
The Erotic Dreams of Emanuel Swedenborg (2013) - pepys
http://publicdomainreview.org/2013/01/24/the-erotic-dreams-of-emanuel-swedenborg
======
tdeck
If you're ever in the area in Pennsylvania, I highly recommend visiting a
place called Bryn Athyn [3]. It's a community owned by a group of
Swedenborgians in the United States. I had never heard of them before, and
went to see the castle [1] and cathedral [2] one of their wealthier patrons
built. Both are very impressive. I got the sense the community has dwindled
quite a bit since it's more than a century old.

[1] [https://glencairnmuseum.org](https://glencairnmuseum.org)

[2]
[https://brynathynchurch.org/cathedral/](https://brynathynchurch.org/cathedral/)

[3] This is a "fake" Welsh name. Through an interesting historical quirk, it
was popular at a certain time in Pennsylvania to create Welsh-sounding names
for your new town, so they would be associated with the wealthier "main-line"
towns built by Welsh Tract Quakers in the colonial era.

------
hosh
Emanuel Swedenborg was a mystic. "Mystic" seems to be a dirty word among
empiricists, but, like Carl Jung, he was able to use his observation skills
with the experience.

His experiences, though with content unique to him, generally follows the
pattern and dynamic of spiritual emergencies. These cross cultural boundaries.
That he has erotic dreams and developed this idea that it is divine in origin
is not unknown. That he dreamed of symbols that show up in other cultures is
also not unknown. None of those are surprising for anyone who has gone through
or is undergoing through their own spiritual emergency.

One of the biggest driver of the spiritual emergency is a force called
"Kundalini" in India. It goes by other names in other cultures (for example,
in Taoist alchemy, it is known as "dragon"). This force lies within each human
body, and in its quiescent state, helps keep the body alive. It is the very
power that drives sexuality in humans, and in some people, will awaken the
drive towards spiritual emergence. It seems surprising to people who have
beliefs that sexuality and spirituality don't mix, yet, they are integral.
Swedenborg, like many other adventurers, rediscovered this.

It is easy to say Swedenborg had repressed homosexual urges based on those
dreams. It's more accurate to say that when the spiritual emergence starts
unfolding, all the different potentiality of consciousness that were already
present starts manifesting. These potentiality exists within every human. If
you entered spiritual emergency, all sorts of things you didn't know lurking
inside of you will come out, including ones that you share with other people,
yet never consider it to be "your's".

Bonnie Greenwall did her Ph.D. in transpersonal psychology on spiritual
emergencies, and has written books about this. She wrote a book on awakening
and one on the kundalini phenomenon. The books go into detail about the kind
of things that might happen, whether you are talking about a shaman or yogi or
monk or householder.

~~~
eternalban
> Emanuel Swedenborg was a mystic.

Who isn't?

> It is easy to say Swedenborg had repressed homosexual urges based on those
> dreams. It's more accurate to say that when the spiritual emergence starts
> unfolding, all the different potentiality of consciousness that were already
> present starts manifesting. These potentiality exists within every human.

Of course they exist "in every human". Not news. [1] And it is not "more
accurate" to generalize what is a very clear cut indication by his own dream.
We even have a name.

The fact that he was not yet prepared to consciously confront the monumental
task of full spiritual integration, that in fact his "ego" fears "castration",
is also quite clear by that specific dream. That dream pretty much outs him as
/a beginner/ on the path of awakening, as a matter of fact.

[1]: "R. Eleazar further stated: What is meant by the Scriptural text, This is
now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh? This teaches that Adam had
intercourse with every beast and animal but found no satisfaction until he
cohabited with Eve." Tractate Yebamoth - Folio 63a

~~~
hosh
>> Emanuel Swedenborg was a mystic.

> Who isn't?

In the sense that we are all spiritual beings, sure. In the sense that it is a
normative belief that mystics are special, and that there are only a few
people who experience it, lots of people are not mystics.

> Of course they exist "in every human". Not news. And it is not "more
> accurate" to generalize what is a very clear cut indication by his own
> dream. We even have a name.

I think you are confusing some things. It is not a clear-cut indication by his
own dreams. It is a dream. Stuff comes up from it. There may be ego-
resistance, and there may not be in that particular one. Dreamwork does not
just involve the plot and the symbols, but also the tone and emotional energy
underlying that. He might have felt depressed. He might have felt angered or
scared. He might have felt inspired by that image. Do you know how he felt? I
don't.

