Genesis 3:17-19 Cause of pain and suffering

¹⁷ And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
¹⁸ Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
¹⁹ In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. -Genesis 3:17-19 King James Version (KJV)

Orthodox Priests I believe blame Adam and Eve for causing pain and suffering on this Earth because they partook of the forbidden fruit and thus brought about the fall of man or the fall of the Earth from Its Heavenly state. Adam and Eve represent all mankind who have all fallen from this Heavenly state because of our past life mistakes therefore we are all responsible for the pain and suffering we have to endure in this lifetime. This is according to the Law of the Harvest or the Law of Karma which stretches from one lifetime to another through the process of re-embodiment or reincarnation. Even in the afterlife, or Spirit World, mankind will continue to endure pain and suffering according to their mistakes in the Spirit World.

Arcana Coelestia, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1749-56], tr. by John F. Potts [1905-10], at sacred-texts.com

313.
From what is here said of the first man, it is evident that all the hereditary evil existing at the present day did not come from him, as is falsely supposed. For it is the Most Ancient Church that is here treated of under the name of "man;" and when it is called "Adam" it signifies that man was from the ground, or that from being non-man he became man by regeneration from the Lord. This is the origin and signification of the name. But as to hereditary evil, the case is this. Everyone who commits actual sin thereby induces on himself a nature, and the evil from it is implanted in his children, and becomes hereditary. It thus descends from every parent, from the father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and their ancestors in succession, and is thus multiplied and augmented in each descending posterity, remaining with each person, and being increased in each by his actual sins, and never being dissipated so as to become harmless except in those who are being regenerated by the Lord. Every attentive observer may see evidence of this truth in the fact that the evil inclinations of parents remain visibly in their children, so that one family, and even an entire race, may be thereby distinguished from every other.

 

Heaven and Hell, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1758], tr. by John C. Ager [1900] at sacred-texts.com

550.

Evil spirits are severely punished in the world of spirits in order that by means of punishments they may be deterred from doing evil. This also appears to be from the Lord; and yet nothing of punishment there is from the Lord, but is from the evil itself; since evil is so joined with its own punishment that the two cannot be separated. For the infernal [or hellish] crew desire and love nothing so much as doing evil, especially inflicting punishments and torment upon others; and they maltreat and inflict punishments upon everyone who is not protected by the Lord. When, therefore, evil is done from an evil heart, because it thereby discards all protection from the Lord, infernal spirits rush upon the one who does the evil, and inflict punishment. This may be partly illustrated by evils and their punishments in the world, where the two are also joined. For laws in the world prescribe a penalty for every evil; therefore he that rushes into evil rushes also into the penalty of evil. The only difference is that in the world the evil may be concealed; but in the other life it cannot be concealed. All this makes clear that the Lord does evil to no one; and that it is the same as it is in the world, where it is not the king nor the judge nor the law that is the cause of punishment to the guilty, because these are not the cause of the evil in the evil doer.

 

Genesis 3:14-19 The Lord God said unto the serpent

¹⁴ And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
¹⁵ And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
¹⁶ Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
¹⁷ And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
¹⁸ Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
¹⁹ In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. -Genesis 3:14-19 King James Version

Arcana Coelestia, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1749-56], tr. by John F. Potts [1905-10], at sacred-texts.com

233.
...Genesis 3, verses 14-19 14. And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above every beast, and above every wild animal of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; He shall trample upon thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel. 16. And unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth sons, and thine obedience shall be to thy man [vir], and he shall rule over thee. 17. And unto the man He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in great sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. 18. And the thorn and the thistle shall it bring forth unto thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
234.
THE CONTENTS. The subsequent state of the church down to the flood is here described; and as at that time the church utterly destroyed itself, it is foretold that the Lord would come into the world and save the human race.
235. Being unwilling to believe anything that could not be apprehended by the senses, the sensuous part which is the "serpent" cursed itself, and became infernal [or hellish] (verse 14).
236. Therefore to prevent all mankind from rushing into hell, the Lord promised that He would come into the world (verse 15).
237. The church is further described by the "woman" which so loved self or the Own as to be no longer capable of apprehending truth, although a rational was given them that should "rule" (verse 16).
238. The quality of the rational is then described, in that it consented, and thus cursed itself, and became infernal, so that reason no longer remained, but ratiocination [logical and methodical reasoning] (verse 17).
239. The curse and vastation [a renewal or purification through the burning away or destruction of evil attributes] are described, and also their ferine [animalistic] nature (verse 18).
240. Next, their aversion to everything of faith and love; and that thus from being man they became not men (verse 19).
241.

