Swedenborgian Community Interfaith Podcast

God’s message of social justice, hope, and life sometimes gets watered down in our various understandings of the world’s scriptures, which is ironic since even the most esoteric sections of holy text point to the Divine’s mission of uplifting and empowering the entire world in spiritual health. One example, Daniel chapter 7 of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, describes Daniel’s visions of beasts rising up and subjugating the earth in war and strife, but they’re eventually cast into a fiery river in front of the “Most High” who is the “Ancient of Days,” which then leads to “one like a son of humanity” to enter God’s presence and to rule over and empower all nations, releasing them from oppression. This story can be read on many levels, from the personal to Christ’s process of glorification during his earthly life, and as we break down its meaning I think we’ll all hope to not only embody its message ourselves but also as a diverse, interreligious society. Read more here: https://swedenborgian-community-online.

We explore Emanuel Swedenborg's viewpoint that Jesus is Jehovah in the flesh and that there is only one person in the Trinity. Follow along in this book discussion by downloading "The Lord," here: https://swedenborg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/NCE_TheLord_portable.pdfOur community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, and others. Here's Helen Keller's book about her Swedenborgianism, called My Religion, for free: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21APVucSZBs76qN%5F4&cid=5D5F62CF3431B981&id=5D5F62CF3431B981%21110343&parId=5D5F62CF3431B981%21110312&o=OneUp

In Canada this week we celebrate Remembrance Day on the 11th, when we remember our fallen soldiers as well as the deep risk our armed forces face every day. And I think that no matter our country, religion, or creed, we would do ourselves a service to remember that no matter our differences, there are many of us willing to sacrifice our lives for what we believe is the greater good. That’s partly why it’s so important for us as a global community to continue to empower sound and healthy decision-making, as well as a peaceful, altruistic approach to the world and our neighbors. It’s also why we have much to be thankful for when it comes to our martyrs and those that truly wish the best for us and are loyal to their higher ideas, even unto death – just like Christ and like Daniel in today’s reading. And ultimately, we’re told by tradition after tradition, this life isn’t the end – indeed, whether it’s the afterlife or reincarnation, we all will continue our journey toward eternity and so should strive for that

We continue our book discussion of Emanuel Swedenborg's, "The Lord," (free to download) exploring how God connects with every religion and walk, and how Jesus became one with God the Father, uniting his humanity with Jehovah. The Lord - https://swedenborg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/NCE_TheLord_portable.pdfOur community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, and others. Here's Helen Keller's book about her Swedenborgianism, called My Religion, for free: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21APVucSZBs76qN%5F4&cid=5D5F62CF3431B981&id=5D5F62CF3431B981%21110343&parId=5D5F62CF3431B981%21110312&o=OneUpMusic:Almost in F - Tranquillity by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/license

In the ancient Hebrew book of Daniel, we see a continuation of the universal spiritual teachings that this book uplifts – with King Nebuchadnezzar falling from his kingship due to his pride and arrogance. In all of our beauty and personal gifts it’s easy to fall into similar vanities, but our feelings of pride only serve to undermine these empowerments from Divinity – the seed of consciousness called by many names, and they lead to our own fall. But although being cast down may seem like a setback for the king (it does speak to his need for change) we’re shown that even this failure can be viewed from the light of God as a necessary lesson for the healing of Nebuchadnezzar’s soul. May we each look at our own setbacks similarly: accepting the invitation to renounce our pride, regaining our crowns. Read more here: https://swedenborgiancommunity.org/blog/daniel-4Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply

We explore the 18th-century interfaith-Christian mystic Swedenborg's ideas about why Jesus is called the Word Made Flesh & the Son of Man/Humanity, as well as other topics from his book, "The Lord." Download his book for free here: https://swedenborg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/NCE_TheLord_portable.pdfOur community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, and others.

Throughout time there have been many persecuted due to their loyalty to their cultural heritage and personal convictions, and unfortunately, religion has often been the instrument used to do this. Instead of inviting openness and cultural diversity, like Babylon in today’s story we often set up a graven image in the place of a loving God and then persecute others for being different – resigning them to the fire of our judgment if not the fire of outright persecution when we can get away with it. Strangely enough, we personally often consign our own innocent and spiritual side to just such a fire, and yet even so, even with such hate in our world, I believe today’s scripture (Daniel 3) shines light on the resiliency and fortitude of the spirit of Divinity within and within all other beings in their diversity. Read more here: https://swedenborgiancommunity.org/blog/daniel-3Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It

We have much to be thankful for today, even when we don’t have that gracious mindset. Like the king in our reading, we’re often only grateful to those who serve us – otherwise condemning them in our minds. Unfortunately, we can act like this king when it comes to our families, as well as even with the world around us in its diversity and life. As we head into a season of thanksgiving, let’s instead work to realize that every moment can be used for our growth and learning, and as an opportunity to uplift our families, our spirits, and all life. Read more here https://swedenborgiancommunity.org/blog/daniel-2Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, and others.

We continue our book discussion of the mystic Swedenborg's "The Lord" (from 1763) and explore his radical ideas about the Lord and how other faiths connect with Divinity and heaven. Download "The Lord" for free - https://swedenborg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/NCE_TheLord_portable.pdfOur community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, and others.