As far as it is "news", there is a normative belief that homosexuality is
something only certain people possess.

> The fact that he was not yet prepared to consciously confront the monumental
> task of full spiritual integration, that in fact his "ego" fears
> "castration", is also quite clear by that specific dream. That dream pretty
> much outs him as /a beginner/ on the path of awakening, as a matter of fac

What you are saying doesn't make sense. He was in the process of the
integration. There is no such thing as being prepared or not be prepared. When
it happens, it happens. Sometimes there is more ego-resistance, and sometimes
there is less ego-existance. That dream does not necessarily indicate he is a
beginner.

~~~
eternalban
> In the sense that it is a normative belief that mystics are special, and
> that there are only a few people who experience it, lots of people are not
> mystics.

How can you possibly know that there are "only a few people" who have mystic
experience? The sign of a 'realized' mystic is not but 'silence'. As for the
rest of us, we advertise and some even manage to make a business out of it :)

> As far as it is "news", there is a normative belief that homosexuality is
> something only certain people possess.

That was clearly in reference to your Kundalini remark. I addressed the
specific repression elsewhere. Nor did I confuse a carnal act with spiritual
love.

> What you are saying doesn't make sense. He was in the process of the
> integration. There is no such thing as being prepared or not be prepared.
> When it happens, it happens.

Integration happens like "a bolt of lightning". That is the journey's end. And
the journey most assuredly requires "preparation":

[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25&vers...](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25&version=KJV)

~~~
hosh
Integration doesn't happen like a "bolt of lightning". There are different
ways it can happen. For some people it takes a while and for others, it does
not. There is an excellent discussion about that in Christopher Wallis's book,
Tantra Illuminated.

It does not require preparation. The idea that you can "prepare" for this is
part of the ego-belief of being in control of the process. You are not
awakening Kundalini. Kundalini Shakti is awakening you. "Ready" or not, here
it is. You are not the musician playing the music; you are the music being
played. Whether you are shaman or yogi, monk or priest... There are many
variants of this story. Some people "prepare", and others resist that call.
Some people prepare and never get the call. For others, it spontaneously
happen. None of that is within your control.

At the end, the best kind of "preparation" is letting go.

As for the "few people" remark, I didn't say there are only "a few people". I
said it is a normative belief.

> The sign of a 'realized' mystic is not but 'silence'

No, it is not.

Now, as far as this:

>> As far as it is "news", there is a normative belief that homosexuality is
something only certain people possess.

> That was clearly in reference to your Kundalini remark. I addressed the
> specific repression elsewhere. Nor did I confuse a carnal act with spiritual
> love.

No, it is not clear. It might seem clear to you. It is not clear to me. The
confusion I was referring to was not confusing the carnal act with spiritual
love. I don't how or why you are linking those, but very well.

It seems to me, you think a lot of things are clear to you, and you have some
firm opinions about things. The first stage of awakening will seem like that.
It's brilliant, and seems to touch truth from the absolute. It feels great,
like one can see everything from above, like one can remain untouched and
unstained by the material world. In alchemy, that would be the second of three
stages. The stage after that is much more painful if one continues to cling to
the belief that one can remain untouched and uninvolved. It often takes a few
years to process through that, but more in some, less in others. Touch the Sky
God when you ascend, but all flying birds come back to the Earth Goddess's
embrace. Kundalini comes back down after first ascending up past the crown.

~~~
eternalban
Every single authentic spiritual school before the age of Deepak Chupra
affirms integration happens at an instant.

> It seems to me, you think a lot of things are clear to you, and you have
> some firm opinions about things. The first stage of awakening will seem like
> that.

Please do not patronize me. You do not know me.

------
eternalban
> vagina dentata

Well, that made my day.

I disagree with the diagnosis in OP, however. It seems the good Dr. harbored
repressed homosexual urges.

~~~
kpil
If vagina dentata is an important concept in psychology, it reflects more of
the sad state of psychology than anything else :-)

Besides, I think the doctor was harboring repressed sexual urges of all kinds.
It was not exactly taliban law at the time in late 18 century Stockholm, but
still rather repressive.

------
johansch
Can anyone find the original Swedish book in digital form?

~~~
vilhelm_s
[http://runeberg.org/sweddrom44/](http://runeberg.org/sweddrom44/)

~~~
johansch
Wow! (Jag tackar!)

I did actually look at Runeberg first, since, obviously this should be the one
place to find it. Got fooled by thinking the name of the book was "Drömbok".

