Are you seeking your own pleasure or are you seeking your own fulfilment? There is a difference.
No one who is wholly involved in pleasures of the body or the flesh feels any pleasure except in eminence or profit or in physical and sensory gratification. These stifle and smother deeper pleasures of heaven so completely that people do not even believe such pleasures exist. (Heaven and Hell 398)
Remembering the Holocaust isn’t only about one religion, one race, or one people—it’s about how we treat all people. You may look at WWII and the Holocaust and think, “I would have been on the right side of history. I would have opposed the Nazis.”
But the sobering truth is that for the vast majority of us, had we lived in that time and place, we likely would have just gone along. We would have kept our heads down. We might even have participated in the discrimination against, the ostracisation of, or the murder of our neighbours—simply because they were different, they were easy to dismiss, they were easy to hate… and they were Jewish.
In the teachings of the New Church, we are called to this very kind of introspection—to examine the true leanings of our hearts (Divine Providence #278): “We need to look especially at which evils we see as permissible in our spirit and do not regard as sins, for eventually we do them.”
Memory is not passive. It is spiritual work.
The words of Micah 6:8 still speak to us today: “He has shown you what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.
When someone struggles against their evils, the Lord gives a quiet inner peace as a result. (DP 41)
“Once a spiritual crisis is over we at first fluctuate between truth and falsity, but then the truth shines forth we feel peaceful lighthearted.” (NJHD 197)
Since temptations serve to strengthen the truths of faith and to implant forms of the good of charity, and also to subdue cravings for evil, it follows that temptations are the means by which the spiritual or internal man gains dominion over the natural or external man, that is, the good of charity and faith gains dominion over the evil of self-love and love of the world. Once this has been accomplished the person becomes enlightened and enjoys a perception of what truth is and what good is, and also of what evil and falsity are. This brings him intelligence and wisdom, which increase daily after that. (Arcana Coelestia 8967)
Hatred is not just a feeling — it's a chasm. When we hold contempt in our hearts, even while acting “religious,” we separate ourselves from the Lord.
In Luke 18:9–14, Jesus tells of a Pharisee who prays with pride and judgment — and a tax collector who prays with humility and sorrow. Only one walks away justified.
Swedenborg writes:👉 “Hatred for other people is that intervening, hellish chasm.”— Secrets of Heaven #904
As someone who grew up listening to Carl Sagan describe the vastness of the universe, I think the rarity of life in the universe paired well with this verse from Jeremiah. Each life is precious and unique...a MIRACLE.
Maybe you’ve made the same New Year’s resolution 5, 10, or 20 times—and still feel like you haven’t changed. That’s okay. The Lord never gets tired of lifting us, guiding us, restoring us. Swedenborg says regeneration is lifelong—not a one-time event. It's a process. And the Lord never gives up on it.
Your part? Keep showing up. Keep turning. Keep asking. The Lord’s part is to renew your heart, one patient day at a time.
Secrets of Heaven 8326:When a tree is planted it grows into branches, leaves, and fruit, then from seeds in the fruit it grows into new trees, and so on. A person's regeneration is similar, which also explains why in the Word a person is compared to a tree, and one who has been regenerated to a garden or paradise. The truths of faith within that person are compared to the leaves, and forms of the good of charity to the fruit; the seeds from which new trees grow correspond to truths which spring from good, or what amounts to the same thing, to faith which springs from charity. The expression "regeneration going on continuously" is used because a person's regeneration has a beginning but never ceases; the person is continually being made more perfect not only while living in the world but also in the next life for evermore. Yet no one can ever reach any kind of perfection that enables them to be compared with the Divine.
Christmas is not the end of the journey—it’s the beginning. The Lord is born into our hearts so He can teach us how to live. Swedenborg reminds us that spiritual life is a path of continual learning, of turning from what is harmful, and seeking what is good. Our part is to be willing students of divine truth, not just on Christmas, but all our lives.
Apocalypse Explained 803: It’s important to know how we can be in such enlightenment as to learn the truths that must constitute our faith, and in such desire as to do the good deeds that must constitute our love. These things are possible as follows: (1) Read the Word every day—one or two chapters—and learn from a master and from preaching the teachings of your religion. Learn especially that God is one, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, that the Word is holy, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that there is a life after death. (2) Learn from the Word, from a master, and from preaching, what works are sins. Learn all of these things from childhood to youth. (3) When you begin to think for yourself, it must be the first and chief thing to refrain from doing what is harmful (evil) for the reason that it is a sin against the Word, thus against God. Afterward, as you grow up and become old, you must turn away from what is harmful [not only in action, but also] in intention and thought. But in order to so refrain from them and shun and turn away from them, you must pray to the Lord for help. (4) To the extent that we detest these evils, because they are opposed to the Word and thence opposed to God, to the same extent there is granted us communication with the Lord, and togetherness is effected with heaven (5) To the extent, then, that we detest these sins, so far good desires enter. (6) To the extent that we are in these good desires, we are led by the Lord and not by ourselves. (7) The desires that are granted are a desire for knowing and understanding the truths and goods of heaven and the Church, together with a desire for willing and doing them; also a desire to combat with zeal against falsities and evils and dispersing them—both within ourselves and others. (8) Thus and in no other way are we reformed; and to the extent that we know and believe what is true, and also will and do it, to the same extent we are regenerated, and from being earthly we become spiritual.