THE INTERNAL SENSE. The most ancient people, being celestial men, were so constituted that every object they beheld in the world or upon the face of the earth, they indeed saw, but they thought about the heavenly and Divine things the objects signified or represented... But the posterities that are here treated of were not like their fathers, for when they beheld the objects in the world and on the face of the earth, as they loved them, their minds cleaved to them... Thus with them what is sensuous began to be the principal, and not as with their fathers the instrumental. And when that which is of the world and of the earth becomes the principal, then men reason from this about the things of heaven, and so blind themselves...

242.

Verse 14. And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above every beast, and above every wild animal of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. By "Jehovah God said unto the serpent" is signified that they perceived their sensuous part to be the cause [of their fall]. "The serpent cursed above every beast and above every wild animal of the field" signifies that their sensuous part averted itself from that which is heavenly, and turned itself to that which is of the body, and thus cursed itself; the "beast" and the "wild animal of the field" here signify affections, as before. The "serpent going upon its belly" signifies that their sensuous part could no longer look upward to the things of heaven, but only downward, to those of the body and the earth. Its "eating dust all the days of its life" signifies that their sensuous part became such that it could not live from anything but that which is of the body and the earth, that is to say, it became infernal [or hellish.] 

243.

In the most ancient celestial men the sensuous things of the body were of such a character as to be compliant and subservient to their internal man, and beyond this they did not care for them. But after they had begun to love themselves, they set the things of sense before the internal man, and therefore those things were separated, became corporeal, and so were condemned.

244.

Having before shown that by "Jehovah God speaking to the serpent" is signified their perceiving the sensuous part to be the cause of their fall...

245.

That "He said to the serpent, Thou art cursed above every beast, and above every wild animal of the field" signifies that the sensuous part averted itself from that which is heavenly, turned itself to that which is of the body, and thus cursed itself, may be clearly shown from the internal sense of the Word. Jehovah God or the Lord never curses anyone. He is never angry with anyone, never leads anyone into temptation, never punishes anyone, and still less does He curse anyone. All this is done by the infernal [hellish] crew, for such things can never proceed from the Fountain of mercy, peace, and goodness. The reason of its being said, both here and in other parts of the Word, that Jehovah God not only turns away His face, is angry, punishes, and tempts, but also kills and even curses, is that men may believe that the Lord governs and disposes all and everything in the universe, even evil itself, punishments, and temptations; and when they have received this most general idea, may afterwards learn how He governs and disposes all things by turning the evil of punishment and of temptation into good. In teaching and learning the Word, the most general truths must come first; and therefore the literal sense is full of such things.

246.

...The "beast and the wild animal of the field" signify affections...
247.

That the "serpent going on his belly" denotes that their sensuous part could no longer look upward to the things of heaven, but only downward to those of the body and the earth, is evident from the fact that in ancient times by the "belly" such things are signified as are nearest to the earth; by the "chest" such as are above the earth; and by the "head" what is highest. It is here said that the sensuous part, which in itself is the lowest part of man's nature, "went upon its belly" because it turned to what is earthly...

248.

And therefore when man had regard to heavenly things, he was said to "walk erect" and to "look upward" or "forward" which means the same; but when he had regard to corporeal and earthly things, he was said to be "bowed to the earth" and to "look downward" or "backward."...

249.

That to "eat dust all the days of its life" signifies that their sensuous part became such that it could not live from anything except that which is of the body and the earth, that is to say, that it became infernal, is evident also from the signification of "dust" in the Word... As "dust" signifies those who do not regard spiritual and celestial things, but only what is corporeal and earthly, therefore the Lord enjoined His disciples that if the city or house into which they entered was not worthy, they should "shake off the dust of their feet" (Matt. 10:14). (That "dust" signifies what is condemned and infernal, will be further shown at verse 19.)

250.

Verse 15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; He shall trample upon thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel. Everyone is aware that this is the first prophecy of the Lord's advent into the world; it appears indeed clearly from the words themselves, and therefore from them and from the prophets even the Jews knew that a Messiah was to come. Hitherto however no one has understood what is specifically meant by the "serpent" the "woman" the "serpent's seed" the "woman's seed" the "head of the serpent which was to be trodden upon" and the "heel which the serpent should bruise." They must therefore be explained. By the "serpent" is here meant all evil in general, and specifically the love of self; by the "woman" is meant the church; by the "seed of the serpent" all infidelity [unbelief in a particular religion, especially Christianity;] by the "seed of the woman" faith in the Lord; by "He" the Lord Himself; by the "head of the serpent" the dominion of evil in general, and specifically that of the love of self; by to "trample upon" depression, so that it should "go upon the belly and eat dust;" and by the "heel" the lowest natural (as the corporeal), which the serpent should "bruise."

251.

