The Nature of Self

UNIT 1

1.1 Objectives

In Unit 1 you will become familiar with the content and structure of this course, identifying any questions and concerns you may have about what is expected of you in the duration of this study on the Nature of Self. You will also begin devotional work aimed at uncovering something of your own nature and its impact upon your daily life, relationships and ministry.

On completion of this section it is expected that you will be able to:-

• identify questions, concerns, issues, in regard to the course content and its requirements
• develop a strategy to manage concerns or potential issues in consultation with your Tutor
• write personal ministy objectives using the principles provided in “how to create meaningful objectives”
• discuss with your Tutor your thinking behind creating the objective(s) you have created in relation to your vision for ministry.
• write a spiritually-focussed autobiographical sketch

1.2 Journaling

• Record how you are feeling in approaching the course before you begin to read through and preview the course material.
• Read through all the course material and note down any thoughts/questions/concerns you have regarding the requirements of the course
• What aspects excite you most; those you find yourself unsure about; and those aspects you think will present a real challenge for you.
• Your feelings in regard to the course material after you had finished going through it?
• highlight anything that stands out for you between what you recorded prior to reading through the material and your feelings afterward.

1.3 Assignment

1. In this block of work you are being asked to create two of your own personal objectives that relate to the theme of the Nature of Self and how you would like to see this expressed through your life in supporting or serving the spiritual needs of others. Think about what you would like to see as real outcomes arising from exploring this topic by tying these in with your developing sense of personal ministry.

2. In no more than 500 words explore the relationship you see between the objectives you have created and your vision for ministry.

Note: The term ministry is used here in the broadest possible sense and may relate to both ordained or non-ordained spheres of service/employment. Essentially it refers to where you see your talents/skills and abilities being used to support the spiritual well being of others.

Submit a copy of this to your Tutor for review and for discussion in your Tutorial for Unit 1. Your Tutor needs to receive your submission no later than two days prior to the date set for your Tutorial.

What connections can you draw between your personal objectives (those written for this course and/ or others you have completed) and your self description? In what way do your personal attributes contribute to your projected sense of ministry or use?

UNIT 2

2.1 Objectives

In Unit 2 you will explore your current knowledge of the topic area with a view to making explicit conceptual gaps and any conflicts or issues that exist in your current thinking concerning the Nature of Self. The main objective is to have this knowledge serve as a foundation for directing your learning over the duration of the course and beyond.

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will be able to:-

1. organise your thoughts on the Nature of Self in accordance with the Broad Category Headings for this course
2. summarise your existing knowledge of what Scripture and the Doctrines teach on the topic
3. identify gaps in your knowledge in regard to the Nature of Self.
4. compare a range of definitions and views of what constitutes selfish action s
5. observe and record the thoughts and feelings that emerge in response to your course work and other daily situations.

2.2 Journaling

• Provide a record of your thoughts and feelings as you engaged in creating your concept maps.

• Make a conscious effort to observe those your thoughts and feelings in interacting with others and the challenges you face from day to day. How do your observations challenge or confirm the self-description you wrote during Unit 1?

• Where do you see you have gaps in your knowledge - what areas do you feel you have a good grip on? List these.

• Record 4 or 5 questions that sit with you in regard to the Nature of Self, and that you would like to see some movement on over the duration of this course. You should keep a hard copy of these and revisit them periodically as you move through the course jotting down relevant insights. You should be able to draw these from the work with your Concept Maps.

• Are there any aspects of life in general that you find difficult to reconcile with your own self concept? What aspects do you think others might others find difficult? Provide a summary of your thoughts.

2.3 Assignment

For this exercise you will need to use the cmap software you downloaded and installed for the similar exercise in the Lord’s Love course. The cmap (Concept Mapping) software can be found by clicking on the following link…

http://cmap.ihmc.us/download/

You will then need to create a new map for each of the following focus questions…

1. What is the relationship of proprium to peoples’ sense of self and identity?
2. How do Proprium in the Lord and proprium in man relate to one another?
3. What impact does the unregenerate self have upon a person’s life? (natural, spiritual, mental, physical…life)
4. How does a person’s sense of self develop during regeneration?
5. How do the heavenly self and the hellish self differ?
6. What is it to will, think and act as though of self?

• Although you should not feel limited to the following list, make sure you include information such as:
• concepts and references from the Heavenly Doctrines
• Biblical passages and references
• any apparent contradictions in the above material
• solutions to those contradictions, if any, and
• questions which may still remain unanswered for you.

These are designed to assess your pre-course knowledge of the subject area and in that vein will serve as a tool to evaluate your progress at the end of this course. The Concept Maps also serve as useful mental primers to completing the required course work.

This exercise is to be carried out without reference to any material. You are asked to draw from your existing knowledge of the subject area to complete each of the Mind Maps. You should allow yourself 15 minutes for each concept map, a total of one and a half hours.

Drawing from your current knowledge of this subject and using the material you gathered in the Concept Map exercise write a reflective essay (750 words) that sets out your understanding of the Nature of Self. Where possible give examples from your own experience.

Organise your submission using the Broad Category Headings (below) as the main subheadings for your essay.

Subheadings for Essay:-

1. Self and identity
2. Proprium in the Lord and in man
3. Impact of the unregenerate self
4. Development of our sense of self during regeneration
5. Heavenly & hellish self
6. To will, think and act as though of self.

UNIT 3

3.1 Objectives

On completion of this section it is expected you will be able to:-

• recount what the literal sense of the Bible teaches in relation to the Nature of Self
• describe your own actions in response to perceived destructiveness and selfish impulses in others
• reflect on Biblical imagery in regard to your own states and experiences

3.2 Journaling

• What qualities in the list you compiled, from either the heavenly or hellish side, do you consider are relevant to your own life?
• Select one of these and observe yourself as it plays out in your daily interactions with others. Record your observations and insights.
• Re-examine the qualities you have identified as a part of your own character, whether they are heavenly or hellish.
• Do you regard them as virtues or vices?
• Can one quality be a virtue in one circumstance and a vice in another?
• For example, when would you consider stubbornness to be steadfast determination? Record your insights.

3.3 Assignment

Read Proverbs chapter 1.

1. List the words and phrases from this chapter which describe a life focused entirely upon self.
2. Alongside this list, you should also list God-focused and other-focused words and phrases (the characteristics of the heavenly life) which you find here.

• Note those words which appear to be in direct contrast to one another (perhaps by placing them opposite one another in two columns).
• Where there is no direct contrast, insert your own (e.g. “greed” as opposed to “generosity”).
• Continue to brainstorm words for both of these categories. You might continue reading through Proverbs, or turn to another part of the Bible such as the Psalms or one of the Prophets.
• Alternatively, you may like to use a Bible Dictionary or Encyclopedia, Nave’s Topical Concordance, other study aide, or simply work from your own imagination.

3. Choose SIX of the PAIRS you have compiled in your list.

• Use a concordance to find and look up your chosen terms in your Bible. List five or six key verses and passages relevant to each attribute pair

4. write a reflective essay (750 words) describing a life without the Lord as it is portrayed in the literal sense of the Bible, its characteristics and consequences.

UNIT 4

4.1 Objectives

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will have developed further your ability to reflect on life situations, in both personal and ministry contexts, through using the principles you are acquiring in your study of the Heavenly Doctrines and so be able to demonstrate an ability to use this knowledge to promote spiritually positive outcomes.

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will be able to:-

• demonstrate an ability to organise references from the Heavenly Doctrines in support of key doctrinal principles.
• identify doctrinal principles and reformulate them in terms of their application to ministry and/or general life situations.
• reflect on your own inner states of life (feelings and thoughts) and
• draw connections between what you are experiencing and the material you are working with as you engage with the Heavenly Doctrines.

4.2 Research

In this section of the course you will be organising references from the Heavenly Doctrines under six Broad Concept Headings. You were introduced to these in Unit 2 where they served as the basis for organising your Reflective Essay Assignment on The Nature of Self. The Broad Concept Headings are as follows…

1. Self and identity
2. Proprium in the Lord and in man
3. Impact of the unregenerate self
4. Development of our own sense of self during regeneration
5. Heavenly and hellish self
6. To will, think and act as though of self

Open the HDReferences file and then save a copy of this file on your computer to work with:-

• Keeping the Broad Concept Headings in mind read through the list of references and summary statements and mark those that catch your interest.
• Using the New Christian Bible Study website or hard copies of the Heavenly Doctrines look up the references you have highlighted and allocate a Broad Concept Heading to each one.
• You will be using these specific references to explore the theme of the Broad Concept heading in more depth a little later on.
• You may find other references come to mind or are suggested in the references you look up, feel free to reference and explore these also,
• but remember to keep your focus on the relevance of what select within the context of the Broad Concept Headings for this course.
• You may feel that a single reference falls within more than one of the Broad Concept Headings.
• You are free to explore any of the references under as many of the headings as long as you can show how they fit within the headings you assign them to.
• Your final selection should contain not less than 10 major references under each Broad Concept Heading drawn from HDReference file
• As you go record your thoughts on what each reference you have selected says in regard to the Broad Concept Heading you have placed it under.
• note any new insights, trains of thought, unanswered questions and any challenges that your research has made to your current understanding of the subject area.

