote something which the spirits disliked, I was almost possessed by them and felt like shivering.  I saw burning lights and heard conversations in the early morning besides many other things, until a spirit spoke some words to me, and I was amazed that he could read my thoughts.”

“An enormous flaming light appeared unexpectedly before my eye, which it pierced in an indescribable fashion.  The flame pierced not only my eye, but also the inner vision which I now clearly perceive.  Soon I perceived something…like a dark cloud, in which there was, however, something earthly.  The dark cloud represents the state of intelligence of lower spiritual powers.  The light itself is distinguished according to its type and luminosity: the flaming light of the first vision means the heavenly; the vibrating bright light like a white flame means the spiritual.”

After ES or an angel [= a discarnate saint] had refuted erroneous teachings…at a meeting in the world of spirits, a shaft of light or a radiant flame-like fire descended from  heaven as a sign of divine confirmation.  Wonderful changes usually occurred to these spirits in this heavenly light.  All who persisted in their error [i. e. were stuck in their prior belief system] turned away in dread from the intolerable light, and they were scared into hell.  But those who had been seized by the truth…were included in a higher and purer community of heavenly spirits according to their illumination [i. e. vibratory frequency].”

Don

Swedeborg's books can be read at http://www.sacred-texts.com/swd/index.htm ; I'm having a gander through 'Heaven and hell' at the moment. Sincerely. Carl and family

Don-

I'm glad you resurrected your Swedenborg thread.

When you started it, you characterized Van Dusen's book, The Presence of Other Worlds, as one of the most fascinating books on the afterlife you had ever read.

I just finished reading that book last month and yes, I agree with your characterization. 

For anyone interested in the afterlife, it would absolutely be near if not at the very top of any book list.

No one has researched the afterlife and then wrote about it to the extent Swedenborg did.  The insights and knowledge he obtained are priceless.

It's a book worth reading and re-reading many times over.

R

Hi Berserk: There is a problem with trying to compare ES with Monroe... Monroe has two credible figures who corroborate and or extend his work.. Moen and Kepple... though they don't necessarily contradict ES in principle, they extend the fine print... if you can tell me the ES didn't depend on his angels exclusively for his information then we have a different problem... but, if his work is built exclusively on angelic communication... then, the issue of the fact that those angels are in reality reflections of himself and until he evolved as Monroe did beyond that limitation (when Monroe did that that guide disappeared... was no longer needed)... he had no better information than that which he was being given... make sense..

But, we have another advantage... we diligence and perseverence WE to can do what Moen and Kepple did... we can go out there and make our own judgements with real... certainty...

S.

Seraphis,

The astral experiences of Robert Monroe, Bruce Moen, and Frank Kepple are interrelated by a shared New Age worldview and the latter 2 explorers both attended programs at TMI.  Possible bias from preconceptions must always be taken in account in assessing astral claims.  In my view, you overlook 2 decisive facts: (1) ES was an original; he had no contemporary astral explorers to influence him.  (2) His verifications are far, far superior to any modern astral adepts, and this fact means that his unique insights must be taken seriously.

Robert Monroe's first book, "Journeys Out of the Body,"  is a classic that does not impose a New Age straightjacket on his OBEs.  The issue of a New Age bais arises from his next 2 books.  Others have said, "Rush to read his first book and ignore the other two."  I've read all 3 books, but would have the same recommendation.  My point is that (1) both Bruce Moen and Frank Kepple have been influenced by Robert Monroe and TMI and (2) that ES has been subjected to no parallel influence.  Of course, influence does not necessarily imply error.

Berserk2 wrote on Nov 10^th, 2010 at 2:34pm:


Hi Berserk: Just for arguement sake: Moen's first experience as I recall was...'...this is a rip-off'... so to say he was unduly influenced maybe an overstatement... both Moen and Kepple were hard headed physical world engineers... Moen was a problem solver... so he had imagination and creative instincts that gave him the ability to create solution... to engineering problems... I hardly think that he was going to give Monroe's work a pass on authenticity or practical experimental verification techniques that satisfied his practical mind... I believe he has integrity and would probably have made a good deal more money in private industry than he is making in the 'workshop field'... I don't know a lot about Kepple's work accept he apparently cut from the same cloth as Moen... an electrical engineer... with imagination and creative abilities... that is the key to there work in forwarding Monroe's work... sound, practical creative skills applied to the non-physical...

S.