The reason why the "serpent" means all evil in general, and specifically the love of self, is that all evil has had its rise from that sensuous part of the mind, and also from that memory-knowledge [scientific], which at first were signified by the "serpent;" and therefore it here denotes evil of every kind, and specifically the love of self, or hatred against the neighbor and the Lord, which is the same thing. As this evil or hatred was various, consisting of numerous genera and still more numerous species, it is described in the Word by various kinds of serpents, as "snakes" "cockatrices" "asps" "adders" "fiery serpents" "serpents that fly" and "that creep" and "vipers" according to the differences of the poison, which is hatred... The serpent described here in Genesis is called in the Revelation the "great and red dragon" and the "old serpent" and also the "devil and satan" that "deceives the whole world" (12:3, 9; 20:2), where, and also in other places, by the "devil" is not meant any particular devil who is prince over the others, but the whole crew of evil spirits, and evil itself.

252.

That by the "woman" is meant the church, is evident from what was said above (n. 155) concerning the heavenly marriage. Such is the nature of the heavenly marriage, that heaven, and consequently the church, is united to the Lord by its Own... When the Lord in mercy insinuates innocence, peace, and good into this Own [self,] it still retains its identity, but becomes heavenly and most happy (as may be seen at n. 164). The quality of a heavenly and angelic Own from the Lord, and the quality of an Own, which, because from self, is infernal [hellish] and diabolical, cannot be told. The difference is like that between heaven and hell.

253.

It is by virtue of a heavenly and angelic Own [self] that the church is called a "woman" and also a "wife" a "bride" a "virgin" and a "daughter." She is called a "woman" in the Revelation: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And the dragon persecuted the woman who brought forth the man child (Rev. 12:1, 4-5, 13). In this passage by a "woman" is meant the church; by the "sun" love; by the "moon" faith; by "stars" as before, the truths of faith, all of which evil spirits hate, and persecute to the utmost... She is called a "wife" and a "bride" in the Revelation: I saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband: come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife (Rev. 21:2, 9). The church is called a "virgin" and a "daughter" throughout the Prophets.

254.

That by the "seed of the serpent" is meant all infidelity [unbelief in a particular religion, especially Christianity,] is evident from the signification of a "serpent" as being all evil; "seed" is that which produces and is produced, or that which begets and is begotten; and as the church is here spoken of, this is infidelity...

255.

That the "seed of the woman" signifies faith in the Lord, is evident from the signification of "woman" as being the church, whose "seed" is nothing but faith, for it is from faith in the Lord that the church is called the church... In the Revelation: The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who were keeping the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 12:17). And in David: I have made a covenant with Mine elect, I have sworn unto David My servant, even to eternity will I establish thy seed, and his seed will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of the heavens his seed shall endure to eternity, and his throne as the sun before me (Ps. 139:3, 4, 29, 36), where by "David" is meant the Lord; by "throne" His kingdom; by the "sun" love; and by "seed" faith.

256.

Not only is faith, but also the Lord Himself is called the "seed of the woman" both because He alone gives faith, and thus is faith, and because He was pleased to be born, and that into such a church as had altogether fallen into an infernal and diabolical Own through the love of self and of the world, in order that by His Divine power He might unite the Divine celestial Own with the human Own in His human essence, so that in Him they might be a one; and unless this union had been effected, the whole world must have utterly perished. Because the Lord is thus the seed of the woman, it is not said "it" but "He."

257.

That by the "head of the serpent" is meant the dominion of evil in general, and specifically of the love of self, is evident from its nature, which is so direful as not only to seek dominion, but even dominion over all things upon earth; nor does it rest satisfied with this, but aspires even to rule over everything in heaven, and then, not content with this, over the Lord himself, and even then it is not satisfied. This is latent in every spark of the love of self. If it were indulged, and freed from restraint, we should perceive that it would at once burst forth and would grow even to that aspiring height. Hence it is evident how the "serpent" or the evil of the love of self, desires to exercise dominion, and how much it hates all those who refuse its sway. This is that "head of the serpent" which exalts itself, and which the Lord "tramples down" even to the earth, that it may "go upon its belly, and eat dust" as stated in the verse immediately preceding. Thus also is described the "serpent" or "dragon" called "Lucifer" in Isaiah: O Lucifer, thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend the heavens, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the cloud, I will be made equal to the Most High yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit (Isa. 14:12-15). The "serpent" or "dragon" is also described in the Revelation in regard to the way in which he exalts his head: A great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns, and many diadems upon his heads; but he was cast into the earth (Rev. 12:3, 9)...

258.

That by "trampling on" or "bruising" is meant depression [the act of lowering something or pressing something down,] so as to compel it to "go on the belly and eat the dust"... 

259.

