I know that following rules alone is not it. That’s not why we are here, on earth. Rules or commandments are more like ropes that prevent us from falling off the bridge. But they are not the bridge. Jesus says that in the encounter with the rich young man, who followed all the rules, in [...]
Posts Tagged ‘death’
The rich man
Posted in Flashes, tagged death, Jesus, Osho, rebirth, rich, Swedenborg on March 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Letting off steam
Posted in Flashes, tagged anger, boiling, death, noble anger, steam, Swedenborg, vastation, water on February 17, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
There is a difference between expressing anger while radiating it at the world or at others, and expressing anger and owning it. The first one is like boiling water, letting off steam that scalds. With the second one I accept the anger and the issue as mine, not belonging to anyone else. To express anger [...]
A source within
Posted in Flashes, tagged angel, company with angels, death, heaven, life, source, Swedenborg on July 7, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Swedenborg’s way of expounding the scriptures is a strange mixture of boring repetitions and sudden crystal clear insights. Thin abstractions are interspersed with immediate communications. As in the following quote: ‘Who will bless you with the blessings of heaven from above’ means blessing with goodness and truth from a source within. The meaning of ‘heaven [...]
Core of the teaching: part two
Posted in Life After Death, tagged body, death, eternal life, inner self, internal self, life after death, soul, spirit on June 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Part one of this post. This is the idea: there is something inside us that is not physical. Simple. What is not physical has the ability to survive the death of the body. Swedenborg calls this “the internal man.” This is a bit off-putting if you’re a woman. But it’s really just a translation issue: [...]
Core of the teaching: part one
Posted in Life After Death, tagged death, God, grief, life after death, NDE, resurrection, spirit, spiritual connection, suffering on June 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is part of a series of communications about life after death. How is it possible that we live after death if our bodies stop functioning and then rot in the grave? I think you’ll agree that this question must totally be answered for any belief in eternal life to be solid. And so there [...]
I will miss you
Posted in Life After Death, tagged death, God, grief, miss you, NDE, resurrection, spirit, spiritual connection, suffering on June 21, 2011 | 4 Comments »
This is part of a series of communications about life after death. I really like the Grand Canyon and certainly want to go back. But I don’t miss the Grand Canyon. It is still there, after all. Has been there for millions of years, in fact. I am not much given to missing people either. [...]
All shall be revealed
Posted in Life After Death, tagged birth, death, fear, God, iceberg, life after death, NDE, resurrection, spirit, suffering, unity on June 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is part of a series of communications about life after death. So, in a few short words, what happens to us when we die? And do we have reason to be afraid? After death all that is deeply personal and private will gradually become plainly visible. Our deepest thoughts and feelings will be worn [...]
Sensitive point
Posted in Life After Death, tagged birth, death, Eden, eternal life, garden, God, life after death, NDE, resurrection, spirit on June 19, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is part of a series of communications about life after death. Asking a question can be compared to plugging an unknown appliance into the wall socket, hoping that way to find out what the appliance can do. The question, Is there life after death? likewise plugs into a source of energy, intelligent energy, that [...]
Justice be done
Posted in Life After Death, tagged birth, death, Eden, eternal life, garden, God, integrity, life after death, NDE, resurrection, spirit, suffering on June 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is part of a series of communications about life after death. Life after death is linked to the idea of or the longing for justice. We see justice in the world, but many things are left unjust, unpunished, unrewarded. So we imagine this justice to take place after death. However, with all those many [...]
Meaningless life
Posted in Life After Death, tagged birth, death, eternal life, God, life after death, NDE, resurrection, spirit on June 12, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Part of a series of communications about life after death. I heard the following argument once in an Eckhart Tolle talk. It’s about the nature of death. We live intensely individual lives. We are unique beings, we feel we are unique, we know we are unique, and we see this uniqueness also in all people [...]
Lack of info
Posted in Life After Death, tagged birth, death, eternal life, God, life after death, NDE, resurrection, spirit on June 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is part 2 in a series on life after death. So we were going to talk about something else. Anything but life after death. Give me a break already… We don’t have information about life after death. Well, no, there ain’t any, so that might explain the lack of info… Religious people always refer [...]
The Bleak Prospect
Posted in Life After Death, tagged birth, death, eternal life, God, life after death, NDE, resurrection, spirit on June 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is the first in a series of communications about life after death. Should be a popular topic. If it’s a topic at all. After all, there is no life after death… The bleak prospect is that of life ending at death. That was the view, the conviction, the certainty that I lived with for [...]
A rope
Posted in Flashes, tagged Abraham, attraction, death, eternal life, Hicks, Jesus, law of attraction on March 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Every thought that I think, if I keep thinking it, will eventually become powerful enough to attract the essence of itself into my experience. (Abraham – The Law of Attraction) This also covers all those thoughts that concern problems, what’s wrong in the world, or the latest global disaster. “Come, take up the cross, and [...]
Rob Syms
Posted in Flashes, tagged death, life, memorial, Rob Syms on October 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Rob Syms came to the last SWIG meeting just before I left for Oak Arbor, here in August 2010. He knew I was leaving and he wanted to say goodbye. Now he has left himself. He was always talking about the future, but hardly ever about the future for himself, mostly for his family, and [...]
The realms of mystery
Posted in Flashes, tagged Anasazi, death, mystery on September 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A fascinating newspaper entry from the year 1898: “Benjamin K. Wetherill, an old residenter, an excellent citizen and a good friend went to the realms of mystery at 4:30 this morning.” (The Mancos Times, Nov 18, 1898) We will all go there. .
The Jesus stuff
Posted in Flashes, tagged death, God, Jesus Christ, Lord, reality, religion, Truth on June 12, 2010 | 1 Comment »
I am re-reading one the more amazing of the Near Death Experience accounts that exist. It is the book What Tom Sawyer Learned From Dying. The man was really called Tom Sawyer, and his NDE was long, detailed, and un-categorizable. Here’s a link to some extracts: http://www.neardeathsite.com/sawyer.php When Tom stood before the Light of God [...]
Death
Posted in Sermon writing and preaching, tagged death, faith, Lord, religion, Swedenborg on April 18, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Sermon (April, 2010) Hosea 6:1-3, Revelation 2:8-10, HH 445 (introduction) Death is a taboo… Don’t talk about death! It’s taboo. Maybe less so today than in former times, but still it’s something you avoid talking about. And: we have fear of death. That’s as strong as ever. Death is something we are afraid of. But [...]
“The Tao of Heaven has no desires and yet everything works out as if planned.” (Tao Te Ching, 73) I have noticed in myself that I feel uncomfortable with the glorification of people who have just died. A memorial address tends to extol every virtue of the person that has passed on. The site of [...]