4.3 Reading

The Doctrine of the Proprium by Bishop George De Charms

Only the Lord Has Proprium

CHAPTER I

We would inquire as to what is the real meaning of the word “proprium” as used in the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. “Proprium” is a Latin word for which there is no equivalent in the English language. Some translators have rendered it “own”; but “proprium” is a noun, while “own” is either an adjective or a verb and cannot be used as a noun. We can say, “a man’s own house,” or, “our own country,” or that a man “owns his property”; but it is not good English to say, “every man has an own which he loves above all things,” or that “man from own loves himself more than the Lord.” It is preferable, therefore, to retain the word “proprium” and learn what it means. However, we are prompted to treat of this subject because it is so easy to derive from the Writings a mistaken idea of what is meant.

The word “proprium” is used in a number of different connections, and its meaning is modified by the context. In order to understand it rightly we must have a clear idea of the essential meaning, the meaning that underlies all its various applications. The Writings state over and over again that man is born into evils of every kind, and that his hereditary proprium is nothing but evil. This is the way in which we are prone to think of it. “Man’s proprium,” we read, “is infernal, and it is his very hell; for by the proprium of his will man communicates with hell, and from hell and from itself this proprium desires nothing so much as to cast itself down into hell; nor is it content with this, but desires to cast down all in the universe. (AC 1049) Again: “The love of self is nothing else than man’s proprium and how filthy and profane this is may be seen from what has been shown above concerning man’s proprium. From the love of self, or man’s proprium, all evils flow, such as hatreds, revenges, cruelties, adulteries, deceits, hypocrisies, impiety.” (AC 1326) It would appear from these, and from many other numbers in the Writings, that the proprium is to be identified with evil, and that from birth it is inherent in man’s nature. We are disposed, therefore, to think of this hereditary proprium as what is commonly called “human nature” and to regard it as the inescapable characteristic of all human beings.

In the Christian Church it was believed that man had this evil nature because of the sin of Adam, for which the whole human race was condemned. This led to the conclusion that man was totally depraved. Because he is incapable of willing or doing anything good, it was thought that man’s will must be broken, and made completely submissive to the dictates of the church. From this idea, Luther derived the doctrine that man must be saved by faith apart from works, since whatever he does is necessarily meritori­ous. The idea of man’s depravity had a profound in­fluence upon Christian education for centuries, leading to stern and even cruel treatment of children in the effort to subdue their evil nature.

Strangely enough, the Marxian philosophy, which is violently anti-Christian, is nevertheless based on the Christian concept of man’s total depravity. In­deed, it regards man’s perverted nature as the basic fact of human life. It holds that self-interest is unavoidably the dominant motive behind all man’s thought and action. The appearance of unselfish concern for others is considered to be no more than a hypocritical pretense for the sake of self-advantage. One who accepts it at face value is thought to be inexcusably naive, gullible or weak, because he is unwilling to face the truth. To be realistic, it is held that one must reject all moral standards, looking to man’s will as the only criterion of what is right, and to strength of will as the only god to be worshiped.

Of course, the view of modern scientific psychol­ogy is just the opposite of this, namely, that man is inherently good. The concept of original sin has been largely discarded. It is now believed that evil arises from the environment rather than from hered­ity. Men trace its origin to the pressure of circum­stances, to social injustice, to mental illness or phys­ical disability. Evil is regarded, not as a sin for which the individual is responsible, but rather as an affliction for which he is to be pitied. It is thought that as far as conditions of poverty, hunger, disease and suffering of all kinds can be removed, evil will disappear because there will no longer be any impelling motive to anti-social behavior. This view is regarded as the result of greater knowledge and a more enlightened understanding of human nature; and because the Writings teach. that man is born into evils of every kind, it is taken for granted that they merely reflect a medieval concept which modern learning has now discredited.

We would point out, however, that the teaching of the Writings concerning man’s proprium differs markedly from all these human interpretations. In spite of the appearance to the contrary, the numbers we have cited do not imply that man at birth is totally depraved; nor do they imply that he is inherently good. They teach that the proprium man inherits is not to be identified with the man himself, but is to be regarded as a tendency to evil to which he may or may not yield. Only if he chooses it freely and deliberately does it become his very own. He has power, if he so wills, to reject this proprium in favor of one that is good. Nevertheless, the appear­ance is almost overwhelming that hereditary evil is the man himself: this because every man feels the impulse to love himself above all else, as if this were his own will. The appearance of self-will is unavoid­able, and the passages from the Writings to which we have referred are written according to this ap­pearance. At the same time, it is plainly taught in other passages that the real truth is otherwise.

The inner truth, the all-embracing truth, is that proprium can be rightly ascribed only to the Lord. No man, spirit or angel either has, or can have, any proprium whatever. The reason is that only the Lord is substance itself. He alone has life in Himself and power in Himself. Man is nothing but a vessel, cre­ated by the Lord out of His own Divine substance. This vessel has no substance of its own, because that which it appears to have is held in being and existence from moment to moment by the Lord. This vessel is dead. It has no life and no power of its own. It appears to live only because it is moved by the Lord’s life, which is perpetually flowing into it and animat­ing it. If this inflowing life should be withdrawn even for an instant, man would cease to exist; he would be totally dissipated. It is obvious therefore, that man has no proprium. He has nothing that he can rightly call his own. Man’s soul, his mind, his body—his whole life and his entire being—belong to the Lord. Concerning this we read:

“Man’s proprium is a mere dead thing, although to him it ap­pears as something, indeed as everything. Whatever lives in him is from the Lord’s life, and if this were withdrawn he would fall down dead as a stone; for man is only an organ of life, and such as the organ is, such is the life’s affection. The Lord alone has proprium. By this proprium He redeemed man, and by this proprium He saves him. The Lord’s proprium is life, and from His proprium, man’s proprium, which in itself is dead, is made alive. The Lord’s proprium is also signified by the Lord’s words in Luke: ‘A spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see Me have.’ (24:39).” (AC 149)

Because the Lord as to His soul was infinite and life itself, it is said that He fought against the hells from His own power while He was on earth. This no mortal man can do. Whatever power he has to resist evil, he receives from the Lord. “By proprium, no one understands otherwise than that he lives from himself, and therefore thinks and wills from himself ; but such a proprium is not in man, and cannot exist in any man.” (DP 308)

“The goods which are of faith and of charity cannot be given to man, nor to angel, so as to be their own, for men and angels are only recipients, or forms accommodated to receive life, thus good and truth, from the Lord. Life itself is from no other source. And as life is from the Lord it cannot be appropriated otherwise than as appearing to be man’s own; but they who are in the Lord plainly perceive that life flows in, consequently good and truth, for these belong to life. The reason … life appears as man’s own is that the Lord from Divine love wills to give and to conjoin His proprium to man, and as far as it can be effected, does conjoin it.” (AC 8497)

We could cite many other passages to the same effect. Note well the teaching that while it is im­possible for man to have life, that is, proprium, in himself, it is the Lord’s will that he should appear to have it: this because the Lord wills to give of His life to man, and to give it so completely that man may feel it and enjoy it just as if it were his own. Thus man’s proprium is not a reality, but only an appearance. Nevertheless, this appearance is the greatest, the most precious and the most miraculous of all God’s gifts to man. So, far from being evil, it is the source of all that is good. It is this that makes man to be an image of God. Because God alone, in the true sense, is Man, it is the image of God in him that makes man human. On this appearance of proprium depend that rationality and liberty which distinguish man from the animals, and make it possible for him to be conjoined with God and live forever. Without this appearance there could be no heavenly happiness or bliss; and we are told that the wiser the angels become, the more they are perfected, the more do they feel and act as if they had life in themselves, even though they know and acknowledge that all their life inflows from the Lord.

Wherever the Writings speak of man’s proprium, therefore, the most important thing to bear in mind is that they are speaking, not of a reality, but of an appearance. Very often this is not obvious from the literal statements, which seem to imply that man actually has proprium. Thus we are prone to think of man’s hereditary tendency to evil as if it were the man himself, and therefore that man is born evil; yet this is not what is really meant. To accept this appearance as the truth leads to very serious consequences, as we shall later demonstrate. Also, we are apt to take for granted that the proprium of man is always evil, and this also is far from the truth. Man can receive influx from heaven as well as from hell. The good which inflows from heaven can appear to be his own, just as the evil that inflows from hell can appear to be his own. If this were not true, the Lord could not give of His life to man, that he might enjoy it as his own. It is vital, therefore, that in reading what is said about man’s proprium, we should in every case interpret what is said in the light of the universal principle: that in reality man has no proprium, either good or evil, although the appearance that he has is the most essential characteristic of human life.