That by the "heel" is meant the lowest natural or corporeal cannot be known unless the way in which the most ancient people considered the various things in man is known. They referred his celestial and spiritual things to the head and face; what comes forth from these (as charity and mercy), to the chest natural things, to the feet; lower natural things, to the soles of the feet; and the lowest natural and corporeal things, to the heel; nor did they merely refer to them, but also so called them... The mode in which the serpent destroyed those lowest natural things in the people before the flood, by the sensuous principle and the love of self; and among the Jews, by sensuous things, traditions, trifles, and by the love of self and of the world; and how at this day he has destroyed and continues to destroy them by the things of sense, of memory-knowledge, and of philosophy, and at the same time by the same loves, shall of the Lord's Divine mercy be told hereafter.

260.

From what has been said it is evident that it was revealed to the church of that time that the Lord would come into the world to save them.

261.

Verse 16. And unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth sons, and thine obedience shall be to thy man, and he shall rule over thee. By the "woman" is now signified the church... which it loved; by "greatly multiplying her sorrow" is signified combat, and the anxiety it occasions; by "conception" every thought; by the "sons whom she would bring forth in sorrow" the truths which she would thus produce; by "man" here as before, the rational which it will obey, and which will rule.

262.

That the church is signified by the "woman" has been previously shown, but here the church perverted by the Own [self] which was itself formerly signified by the "woman" because the posterity of the Most Ancient Church, which had become perverted, is now treated of.

263.

When therefore the sensuous part averts itself or curses itself, the consequence is that evil spirits begin to fight powerfully, and the attendant angels to labor, and therefore this combat is described by the words, "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow, in relation to the conception and birth of sons" that is, as to the thoughts and productions of truth.

264.

That the "conception and birth of sons" in the Word, are taken in a spiritual sense-"conception" for the thought and device of the heart, and "sons" for truths, is evident... Goods and truths, being conceived and born of the heavenly marriage, are therefore called "sons" by the Lord in Matthew: He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man the field is the world and the seed are the sons of the kingdom (Matt. 13:37-38). And the goods and truths of a saving faith He calls "sons of Abraham" (John 8:39); for "seed" (as stated n. 255) denotes faith, wherefore "sons" which are of the "seed" are the goods and truths of faith. Hence also the Lord, as being Himself the "seed" called Himself the "Son of man" that is, the faith of the church.

265.

That by "man" is signified the rational, appears from verse 6 of this chapter, in that the woman gave to her man with her, and he did eat, by which is meant his consent; and the same is also evident from what was said of the man in n. 158, where by him is meant one who is wise and intelligent. Here however "man" denotes the rational, because in consequence of the destruction of wisdom and intelligence by eating of the tree of knowledge, nothing else was left, for the rational is imitative of intelligence, being as it were its semblance.

266.

...Every law and precept comes forth from what is celestial and spiritual, as from its true beginning...

267.

Verse 17. And unto the man He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake, in great sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. By the "man hearkening to the voice of his wife" is signified the consent of the man, or rational, by which it also... cursed itself, and consequently the whole external man, denoted by "cursed is the ground for thy sake." To "eat thereof in sorrow" means that the future state of his life would be miserable, and this even to the end of that church, or "all the days of his life."

268.

That the "ground" signifies the external man, is evident from what was previously stated concerning "earth" "ground" and "field." When man is regenerate[d,] he is no longer called "earth" but "ground" because celestial seed has been implanted in him; he is also compared to "ground" and is called "ground" in various parts of the Word. The seeds of good and truth are implanted in the external man, that is, in his affection and memory, and not in the internal man... In the internal man are goods and truths, and when these no longer appear to be present, the man is external or corporeal; they are however stored up in the internal man by the Lord, without the man's knowledge, as they do not come forth except when the external man as it were dies, as is usually the case during temptations, misfortunes, sicknesses, and at the hour of death. The rational belongs also to the external man (n. 118), and is in itself a kind of medium between the internal man and the external; for the internal man, through the rational, operates on the corporeal external. But when the rational consents, it separates the external man from the internal, so that the existence of the internal man is no longer known, nor consequently the intelligence and wisdom which are of the internal.

269.

That Jehovah God (that is, the Lord) did not "curse the ground" or the external man, but that the external man averted or separated itself from the internal, and thus cursed itself, is evident from what was previously shown (n. 245).

270.

That to "eat of the ground in great sorrow" signifies a miserable state of life, is evident from what precedes and follows, not to mention that to "eat" in the internal sense, is to live. The same is evident also from the fact that such a state of life ensues when evil spirits begin to fight, and the attendant angels to labor. This state of life becomes more miserable when evil spirits begin to obtain the dominion; for they then govern the external man, and the angels only the internal man, of which so little remains that they can scarcely take anything thence with which to defend the man; hence arise misery and anxiety. Dead men are seldom sensible of such misery and anxiety... for they know no more than the brutes of what is spiritual and celestial, and what is eternal life, and like them they look downward to earthly things, or outward to worldly ones; they favor only their Own [self,] and indulge their inclinations and senses with the entire concurrence of the rational. Being dead, they sustain no spiritual combat or temptation, and were they exposed to it their life would sink under its weight, and they could thereby curse themselves still more, and precipitate themselves still more deeply into infernal damnation: hence they are spared this until their entrance into the other life, where, being no longer in danger of dying in consequence of any temptation or misery, they endure most grievous sufferings, which likewise are here signified by the ground being cursed, and eating of it in great sorrow.

