IN PRAISE OF JESUS
The reason we can intuitively see God in nature, in the innate moral yearnings of man, and in the Word, is that these are the three realms of life through which correspondences work. Nature: Everything in nature has a corresponding counterpart that is its first cause in heaven and the spiritual world. The human form: Everything in the human body and soul (the soul looks exactly like the body except it is spiritual) has correspondence with heaven and the spiritual world in every minutest detail. The Bible: Every Word in Holy scripture has correspondence with heaven for every Word is divine truth from the will of God. Each of these three also correspond to each other so the human form is a universal form in the universe. If one were able to see the entirety of the universe they would see that it is in the shape and form of a man, the Lord Jesus Christ. As the Bible says we are made in God’s image, and the whole universe is also made in God’s image. God has always been in the human form and occupied the innermost of all things, but He had never been born in the natural/material world. But then God was born on earth as Jesus. Now God was in the natural and had to go through the most rigorous process that ever has been or ever will be. (We will never comprehend how much He loves us! Yet I will always try!) In order to resurrect Jesus had to go through the process of overcoming the infinite inertia of the material world, and the hereditary evil contained in His natural body from brith.
I will give you an example from the theory of relativity that helps to show how inconceivably rigorous this is. In Einstein’s theory it is said that if an object were to reach the speed of light its mass would become infinite. But no object can reach the speed of light because the infinite inertia of matter prevents it. Similarly, we know that no matter ever enters the spiritual world. Humans, and all things of earth, die and the body becomes dust. These are laws of nature and the spirit that are never broken. But Jesus so cleansed His body of hereditary evil by overcoming all temptations, He so put all the forces of evil in their place (hell), and He fulfilled all prophecy written about Him in the divine Word – that He was filled with infinite light and love, and He made His human body divine! It merged in union with His divine soul (the Father). Jesus reached the ‘speed of light’ and became the whole of divine truth that He lived and fulfilled. (This is called the glorification process, which I describe in great detail on my blog). This is the miracle of miracles that transcended all the laws of physics.
In His life Jesus manifested the highest love that ever existed. The power with which He used to merge His human body with the divine ‘drew all things unto Him’. This means He paved the way for man to be saved, He restored man’s capacity to receive the light of heaven. He who is the ‘highest love’ is the ONE who enters the innermost of all things, and is the internal cause of all things. This is how He is the Alpha and Omega, the infinite and the innermost There is a sphere generated from the Lord, who is in the midst of the spiritual sun, that is the cause of all fruitfulness and reproduction in the universe. This sphere is seeded with the image of God and manifested in infinite variety in heaven and earth; it’s a sphere of influence, a force known as ‘conatus’. It is the unseen creative force in the universe that causes forms in the universe to construct. I believe science observes this force and calls it ‘dark matter’. It is a principle of divine order that the nature of the creator is repeated and reflected in all of his creation, thus the information contained in the conatus/dark matter always tends toward and constructs according to the infinite processes contained in the human form. It does this in degrees, some apparent like human beings, some mediate like plants, and some remote like geology. But looked at in a cosmic level all of these things serve and function by processes that correspond to the human form. In praise of Jesus.
Tag Archives: infinite
Correspondences in the Skin of the Grand Man and the Development of the Universe that Show How the Entire Universe is Both Infinite and Contained
We have been studying how it is that the universe is infinite and yet at the same time contained. The universe is contained in the sense that it is in the shape and form of the Grand man, which is God himself. At the same time the universe is a real and utterly particular infinity which includes every minutest detail. The universe is truly infinite in that there is no end to it that can ever be reached and it is expanding and ever increasing continually. I think this paradox is is also resolved by the points where the natural universe crosses over into the spiritual world.
So now studying the correspondences in the skin of the Grand man reveals several interesting insights. We study the skin because it is the outer layer of the Grand man, so it is the boarder point and we need to see what happens here. As I said in my last article on this subject the reason, I believe, that the universe can be both contained and infinite at the same time is that the natural world cycles into the spiritual world where there is no time and space, and the spiritual world cycles into the natural world, and between the exchange there is an equilibrium and continual increase. The skin is a major component where this takes place, (although there other major ones as I mentioned before, particularly the breath and the anus to be studied later). Our main mode of study here is by correspondences. We are looking for the connections between the spiritual and physical uses of the skin, principles of the the big bang and astrophysics, and spiritual principles about the Grand man and heaven and hell.