How the Proprium First Arises

CHAPTER II

We have noted that the proprium of man is not a reality, but only an appearance. Also, we have pointed out that this appearance is not evil, but that, on the contrary, it is the very image of God in man that makes him human. It is the Lord’s will that man should appear to have life in himself, and this appearance is what is called the “proprium.” Without this appearance man would have no free choice, no power of judgment, and thus no responsibility. Without it he could have no sense of accomplishment, no delight of use. Lacking these, no one could ever know the joys of heaven. This proprium becomes evil only when the appearance of self-life is mistaken for the reality, and is confirmed—to the denial of the truth that all life inflows perpetually from God. However, no one can deny what he does not know; and the truth that life inflows from God can be learned only from the Lord. Sense experience will never reveal this truth, but constantly reinforces the appearance that man lives from himself. Yet from the Word man can learn the truth, can afterward confirm it by a thousand reasons, and can acknowledge it in spite of the appearance to the contrary.

A newborn infant cannot possibly know that his life inflows from God; yet because he is completely unselfconscious, totally unaware of himself, he can have no appearance of self-life. An infant enjoys sensations. Indeed, his conscious life is made up of nothing but a series of sensations, but as he does not reflect on these sensations, he has no idea of himself as the one who feels them. Until an infant becomes aware of himself he can have no self-love; yet it is the love of self alone into which the hells inflow. This explains why the hells cannot attack a newborn infant. There is nothing they can lay hold of to tempt him, to incite him to evil or to instill the delights of evil, all of which have their origin in the love of self. Because of this, the tendency to evil, which is present with all infants by hereditary transmission from parents and ancestors, is at first completely tacit, quiescent, inactive, and covered over, as it were, by a blanket of innocence. Concerning this we read: “Infants have no prudence from proprium, no purpose or deliberation, thus no end that looks to evil; neither have they any proprium acquired from the loves of self and the world.” (HH 277)

What is it, then, that first awakens the proprium, the appearance of self-life, and invites the influx of evil spirits? It is when an infant discovers for the first time that he cannot have everything he wants. When mother says, “no”, and means it, the infant learns that there is a will other than his own, and then for the first time he becomes aware of self-will. To the infant, the mother stands in the place of the Lord. Her will bears the same relation to the infant that the Lord’s will bears to an adult. In fact, the idea of a “will” other than one’s own—a “will” that ought to be obeyed—is one with the idea of God. Out of this concept grows the whole idea of religion.

When the infant asserts his own will as opposed to the will of his mother, he discovers the difference between two opposite kinds of delight. He has enjoyed the delight of sensations that were approved and together with them a sense of confidence, of peace, of security. But now he discovers a delight that is accompanied by disapproval, punishment, unhappiness and lack of security. He does not foreknow that these results will follow. He imagines that his life is his own to do with as he pleases, and he resents any interference with his own will. Only by experience does he learn the difference between the innocent delights that inflow from heaven, and the delight of self-will that is inspired by the hells. The struggle between these two delights is the very essence of all temptation. The delight of the mother’s approval, and the fear of losing it, is the beginning d conscience, and this is the seed from which springs the heavenly proprium. On the other hand, the assertion of self-will in defiance of the mother is the source and origin of the evil proprium.

That the evil proprium consists in the rebellion of self-will against the will of the Lord, or in the case of an infant, against the will of the mother, is clear from the following teaching:

“What man’s proprium is may be stated in this way. Man’s proprium is all the evil and falsity that spring from the love of self and the world, and from not believing in the Lord or the Word, but in self, and from supposing that what cannot be apprehended sensuously and by means of scientifics is nothing. In this way men become mere evil and falsity, and therefore regard all things pervertedly… . Such, then, is the proprium of man, which in itself is accursed and infernal.” (AC 210)

From this it is evident how vital is this first lesson in obedience, and what tremendously important consequences flow from it. It is a wonderful provision of the Lord’s mercy that every infant is under the influence of celestial angels, and is thus introduced into the enjoyment of heavenly affections and delights before hereditary evils can possibly affect him. He dwells in a Garden of Eden, corresponding to that state of innocence into which the race was first introduced by the Divine Creator. Because the latent tendency to evil is present as the serpent in the garden, it may be said that everyone is born into evils of every kind. But until the infant becomes conscious of himself, there is no appearance of self-life, and therefore no proprium, either good or evil. There is only a state of pristine innocence, which the hells cannot penetrate.

The first awakening of proprial life is remarkably illustrated in the Word by the story of how Lot was separated from Abram. It will be recalled that Abram’s brother Haran died, leaving his infant son Lot, whom Abram adopted and brought up as his own. When the boy became an adult he acquired riches of his own—flocks and herds in such numbers that there was no longer sufficient water and pasture for them and for the cattle of Abram as well. By mutual agreement, therefore, they parted. Lot left to seek new land, journeyed to the plains of Jordan, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. The Arcana Coelestia reveals that what is specifically treated of here is the Lord as an infant, during His life on earth. (AC 1428, 1434)

Abram represents the Lord’s internal man, His soul or Spirit of Divine love, with its celestial perceptions, (AC 1596) while Lot represents the delights and pleasures of the senses. (AC 1563)

At first there was no distinction between the internal man and the pleasures of the senses. Lot dwelt with Abram as his son. The delights of sensation and the celestial affections of love were perceived together, without distinction; but a time came when Lot had to be separated from Abram, that is, when sensations that were out of harmony with the affections of love and charity had to be distinguished and set apart. (AC 1568)

Just as there are things which an infant must learn not to touch because they are harmful, or because he would unwittingly destroy them, so there are external delights that are injurious to the spirit of love and charity. These are represented by Lot’s flocks and herds that could not find pasture together with those of Abram. The discovery of these sensual delights—which are not of order, but which, nevertheless, are desired because of the pleasure they give—is what invites influx from the hells: this because it rouses self-will in rebellion against the Lord’s will.

This urge to assert one’s own will tends to grow apace, and if not checked leads to evils of every kind—to cunning and deceit, to enmity and hatred, to greed and lust of power, and to revenge and cruelty. Therefore it is said that Lot “pitched his tent toward Sodom,” and that “the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.”

Now it is to be noted that this separation of Lot from Abram makes the infant aware not only of the evil proprium, but also of the heavenly proprium. Every mother might wish to perpetuate the innocence of infancy. The outbursts of self-will are far from pleasant. They are difficult to contend with, and one cannot help thinking how nice it would be if children were always amenable and willing to obey cheerfully, without resistance. But it must be realized that before an infant becomes aware of self-will, he is equally unaware of the Lord’s will. He feels heavenly affections but does not reflect upon them, and therefore does not perceive their quality. He has, indeed, no evil proprium, but neither does he have any heavenly proprium. In order that he may receive heavenly delights as if they were his own, he must choose them in preference to the opposite delights of hell. It is not the Lord’s will to create infants who merely receive His life without realizing it; with no power to respond to it. This is the case with animals. Compared with the conscious reception of life from the Lord such as is possible only when one is self-conscious, the first states of infancy are like sleep. This every mother spontaneously acknowledges, and she would not wish her son to remain always an infant. She wants him to know the far greater joy of conquest and possession, of free choice and judgment. These blessings cannot be enjoyed apart from the appearance of self-life; that is, apart from proprium.

It is of the Divine providence, therefore, that the innocence of infancy should wane and the conflict of temptation should begin, not that man may suffer the torments of evil, but that he may know in ever-increasing fullness the joys of heaven, which can be given only as the guerdon of victory. It was therefore the Lord’s will that Lot should be separated from Abram, and only after this had taken place could Abram himself be blessed as never before. “And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward and westward; for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.” (Genesis 13: 14, 15) An unlimited opportunity opens up before a child who has discovered the delights of remains, which are the delights of heaven. He can seek these delights, cherish them, increase them, and learn to appreciate and love them more and more to all eternity. It is for the sake of this opportunity that the Lord in His providence causes the infant to become aware of himself, to perceive the love of self, and at the same time to reflect upon how precious are those delights that can be received only when mother approves. It is the Lord’s will that the infant should become aware of his hereditary proprium, for otherwise he could never become aware of the heavenly proprium which it is the Divine purpose to give him.

The Proprium of Childhood and Youth

CHAPTER III

We have pointed out that proprium first arises when an infant becomes aware of himself. Before that happens he can have no appearance of self-life and no love of self. Without self-love he cannot be tempted, and the hells can exert no power over him. Only when he discovers that there is a will other than his own, a will that ought to be obeyed, does he become aware of his own will. Insistence upon his own will in opposition to the will of the mother initiates the claim that his life is his own, and the denial that it is a gift from one to whom he owes allegiance. Into this conscious love of self the hells inflow, producing the evil proprium, which contains within itself the denial of God and the source of all that is evil.

Of course, the infant has no idea of God; but the one to whom he owes allegiance is the mother, whose will is to him the will of the Lord. At the same time, the infant discovers the delights that arise from obeying the will of the mother. These delights inflow from heaven, and because the infant feels them as his own they constitute a heavenly proprium. They are the source of all love and charity, gratitude and loyalty, all sense of duty and all delight of use to others. They are the origin of all trust and confidence, security and peace, under the protection of the Divine Providence, which at this time is personified by the parents, and especially by the mother. When the child realizes these delights, in contrast to those which produce disapproval and punishment, he fears to lose them, and this fear is the beginning of conscience.