271.

That "all the days of thy life" signifies the end of the days of the church, is evident from the fact that the subject here treated of is not an individual man, but the church and its state. The end of the days of that church was the time of the flood.

272.

Verse 18. And the thorn and the thistle shall it bring forth unto thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. By the "thorn and the thistle" are meant curse and vastation [a renewal or purification through the burning away or destruction of evil attributes;] and by "thou shalt eat the herb of the field" is signified that he should live as a wild animal. Man lives like a wild animal when his internal man is so separated from his external as to operate upon it only in a most general manner, for man is man from what he receives through his internal man from the Lord, and is a wild animal from what he derives from the external man, which, separated from the internal, is in itself no other than a wild animal, having a similar nature, desires, appetites, phantasies, and sensations, and also similar organic forms. That nevertheless he is able to reason, and, as it seems to himself, acutely, he has from the spiritual substance by which he receives the influx of life from the Lord, which is however perverted in such a man, and becomes the life of evil, which is death. Hence he is called a dead man.

273.

That the "thorn and the thistle" signify curse and vastation [a renewal or purification through the burning away or destruction of evil attributes,] is evident from harvest and fruit tree denoting the opposites, which are blessings and multiplications...

274.

That to "eat the herb of the field" (that is, wild food) denotes to live like a wild animal, is evident from what is said of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel: They shall drive thee from man, and thy dwelling shall be with the beast of the field; they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee (Dan 4:25)...

275.

Verse 19. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. By "eating bread in the sweat of the face" is signified to be averse to what is celestial; to "return to the ground from whence he was taken" is to relapse into the external man, such as he was before regeneration; and "dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" signifies that he is condemned and infernal [or hellish.]

276.

That to "eat bread in the sweat of the face" signifies to be averse to what is celestial, is evident from the signification of "bread." By "bread" is meant everything spiritual and celestial, which is the food of the angels, on the deprivation of which they would cease to live as certainly... That which is celestial and spiritual in heaven also corresponds to bread on earth, by which moreover they are represented, as is shown by many passages in the Word. That the Lord is "bread" because from Him proceeds whatever is celestial and spiritual, He Himself teaches in John: This is the bread that cometh down from heaven; he that eateth of this bread shall live to eternity (John 6:58). Wherefore also bread and wine are the symbols employed in the Holy Supper. This celestial is also represented by the manna. That what is celestial and spiritual constitutes the food of angels, is manifest from the Lord's words: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4), that is, from the life of the Lord, from which comes everything celestial and spiritual. [2] The last posterity of the Most Ancient Church, which existed immediately before the flood, and is here treated of, had become so thoroughly lost and immersed in sensuous and bodily things, that they were no longer willing to hear what was the truth of faith, what the Lord was, or that He would come and save them; and when such subjects were mentioned they turned away. This aversion is described by "eating bread in the sweat of the face." So also the Jews, in consequence of their being of such a character that they did not acknowledge the existence of heavenly things, and desired only a worldly Messiah, could not help feeling an aversion for the manna, because it was a representation of the Lord, calling it "vile bread" on which account fiery serpents were sent among them (Num. 21:5, 6). Moreover the heavenly things imparted to them in states of adversity and misery, when they were in tears, were called by them the "bread of adversity" the "bread of misery" and the "bread of tears." In the passage before us, that which was received with aversion is called the "bread of the sweat of the face."

277.

This is the internal sense. He who keeps close to the letter, understands no other than that man must procure bread for himself out of the ground by labor, or by the sweat of his face. "Man" however does not here mean any one man, but the Most Ancient Church; nor does "ground" mean ground, nor "bread" bread, nor "garden" garden, but celestial and spiritual things, as has been sufficiently shown.

278.

That by "returning to the ground whence he was taken" is signified that the church would return to the external man such as it was before regeneration, is evident from the fact that "ground" signifies the external man, as previously stated. And that "dust" signifies what is condemned and infernal, is also evident from what was said of the serpent, which in consequence of being cursed is said to "eat dust."...

279.

All these verses then, taken in a series, involve that the sensuous part averted itself from the celestial (verse 14); that the Lord would come into the world for the purpose of reuniting them (verse 15); that combat arose in consequence of the external man averting itself (verse 16); whence resulted misery (verse 17); condemnation (verse 18); and at length hell (verse 19). These things followed in succession in that church, from the fourth posterity down to the flood.

Apocalypse Explained, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1757-9], tr. by John Whitehead [1911], at sacred-texts.com

1175.