Science has made great progress understanding the universe as it goes back in time to the big bang. Like a human has a brith the universe has a birth and this brith is from the spiritual sun in the spiritual world. Science calls the birth of the universe the ‘big Bang’. As science well knows everything that comes into being does so by a process; and this is equally true, if not more so, of the spiritual world.
It is a universal principle that everything has its beginning in outermost, meaning material structure is the base and container that first takes form. Swedenborg writes: “the spiritual is actually evolved out of the natural, and when evolved, the natural surrounds it as bark surrounds a tree and a scabbard a sword. It also serves the spiritual for protection against violence”. (Conjugal love 449.) Science shows that the early universe just after the big bang was a ‘boring’ place, that it was basically a big fog of hydrogen clouds. It was monochromatic, just a big gas cloud without any suns yet, but dark and bland.
In an embryo science tells us that the first parts to form in the baby are the endoderm and the ectoderm, which is largely the skin and the tissue linings that are the beginnings of the inner skin, some of the organs, the nervous system and arteries. Without being a doctor it is too complex to try and do a study of the physiology of embryonic development, though its helpful in general to see these are the beginnings. Let us get straight to the point and look at the correspondence Swedenborg makes on the matter. There are layers to the skin and the inner layer has many nerve endings. In Physiological Correspondence, Worcester (The great Swedenborg pastor and author) writes: “Microscopic investigation shows some of the nerve fibres ending in the papillae, in loops or “tactile corpuscles”, and many more divide into little brushes; and what they do there, it is difficult to determine from science, here Swedenborg’s more than microscopic insight takes up the subject: “What the fibres do in those most delicate of fleshy forms (can be known) when you know that the vessels are woven from the fibres, and that the intermediates are formed by the extremes! The nervous fibres are weaving there the beginnings of the blood-vessels, or the fleshy fibres. They coil themselves into minute invisible tubes, called corporeal fibres, and these again into larger tubes which are the finest fleshy fibres of the papillae, and are the last subdivisions of the arteries, too fine in their ordinary state to carry red blood, and these combining extend their delicately woven walls to the lining of the arteries; and thus through the arteries, the heart, and again the carotid arteries, the nervous fibres return to the brain.” He is describing here how the beginning of the vascular system begins in the skin. This is a great example of the universal pattern that life begins in outermost, that is, how external material elements develop and move toward the internal. We can visualize and understand this more easily by looking at the correspondence between the core of trees development in leaves and the vascular/nervous systems of humans in skin and linings. In Physiological Correspondences, Worcestor continues:
“The idea that the beginning of the arterial system is in the skin, not the heart, at first may seem surprising; but it is illustrated by the similar and well-known fact that the beginnings of the woody fibres of trees are in the leaves, not the stem or the roots. Through the pith and the delicate fibres of the bark, nourishment ascends to expand the first tender leaves, and from these descends the first woody fibres between the bark and the pith, as well as new fibres of bark, and extend themselves to the extremities of the roots. Through these woody and cortical fibres sap afterwards ascends to the leaves, and by their means new buds and leaves are formed, which in turn send down other fibres, and thus the trunk of the tree grows in concentric layers of wood, every fibre of which has descended from the leaves”. In a similar way, according to Swedenborg, the materials and strands of the nervous system, beginnings of blood vessels, tissues of the organs are produced in the skin, and then sustained and reproduced from these. In Swedenborg’s view the process of membranes being produced in the ‘ultimates of the body, and especially from the skin’ is manifestation of universal principle that applies to all the universe. Worcestor continues: “Before the heart exists in the embryo, ramifications of blood-vessels are seen, which indeed soon unite in the heart and afterwards act from it; and these undoubtedly assist in the formation of other vessels and tissues, which are everywhere woven from the nervous fibres, the blood-vessels cooperating and afterwards sustaining them”.