Today, like with Daniel, we can find ourselves trapped in many different types of Babylon: within religious bigotry, political demagoguery, or familial and personal oppression. And yes - we often find ourselves both taking part in an aspect of these as well as subject to their whims due to external pressure. It’s tough, because we each can feel somewhat set upon and oppressed while also being a source of oppression for both ourselves and others. The symbolic sense of the first chapter of Daniel speaks to how it’s important to acknowledge that both are true (since as a parable we are invited to internalize both Babylon and Daniel in our reflection), but also that we can start to feed the Daniel within “new food” and work toward the changes that will eventually transform our lives, community, and world toward freedom, compassion, and the diversity of cultural and spiritual health. Read more here: https://swedenborgiancommunity.org/blog/daniel-1Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an

Using the lens of parable to explore the story of Noah and the Ark, we can’t help but immediately reflect on those moments when we’ve been inundated by metaphorical flood waters ourselves – or think about the current state of the world in many ways. There’s a naturalness to many of scripture's use of metaphors that we tend to relate to, biblical and otherwise. Whether it’s David and Goliath, Adam and Eve, Mohammed on the mount, or Cain and Abel, we immediately internalize these characters and stories into life lessons and personal insights; just as we do when we hear Christ speaking about debtors and kings to uplift forgiveness, compassion, and spiritual insight. Noah and the Ark is another tale in this vein - a tale that strives to both literally and metaphorically uplift life and spirit! Indeed, just as in real life, we can connect the metaphor of a flood to the hardships of our spirit; what the Bible and other traditions describe as our harmful desires and tendencies toward selfish autonomy, fear, and hurt

Alyssa and Cory dive into how compassion opens and grounds our healthy thinking and approaches to faith (no matter our religion) in this episode of "What is the Word?". Continuing our exploration of Emanuel Swedenborg's book "Faith" (free to download), they explore the meaning of a faith rooted in care, how God uplifts people in all traditions and religions, Jesus' death on the cross, and how God is the source of all of our lives, goodness, and salvation from our self-made hells. Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, and others.

Many scriptural reflections on “the fall of humanity” tend to point to Genesis’ serpent and Adam and Eve’s eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but interestingly, the Christian-mystic Emanuel Swedenborg pointed to a chapter before these events when he describes what he thought was the true beginning of our movement into feelings of separateness and isolation from God. Indeed, living up to his title as the Buddha of the North (given to him by the famous D.T. Suzuki), Swedenborg wrote that it was our desire for autonomy and sense of ownership that drove us further away from being led in deep connection with Divinity, as well as a truly Divine sense of autonomy. I find it further interesting that this start to our “fall” occurs right before Adam starts naming the things in creation: cognitively labeling and dividing things is another key attribute of what many lines of Buddhism describe as part and parcel with our vain need for disconnected self-direction, which keeps us from our Buddhahood and re

Many have asked the question, “Why do the Hebrew and Christian Bible’s have two creation stories, back-to-back?” It’s strange, right? And the typical guess seems to center on the possible Israelite history of bringing diverse cultures together and not being able to choose just one! Although this might be plausible, in-line with our approach toward the Bible as primarily spiritual parable, today we’ll explore the second creation story as a deeper tale about the peace, growth, and bliss we find once we’ve reached a state of Sabbath (the first creation’s seventh day) and truly allow Divinity to help us let go of our egoic sense of self and ownership. Read the corresponding message at https://www.swedenborgiancommunity.com/blog/2nd-creationOur community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry Ja

We explore the 18th-century mystic Emanuel Swedenborg's view of why Jesus died on the cross, from his book "The Lord."Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, and others.

The spiritual meaning of the seventh day of creation, called the Sabbath (“rest”), is uplifted throughout scripture: biblical and others. We’re told that a true sense of inner peace comes from surrendering to the greater love within that if we work to disentangle ourselves from our obsessive attachments and distracted, lustful thinking, we find that we can surrender to an underlying clarity and peace of consciousness, which gently taps into the reality of love in our depths and around us. This Divine or Universal Love, at the root of all our minds, ultimately makes all things one and can’t help but naturally uplift and empower justice, equality, and abundance. Read more here: https://swedenborgiancommunity.org/blog/day-7-2Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, George Inness and Wi

Alyssa and Cory continue their exploration of the mystical book, Faith, from 18th-century scientist turned spiritual visionary, Emanuel Swedenborg. They find that according to him, faith is nothing without care and compassion, and should center on a love for the good in all people. Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, George Inness and William Keith.

Our world is staring down the barrel of a few life-as-we-know-it-ending calamities, from climate change to the rise of fascism in the hearts of many “far-right” politicians and supporters in the U.S. Demagoguery and divisive thinking are the roots of almost-unimaginable cruelty, fear, and pain in this world and indeed, in each of our hearts. And so, personally and socially we must work to uplift their opposites: a compassionate justice from a true acceptance of our interconnected oneness if we are ever to find the Sabbath and the peace that Divinity invites us toward, no matter our religion or lack thereof. Read more here: https://swedenborgiancommunity.org/blog/day-7Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, George Inness and William Keith.

In a way, day 6 is the culmination of all of our spiritual explorations of days 1 through 5, which have invited us to and described what this parable believes is a “good” model for spiritual renewal and wholeness of life and peace. A journey that starts with our initial awareness of Divine or spiritual life in our lives (I’ve seen the light!), and has come to a place where we’ve started to live and contemplate from the light of God’s love (the sun) and the faith that reflects the light from that love (the moon). This spiritual growth is available to all humanity, no matter our religions, and is now describing a state that all humans were meant to know and embody: a true humaneness and awareness of our one shared humanity - meaning that we truly start to accept and express the One Divine Life within that we all share. Read more here: https://swedenborgiancommunity.org/blog/day-6Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, has deeply influenced the like

We continue our exploration of 18th-century mystic Emanuel Swedenborg's book, The Lord (free to download below), and the assertion that God came into the world to subdue and reorder Hell. Enjoy and please comment! The Lord - https://swedenborg.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/NCE_TheLord_portable.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0lZ9RMg0ngkn8VGS10WS6kIuHOY_wV80hYPMz7Hue9i1CCGnlQwzz_gw8Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, George Inness, and William Keith.