AC 7112. Ye shall no more give the people straw. That this signifies the lowest memory-knowledges and the most general of all, is evident from the signification of “chaff” or “straw,” as being truths of memory-knowledge (see n. 3114), and indeed memory-knowledges the lowest and most general of all, for the lowest food in a spiritual sense is straw or chaff, because it is the food of beasts. Those knowledges are called lowest which are full of fallacies of the senses, which the evil abuse to pervert goods and truths, and thus to defend evils and falsities; for on account… Read more »
My task this week proved powerfully useful. I turned to it often to manage states of deep emotional need not being met in me and was able to distance myself from acute feeling states which may usually have overwhelmed me. I was able to add in external coping mechanisms such as a walk or a change in environment to support me too. Plus resorting to my spiritual journal to sort through confusion that the hells perpetuated in relation to these needs. Acknowledging a weak wall in my psyche and distancing myself a little from the hells stimulating me from outside… Read more »
Mandy Millar
September 25, 2024 10:29 pm
7127 part of subsection 2: For this purpose they especially employ such things from the Word as are the most general of all, and which without the internal sense of the Word can be drawn to favour any opinion whatever. Such are the things they put before those who are of the spiritual church; and by means of which they infest them; although they are nothing but chaff or straw for making bricks, for they exclude the most essential thing of all, namely, charity. The taskmasters within, that which compels to serve the illusion that life is of one’s self; to… Read more »
Gretchen & Harald Sandstrom
September 23, 2024 8:39 am
AC 7118 “As soon as any thought at all which has to do plainly with the Lord presents itself they instantly remove it, which they know how to do cleverly.” And how! What instantly occurred to us is how, when we say a prayer before a meal or the Lord’s prayer, the mind so easily drifts away into irrelevant thoughts. It’s reassuring AND annoying to discover that’s not accidental OR EVEN OUR OWN DOING. We know this passage is talking about those who are upright in the next life being molested by falsities, but it definitely has application to us. We also know that… Read more »
Denyse Daurat
September 21, 2024 5:40 am
7130 A person has two areas of mind, one being the natural mind and the other the rational mind. The natural mind is that of the external man, whereas the rational mind is that of the internal man. What belongs to the natural mind is called factual knowledge, but what belongs to the rational mind is called reason and understanding. The two are also distinguished from each other by the fact that what belongs to the natural mind depends for the most part on the light of the world, a light which is called the inferior light of nature; but… Read more »
Janna King
September 16, 2024 9:54 am
7112. Ye shall no more give the people straw. That this signifies the lowest memory-knowledges and the most general of all, is evident from the signification of “chaff” or “straw,” as being truths of memory-knowledge (see n. 3114), and indeed memory-knowledges the lowest and most general of all, for the lowest food in a spiritual sense is straw or chaff, because it is the food of beasts. ones not artificial denote truths… 7131. To gather stubble for straw. That this signifies to find some truth of memory-knowledge,* is evident from the signification of “stubble for straw,” as being the truth… Read more »
Paraphrasing from 7106, 7118, 7122, and 7127.3. Proprial infestation increases otherwise there is thought about the Lord. Infestation hinders the upright state in me and the intention is to subjugate it. But infestation is permitted so that false ideas that adhere to my spiritual memory store can be removed. Reasoning is fallacious when the essential element of charity is excluded from it. Task: be alert to times when the mind seems to have its own internal dialogue going on. Examine this reasoning content and see if there is charity or humanity in it. If not, then it is proprial or… Read more »
7122 In these verses, in the internal sense, there has now been described the infestation by falsities of the upright in the other life; and there has also been set forth the way in which they are infested. Such infestation is permitted to the end that falsities may be removed, and truths be instilled, which cannot possibly be done without infestation; for after death there clings to a man, and there is in his memories, everything of his thought in the world, of his intention, of his will, of his speech, and of his action, for nothing is obliterated. And… Read more »
When I look back to my younger life I was very wrapped up in the matters of the world and myself, and much less aware of what other people might be thinking or feeling. I can see that over the years I have got better at thinking about others and what effect I might have on them by my words and actions. But it is an ongoing effort, trying to build up empathy and thinking about others rather than how something is affecting to me. It helps me to listen to stories about other people’s spiritual journeys, to read or listen… Read more »
