Meditate | What's in it for Me?

Read the Word and believe in the Lord, and you will see the truths which should constitute your faith and life. Everyone whose soul desires is capable of seeing the truths of the Word in light. (Apocalypse Revealed 224:3)

Enlightenment through the Word comes by an inward route. (De Verbo 13)

So what’s in the Word for us? To put it briefly: the opportunity to enter into a living relationship with the Lord.

The addition of this column was inspired by Alanna Rose’s article, “Meditate on the Word of God.” After reading her article I began to practice daily what she suggests. Each day I read a few numbers from Secrets of Heaven and write down any sentences or phrases that strike me. I choose one or two of these and sit for meditation, concentrating on the passages and what they mean. In time, the passage, like the bud of a flower, begins to unfurl itself in my mind, releasing sweet scents and radiant colors. I take the time after meditation to write down what has come to me.

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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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Enlightenment: Ilustrado vs. Liviano

With an acknowledged "unpolished style," Heath Synnestvedt playfully considers a range of topics. Violence on television, the human propensity to distraction and understanding the concept of enlightenment are all explored through anecdote and irony. In keeping with his message and manner, Heath intends the use of the lower case "i" for the personal pronoun. -Editor

Reading in this publication, New Church Perspective, i am struck by the unpolished nature of the majority of my own written work. The article that follows received a few taps from a ball-peen hammer, but not much.

Under “Ilustrado” on Wikipedia there's a definition of the adjective “ilustrado”: “Spanish for ‘erudite,’ ‘learned,’ or ‘enlightened ones’.” (There's also an interesting historical anecdote which you may wish to read instead.)

For my part, i prefer to employ the word “enlightened” in the sense of the word “light” as it relates to mass, rather than rays or particles. (I first heard this use of the word in a seminar run by Landmark Education)

If you look up “liviano” in a Spanish-English dictionary the primary usage is “light” (weight) as contrasted with “heavy”. Similarly as in English, this adjective can describe things that are frivolous. It can go even further and be applied to the lewdness of a comedian. Upon discovering this usage as i sat here in a cybercafe i nearly removed the word “liviano” from the title of my article with the desire to morph the piece into something acceptably familiar to my imagined audience.

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