..."dust" signifies what is condemned... "Dust" signifies what is condemned, because the hells are beneath and the heavens are above, and from the hells falsity from evil unceasingly breathes forth, consequently the dust over them signifies what is condemned (see also above, n. 742)... [2] ...Because "dust" signifies condemnation, it was said to the serpent: Upon the belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (Gen. 3:14). The "serpent" signifies infernal [hellish] evil with those who pervert the truths of the Word, and thereby deceive artfully and craftily. So in Isaiah: Dust shall be the serpent's bread (Isa. 65:25)...

 

Genesis 3:6-13 The serpent beguiled me & I did eat

⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
⁷ And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
⁸ And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
⁹ And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
¹⁰ And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
¹¹ And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
¹² And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
¹³ And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. -Genesis 3:6-13 King James Version (KJV)

Arcana Coelestia, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1749-56], tr. by John F. Potts [1905-10], at sacred-texts.com

207.

Verse 6. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to give intelligence, and she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat. "Good for food" signifies cupidity [strong desire: lust;] "pleasant to the eyes" phantasy; and" desirable to give intelligence" pleasure: these are of the Own [self,] or "woman:" by the "husband eating" is signified the consent of the rational (n. 265).

208.

This was the fourth posterity of the Most Ancient Church, who suffered themselves to be seduced by self-love and were unwilling to believe what was revealed, unless they saw it confirmed by the things of sense and of memory-knowledge.

209.

The expressions here employed, as that "the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable for giving intelligence" are such as were adapted to the genius of those who lived in that most ancient time, having especial reference to the will, because their evils streamed out from the will...

210.

What man's Own [self] is may be stated in this way. Man's Own is all the evil and falsity that springs from the love of self and of the world, and from not believing in the Lord or the Word but in self, and from supposing that what cannot be apprehended sensuously and by means of memory-knowledge [sensual and scientific] is nothing. In this way men become mere evil and falsity, and therefore regard all things pervertedly; things that are evil they see as good, and things that are good as evil; things that are false they see as true, and things that are true as false; things that really exist they suppose to be nothing, and things that are nothing they suppose to be everything. They call hatred love, darkness light, death life, and the converse. In the Word, such men are called the "lame" and the "blind." Such then is the Own of man, which in itself is infernal and accursed.

211.

Verse 7. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. Their "eyes being opened" signifies their knowing and acknowledging, from an interior dictate, that they were "naked" that is, no longer in innocence, as before, but in evil...

213.