That all birthing begins from the outermosts first is consistent with the beginning of the universe as scientists describes it. Now that we have some understanding of the process that takes in the skin we are going to look at the correspondences with the skin on three levels – the universe, the body, the spiritual world. The outer skin, which is part of the the outermosts, is scaly and comparable to the quality of tendons. Spirits (former people) from societies in the spiritual world that correspond to the skin are dim and almost completely external minded; they have little consciousness. They are very fixed in their ideas and only discern whether something should or should not enter. The people of these societies think they know everything but know almost nothing. The quality of the early universe was like this in that it was just a undifferentiated cloud of hydrogen without much distinction or variation, – and it was in the dark. Gradually the gas clouds clumped together, formed into strands, and eventually caused gravity as they formed into spheres. The formation of strands of material in the universe (which are fundamental to its structure) corresponds to the formation of the nervous system and arteries. These strands are fundamental in forming the cosmic web which is the basic form of the universe that has been mapped out. It is these strands no doubt that correspond to the function of transferring material from the external to the internal, as we showed in the pith of trees and in the tissues and nervous system of the body. The spheres of gas clouds perhaps correspond to the beginnings of the hearts and perhaps other organs. The large balls of hydrogen became dense and their gravity increases, and when gravity becomes immense in their core nuclear fusion is ignited and stars were born. The ignition of stars in the early universe, I would suggest, corresponds to the beating of the heart and the beginning of consciousness. Eventually the cosmic web we see now in the universe was formed in all its incredible variety of dark and light. The Cosmic Web is the overall picture of the universe that scientist have accumulated – and it looks exactly like microscopic pictures of the nervous system, synops, and the brain!
In speaking of the period of star formation scientists say that it was a magnificent time in the universe’s history. They describe it as a fireworks show taking place, because of all the stars suddenly igniting. The clouds of hydrogen stayed for a time but were gradually organized and clear space later became dominant. This compares with the statements in the Bible, where it is says: “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep”. (Gen. 1:1) “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years”.
With the formation of stars tremendous differentiation took place. Scientist say that the early stars were enormous, far larger than most stars today, and that they did not last nearly as long. It is in the core of stars that all the variation of elements are made; and the higher elements are made only when huge stars explode in a supernova. All the materials and elements of the periodic table are produced in the core of exploding suns. Only the biggest stars produce supernovas, and depending on how big the star is, supernovas produce all the higher elements on the periodic table, like copper, silver, gold and others. A supernova sends new elements, light and gas far and wide throughout the universe when it explodes. These clouds of gas again congeal, and form a second generation of stars and along with planets, asteroids, gases and all. This gives an idea of the incredibly complex differentiation that took place and formed the infinitely complex universe we see today; just as there is an in infinitely complex differentiation in the formation of the body mind of humans.
Now it is important to see how it is that the skin is a large part of the point where there is a cross-over between the spiritual and natural worlds. We will study the correspondences in this in the next article. This point is very important in that it is essential in showing how the universe can be both contained and infinite.
Expanded Version: Exploring How it Is that There is an Infinite Largeness and an Infinite Minuteness in the Universe
Just as there is an infinite largeness there is also an infinite minuteness. The infinite minuteness of matter is incomprehensible to the mind if thought of in a linear way which the human mind is conditioned to do by the material world. That there is an Infinite minuteness can be understood in this way: For anything to exist it must be in a state of equilibrium because this is what gives if form. For anything to have form it must be composed of something; for instance, an atom is composed of protons orbiting around the neutron, and in turn these protons and neutrons are formed of quarks. For quarks to exist they must be formed of something, which science is still pursuing. This process goes on and on without end.
In the spiritual world there is one spiritual sun in which God is in the midst, and this is the source that created all things that exist both physical and spiritual. Swedenborg says that the spiritual substance that proceeds from the spiritual sun distributes outward until it ‘cools’ and becomes matter. Science has shown that wave/particles appear spontaneously in space even in a vacuum, that nothing is really empty. Swedenborg tells that the same energy that took place in creation is taking place every moment of everyday. In theory, Swedenborg’s insight and science’s discovery are very much in harmony. From the spiritual world there is no limit to how minute something can begin. Here, I would like to show how infinity and minuteness are dynamic and can be understood by principles of science that correspond with heaven.
The master example of equilibrium, form, and internal parts is the sun. As is well known the natural sun is in a state of equilibrium between the force of gravity pushing-in and creating more and more heat and pressure; and the force of nuclear fusion exploding out. The force of this gravity is the very thing that ignites nuclear fusion. These two forces result in a balanced state that gives the sun its form. Equilibrium is on a macro and a micro level; anything one can think of is in equilibrium – a hat, a chair, an eco system, the earth, bodies, galaxies, the universe. Also, equilibrium is always in flux; for instance, protons may leave the orbit, but then the atoms settle into a new form of equilibrium. Eco-systems are an equilibrium. When new species are introduced to an eco-system, and it changes into another form of equilibrium. All the math of Einstein and Newton look to equal out to an equilibrium. God is the ultimate equilibrium. God is the divine-human. In Him is the holy marriage, or union, between His divine essence (or soul) and His divine body. The whole structure of the universe is based on an equilibrium between the forces of good and evil by which God provides freedom to humanity.
