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Correspondences & Dreams
March 4, 2012
CORRESPONDENCES & DREAMS
For an all-text version, click here.
THIS YEAR'S THEME: The Year of the Lord
THIS MONTH'S TOPIC: Listening to the Lord
Open your Bible
Light a candle
Opening Song
All Creatures of Our God and King
Readings
From the Bible;
New International Version (NIV)
Psalm 96
1 Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of his[a] holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.
From Swedenborg:
Heaven & Hell, #89
First, I need to state what correspondence is. The whole natural world is responsive to the spiritual world—the natural world not just in general, but in detail. So whatever arises in the natural world out of the spiritual one is called “something that corresponds.” It needs to be realized that the natural world arises from and is sustained in being by the spiritual world, exactly the way an effect relates to its efficient cause.
By “the natural world,” I mean all that extended reality that is under our sun and that receives its light and warmth from it. All the things that are sustained in being from that source belong to that world. The spiritual world, in contrast, is heaven, and to that world belong all the things that are in the heavens.
To read more of this quotation of Swedenborg in context, see our Resource Page.
Message
Correspondences & Dreams
The topic for March is “Listening to God,” and we’re going to explore this theme with a focus on “dreams.” Swedenborg kept a journal of his dreams and his interpretation of them. This material was published after his death as The Dream Journal, and shows us how he used his dreams to understand his spiritual calling.
Jung brought us an awareness of the work of how the unconscious communicates in dreams. Many of us believe that Jung was quite influenced by Swedenborg, and some of his perspective on dream interpretation could have been inspired by Swedenborg’s “correspondences.”In order to apply our Swedenborgian understandings to dreams, we need to grasp what Swedenborg means by “Correspondence.”
Swedenborg saw separate levels of reality connected by relationships called “correspondences.” All of existence begins with the pure divine, and flows downward – into the heavens, into humans on earth and the animals and plants of the earth. This pure divine keeps flowing down. If we take the very smallest possible thing that exists, even it corresponds to the divine. Everything corresponds to higher levels. That is how both matter and spirit are both real; through correspondence they are all the same.
That is how there is union between humanity and divinity. Swedenborg called it the “Divine human” or the “God-man”.
A good explanation of the concept of “correspondence” is found in a breathtaking DVD on Swedenborg that is from the Swedenborg Foundation. It is called Splendors of the Spirit.
We’re going to watch a small segment of this video, below. For this topic, begin with #4:45, where an actor playing Swedenborg says “Nothing unconnected every occurs.”
When we dream about an angel, the dream many not be literally about an angel. The images could represent something angelic within ourselves, or connect us to the angelic realms.
From this understanding, he developed the concept of “correspondences.
By using correspondences we can achieve ultimate knowing of the soul and psychology.
Swedenborg used correspondences to understand the roots of ancient languages, alchemy, mythology, and other symbolic systems
Symbols often point us towards God.
The Divine is in all living things, and reveals to us the “Divine plan.” There are two arenas where we can see God’s plan at work.
The world of Nature –
Everything in nature portrays something in spirit. It is a mirror, like a lake showing us our moods.
Nature is both fragile and strong, as is the human soul.
The beauty of the world shows us the beauty of God.
The Bible -
The opening of Genesis means that God created within each of us spiritual realities, and that life is an interplay between spirit and matter.
We are a microcosm – miniature of rthe universe. Think about a hologram, where each part contains an image of the whole.
There are three levels of meaning in the Bible:
- A spiritual history of the human race
- Details of what can happen to a human being spiritually
- The spiritual development of Jesus on earth.
This week, focus on the correspondences all around us in nature. Notice possible correspondences in your own dreams.
Let us pray.
Inspiration and Prayer for March 4, 2012:
Yesterday, one of my Native American spiritual teachers died. He was a medicine man and road man for the Native American Church. He lived well, with a good and true heart. He lived Divine Love and Wisdom, although he didn't call it that. He treated everyone as his brother and sister with no divisions. He was an "US" man. He saw how each of us contributed to each other, and valued that contribution in his life. I will miss his loving gentleness and quiet strength. He handled each soul with gentle hands seeing their beauty and strength. To you, Ken Littlefish, I say farewell until we meet again. Thank you for the lessons in listening to Creator through nature, and for the lesson of being present with God in all things. I will miss your voice and your heart.
How present are you today in listening to God? Do you find yourself listening to the world and it's troubles rather than the gentle voice of God? What do you do to change your state? I hug a tree, or sit in nature......and listen for the voice of God. Sometimes I chant, and sometimes I sit quietly after prayer...... How do you Listen..........?
" Our Beloved Creator help us to hear You in the wind, and in the song of a brook. Show us how to listen to Your Voice in all things. Show us that it is You who Guide us through others. Help us to listen to Your Will for us, and to know that we are never alone in our earthly walk. Keep us focused on the Goods and
Truths of life, on the possible rather than the impossible. Help us to know Your Voice in the sounds of the Universe. Thank you for all you give us. Amen"
Love,
Rev. Judith
Yesterday, one of my Native American spiritual teachers died. He was a medicine man and road man for the Native American Church. He lived well, with a good and true heart. He lived Divine Love and Wisdom, although he didn't call it that. He treated everyone as his brother and sister with no divisions. He was an "US" man. He saw how each of us contributed to each other, and valued that contribution in his life. I will miss his loving gentleness and quiet strength. He handled each soul with gentle hands seeing their beauty and strength. To you, Ken Littlefish, I say farewell until we meet again. Thank you for the lessons in listening to Creator through nature, and for the lesson of being present with God in all things. I will miss your voice and your heart.
How present are you today in listening to God? Do you find yourself listening to the world and it's troubles rather than the gentle voice of God? What do you do to change your state? I hug a tree, or sit in nature......and listen for the voice of God. Sometimes I chant, and sometimes I sit quietly after prayer...... How do you Listen..........?
" Our Beloved Creator help us to hear You in the wind, and in the song of a brook. Show us how to listen to Your Voice in all things. Show us that it is You who Guide us through others. Help us to listen to Your Will for us, and to know that we are never alone in our earthly walk. Keep us focused on the Goods and
Truths of life, on the possible rather than the impossible. Help us to know Your Voice in the sounds of the Universe. Thank you for all you give us. Amen"
Love,
Rev. Judith
Closing song
Feeling Good
Michael Buble
Michael Buble
Extinguish your candle.
Close the Bible
Go in peace, trusting in the goodness of the angels.
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Next week: Dreams
