AC 7218 And for hard service. That this signifies by infestations from mere falsities, is evident from the signification of “service,” as being infestation by falsities; thus “hard service” denotes infestation by mere falsities; for they who are infested by mere falsities, and are not revived by truths whereby the falsities may be shaken off (and yet their life is the life of the truth which is of faith and of the good which is of charity), are in the greatest anguish, and so long as they are in this state, they are as it were in hard service. Hence it… Read more »
Judy & Len Robinson
November 5, 2024 5:12 pm
ACV9S23-Judy #7218…”Be it known that everything of thought flows in, but when spirits are in a state of evening and night, their thought is then in a forced state, they being then compelled to think of the falsities which are being injected, and not being able to at all loose themselves from this compulsion. But when it is the state of morning and midday with them, their thought is in a free state, for then they are allowed to think of things which they love, thus of the truths and goods of faith and charity, for these belong to their… Read more »
7225: for circumcision represented purification from filthy kinds of love, that is, from self-love and love of the world. Task: Observe states of self-love and love of the world and see how they are opposite neighbourly love and love of the Divine.
As part of the task, refer to AC 7366 – 7377 Teachings about Charity, to remind myself of the characteristics of self-love and love of the world.
7252. The inhabitants and spirits of Venus who appear on the other side of that earth, are of an almost contrary disposition, being gentle and humane. It was granted of the Lord that some of these spirits should come thence to me, and then they appeared near above the head. In talking with me they said that when they were in the world they acknowledged, and now more fully acknowledge, our Lord as their only God. They said that in their earth they had seen Him, walking among them, and they also represented in what manner they had seen Him.… Read more »
Submission: it would seem that the more challenging the corporeal realm is , the more what is of the celestial can be experienced. It feels different to spiritual work. There aren’t any questions – just an “is” .
Denyse Daurat
October 30, 2024 7:31 am
7231 …The Spiritual Church is brought into being with a person through faith present within what he knows and then within his understanding. After this, when the Church with the person grows, that faith passes into his will and from will into action. At this point the person has the truth of faith in his will and puts it into practice because it is what has been commanded in the Word.
Task: Try to be aware of this process and watch for interference from the proprium.
7217 That distress of spirit denotes a state near to despair, can be seen from the fact that they who are in a state near to despair are in internal anxiety, and are then actually in shortness of breath. In the external sense this condition is a compression of the breast, and from this as it were a difficulty of breathing; but in the internal sense it is anxiety on account of the deprivation of the truth which is of faith, and of the good which is of charity, and from this is a state near to despair. But… Read more »
I had a number of periods of anxiety and feeling overwhelmed, and at times even a bit depressed. I was letting the outer world affect me instead of looking inwardly. When I concentrated on breathing and turning inward and to the Lord, I was helped to calm down and feel better. My body also felt more relaxed and able to cope with the negative thoughts. When a major world event is making millions of people anxious the energy seems to build up and the negativity grows. Worry only breeds more worry. Worrying about the future of the church or the state of… Read more »
Liz Coggins
October 28, 2024 1:53 pm
7217: for distress of the spirit….they who are in a state near to despair are in internal anxiety, and are then actually in shortness of breath…. …that a state of compression in respect to breathing, and anxiety on account of the deprivation of the truths of of faith and the good of charity, correspond to each other, as a natural effect in the body from a spiritual cause in the mind…..but spiritual men…therefore, when they believed themselves deprived of the truths and goods of faith and charity are affected with anguish, as are they who are in the anguish of death, for they… Read more »
Submission: Do I notice what happens when I rush? I am completely in the external without awareness, or conscious thought. I believe what the external tells me. There is anxiety; and I am without truth. When I walk slowly, intentionally, there is a sense of acceptance, a surrender to Divine lawfulness. Trust. When I breathe truth into myself, there is a change; the good within it sustains me. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34) “Though I speak with the the tongues… Read more »
Adapted from AC 7233 and AC 7217 – if one proceeds from the principle of Love to God & Love to Neighbor as the primary thing and is in this principle, that one will see innumerable truths, and that form an interior acknowledgement. In which case then we are not in a state of deprivation of truth and good, from which anxiety arises. Task: Observe internal processes and states of mind when I am operating from love to God and Neighbor versus from love to self and world. Take note on the presence of resulting external states with you at… Read more »
AC 7217: For distress of spirit.; in the internal sense it is anxiety on account of the deprivation of the truth which is of faith, and of the good which is of charity, and from this is a state near to despair. That the deprivation of spiritual truth and good gives birth to such anxiety, and consequently to such distress, cannot be believed by those who are not in faith and charity; for these suppose that to be in distress on this account is weakness and sickliness of mind. The reason is that they do not place anything real in faith… Read more »
AC 5376, ..[2] With those who are being regenerated, that is, who the Lord foresees will suffer themselves to be regenerated, these truths are greatly multiplied, for these persons are in the affection of knowing truths; but when they come nearer to the VERY ACT of regeneration, they are as it were deprived of these truths, for these are drawn inward, and then the man appears to be in desolation; nevertheless as regeneration goes on these truths are successively let back into the natural, and are there conjoined with good.