At Christmas, the angels proclaim peace—but not as something passive or distant. Swedenborg teaches that peace arises when goodness and truth are united in our lives. Our part is not only to believe in peace but to live it, through small acts of goodwill, forgiveness, and care. The birth of the Lord in us is the birth of this love in action.
Secrets of Heaven 352: Love and love-based faith is the firstborn. All love is the Lord's and no particle of love is ours, which is why the Lord is the only firstborn. In the early churches, this fact was represented by the consecration of firstborns and of firstborn animals to Jehovah (Exodus 13:2, 12, 15). It was also represented by the fact that the tribe of Levi was taken in place of all the firstborn and became the priestly order (Numbers 3:40-46; 8:14-20), even though Levi, who on an inner level symbolises love, was born after Reuben and Simeon, who on an inner level symbolise faith.
Hope is not passive—it’s a sacred task. Swedenborg teaches that during spiritual struggles, infernal spirits try to stir up doubt, but angels from the Lord preserve a sense of hope. Our part is to lean into that hope even when light seems faint. Mary believed—and that belief was her part in the miracle. So too with us.
Secrets of Heaven 2338: [Spiritual trials bring with them] doubt concerning the Lord's presence and mercy and concerning salvation. The evil spirits then present with us, who bring on the crisis, inspire strong negativity. Good spirits and angels, however, on behalf of the Lord, use every method they can to do away with this doubt, keep hope always alive in us, and eventually reinforce a positive outlook. As a consequence, we hover between denial and affirmation during our inward struggles. When we fail, we continue to doubt, and sink into pessimism. When we win, on the other hand, we do still have doubts, but those of us who allow hope to set us on our feet remain optimistic.
Spiritual Shorts
Are you seeking your own pleasure or are you seeking your own fulfilment? There is a difference.
No one who is wholly involved in pleasures of the body or the flesh feels any pleasure except in eminence or profit or in physical and sensory gratification. These stifle and smother deeper pleasures of heaven so completely that people do not even believe such pleasures exist. (Heaven and Hell 398)
2 days ago | [YT] | 10
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Spiritual Shorts
Mind Your Intentions.
1 week ago | [YT] | 11
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Spiritual Shorts
A reflection for Holocaust Remembrance Day:
Remembering the Holocaust isn’t only about one religion, one race, or one people—it’s about how we treat all people. You may look at WWII and the Holocaust and think, “I would have been on the right side of history. I would have opposed the Nazis.”
But the sobering truth is that for the vast majority of us, had we lived in that time and place, we likely would have just gone along. We would have kept our heads down. We might even have participated in the discrimination against, the ostracisation of, or the murder of our neighbours—simply because they were different, they were easy to dismiss, they were easy to hate… and they were Jewish.
In the teachings of the New Church, we are called to this very kind of introspection—to examine the true leanings of our hearts (Divine Providence #278):
“We need to look especially at which evils we see as permissible in our spirit and do not regard as sins, for eventually we do them.”
Memory is not passive. It is spiritual work.
The words of Micah 6:8 still speak to us today:
“He has shown you what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 6
View 2 replies
Spiritual Shorts
On the usefulness of our struggles.
A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.
When someone struggles against their evils, the Lord gives a quiet inner peace as a result. (DP 41)
“Once a spiritual crisis is over we at first fluctuate between truth and falsity, but then the truth shines forth we feel peaceful lighthearted.” (NJHD 197)
Since temptations serve to strengthen the truths of faith and to implant forms of the good of charity, and also to subdue cravings for evil, it follows that temptations are the means by which the spiritual or internal man gains dominion over the natural or external man, that is, the good of charity and faith gains dominion over the evil of self-love and love of the world. Once this has been accomplished the person becomes enlightened and enjoys a perception of what truth is and what good is, and also of what evil and falsity are. This brings him intelligence and wisdom, which increase daily after that. (Arcana Coelestia 8967)
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 6
View 0 replies
Spiritual Shorts
Hatred is not just a feeling — it's a chasm.
When we hold contempt in our hearts, even while acting “religious,” we separate ourselves from the Lord.
In Luke 18:9–14, Jesus tells of a Pharisee who prays with pride and judgment — and a tax collector who prays with humility and sorrow.
Only one walks away justified.
Swedenborg writes:👉 “Hatred for other people is that intervening, hellish chasm.”— Secrets of Heaven #904
4 weeks ago | [YT] | 7
View 1 reply
Spiritual Shorts
As someone who grew up listening to Carl Sagan describe the vastness of the universe, I think the rarity of life in the universe paired well with this verse from Jeremiah. Each life is precious and unique...a MIRACLE.