But the proprium that arises in early infancy, and that is characteristic of childhood and youth, is not at all the same as the proprium that belongs to adult age. It is very important for us to know the difference between them, a difference that frequently does not appear in the literal statements of the Writings, from which we may derive a mistaken idea of what the proprium really is. Before adult age is reached it is impossible for anyone to perceive otherwise than that both the evil proprium and the heavenly proprium are his very own. To every child, therefore, and to every youth, the unavoidable appearance is that he has two opposite selves. He cannot help taking credit for being good, feeling proud of whatever he accomplishes; nor can he avoid feeling that every impulse to evil is his own will, his very self : this because the affections that inflow from spirits and angels are perceived as if they originated in himself.

Every child comes alternately under the influence of angels and of evil spirits. Both cannot affect him at the same time. When one is dominant the other withdraws, and the child is swept along on the current of whichever emotion is strongest at any given moment. Whichever dominates appears to be his very life, in which is all joy and all delight. To lose this is to be deprived of everything that makes life worth living. That is why the crises in a child’s life are so tragic, and why the moments of happiness are so ecstatic. He has no perspective of time, no basis for comparison with anything else. He cannot see beyond the present moment, and he can think only in the light of the love that is active at the time, and thus only in favor of whatever he wants.

Because of this, there is in the proprium of childhood and youth, a certain innocence. He cannot be blamed for being self-centered because he cannot help it. He can be told that the impulse to evil comes from evil spirits, and that the delights of love and charity are a gift of the angels, but he cannot really comprehend this; yet the inner truth is that both the impulse to evil and the impulse to good are imposed upon him, insinuated into him, the one from hell and the other from heaven. He is not really responsible for either of them.

Furthermore, because a child has as yet no sense of values and no basis of comparison he is incapable of rational judgment. He is dependent upon adults to judge for him, to protect him from dangers which he cannot foresee, and to withdraw him from the pressures of loves which he himself cannot possibly resist. When a child wants to do something that is wrong, something that a parent knows is dangerous or harmful to him, he must be deterred, and thus protected. Sometimes this can be done by distracting his attention, by introducing him to some other delight that is harmless, or by gentle leading through an appeal to his affection for the parent. But when the urge of self-will is too strong to be turned aside in this way, some form of punishment is necessary to break the hold of evil spirits and change the child’s state before instruction and leading can become effective.

The fact that children are dependent upon adults for this kind of protection explains why it is that the pull of hereditary evil always appears to be stronger and more persistent than the tendency to do what is right. Proprial loves are roused by the child’s personal experience, and seem to have no relation to other people. They are his own idea. But these loves are challenged by parents, and the child is recalled to the delights of remains by what the parents say and do. For this reason, at the moment these heavenly delights do not appear to the child as his very own. Indeed, as the child advances in age and achieves a greater sense of independence, the doubt increases in his mind as to whether these heavenly things are really his own, whether they are what he himself really loves, or are merely what other people want him to love. It follows that as he becomes less dependent upon parents and teachers, self-will becomes stronger, bolder, more assertive, while the influence of heavenly remains grows less. This is the appearance; but the fact remains that in states of innocence, when the child is not conscious of any pressure from others, he feels the delight of remains as his own, just as fully as he feels the delights of self-love.

This accounts for the high idealism that is characteristic of childhood and youth. The sense of fair play, of justice, of honor, of loyalty, friendship and gratitude is seemingly spontaneous with young people. It is utterly sincere and wholehearted. This is proof positive that the Lord provides remains that are just as strong as are proprial delights. If this were not so, the child could never be induced to forsake the proprial delights in order to return to the delights of remains. In fact, the function of the parent or the teacher is to restore this balance when it has been temporarily destroyed by some selfish passion. This is done by recalling to the child’s memory the delights he had enjoyed when he had felt the approval of the parent, and by instilling the fear lest these delights be lost. This stirring of conscience stimulates a longing to recapture these delights, which would not be felt unless those delights had a powerful hold upon the mind.

The nature of proprium in childhood and youth is determined by the conditions under which he lives. The heavenly proprium consists of affections insinuated by the angels and good spirits present with him. They inflow into states of innocence, or states of willingness to be taught and led. Their influence is perceived as love for parents and teachers, charity toward companions, feelings of gratitude, friendship, loyalty, etc. But these affections can be felt only in terms of the mores in which the child is brought up, and in accord with the teaching he receives concerning what is true and right. If the moral and religious standards of the family and the community in which he is nurtured are high, and if the religious principles with which he is imbued are in harmony with the truth, he will acquire a genuine consciences by which the power of heavenly remains will be greatly increased. But if the opposite is the case, the child cannot avoid mistaking false principles of belief and false standards of conduct for what is true. He cannot help developing habits, both of thought and action, that are contrary to the order of heaven, and into which the ‘angels cannot inflow. They can affect him only through the innocence with which he accepts these things. The fact that his external mind is molded into a form of disorder and of error limits the power and the influence of remains. That is why, as we are taught, one can acquire an evil proprium through no fault of his own, and this in addition to the tendency to evil into which he was born. Concerning this we read :

“Evils with man have many origins; the first is from inheritance by continual derivations from grandparents, and great-grandparents, into the father, and from the father in whom the evils are thus accumulated, to one’s self. The second origin is from what is acquired, that is what a man acquires to himself by a life of evil. This evil he receives in part by inheritance … and carries into act; and in part he adds thereto many things of himself. From that comes the proprium which man acquires for himself. But this actual evil which man makes his proprium, has also various origins—in general two: one, that he receives evil from others through no fault of his own; and the other, that he receives it of his own accord, thus through his own fault.” (AC 4171)

However, the reverse of this is equally true; namely, that children can be imbued with habits of thought and action which are in accord with the order of heaven, and thereby acquire a heavenly proprium, again through no merit or determination of their own. The distinguishing characteristic of the proprium that belongs to childhood and youth is, then, that it is borrowed, imposed from without, and qualified by the instruction and training he receives from adults. It is impossible for a child or youth to acquire a proprium for which he himself is really responsible : this because he cannot reflect upon what comes to him from his environment, but merely reacts to it spontaneously. He cannot distinguish truth from falsity, or good from evil, except on the basis of what he is taught. He cannot be blamed for the errors into which he is led by parents and teachers; and for that reason, even his evil proprium is excusable and is protected from condemnation by the innocence of ignorance. On the other hand, because he cannot help thinking of the heavenly affections that inflow as his very own, they are contaminated by a sense of merit, and interiorly look to self. Thus, in the sight of the Lord, they are not really good. They are merely a means of preparing him to receive what is truly good when adult age is reached. What is truly good must be received immediately from the Word, and thus from the Lord; and the fact that it comes from the Lord, and is not one’s own, must be acknowledged from the heart. Concerning this we read:

“It is known that man cannot be regenerated until adult age, because he then for the first time has the full exercise of reason and judgment, and thus can receive good and truth from the Lord. Before he comes into this state he is being prepared by the Lord, by such things being insinuated into him as may serve him as ground for receiving the seeds of good and truth, which are the many states of innocence and charity, and also the knowledges of good and truth, and the thoughts derived from them. This preparation is going on for some years before regeneration commences. When man has been imbued with these things, and is thus prepared, his state is then said to be full, for his interiors are then disposed for receiving. All those things with which a man is endowed by the Lord before regeneration, and by means of which he is regenerated, are called ‘remains’.” (AC 2536 See also AC 10225)

The Proprium of Adult Age

CHAPTER IV

We have said that there is a marked difference between the proprium that is characteristic of childhood and youth and the proprium that can come into being only in adult age. Children and young people are not responsible for their proprium. They cannot help believing that the emotions which stir them, whether good or evil, are really their own. They cannot avoid the appearance that they have two opposite selves. They may be taught that good affections inflow from heaven, and evil affections from hell, but this they cannot really comprehend. They mistake the appearance of self-life for the reality, but they do not confirm that appearance to the point of denial that life inflows from the Lord.

Evil, therefore, is not imputed to them, and they are not condemned on account of it; nor can good be imputed to them, because their conscience, which they perceive as a heavenly proprium, takes form from the environment in which they are brought up. Children accept as true the religious principles and the moral standards of those who teach them. As far as this teaching is true, the remains of heavenly affections inflowing from the angels are enriched and strengthened; but as far as the teaching received is false, children cannot help acquiring mistaken ideas and forming disorderly habits of life. Into these the angels cannot inflow, and in consequence the influence of evil spirits is increased. Furthermore, even when children are imbued with true principles, and with high standards of moral conduct, they cannot avoid a sense of merit. They may know, and intellectually acknowledge, that the good they do is not their own, but this they cannot deeply comprehend.

When adult age is reached, however, everyone begins to form a proprium for which he is personally responsible. He is released from obvious dependence upon parents and teachers, and is required to think for himself and to make his own decisions. This does not happen suddenly, because one can be liberated from dependence upon others only by gradual stages. The reason is that at first one can think and judge only on the basis of what one already knows, or of that with which one has been imbued by instruction and training during childhood and youth. It takes time for one to acquire new knowledge by personal investigation, study and experience. Only as far as this is done can one even begin to form individual opinions that are not borrowed from others. As a matter of fact, all through life we all rely very largely upon borrowed opinions; nor can we avoid doing so because we can investigate for ourselves only a very small segment of the knowledge by which we live. In a great many respects we continue to be dependent upon others.

