Each change of season brings natural world changes that impact our activities and our routines. These changes often prompt me to think about why we have seasons and I enjoyed reading these passages from Heaven and Hell and thinking about the spiritual reality of time and space this week.

“Since angels have no concept derived from time, as we in our world do, they have no concept of time or of the things that depend on time. They do not even know what all these temporal things are, like a year, a month, a week, a day, an hour, today, tomorrow, or yesterday. When angels hear these expressions from one of us (angels are always kept in contact with us by the Lord), they perceive states instead, and things that have to do with state. So our natural concept is changed into a spiritual concept with the angels. This is why expressions of time in the Word mean states, and why things proper to time like the ones listed above mean the spiritual things that correspond to them. 

It is much the same for all the things that occur as a result of time, such as the four seasons of the year called spring, summer, autumn, and winter; the four times of day called morning, noon, evening, and night; our own four ages called infancy, youth, maturity, and old age; and with the other things that either occur as a result of time or happen in temporal sequence. When we think about them, it is from a temporal standpoint; but an angel thinks about them from the standpoint of state. Consequently, anything in them that is temporal for us changes into an idea of state for the angel. Spring and morning change into an idea of love and wisdom the way they are for angels in their first state; summer and noon change into an idea of love and wisdom as they are in the second state; autumn and evening, as they are in the third state; and night and winter into a concept of the kind of state that is characteristic in hell. This is why similar things are meant by these times in the Word (see above, 155). We can see from this how the natural concepts that occur in our thought become spiritual for the angels who are with us.”

Heaven and Hell 165-166

“Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.  Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” Revelation 12:1-6

This week we were gifted this beautiful ornament as a New Church Day gift. I have loved looking at it and it has made me reflect on Revelation 12. In looking it up I also found this wonderful verse by verse break down of the story and its inner meaning. I’ve found it powerful to ponder on this story this June.

My boys are currently sitting around the table “worldbuilding.” They are drawing fantastic maps and alien races and developing their end-of-the-world scenarios where the inevitable “Chosen One” will need to arise to save the world from utter destruction.

Meanwhile I’m sitting here looking across my windows at the sixteen pictures my kids and I hung up earlier this week showcasing the life of the Lord: His birth, His baptism, His miracles and teachings, His crucifixion, His resurrection, and His glorification.

The real end-of-the-world-averted-by-the-Chosen-One scenario.

But we haven’t always portrayed it that way.

In previous years, especially when my children were young, I had a tendency to shorten the story. We celebrated the Lord’s birth (Yay Christmas!) and then jumped up to His Resurrection (Yay Easter Morning!). We zeroed in on the cheerful parts and glossed over all the pain and hardship. While it may have felt more child-friendly, without context, the Easter story seemed diminished by the abridgment.

It has been powerful over the last few years to place the happy moments back into context. Easter morning is so much more poignant when seen after the nightmare that was the trial and crucifixion.

I came across this quote a few weeks back and was reminded of just how truly epic the Lord’s First Coming was:

(A)s heaven has been formed of the human race, from the first creation until now, so it will be formed and filled up from the same source hereafter. It is indeed possible that the human race on one earth may perish, which comes to pass when they separate themselves entirely from the Divine, for then man no longer has spiritual life, but only natural, like that of beasts; and when man is such no society can be formed, and held bound by laws, since without the influx of heaven, and thus without the Divine government, man would become insane, and rush unchecked into every wickedness, one against another.

But although the human race, by separation from the Divine, might perish on one earth, which, however, is provided against by the Lord, yet still they would continue on other earths… It was said to me from heaven, that the human race on this earth would have perished, so that not one man would have existed on it at this day, if the Lord had not come into the world, and on this earth assumed the Human, and made it Divine; and also, unless the Lord had given here such a Word as might serve for a basis to the angelic heaven, and for its conjunction.

last judgment 10

Wishing you all a blessed Easter Holiday!

Did you know that the first word in the book of Psalms is “happy?”

I did not.

But this Sunday I learned that little gem.

I also learned that Psalm one is quite the happiness guide. It lays out exactly what actions to avoid and what actions to pursue on our paths to find true happiness.

Which seems a useful resource as I resolve to make New Year resolutions…

Happy is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

psalm 1

Hoping you all have a blessed 2024!