Meditate | In Both Summer and Winter

“And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in both summer and winter it shall occur. And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be—‘The LORD is one,’ and His name one (Zechariah 14:8-9).”

“Regenerate people go back and forth between having no charity at one time and some charity at another. This is clear to see because everyone, even a person reborn, has nothing but evil inside; all goodness is the Lord’s alone. Since the regenerate have nothing but evil inside, they cannot help seesawing, living now in a kind of summer (in charity) and now in winter (no charity). These cycles exist to bring them into increasing perfection and so into increasing happiness (Secrets of Heaven 935 {2}).”

What I take from this, is that the Lord is king over my whole life, no matter what it may look or feel like. His love is spreading out in two directions at once. This is true whether I feel it or not. The Lord is one. I may be two (living from love at one moment, and then acting out of fear the next), but he remains unchanged. What grace! 

Meditate | An Inner Lens

“The lens through which the One represented is to be seen, acknowledged, and believed is that of inner qualities, namely, charity and the faith that springs from it (Secrets of Heaven 922).”

“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads (Revelation 22:4).”

In meditation my intention is to turn towards the Lord, the sole being in heaven and on earth. What my mind is often focused on instead are my own self-centered preoccupations.  These include, but are not limited to, fears and concerns, plans for the future, what I am going to do about lunch, etc. When they hold my attention I cannot see past them. The hope is that as I recognize and turn away from my limited self, the Lord will give me a new will, but I must take actions to support its growth. When I draw on the qualities of his love, then I see his face. 

Meditate | The Lord is One

“To know and think as faith teaches cannot have any reality; doing what faith teaches---this alone exists. A spiritual church first becomes a church when it acts as bidden by charity, charity being the true teaching of faith. To put it another way, this is when a person in the church first becomes a church. Consider: what is a commandment? It does not order us to know a precept but to live by what it says. This is when we first have the Lord’s kingdom inside us, because the Lord’s kingdom consists solely in mutual love and the happiness it brings” (Secrets of Heaven 916 [2]).

We are approaching tax season, and I have been thinking about my accountant. She has been very generous with her time. She has tutored me in basic bookkeeping for our business, answered many questions and given me direction without putting me down or making me feel burdensome. I want to give her something to show my appreciation.  Somehow this experience of wanting to do her good for the goodness she has shown me brought the reality of the Lord’s kingdom existing as one person closer.  I am not sure if I can adequately put this into words. It felt as though what would hurt her would immediately hurt me. This feeling began edging out a flagging understanding of the golden rule (do good to others because you would like good done to you some day) and replacing it with something more akin to--do good to others because you really are one. I wear a wedding band with the quote, “THE LORD OUR GOD, THE LORD IS ONE” inscribed on the inside. This is slowly becoming more and more real to me. The Lord is the charity my accountant has shown me. The Lord is also the feeling of love and appreciation I have for my accountant. I want to spend more time in this oneness.

Meditate | Exquisite Order

This week's meditation is a welcome addition submitted by Alanna Rose, who has contributed also to the main Essays Column of New Church Perspective previously and whose article was the inspiration for this column. As a reminder, I welcome you to share your insights from meditating on the Word and have them published in this column; to submit, simply follow the instructions above. -Editor

“They were told that unless they possessed a faith inspired by love, entering heaven was as dangerous as walking through fire; but they still insisted. On reaching the ‘front entryway’—the lower realm of angelic spirits—they received such a blow that they went tearing off in the opposite direction as fast as they could go. From this they learned how much danger there was in merely approaching heaven before the Lord had prepared them to feel the emotions that come with faith” (Heavenly Secrets 538).

“In a word, every whole has an unlimited number of parts, organized in the most perfect way; every one of those parts is alive; and every one of them affects us, all the way to our inmost recesses. For the inmost recesses is where heavenly joy comes from. I also perceived that joy and pleasure seemed to come from my heart, gently permeating all the inmost fibers of my body and all the bundles of fibers” (Heavenly Secrets 545[2]).

Sitting with my eyes closed, my back relaxes and expands as I open to the breath.  The back body is associated with trust in the greater whole. It is incredible that there is a world as exquisitely vibrant as the one described in the above passages that is protected by the very order of its form. It is so merciful that the Lord prepares us to feel it. It is hard to describe, but I feel a deep trust in this goodness. I can trust that the Lord is preparing me to harmonize with this order, that nothing can move the love that maintains this process, and that all good things will be shared and protected to eternity. Envisioning this, I feel for a moment I have already arrived.

Meditate on the Word of God

Alanna Rose shares a beautifully simple practice for enjoying and engaging with the Lord's Word. Revelation can often feel intimidating in length or confusing in content but Alanna describes an approach to taking small, bite-sized pieces at a time. This method offers the opportunity to cherish and delight in the Lord's truth. -Editor

Among the things Swedenborg charged himself with was “diligently to read and meditate upon the word of God” (Documents Concerning Swedenborg, R. Tafel, p 26). This idea has been oft repeated from the pulpit. I recall being encouraged many times to go to the Lord’s Word. This is a simple instruction.

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