HH 577 [4] Nevertheless, man is continually withdrawn by the Lord from the evils that he attaches and as it were attracts to himself by his affiliation with infernal spirits. If he is not withdrawn by the internal bonds of conscience, which he fails to receive if he denies a Divine, he is nevertheless withdrawn by external bonds, which are, as said above, fears in respect to the law and its penalties, and fears of the loss of gain and the deprivation of honor and reputation. In fact, such a man may be withdrawn from evils by means of the… Read more »
AC 7218 And for hard service. That this signifies by infestations from mere falsities, is evident from the signification of “service,” as being infestation by falsities; thus “hard service” denotes infestation by mere falsities; for they who are infested by mere falsities, and are not revived by truths whereby the falsities may be shaken off (and yet their life is the life of the truth which is of faith and of the good which is of charity), are in the greatest anguish, and so long as they are in this state, they are as it were in hard service. Hence it… Read more »
ACV9S23-Judy #7218…”Be it known that everything of thought flows in, but when spirits are in a state of evening and night, their thought is then in a forced state, they being then compelled to think of the falsities which are being injected, and not being able to at all loose themselves from this compulsion. But when it is the state of morning and midday with them, their thought is in a free state, for then they are allowed to think of things which they love, thus of the truths and goods of faith and charity, for these belong to their… Read more »
7225: for circumcision represented purification from filthy kinds of love, that is, from self-love and love of the world.
Task: Observe states of self-love and love of the world and see how they are opposite neighbourly love and love of the Divine.
As part of the task, refer to AC 7366 – 7377 Teachings about Charity, to remind myself of the characteristics of self-love and love of the world.
7252. The inhabitants and spirits of Venus who appear on the other side of that earth, are of an almost contrary disposition, being gentle and humane. It was granted of the Lord that some of these spirits should come thence to me, and then they appeared near above the head. In talking with me they said that when they were in the world they acknowledged, and now more fully acknowledge, our Lord as their only God. They said that in their earth they had seen Him, walking among them, and they also represented in what manner they had seen Him.… Read more »
Submission: it would seem that the more challenging the corporeal realm is , the more what is of the celestial can be experienced. It feels different to spiritual work. There aren’t any questions – just an “is” .
7231 …The Spiritual Church is brought into being with a person through faith present within what he knows and then within his understanding. After this, when the Church with the person grows, that faith passes into his will and from will into action. At this point the person has the truth of faith in his will and puts it into practice because it is what has been commanded in the Word.
Task: Try to be aware of this process and watch for interference from the proprium.
7217 That distress of spirit denotes a state near to despair, can be seen from the fact that they who are in a state near to despair are in internal anxiety, and are then actually in shortness of breath. In the external sense this condition is a compression of the breast, and from this as it were a difficulty of breathing; but in the internal sense it is anxiety on account of the deprivation of the truth which is of faith, and of the good which is of charity, and from this is a state near to despair. But… Read more »
I had a number of periods of anxiety and feeling overwhelmed, and at times even a bit depressed. I was letting the outer world affect me instead of looking inwardly. When I concentrated on breathing and turning inward and to the Lord, I was helped to calm down and feel better. My body also felt more relaxed and able to cope with the negative thoughts. When a major world event is making millions of people anxious the energy seems to build up and the negativity grows. Worry only breeds more worry. Worrying about the future of the church or the state of… Read more »
7217: for distress of the spirit….they who are in a state near to despair are in internal anxiety, and are then actually in shortness of breath…. …that a state of compression in respect to breathing, and anxiety on account of the deprivation of the truths of of faith and the good of charity, correspond to each other, as a natural effect in the body from a spiritual cause in the mind…..but spiritual men…therefore, when they believed themselves deprived of the truths and goods of faith and charity are affected with anguish, as are they who are in the anguish of death, for they… Read more »
I hope you don’t mind me borrowing your task Liz. I had the same reading and had difficulty forming a task.
Submission: Do I notice what happens when I rush? I am completely in the external without awareness, or conscious thought. I believe what the external tells me. There is anxiety; and I am without truth. When I walk slowly, intentionally, there is a sense of acceptance, a surrender to Divine lawfulness. Trust. When I breathe truth into myself, there is a change; the good within it sustains me. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34) “Though I speak with the the tongues… Read more »
Adapted from AC 7233 and AC 7217 – if one proceeds from the principle of Love to God & Love to Neighbor as the primary thing and is in this principle, that one will see innumerable truths, and that form an interior acknowledgement. In which case then we are not in a state of deprivation of truth and good, from which anxiety arises. Task: Observe internal processes and states of mind when I am operating from love to God and Neighbor versus from love to self and world. Take note on the presence of resulting external states with you at… Read more »
AC 7217: For distress of spirit.; in the internal sense it is anxiety on account of the deprivation of the truth which is of faith, and of the good which is of charity, and from this is a state near to despair. That the deprivation of spiritual truth and good gives birth to such anxiety, and consequently to such distress, cannot be believed by those who are not in faith and charity; for these suppose that to be in distress on this account is weakness and sickliness of mind. The reason is that they do not place anything real in faith… Read more »
AC 5376, ..[2] With those who are being regenerated, that is, who the Lord foresees will suffer themselves to be regenerated, these truths are greatly multiplied, for these persons are in the affection of knowing truths; but when they come nearer to the VERY ACT of regeneration, they are as it were deprived of these truths, for these are drawn inward, and then the man appears to be in desolation; nevertheless as regeneration goes on these truths are successively let back into the natural, and are there conjoined with good.
HH 577 [4] Nevertheless, man is continually withdrawn by the Lord from the evils that he attaches and as it were attracts to himself by his affiliation with infernal spirits. If he is not withdrawn by the internal bonds of conscience, which he fails to receive if he denies a Divine, he is nevertheless withdrawn by external bonds, which are, as said above, fears in respect to the law and its penalties, and fears of the loss of gain and the deprivation of honor and reputation. In fact, such a man may be withdrawn from evils by means of the… Read more »