Sometimes I come across short, baffling descriptions in Swedenborg. Suddenly he is reporting on something, maybe something he saw with his own eyes. This is what it looked like to him. No analysis or further questioning is given.
“Truth from God sometimes appears to evil people. It does this through the presence of an angel near them. But truth from God does not come in by way of their interiors, as it does with the good, because the interiors of evil people are closed. It has an effect only on their exteriors. When this happens they are filled with fear and self-abasement. The presence of truth from God perturbs them and strikes fear into them that is like the fear of death.” (Arcana Coelestia 7463)
This raises as many questions as it answers. Who are these evil people? What makes them evil? What is an interior? And so on.
Then there is the question of chronic fear, panic attacks, paranoia, suicidal tendencies and other fear-related mental states. Do these have anything to do with the above? Does an angel come and unwittingly inspire fear?
Continued in part two.