By "knowing that they were naked" is signified their knowing and acknowledging themselves to be no longer in innocence as before, but in evil, as is evident from the last verse of the preceding chapter, where it is said, "and they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" and where it may be seen that "not to be ashamed because they were naked" signifies to be innocent. The contrary is signified by their "being ashamed" as in this verse, where it is said that they "sewed fig-leaves together, and hid themselves;" for where there is no innocence, nakedness is a scandal and disgrace, because it is attended with a consciousness of thinking evil. For this reason "nakedness" is used in the Word as a type of disgrace and evil, and is predicated of a perverted church, as... concerning the last day: Blessed is he who watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame (Rev. 16:15)...
214.
They are called "naked" because left to their Own; for they who are left to their Own, that is, to themselves, have no longer anything of intelligence and wisdom, or of faith, and consequently are "naked" as to truth and good, and are therefore in evil.
215.
That man's Own is nothing but evil and falsity has been made evident to me from the fact that whatever spirits have at any time said from themselves has been so evil and false that whenever it was made known to me that they spoke from themselves I at once knew that it was false, even though while speaking they were themselves so thoroughly persuaded of the truth of what they said as to have no doubt about it. The case is the same with men who speak from themselves. And in the same way, whenever any persons have begun to reason concerning the things of spiritual and celestial life, or those of faith, I could perceive that they doubted, and even denied, for to reason concerning faith is to doubt and deny. And as it is all from self or their Own, they sink into mere falsities, consequently into an abyss of thick darkness, that is, of falsities, and when they are in this abyss the smallest objection prevails over a thousand truths, just as a minute particle of dust in contact with the pupil of the eye shuts out the universe and everything it contains. Of such persons the Lord says in Isaiah: Woe unto those who are wise in their own eyes, and intelligent before their own faces (Isa. 5:21)...
216.
And they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves girdles. To "sew leaves together" is to excuse themselves; the "fig-tree" is natural good; and to "make themselves girdles" is to be affected with shame. Thus spoke the most ancient people, and thus they described this posterity of the church, signifying that instead of the innocence they had formerly enjoyed, they possessed only natural good, by which their evil was concealed; and being in natural good, they were affected with shame.
217.
That the "vine" is used in the Word to signify spiritual good, and the "fig-tree" natural good, is at this day utterly unknown, because the internal sense of the Word has been lost...
218.
Verse 8. And they heard the voice of Jehovah God going to itself in the garden in the air of the day; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the face of Jehovah God in the midst the tree of the garden. By the "voice of Jehovah God going to itself in the garden" is signified an internal dictate which caused them to feel afraid, this dictate being the residue of the perception which they had possessed; by the "air" or "breath" of the "day" is denoted a period when the church still possessed some residue of perception; to "hide themselves from the face of Jehovah God" is to fear the dictate, as is wont to be the case with those who are conscious of evil; by the "midst of the tree of the garden" in which they hid themselves, is signified natural good; that which is inmost is called the "midst;" the "tree" denotes perception as before; but because there was little perception remaining, the tree is spoken of in the singular number, as if there were only one remaining.
219.
That by the "voice of Jehovah God going to itself in the garden" is meant an internal dictate of which they were afraid, is evident from the signification of "voice" in the Word, where the "voice of Jehovah" is used to designate the Word itself, the doctrine of faith, conscience or a taking notice inwardly, and also every reproof thence resulting...
220.
By the "voice going to itself" is meant that there was but little perception remaining, and that alone as it were by itself and unheard, as is manifest also from the following verse where it is said, "Jehovah called to the man." So in Isaiah: The voice of one crying in the wilderness; the voice said, Cry (Isa. 40:3 and 6). The "wilderness" is a church where there is no faith; the "voice of one crying" is the annunciation of the Lord's advent...
221.
That by the "air" or "breath" "of the day" is signified a period when the church had still somewhat of perception remaining, is evident from the signification of "day" and of "night." The most ancient people compared the states of the church to the times of the day and of the night, to the times of the day when the church was still in light, wherefore this state is compared to the breath or air "of the day" because there was still some remnant of perception by which they knew that they were fallen. The Lord also calls the state of faith "day" and that of no faith "night;" as in John: I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day; the night cometh when no man can work (John 9:4)...
222.
That to "hide themselves from the face of Jehovah" means to be afraid of the dictate, as is wont to be the case with those who are conscious of evil, is evident from the reply (verse 10): "I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked." The "face of Jehovah" or of the Lord, is mercy, peace, and every good...
223.
As the "face of the Lord" is mercy, peace, and every good, it is evident that He regards all from mercy, and never averts His countenance from any; but that it is man, when in evil, who turns away his face, as is said by the Lord in Isaiah: Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you (Isa. 59:2); and here, "they hid themselves from the face of Jehovah, because they were naked."
224.
Mercy, peace, and every good, or the "faces of Jehovah" are the cause of the dictate with those who have perception, and also, although in a different manner, with those who have conscience, and they always operate mercifully, but are received according to the state in which the man is. The state of this man, that is, of this posterity of the Most Ancient Church, was one of natural good; and they who are in natural good are of such a character that they hide themselves through fear and shame because they are naked: while such as are destitute of natural good do not hide themselves, because they are insusceptible of shame...
225.
That the "midst of the tree of the garden" signifies natural good, in which there is some perception which is called a "tree" is also evident from the "garden" in which the celestial man dwelt; for everything good and true is called a "garden" with a difference according to the man who cultivates it. Good is not good unless its inmost is celestial, from which, or through which, from the Lord, comes perception. This inmost is here called the "midst" as also elsewhere in the Word.
226.
Verses 9, 10. And Jehovah God cried unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. The meaning of "crying" of the "voice in the garden" of their "being afraid because they were naked" and of "hiding themselves" has been previously explained. It is common in the Word for man to be first asked where he is and what he is doing, although the Lord previously knew all things; but the reason for asking is that man may acknowledge and confess.
227.
As it is desirable that the origin of perception, internal dictate, and conscience, should be known, and as at the present day it is altogether unknown, I may relate something on the subject. It is a great truth that man is governed by the Lord by means of spirits and angels. When evil spirits begin to rule, the angels labor to avert evils and falsities, and hence arises a combat. It is this combat of which the man is rendered sensible by perception, dictate, and conscience. By these, and also by temptations, a man might clearly see that spirits and angels are with him, were he not so deeply immersed in corporeal things as to believe nothing that is said about spirits and angels. Such persons, even if they were to feel these combats hundreds of times, would still say that they are imaginary, and the effect of a disordered mind. I have been permitted to feel such combats, and to have a vivid sense of them, thousands and thousands of times, and this almost constantly for several years, as well as to know who, what, and where they were that caused them, when they came, and when they departed; and I have conversed with them.
228.
It is impossible to describe the exquisite perception whereby the angels discover whether anything... is contrary to the truth of faith and the good of love. They perceive the quality... a thousand times more perfectly than the man himself, who scarcely knows anything about it. The least of thought in a man is more fully perceived by the angels... This is indeed incredible, yet is most true.
229.
Verses 11-13. And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And Jehovah God said unto the woman, Why hast thou done this? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. The signification of these words is evident from what has been explained before, namely, that the rational of man suffered itself to be deceived by its Own [self,] because this was dear to him (that is, by the love of self), so that he believed nothing but what he could see and feel. Everyone can see that Jehovah God did not speak to a serpent, and indeed that there was no serpent...; but that these words involve a different meaning, namely, that they perceived themselves to be deluded by the senses, and yet, in consequence of self-love, were desirous of ascertaining the truth of what they had heard concerning the Lord, and concerning faith in Him, before they believed it.
230.
The ruling evil of this posterity was the love of self, without their having at the same time so much of the love of the world as exists at the present day; for they dwelt within their own households and families, and had no desire to accumulate wealth.
231.
The evil of the Most Ancient Church which existed before the flood, as well as that of the Ancient Church after the flood, and also that of the Jewish Church, and subsequently the evil of the new church, or church of the Gentiles, after the coming of the Lord, and also that of the church of the present day, was and is that they do not believe the Lord or the Word, but themselves and their own senses. Hence there is no faith, and where there is no faith there is no love of the neighbor, consequently all is false and evil.
232.
At this day, however, it is much worse than in former times, because men can now confirm the incredulity of the senses by memory-knowledges [scientific] unknown to the ancients, and this has given birth to an indescribable degree of darkness. If men knew how great is the darkness from this cause they would be astounded.
233.
To explore the mysteries of faith by means of memory-knowledges [scientific] is as impossible as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle... So gross... is that which pertains to our senses and memory-knowledge [sensual and scientific] relatively to what is spiritual and celestial. He who would investigate the hidden things of nature, which are innumerable, discovers scarcely one, and while investigating them falls into errors, as is well known. How much more likely is this to be the case while investigating the hidden truths of spiritual and celestial life, where myriads of mysteries exist...  [3] From what has been said it is evident that those who consult sensuous things and memory-knowledges in matters of belief, plunge themselves not only into doubt, but also into denial, that is, into thick darkness, and consequently into all cupidities [1. Desire for wealth : greed. 2. : strong desire : lust.] For as they believe what is false, they also do what is false. And as they believe that what is spiritual and celestial has no existence, so they believe that there is nothing else but what is of the body and the world. And so they love all that belongs to self and the world, and in this way do cupidities and evils spring from what is false...