1 month ago | [YT] | 9
View 3 replies
Spiritual Shorts
Maybe you’ve made the same New Year’s resolution 5, 10, or 20 times—and still feel like you haven’t changed. That’s okay. The Lord never gets tired of lifting us, guiding us, restoring us. Swedenborg says regeneration is lifelong—not a one-time event. It's a process. And the Lord never gives up on it.
Your part? Keep showing up. Keep turning. Keep asking. The Lord’s part is to renew your heart, one patient day at a time.
Secrets of Heaven 8326:When a tree is planted it grows into branches, leaves, and fruit, then from seeds in the fruit it grows into new trees, and so on. A person's regeneration is similar, which also explains why in the Word a person is compared to a tree, and one who has been regenerated to a garden or paradise. The truths of faith within that person are compared to the leaves, and forms of the good of charity to the fruit; the seeds from which new trees grow correspond to truths which spring from good, or what amounts to the same thing, to faith which springs from charity. The expression "regeneration going on continuously" is used because a person's regeneration has a beginning but never ceases; the person is continually being made more perfect not only while living in the world but also in the next life for evermore. Yet no one can ever reach any kind of perfection that enables them to be compared with the Divine.
1 month ago | [YT] | 12
View 0 replies
Spiritual Shorts
Christmas is not the end of the journey—it’s the beginning. The Lord is born into our hearts so He can teach us how to live. Swedenborg reminds us that spiritual life is a path of continual learning, of turning from what is harmful, and seeking what is good. Our part is to be willing students of divine truth, not just on Christmas, but all our lives.
Apocalypse Explained 803:
It’s important to know how we can be in such enlightenment as to learn the truths that must constitute our faith, and in such desire as to do the good deeds that must constitute our love. These things are possible as follows: (1) Read the Word every day—one or two chapters—and learn from a master and from preaching the teachings of your religion. Learn especially that God is one, that the Lord is the God of heaven and earth, that the Word is holy, that there is a heaven and a hell, and that there is a life after death. (2) Learn from the Word, from a master, and from preaching, what works are sins. Learn all of these things from childhood to youth. (3) When you begin to think for yourself, it must be the first and chief thing to refrain from doing what is harmful (evil) for the reason that it is a sin against the Word, thus against God. Afterward, as you grow up and become old, you must turn away from what is harmful [not only in action, but also] in intention and thought. But in order to so refrain from them and shun and turn away from them, you must pray to the Lord for help. (4) To the extent that we detest these evils, because they are opposed to the Word and thence opposed to God, to the same extent there is granted us communication with the Lord, and togetherness is effected with heaven (5) To the extent, then, that we detest these sins, so far good desires enter. (6) To the extent that we are in these good desires, we are led by the Lord and not by ourselves. (7) The desires that are granted are a desire for knowing and understanding the truths and goods of heaven and the Church, together with a desire for willing and doing them; also a desire to combat with zeal against falsities and evils and dispersing them—both within ourselves and others. (8) Thus and in no other way are we reformed; and to the extent that we know and believe what is true, and also will and do it, to the same extent we are regenerated, and from being earthly we become spiritual.
1 month ago | [YT] | 8
View 0 replies
Spiritual Shorts
At Christmas, the angels proclaim peace—but not as something passive or distant. Swedenborg teaches that peace arises when goodness and truth are united in our lives. Our part is not only to believe in peace but to live it, through small acts of goodwill, forgiveness, and care. The birth of the Lord in us is the birth of this love in action.
Secrets of Heaven 352:
Love and love-based faith is the firstborn. All love is the Lord's and no particle of love is ours, which is why the Lord is the only firstborn. In the early churches, this fact was represented by the consecration of firstborns and of firstborn animals to Jehovah (Exodus 13:2, 12, 15). It was also represented by the fact that the tribe of Levi was taken in place of all the firstborn and became the priestly order (Numbers 3:40-46; 8:14-20), even though Levi, who on an inner level symbolises love, was born after Reuben and Simeon, who on an inner level symbolise faith.
1 month ago | [YT] | 9
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Spiritual Shorts
Hope is not passive—it’s a sacred task. Swedenborg teaches that during spiritual struggles, infernal spirits try to stir up doubt, but angels from the Lord preserve a sense of hope. Our part is to lean into that hope even when light seems faint. Mary believed—and that belief was her part in the miracle. So too with us.
Secrets of Heaven 2338:
[Spiritual trials bring with them] doubt concerning the Lord's presence and mercy and concerning salvation. The evil spirits then present with us, who bring on the crisis, inspire strong negativity. Good spirits and angels, however, on behalf of the Lord, use every method they can to do away with this doubt, keep hope always alive in us, and eventually reinforce a positive outlook. As a consequence, we hover between denial and affirmation during our inward struggles. When we fail, we continue to doubt, and sink into pessimism. When we win, on the other hand, we do still have doubts, but those of us who allow hope to set us on our feet remain optimistic.
1 month ago | [YT] | 13
View 2 replies
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