Nevertheless, the very fact that one is compelled to think for himself produces a new kind of proprium, both good and evil. In regard to the heavenly proprium, we are specifically taught that it is different in adult age from what it is in infancy and childhood. As children grow, they acquire, in succession, three different kinds of remains, which are called respectively

“the goods of infancy, the goods of ignorance, and the goods of intelligence. The goods of infancy are those which are insinuated into man from his very birth up to the age in which he is beginning to be instructed and to know something. The goods of ignorance are what are insinuated when he is being instructed, and is beginning to know something. The goods of intelligence are what are insinuated when he is able to reflect upon what is good and what is true. The good of [innocence] exists from man’s infancy up to the tenth year of his age; the good of ignorance from this age to his twentieth year. From this year the man begins to become rational, and to have the faculty of reflecting upon good and truth, to procure for himself the good of intelligence.” (‘AC 2280)

Everyone at adult age must reflect upon what he wishes to become, what he will regard as the highest good, what he will adopt as the goal toward which to strive. At first this ideal of life may not be too clearly visualized, and it may undergo successive modifications as he gains in knowledge and experience. But it will be something which he has determined for himself, not because of what he has been taught, but because, at least to some extent, he has examined it for himself, compared it with alternative concepts, and selected it with some degree of intelligent understanding and personal conviction.

This “good of intelligence” now forms his conscience, and from it he begins to think in determining the principles according to which he endeavors to live. On it he builds a personal code of conduct, and erects his own moral standard and his religious creed. It becomes a heavenly proprium which he himself has freely chosen. If, however, he fails to live up to this standard, if for the sake of selfish or worldly advantage he permits himself to compromise his conscience, he acquires an evil proprium for which he is personally responsible. He has no blanket of innocence which can protect him from the consequences of so doing. This adult proprium for which one is individually responsible is nevertheless similar to the proprium of childhood and youth in this, that man still believes his life to be his own. He may acknowledge, from a borrowed religious faith, that all life inflows from God, but he cannot help feeling that he has chosen his goal in life by his own intelligence. He has thought it out himself. This, it appears to him, is what makes it really his own, and distinguishes it from what he had merely accepted on faith from others. For this reason he cannot avoid claiming merit for it; nor can he help feeling that the impulse to evil against which he is called upon to do battle is also from himself.

In short, he is still under the illusion that he has two opposite selves. Because of this, at the beginning of adult age, man can think only from what the Writings call the “first rational.” From the heavenly affections insinuated as remains, children love spiritual things, that is, the things of religion, but they do not really understand them. They can think of them only in terms of natural ideas of space, time and person. They love the Lord, but they can think of Him only as a natural man. They can think of heaven only as a place. They can understand only the literal or the moral sense of the Word. They can think of charity only in terms of kindness toward those who are externally in need, who are poor, sick, or suffering from hunger and thirst.

Now this does not change suddenly merely because the child has become an adult. The ability to think spiritually can be developed only by an ordered process that requires time, effort and experience. That which is most immediately pressing is the necessity to earn a living, to find one’s use, one’s place in society, and to establish a home. In the process of doing these things, questions are bound to arise as to what is fundamentally right or wrong. These require one to reflect upon what he has been taught, to adopt it, to modify it, or to reject it in favor of what now appears to him to be true. But all one’s thinking is inspired by the desire to know, to know for one’s self, to discover firm ground on which to base one’s opinions and beliefs. That is why the “first rational” is produced by the affection of knowledges. Because of hereditary tendencies to evil, “man’s rational must be formed … by means of knowledges introduced through the senses, thus flowing in by an external way.” (AC 1902)

Everyone is created with the ability to understand spiritual truth. Spiritual truth itself “flows in through heaven, and this by an internal way, with every man … [but] man is not aware of this intellectual truth because it is too pure to be perceived by a general idea. It is like a light that illuminates the mind, and confers the faculty of knowing, thinking and understanding.” (AC 1901) But this light does not become visible until it falls upon objects; that is, upon knowledges stored in the memory, and recalled thence by the imagination. It is with the spiritual light of truth as it is with the natural light of the sun, which becomes visible when reflected from material objects. Furthermore, in order that the quality of spiritual truth may be rightly perceived, it must fall upon objects of the mind, which are called abstract ideas, that is, ideas abstracted from time, space and person. Such ideas cannot be conceived by children. They can begin to be formed only as the mind approaches maturity. “The thought,” we are told, “which is above the imagination, requires for its objects, ideas abstracted from what is material.” (AC 6814) This, then, is the kind of thinking toward which the adult aspires from a love of spiritual truth, the quality of which he does not yet realize. The first step, therefore, toward rational understanding is to gather knowledge of spiritual things. One must formulate definite principles from which to think—concepts of love, of wisdom, of use, of justice, of honor, and of all human virtues. Such things form the basis for man’s personal judgment, independent of the opinions of others. They constitute what is called the “first rational,” inspired by a love of knowing, and by the determination to do his own thinking that is characteristic of man in adult age. (Concerning this rational, see AC 2657: 2, 5)

This first rational must be established and built up before man can attain to truly spiritual understanding; but as long as one thinks and believes that his ideas are the product of his own intelligence, his understanding remains natural. We read:

“The rational first conceived cannot acknowledge intellectual or spiritual truth because there adhere to this rational many fallacies from scientifics drawn from the world, and from nature, and many appearances from the knowledges taken from the literal sense of the Word, and these are not truths. For example: it is an intellectual truth that all life is from the Lord; but the rational first conceived does not apprehend this, and supposes that if it did not live from itself it would have no life… . It is an intellectual truth that all good and truth are from the Lord; but the rational first conceived does not apprehend this, because it has the feeling that they are from itself; and it also supposes that if good and truth were not from itself, it could have no thought of good and truth, and still less do anything good and true.” (AC 1911)

The remarkable thing is that one can be unable to apprehend such spiritual truths, even though he knows from the Word that all life and all good and truth are from the Lord, and acknowledges intellectually from the precepts of religion that it must be so. Because of this knowledge and belief, he is withheld by the Lord from so confirming the idea of self-life as to deny that life inflows from the Lord. By this means the Lord protects him while the first rational is being formed and built up, and meanwhile he is being prepared for the reception of genuine spiritual understanding and wisdom. The nature of this first rational, and how it serves to promote man’s spiritual life, are further described in Arcana Coelestia No. 2679, as follows

“The quality of the state of those who are being reformed, in the beginning, is that they are carried away into various wanderings; for it is given them by the Lord to think much about eternal life, and thus much about the truths of faith; but because from their proprium they cannot do otherwise than wander hither and thither, both in doctrine and in life, seizing as truth that which has been inseminated from their infancy, or is impressed upon them by others, or is thought out by themselves … they are like fruits as yet unripe, on which shape, beauty and savor cannot be induced in a moment… . But the things which enter in at that time, though for the most part erroneous, are still such as are serviceable for promoting growth; and afterward when the men are being reformed, these are partly separated, and are partly conducive to introducing nourishment, and as it were juices into the subsequent life, which again can afterwards be partly adapted to the implanting of goods and truths from the Lord, and partly to being serviceable to spiritual things as ultimate planes; and thus as continual means to reformation, which means follow in perpetual connection and order; for all things, even the least with man, are foreseen by the Lord, and are provided for his future state to eternity.”

Such is the proprium of adult age before regeneration. It is not imposed upon man by others, but is adopted by his own choice; yet it is adopted only in the light of what he, at that time, is capable of understanding, which is still largely fallacious. With him the heavenly proprium is still contaminated by the sense of merit; and the evil proprium still appears to be his very own. But we shall consider further the quality of this proprium in the next chapter, and shall describe how it differs from the heavenly proprium that can be acquired only through regeneration.

How the True Rational First Arises

CHAPTER V

In a previous chapter we stated that the proprium of childhood first comes into being when an infant becomes aware of himself. This happens when he discovers that there is a will other than his own, a will that ought to be obeyed; and we pointed out that this discovery is represented in the story of the Word by the separation of Lot from Abram. Something similar to this takes place in adult age when one first discovers that the Lord’s will is something quite apart from one’s own will. We are prone to take for granted that the Lord’s will is identical with our own. It is the Lord’s will that we should come at last into heaven. We can think of heaven only as a state of happiness, in which our deepest wishes and our fondest hopes shall be satisfied. What would heaven be if such happiness were denied us? We have yet to learn that our idea of happiness is not at all the same as that of the eternal happiness which the Lord foresees and provides for us. The Lord, therefore, is leading us toward a goal which we do not foresee, and which we cannot even imagine. We must learn to submit our will to His guidance, acknowledging that He alone knows what is truly good and what will bring us real and lasting happiness.