Now, here is the amazing thing: I think that the principles of infinite largeness and minuteness become understandable by the discovery that the universe is expanding at an ever accelerating rate. Everything is dynamic, including infinity. Infinite largeness includes that the universe is expanding; so infinity is not static but ever-increasing. Infinite largeness is infinite space with infinity things in it, and it is increasing eternally. The same principle, that is that the universe is expanding at the speed of light, also dynamically explains infinite minuteness. By this principle we can conceptualize that the universe is continually making more ‘room’ for the minute parts that compose the smaller parts of the last form. At the same time infinity also means the number of things in the universe are increasing eternally. So infinite smallness is also dynamic in that it included there is an allowance of particles and energy forms (that are in equilibrium), and that become ever smaller in an ever expanding space. It appears then, in a wonderful circle of truth, the principles of infinite largeness and smallness meet in dynamic union by the principle that the universe is expanding at the speed of light! This ‘circle of truth’ is universal in the nature of the universe because it is an expression of the principle of union. It is exemplified in the way gravity in the sun and nuclear fusion are opposite forces, but dependent on each other and meet at the point of ignition; it is exemplified in way that structure of the universe is determined by the equilibrium between the forces of heaven and hell, and the fulcrum point between is the source of man’s freedom.
Now it must be added that science has discovered that the universe is expanding not from one point, but from every point in space. This fact is very important because it corresponds to the spiritual sovereignty. Equilibrium is a physical expression of sovereignty because each Equilibrium is unique, and as science (and Swedenborg) tell, there is nothing that exist that is ever the same – no matter how small. That which is in equilibrium is self contained, or has a defined identity, while at the same time is connected to everything, and serving a purpose in the universe. Scientist say that each point in the universe is expanding even in the objects around us, say like a basketball, but locally it is on such a small scale that it cannot be seen or detected. I visualize this expansion at every point as a mushrooming-out like the cells of a fungus that expand. The expansion from every point, and from all the points next to each other, has a cumulative effect. The millions of billions of points expanding next to each other over billions of light years of space causes an exponential expansion at an ever accelerating rate.
The big difference in what I am saying and the way many scientist theories on this is that they say there is an end to the universe, that it will at some point die by stopping to expand and all the suns will run out of fuel, or, it will compress back into a single point again like it was before the big bang. I don’t think anything like this is correct. I base my reasoning for this view on the universal principle that that there is correspondence between everything in the natural world and the spiritual world. Most scientist of course don’t consider the spiritual world and don’t use or understand this as a factor. (There are, however, some scientists who believe in God and the spiritual world and may consider this in the pursuit of truth. Einstein is quoted as saying: “Science without religion is Lame, religion without science is blind”.)
So let us look at the nature of heaven and how it corresponds to the above description of the universe. It is a universal principle that the natural world is the foundation of heaven and neither can exist without the other. (The Lord tells us that ‘He will be with us Always’.) This principle shows that the natural world has to always exist for we know for certain that heaven and the spiritual world are eternal.
Now Swedenborg describes that the nature of heaven is that ‘the more that enter there, the more complete and perfect it becomes’; and that ‘the greater the diversity and variety there is the greater the harmony there is’. It is inherent in these principles that each individual is sovereign, each must be sovereign to have a whole, unique, meaningful identity; and that each person can make a valuable contribution to the whole whether big or small. This corresponds to the ‘sovereignty of space’ by the way space is expanding from every point, and each point contributes to the expansion.
It is also a universal principle of heaven that for heavenly joy to be so it has to be that joy is ever increasing. If it were to become stagnant it would lose its joy and this can never be. This would go against the nature of God – His promise to man, and His infinite capacity to give. So heaven is ever increasing by nature in joy. By the principles we have shown every new person (angel) that comes into heaven causes it to increases in perfection and thereby joy at the same time. One can see then how this corresponds to the natural universe in that it is expanding at an accelerating rate from all points. The state of heaven is the cause of everything that exists in the natural world.