AC 7113: … it is said “falsities so called,” because the evil do not acknowledge the falsities which they speak as being falsities, but as being truths. (7133). To make bricks. That this signifies to make things fictitious and false that will be injected, is evident from the signification of “making bricks,” as being to invent falsities. AC 7116: And the tale of the bricks which they made yesterday and the day before yesterday, ye shall lay upon them. That this signifies that things fictitious and false must be injected in abundance. AC 7131: That “stubble” denotes such truth is… Read more »
Submission: This was a session which involved the need to be constantly awake to inflowing thoughts. A few days ago, I found myself in a group of people who were entering into a discussion which was focusing on an interaction between 2 other people who were not present. Opinions were being put forward on the nature of the interaction, the outcome of the conversation and some decisions that had been made. Without thinking I started to present my take on the situation, what I thought about the outcome and how I would have done it differently. Then I stopped in… Read more »
Liz Coggins
September 13, 2024 8:07 am
7118: for they are idle. That this signifies that they are not assaulted enough is evident from the signification of “being idle” as being not sufficiently infested by falsities, thus not to be assaulted enough. How the case herein is can also be known from those who are being infested by falsities in the other life. They who infest, as far as possible hinder the upright whom they infest from thinking about the Lord; as soon as any thought of the Lord openly occurs, they at once take it away… 7119: Therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice unto… Read more »
Submission: Watching the tendency for infestations this session I mostly noticed a prolonged resistance to Work…. like my heart wasn’t in the task, except as theory; and feeling very disjointed and disconnected – which really feels like a constant infestation of sleep and laziness. Then a few days into the session the emphasis seemed to shift from the infestations themselves, to recognising that the Real goal was knowing and submitting to love to the Lord (7119); and that a more internal part of myself had to be engaged, a part that doesn’t listen to the infestation of sleep. It’s… Read more »
AC 7112. Ye shall no more give the people straw. That this signifies the lowest memory-knowledges and the most general of all, is evident from the signification of “chaff” or “straw,” as being truths of memory-knowledge (see n. 3114), and indeed memory-knowledges the lowest and most general of all, for the lowest food in a spiritual sense is straw or chaff, because it is the food of beasts. Those knowledges are called lowest which are full of fallacies of the senses, which the evil abuse to pervert goods and truths, and thus to defend evils and falsities; for on account… Read more »
My task this week proved powerfully useful. I turned to it often to manage states of deep emotional need not being met in me and was able to distance myself from acute feeling states which may usually have overwhelmed me. I was able to add in external coping mechanisms such as a walk or a change in environment to support me too. Plus resorting to my spiritual journal to sort through confusion that the hells perpetuated in relation to these needs. Acknowledging a weak wall in my psyche and distancing myself a little from the hells stimulating me from outside… Read more »
7127 part of subsection 2: For this purpose they especially employ such things from the Word as are the most general of all, and which without the internal sense of the Word can be drawn to favour any opinion whatever. Such are the things they put before those who are of the spiritual church; and by means of which they infest them; although they are nothing but chaff or straw for making bricks, for they exclude the most essential thing of all, namely, charity. The taskmasters within, that which compels to serve the illusion that life is of one’s self; to… Read more »
AC 7118 “As soon as any thought at all which has to do plainly with the Lord presents itself they instantly remove it, which they know how to do cleverly.” And how! What instantly occurred to us is how, when we say a prayer before a meal or the Lord’s prayer, the mind so easily drifts away into irrelevant thoughts. It’s reassuring AND annoying to discover that’s not accidental OR EVEN OUR OWN DOING. We know this passage is talking about those who are upright in the next life being molested by falsities, but it definitely has application to us. We also know that… Read more »