Furthermore, as we have pointed out, everyone, when he becomes responsible for his own decisions, forms for himself a code of conduct, a moral standard and a religious belief which are the products of his own thinking. He may base all this on the teaching of the Word, but he does so because his own reason convinces him that it must be so. He regards it as his faith, the product of his intelligence, one that he has recognized and adopted for himself. As such, he distinguishes it from the faith of childhood, which had been accepted blindly from others in whom he had confidence. If one is to be regenerated, he must awaken to the fact that the truth of religion is not the product of his own thinking. Indeed, it is something entirely different, something that from his own reason he cannot in the least comprehend. To the human rational, spiritual truth is incomprehensible. If he is to understand spiritual things truly, he must learn to distinguish what comes from his own intelligence from that which comes solely from the Lord. This latter is the genuine spiritual rational.

How one becomes aware of this difference, and how the first rational is gradually separated from the genuine rational, is described in the Word by the story of Ishmael, and how he was separated from Isaac. It will be recalled that Sarai, Abram’s wife, was barren, and in order that there might be an heir to preserve the family name and fortune, she agreed that Abram should have a son by Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid. When Hagar knew that she was to have a child, Sarai was despised in her eyes, and Sarai, resenting this, treated her harshly. Hagar therefore fled from her mistress, seeking to escape, but an angel of the Lord came to her in the wilderness, and told her that she should return and submit herself to the government of Sarai. Later, when, according to the Lord’s promise, Isaac was born to Sarah, Ishmael, the son of Hagar, was seen mocking him, and Sarah’s anger was so roused against him that she demanded that Abraham should send away both Hagar and her son Ishmael. Abraham was grieved, because he loved Ishmael; but the Lord told him to do as Sarah demanded. He therefore sent Hagar away, together with the child, giving them only a bottle of water, which he knew could not long sustain their lives in the wilderness. But when the water in the bottle was spent, and the child was about to die, the angel of the Lord miraculously saved his life. He opened the eyes of Hagar, and she saw a well of water, from which she refilled the bottle Abraham had given her and gave the child a drink. Ishmael grew up in the wilderness, and became an archer. His mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt, and he became, in time, the father of a great nation.

This story describes the process whereby every adult must be prepared gradually to receive spiritual understanding and wisdom. Every human being is created for heaven; that is, he is created to live, after the death of the body, in a spiritual world, and to see, sense and enjoy the objects of that world. To this end he is endowed with a soul or spirit, an organ designed to perceive spiritual things, even as the physical senses are designed to perceive the objects and the forces of nature. Spiritual things are seen in the light of the sun of heaven, just as material things are seen in the light of nature’s sun; but just as the light of the natural sun becomes visible only when reflected from material objects, so the light of the spiritual sun becomes visible only as reflected from spiritual objects. The objects that reflect the light of the spiritual sun are mental pictures, ideas formed in the imagination and thoughts. When reflected from material ideas, that light imparts the ability to understand naturally, to perceive relations, cause and effect, and the uses of material things.

This is the first rational, which is bound up with the concept of space, time and person, and with the properties of matter; that is, whether an object is hard or soft, rough or smooth, heavy or light, etc. Only when that light is reflected from ideas of thought, that is, from abstract ideas, such as the concepts of law, of use, of justice, of honor, from which all idea of space and time and person has been removed, can man attain to spiritual understanding. This is the genuine rational represented by Isaac. Since ideas of thought are abstracted from material ideas, it is evident that the mind must first be stored with many material ideas before abstract thought is possible. That is why this rational can be attained only in adult age.

Abram represents the will of the internal man, and Sarai represents the understanding of the internal man, that is, of the spirit that is to live after death. Even from earliest infancy, man can be affected by the will or the love of spiritual things because angels present with him can inflow and cause him to feel their loves as his own. These heavenly affections are what are called “remains.” An infant feels them, but he does not in the least know what they are. No one, however, can be gifted with spiritual understanding before adult age is reached, and that is why it is said that Sarai was barren. However, when a man begins to think for himself, and to accumulate knowledge according to which to determine the course of his own life, he can gradually form abstract ideas from which to develop a rational understanding. At first it will be a purely natural understanding, but only as this is developed can the mind be prepared to receive a spiritual understanding. That is why it is said that Sarai agreed to Abram’s having a son by Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid. Hagar represents the love of learning, the affection of knowing, which stimulates man to search out the answers to the problems of life with which he is confronted. It leads to the accumulation of the sciences, to the investigation of civil and moral truth, and also to a search of the Word for the truth concerning spiritual things; that is, concerning God, and heaven, and the life of religion.

When, in the light of his own experience, a man reflects upon the teaching of the Word, he is confronted by many ideas which seem difficult, if not impossible, to understand. For instance, one reads of miracles that contradict the known laws of nature, and of Divine injunctions that seem to require the sacrifice of everything which is essential to man’s worldly success and happiness. The idea of God, as being infinite and omnipresent throughout the entire universe, and yet as being a Man in human form and figure, is beyond all comprehension. The idea that there can be a continuation of conscious human life after the death of the body, when all contact with material things has been cut off, seems like an impossibility. The teaching that we should resist no evil, appears to mean that we must meekly submit to the domination of those who would seek to injure us, or even destroy our lives. The Divine injunction to have no thought for the morrow seems to require us to ignore an obvious responsibility, both to ourselves and to those dependent upon us. The idea that we have no life of our own, no power to think, to will or to act on our own initiative, seems utterly incredible in the light of our own daily experience.

All these, to our own natural mind, are “hard sayings;” and although we may make pious profession of faith in the Word, because we cannot understand them we are prone to laugh at them secretly; and that is what is meant when it is said that Ishmael “mocked” Isaac. It is possible, of course, to rest content with a purely natural understanding of life, and with a moral code that meets all the demands of society, refusing to face the deeper questions of theology and religion. Many people evade the issue in this way, accepting the teaching of the Word with mental reservations, and relying solely upon their own intelligence to guide them; but because we are born for heaven, it is the Lord’s will that we should become spiritually intelligent and wise. It is Divinely intended that the Lord’s will should be done on earth, as it is in heaven, and that men should learn here to live in charity and mutual love. That is why the Lord said to Abraham: “Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah bath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.” (Genesis 21: 12)

How man attains to spiritual understanding is described, according to the story of the Word, by two things: by the fact that Hagar, before the birth of Isaac, was commanded to submit herself to the government of Sarai; and by the fact that when Isaac was born, and Ishmael was seen to mock him, Hagar and Ishmael had to be sent away. The submission of Hagar to Sarai represents the need for man to accept the teaching of the Word even though he does not understand it. He must suspend judgment, and refuse to accept as final the dictates of his own reason, clinging to a childlike faith in the teaching of the Word simply because the Lord has spoken it. At the same time, he must never cease to search for a deeper and truer understanding of the Word. In a spirit of humility and willingness to learn, he must submit his mind to the teaching and the leading of the Lord.

This affirmative approach to the Word makes possible the birth of Isaac; that is, the opening of the spiritual mind, that man may begin to perceive the true internal sense of the Word. In the light of this deeper understanding, many of the apparent contradictions and difficulties found in the letter of the Word are dissipated. Ideas that had previously seemed incomprehensible become clear and perfectly rational. This insight brings with it a new delight, a love of the spiritual truth of the Word, which now becomes the most vital and essential need of man’s life. The love of knowing is not discarded. We continue to investigate facts, to acquire new knowledges, both with regard to worldly things and with regard to the things of religion; but these are now relegated to a secondary place, as means to the attainment of more perfect understanding.

Ishmael, although separated from Isaac, grows up in the wilderness and becomes an archer. He marries an Egyptian, and founds a great nation; but he is no longer regarded as the heir. Isaac is the heir, and he must be the son of Sarah, who is the true wife of Abraham. The genuine rational must be born of the affection of spiritual truth; that is, the love of understanding the true inner meaning of the Word. This love alone can lead to spiritual intelligence and wisdom, whereby man may come into the enjoyment and use of things eternal. By this affection, man can be endowed with a heavenly proprium, an appearance of self-life from which the love of self has been completely removed. It is a proprium that springs from a supreme desire to be led by the Lord, rather than by one’s self. It brings with it the joy and the peace of heaven, which arise from complete trust in the Divine Providence, and therefore from a willing submission, without reserve, to the teaching of the Word and the leading of the Lord. But of this we shall speak in the next chapter.

The Heavenly Proprium

CHAPTER VI

We have seen how the appearance of self-life increases progressively as one grows from infancy to adult age. It increases in proportion to one’s ability to do what he wants to do, and to attain his heart’s desire. A newborn infant has no appearance of self-life because he is not yet aware of himself. Even when he becomes self-conscious, the appearance of self-life with him is extremely circumscribed. He is helpless, and completely dependent upon others. Gradually, as he gains physical strength and skill, as he acquires knowledge and understanding, he becomes less dependent upon others and more capable of doing things for himself. To this extent he feels more and more as if his life were his own. This appearance is greatly enhanced when he reaches adult age and is released from the obvious control of parents and teachers; yet he is still subject to many limitations due to ignorance and lack of skill. He is subject to the civil and moral laws imposed by the society in which he lives. He is limited by space and time and financial means.

If he is to achieve his desired goal in life, he must learn to overcome these obstacles by application, study, practice, all of which call for self-discipline. He has merely exchanged the external bonds of compulsion by others for internal bonds of self-compulsion; yet in self-compulsion there is a greater sense of freedom and independence than is possible under the domination of others. Gradually a man learns how to adapt himself to his environment. He can train himself to live quite happily within many of the limitations that beset him. To do so becomes increasingly easy, habitual and spontaneous. He finds that in spite of seeming limitations he can successfully pursue the goal he seeks. To this extent the appearance grows stronger that his life is his own.

All of this can be done through the exercise of the “first rational,” represented by Ishmael. But as long as the goal he seeks is some natural ambition, the product of his own imagination, he will be motivated inmostly by the love of self. He may believe in the Lord, but he will think of the Lord’s will as being identical with his own. He will not understand the real meaning of the Word because he will interpret it as a promise that the Lord will grant him his inmost wish. Because what he has conceived as a goal is not at all that to which the Lord would lead him, and because, being centered in self, it inevitably does injustice to others and robs them of their happiness and use, the Lord cannot allow him to accomplish his purpose. His will must be checked. His hopes must be frustrated, at least as far as they would bring permanent injury to the spiritual life of others. That is why it is written: “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” (John 8: 34) Of the Divine mercy, it is ordained, for the protection of others, that one who is motivated by self-love must learn at last, through bitter experience, that his life is not his own to do with as he pleases.

However, it is the Lord’s will that the appearance of self-life should be perpetually increased, and to this end the Lord has provided the means by which the love of self may gradually be removed, that man may learn how to live, freely and gladly, in accord with the Divine laws of order which obtain in heaven. The means provided are the truths of the Word and the affection of truth, in the light of which man may learn to understand those truths in their genuine spiritual sense. We read:

“Because man, in respect to his … [proprium] is [wholly evil], means have been given by the Divine mercy of the Lord, by which man can be withdrawn from his proprium; these means are given in the Word; and when man co-operates with these means, that is, when he thinks and speaks, wills and acts, from the Divine Word, he is kept by the Lord in things Divine, and is thus withheld from … proprium; and when this continues there is formed with man by the Lords as it were a new … [proprium], both voluntary and intellectual, which is wholly separated from man’s … [proprium]; thus man becomes as it were created anew, and this is what is called his reformation and regeneration by truths from the Word, and by a life according to them.” (Apocalypse Explained 585: 3)

Here, by man’s “proprium” is meant the love of self. The affection of spiritual truth is insinuated with everyone during infancy and childhood. It is perceived as a delight in acknowledging the Lord as a Heavenly Father, and the Word as holy and Divine. When man reads the Word, and reflects upon its teaching from this affection, he can begin to understand it spiritually. In states of worship, when worldly ambitions and external cares are temporarily set aside, one can acknowledge that what the Word teaches must be true, even though one cannot yet understand how it is true. In that state one can readily perceive that all life, all good and truth, all wisdom and all power belong to the Lord alone, and that man, from his own intelligence, is constantly prone to error. Thus arises a lack of confidence in one’s self, an attitude of humiliation before the Lord, and a sincere desire to seek the Lord’s guidance, rather than one’s own.

“When man thinks that the Divine in respect to power and wisdom is everything, and man in comparison is nothing… When man is in this acknowledgment from the heart he comes as it were out of himself … and is removed from the proprium … which in itself is wholly evil; when this is removed, the Divine fills him and raises him up; not that the Divine desires such humiliation on its account, but because evil is then removed, and so far as evil is removed with man, so far the Divine flows in; for evil alone stands in the way.” (AE77)

When man thinks from the affection of spiritual truth, he not only knows that the teaching of the Word is true, but he perceives something of its real meaning. The idea that all life inflows from the Lord, and that man has no life in himself, is not now something that he piously affirms from a blind faith, but something that he really sees and perceives within himself to be true. This perception comes at first only in flashes of insight, during states of worship and of withdrawal from the cares of the world. It cannot be long retained, because the pressures of the world, the appearance that he has life in himself, return and take possession of the mind; yet the memory of that perception remains, and according to it the conscience is formed, and this constantly calls him back to the delight of spiritual truth, the delight of trust and confidence in the Lord. Under the impulse of conscience, from the fear of losing that deeper delight, a man is prompted to compel himself, in spite of every appearance to the contrary, to think, to believe, and to act in accord with the teaching of the Word. This self-compulsion gradually confirms the temporary state of trust in the Word, and makes it permanent. We read, therefore, that

“man ought to compel himself to do what is good, to obey the things commanded by the Lord, and to speak truths, which is to ‘humble himself under’ the Lord’s hands, or to submit himself to the sovereign power of the Divine good and truth… The arcanum herein contained is that a man is thus gifted by the Lord with a heavenly … [proprium], for this heavenly … [proprium] of man is formed in the effort of his thought; and if he does not maintain this effort by compelling himself (as the appearance is), he certainly does not maintain it by not compelling himself.” (AC 1937)

“In all self-compulsion to what is good,” the number continues, “there is a certain freedom, which is not discerned as such while the man is engaged in this self-compulsion, but still it is within… This freedom is from the Lord, who insinuates it into man’s conscience, and by means of it causes him to overcome evil as if from his proprium. Through this freedom man acquires a proprium in which the Lord can work what is good… In this freedom, when man is compelling himself to resist what is evil and false, and to do what is good, there is heavenly love, which the Lord then insinuates, and through which He creates man’s proprium; and therefore the Lord wills that it should appear to the man as his, although it is not his. This proprium which man during his bodily life thus receives through what is apparently compulsory, is filled by the Lord in the other life with illimitable delights and happinesses.”

Man has had to compel himself before to comply with the requirements of the civil and the moral law; but he has done so for the sake of himself, or in order to secure his personal ambition. Thus he has done so from what has been called “enlightened self-interest;” but now he compels himself from spiritual conscience, from the love of spiritual truth, from the desire to obey the Lord’s will. This is what produces the heavenly proprium. As to the nature of this heavenly proprium, we read that

“this comes forth from the new will that is given by the Lord, and differs from man’s … [proprium] in the fact that they who have it no longer regard themselves in each and all things they do, and in each and all things they learn or teach; but they then have regard to the neighbor, the public, the church, the Lord’s kingdom, and thereby the Lord Himself. It is the ends of life that are changed. The ends that look to lower things, that is, to self and the world, are removed, and ends that look to higher things are substituted in their place. The ends of life are nothing else than the man’s life itself, for they are his very will and loves, because what a man loves he wills and has for an end. He who is gifted with … [a proprium] that is heavenly is also in quietude and peace; for he trusts in the Lord, and believes that nothing of evil will reach him, and knows that concupiscences will not infest him. And besides, they who are in the heavenly … [proprium] are in freedom itself; for to be led by the Lord is freedom, because … [this is to be] led in good, by good, to good. From this it is evident that they are in blessedness and happiness, for there is nothing that disturbs them, nothing of … [self-love], consequently nothing of enmity, hatred, and revenge; nor is there anything of the love of the world, consequently nothing of fraud, of fear, of unrest.” (AC 5660)

The reason one who removes the love of self and the world can enjoy perfect freedom and an ever-increasing appearance of self-life is that he can be given every opportunity to achieve his heart’s desire. There is no need to restrict him, because what he strives for is in accord with the Lord’s will, and looks to the welfare, success and happiness of others. He can therefore feel life as if it were his own, and enjoy it to the full, without harm or injury to others. That is why the seemingly curious statement is made that

“the heavenly marriage is … in the … [proprium], which, when vivified by the Lord, is called the bride and wife of the Lord… Suffice it therefore to observe that the angels perceive that they live from the Lord, although when not reflecting on the subject they know no other than that they live from themselves; but there is a general affection of such a nature that at the least departure from the good of love, and the truth of faith, they perceive a change, and consequently they are in the enjoyment of their peace and happiness, which is inexpressible, while they are in their general perception that they live from the Lord.” (AC 155)

4.4 Journaling

• Comment on your experience of having to work though the list of references from the Heavenly Doctrines.
• Which of the references did you find that you were most affected by (whether positively or negatively)
• reflect on these and record what it is about these particular references that you think has cause you to react to them in the way that you did.
• What do you like about yourself and the way you interact with others?
• What do you dislike? It will be important to acknowledge all sides of yourself here
• make sure you include those hellish qualities you enjoy and the heavenly ones you dislike.

4.5 Assignment

Choose one of the following topics:-

• Analyse the 12 steps of the Alcoholics Anonymous programme.
• Use what you know about the self to write a brief statement (75-100 words each) on how each step encourages participants to work on their addiction.
• Does every step deal with the self? If a step does not, explain how it fits into the programme as a whole and what it seeks to acheive.
• Grant Schnarr uses the more generic title of “destructive tendencies” rather than alcohol addiction (Spiritual Recovery, published by Chrysalis Books).
• You may prefer to look at the mini-assignment using this broader context, to stay with alcohol addiction or look at any of the 12 step programmes modelled on AA.

OR

• Choose a fictional book, play, film or episode from a television series.
• Which Broad Concept Heading(s) does your selection address and/or illustrate?
• Plan a series of workshop sessions using your selection to teach a group about the nature of self.
• Choose an audience appropriate to the media you have chosen (consider age group, religious background, assumed knowledge and special needs),
• and devise up to three session plans around your topic (state the number and subject of any additional sessions in the series).
• NOTE: Children’s media will often be viewed by adults as well as children
• can you devise activities which will stimulate and inform the adults in your audience too?