7130 A person has two areas of mind, one being the natural mind and the other the rational mind. The natural mind is that of the external man, whereas the rational mind is that of the internal man. What belongs to the natural mind is called factual knowledge, but what belongs to the rational mind is called reason and understanding. The two are also distinguished from each other by the fact that what belongs to the natural mind depends for the most part on the light of the world, a light which is called the inferior light of nature; but… Read more »
7112. Ye shall no more give the people straw. That this signifies the lowest memory-knowledges and the most general of all, is evident from the signification of “chaff” or “straw,” as being truths of memory-knowledge (see n. 3114), and indeed memory-knowledges the lowest and most general of all, for the lowest food in a spiritual sense is straw or chaff, because it is the food of beasts. ones not artificial denote truths… 7131. To gather stubble for straw. That this signifies to find some truth of memory-knowledge,* is evident from the signification of “stubble for straw,” as being the truth… Read more »
Paraphrasing from 7106, 7118, 7122, and 7127.3. Proprial infestation increases otherwise there is thought about the Lord. Infestation hinders the upright state in me and the intention is to subjugate it. But infestation is permitted so that false ideas that adhere to my spiritual memory store can be removed. Reasoning is fallacious when the essential element of charity is excluded from it. Task: be alert to times when the mind seems to have its own internal dialogue going on. Examine this reasoning content and see if there is charity or humanity in it. If not, then it is proprial or… Read more »
7122 In these verses, in the internal sense, there has now been described the infestation by falsities of the upright in the other life; and there has also been set forth the way in which they are infested. Such infestation is permitted to the end that falsities may be removed, and truths be instilled, which cannot possibly be done without infestation; for after death there clings to a man, and there is in his memories, everything of his thought in the world, of his intention, of his will, of his speech, and of his action, for nothing is obliterated. And… Read more »
When I look back to my younger life I was very wrapped up in the matters of the world and myself, and much less aware of what other people might be thinking or feeling. I can see that over the years I have got better at thinking about others and what effect I might have on them by my words and actions. But it is an ongoing effort, trying to build up empathy and thinking about others rather than how something is affecting to me. It helps me to listen to stories about other people’s spiritual journeys, to read or listen… Read more »
AC 7113: … it is said “falsities so called,” because the evil do not acknowledge the falsities which they speak as being falsities, but as being truths. (7133). To make bricks. That this signifies to make things fictitious and false that will be injected, is evident from the signification of “making bricks,” as being to invent falsities. AC 7116: And the tale of the bricks which they made yesterday and the day before yesterday, ye shall lay upon them. That this signifies that things fictitious and false must be injected in abundance. AC 7131: That “stubble” denotes such truth is… Read more »
Submission: This was a session which involved the need to be constantly awake to inflowing thoughts. A few days ago, I found myself in a group of people who were entering into a discussion which was focusing on an interaction between 2 other people who were not present. Opinions were being put forward on the nature of the interaction, the outcome of the conversation and some decisions that had been made. Without thinking I started to present my take on the situation, what I thought about the outcome and how I would have done it differently. Then I stopped in… Read more »
7118: for they are idle. That this signifies that they are not assaulted enough is evident from the signification of “being idle” as being not sufficiently infested by falsities, thus not to be assaulted enough. How the case herein is can also be known from those who are being infested by falsities in the other life. They who infest, as far as possible hinder the upright whom they infest from thinking about the Lord; as soon as any thought of the Lord openly occurs, they at once take it away… 7119: Therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice unto… Read more »
Submission: Watching the tendency for infestations this session I mostly noticed a prolonged resistance to Work…. like my heart wasn’t in the task, except as theory; and feeling very disjointed and disconnected – which really feels like a constant infestation of sleep and laziness. Then a few days into the session the emphasis seemed to shift from the infestations themselves, to recognising that the Real goal was knowing and submitting to love to the Lord (7119); and that a more internal part of myself had to be engaged, a part that doesn’t listen to the infestation of sleep. It’s… Read more »