Also:-

• How do the principles Swedenborg talks about affect the way you look at yourself and your own spiritual path?
• How does it affect the way you view others and their spiritual growth? How does this differ from the picture you developed in Unit 3, Working with the Bible I?
• Prepare a summary statement (1-2 A4 pages). You should include insights gained from your devotional (Journal) work for this session. \

UNIT 5

5.1 Objectives

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will be able to move beyond a merely literal understanding of the Bible to find spiritual teaching relevant to the Nature of Self. You will do this through the Biblical imagery of the human body.

On completion of this section you will be able to:-

• research the spiritual significance of parts of the human the body as it is used in the Bible.
• identify doctrinal principles and reformulate them in terms of their application to ministry and/or general life situations.
• demonstrate a growing appreciation of the Lord’s presence and interaction with us, His children.

5.2 Introduction

“One of the major differences between the Modern Western mind and the Ancient Hebrews’ is that their mind related all words and their meanings to a concrete concept. For instance, the Hebrew word ‘chai’ is normally translated as ‘life’, a western abstract meaning, but the original Hebrew concrete meaning of this word is the ‘stomach’. In the Ancient Hebrew mind, a full stomach is a sign of a full ‘life’.” (The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible, by Jeff A. Benner, quoted on http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/34_about.html)

In the Bible, parts of the human body are used to reflect the self, its relationship to the Lord and heavenly things, its spiritual health or disease - e.g., “stiff-necked”, “hard-hearted”, “heavy ears”, “mute”, “a stopped tongue”. These are not the only images we can use to access the Bible’s spiritual teaching on the self, but they are among the most accessible because they speak directly to our experience of our own bodies.

In this unit you will be researching passages from the Bible which use images of the human body and using them to propose their spiritual significance in relation to the proprium or self. You will compare your work to the meanings proposed by Emanuel Swedenborg in his work on the Bible and relating your research to the Broad Concept Headings. The Broad Concept Headings are as follows…

1. Self and identity
2. Proprium in the Lord and in man
3. Impact of the unregenerate self
4. Development of our sense of self during regeneration
5. Heavenly & hellish self
6. To will, think and act as though of self.

5.3 Journaling

• In 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul compares members of the church to members of the body, each with unique contributions to the whole.
• Swedenborg’s description of the societies of heaven and individuals within each society is remarkably similar.
• How do you use your own qualities, abilities and gifts to achieve positive outcomes for your own life and those around you? And when does it trip you up?
• Reflect on your own spiritual journey.
• How has the Lord helped you to overcome spiritual disease or injury?
• Reflect on and record in a daily log in your journal how this activity has impacted on your perspective of and responses in this situation.
• Be aware of shifts in your states of feeling and thought both positive and negative and record your spiritual growth.

5.4 Assignment

Read through the selection of Biblical references provided.

Choose one sense organ AND one other part of the body for your research work. You might consider using a part which is particularly meaningful to you – for example, as a pianist I might wish to choose the ears (and hearing) and the hand (or finger). Your selections do not necessarily need to come from list provided.

Brainstorm key words which have to do with your selections. These should include words which indicate each body part’s health and function but also its disease and disability. For example, you will notice that the passages quoted in regard to the “eyes” also include words like “blind”, “sight”, “shut [their eyes]”, “see”, “cannot see” and “look”. Make a list of these words as part of your tutorial submission, adding to your list if your research work turns up any others.

Use a Bible concordance or computer Bible to locate and list passages which refer to each key word from the previous step. If your research suggests any other key words, you should do the same with these. NOTE: it will be helpful to keep this list intact, making selections from it as appropriate for the steps which follow, but you do not need to submit this to your tutor.

From your list of references, select those which you feel are suggestive of spiritual meaning. Using these passages as justification, and in no more than a paragraph each, propose your sense of the spiritual meaning of the two body parts you are working with. This will form part of your tutorial submission.

Using Potts Concordance to Swedenborg and Searle’s General Index to Swedenborg’s Scripture Quotations, find one or two paragraphs in which Swedenborg proposes a spiritual meaning for the two body parts you are working with. Compare your work with Swedenborg’s. Do you think your work compliments Swedenborg’s, or is it contradictory? Explain any differences. This will form part of your tutorial submission.

Return to your larger list of references, reading through it with the insights gained from your research. Which passages have something to say about the Broad Concept Headings? List these under each Heading and briefly explain your selection. Where the meaning of two or more passages seem to coincide, simply list the reference after the major passage you have quoted. You may combine your work on both parts of the body here if you wish. This will form part of your tutorial submission.

• Explore your sensory experience of one of the parts of the body you researched in your Conceptual Work. What does it feel like in health and fully functional?

• In contrast, what does it feel like if it is disease, injured and impaired? To complete this task you may like to try any or all of the following suggestions:

• Interview someone who can relate their experiences of injury, disability or illness to you.

• Experiment with doing simple, everyday tasks without the part you are investigating.

• Recall an injury or illness you have suffered yourself.

• What does this teach you?

• How does this relate to the spiritual significance of this part of your body?

• How can you use these experiences to teach an audience about spiritual principles?

• Prepare a summary statement (1-2 A4 pages) addressing these questions.

• Brainstorming ideas and bullet points are perfectly acceptable in completing part of this task.

UNIT 6

6.1 Objectives

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will have developed further your ability to reflect on life situations, and use the knowledge gained to promote spiritually positive outcomes in your life and the lives of others

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will be able to:-

• develop your thinking on doctrinal principles in response to your selected major assignment topic.
• present teaching to a target audience in an attractive, stimulating manner.
• reflect on the ways in which this course has led your thinking on the Nature of Self to grow,
• identifying those changes and the catalyst(s) which have brought them about.

6.2 Journaling

• While you are completing your major assignment, keep the following questions in mind:
• What information from your research “strikes a chord” for you?
• What does it stimulate in you, both positive and negative?
• What do they teach you about yourself, and your own inner workings?
• At this point, it will be useful to go back through the journal work you have recorded during this course.
• Make a list of the challenges the Lord has offered you, especially those you have yet to act upon.
• How will you move these issues forward?

6.3 Assignment

Choose one of the following assignment questions. Other topics can be chosen in consultation with your tutor.

EITHER

Review, Critique And Respond To A Modern Anti-Religious Book, such as:

• God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens,

• Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon by Daniel C. Dennett,

• Letter to a Christian Nation: A Challenge to Faith by Sam Harris, or

• The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.

• What does it say that is worth listening to?

• Where can true religion work with its author? What can / should we challenge or refute?

Remember, you are working within the context of a course on the Nature of Self. Issues which are not relevant to this course should be noted, but you should not spend a great deal of time or effort upon them here. You should consider how your essay would be published - it might be in a New Church newsletter or outreach publication, or sent to the editor of a secular newspaper or magazine - and the audience you would intend to read it. Given that it will be between 4000 and 4500 words long, it may be serialised in two or three parts - you may wish to structure your essay accordingly.

OR

Choose A Character From Literature

• for example, Harry Potter (in the later books especially, that is nos. 4 to 7);
• Shakespeare’s King Lear, Hamlet, or Macbeth; Elizabeth Bennett, from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice;
• Frodo Baggins from The Lord of the Rings.
• What do you learn from the lives, examples and especially the mistakes of this character?
• What do you imagine they would do differently with the benefit of hindsight and some understanding of their own inner workings?

How can you use these lessons to teach an audience about the nature of self?

Nominate a target audience (specifying age range, prior knowledge and other relevant considerations) and create ONE of the following:

• A play
• A scripted radio or television interview (between your chosen character and a popular interviewer, such as Andrew Denton or Michael Parkinson).
• A study guide with questions and exercises which focus upon the nature of self.
• A lecture, sermon, talk or class.

Where you feel the subject requires a series of such presentations (or where the play requires more than one scene, or lasts beyond half an hour) sketch out the entire series, completing one or two sessions in detail (as appropriate). Your final submission should be between 4000 and 4500 words.

6.4 Research

• use the information provided to research your chosen topic.
• It will be useful to outline the major points derived from your research.
• submit a copy of your research outline to your Tutor.

Note:

You May Choose A Character From The Bible to complete the above assignment, for example Jacob, Jonah, Herod, Pilate, Peter, Judas, Saul.

UNIT 7

7.1 Presentation

• To complete the course you are asked to prepare and give an online presentation to members of the College Board of Studies.
• The presentation is to be 30 minutes long and will be followed by an exchange between yourself and the panel focused on what you’ve presented.
• Your presentation is to be an account of your journey/process of moving through the course materials.
• Think about where you were at, so far as this topic concerned, at the start of the course, and where you are at the end of it.
• Note what’s shifted for you as a result of working through the course materials/requirements.
• Also be sure to highlight any specific areas that held significant interest for you, and say what it was about those areas that made them significant.
• Say what questions were resolved, what questions remain open for you,
• and how a fuller understanding of the topic might be used to support people to live a spiritually focused life.