 

Genesis 3:8 God walking in the garden

'And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden.' -Genesis 3:8

When this earth was in a Celestial State it was a Heaven so we could walk and talk with God or our Higher Selves and entertain Angels and Masters. Thus we see there is a direct correlation between the higher Planes, or Inner Worlds, and the planets or stars of our universe. For example, our Sun as I understand it is the Home or Heaven of our Electronic Body or Soul as well as the Ascended Masters. The Great Central Sun is where our White Fire Body or I AM Presence came into Individualization and is the Home of the Great Cosmic Beings.


The Ascended Master Beloved Daddy teaches us concerning the Golden Age: " In every Golden Age you have seen your "Blessed I AM Presence"; and the Ascended Masters have come and gone with mankind as they do with each other. These things have been on the Earth before. They come in every Golden Age!" ('The Voice of the I AM' 1972 February p7) 

ARCANA COELESTIA

 

byEmanuel Swedenborg
(Published in London 1749 through 1756)

AC 49. ...In the Most Ancient Church, with the members of which the Lord conversed face to face, the Lord appeared as a Man...

Genesis 3:6-7 WhatDoesTheForbiddenFruitSymbolize?

       In the Garden of Eden



'She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.'

In the book 'Autobiography of a Yogi' by Paramahansa Yogananda (pp 169-170) he is taught about the Adam and Eve story by his Master Sri Yukteswar: "Genesis is deeply symbolic, and cannot be grasped by a literal interpretation" he explained. "Its' tree of life is the human body. The spinal cord is like an upturned tree, with man's hair as its roots, and...nerves as branches. The tree of the nervous system bears many enjoyable fruits, or sensations of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. In these, man may rightfully indulge; but he was forbidden the experience of sex, the apple at the center of the body ( ' in the midst of the garden.' "God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die."-Genesis 3:2-3) The serpent represents the coiled up spinal energy that stimulates the sex nerves. 'Adam' is reason, and 'Eve' is feeling. When the emotion or Eve-consciousness in any human being is overpowered by the sex impulse, his reason or Adam also succumbs. (See Genesis 3:12-13) "GOD CREATED THE HUMAN SPECIES BY MATERIALIZING THE BODIES OF MAN AND WOMAN THROUGH THE FORCE OF HIS WILL; HE ENDOWED THE NEW SPECIES WITH THE POWER TO CREATE CHILDREN (p169) IN A SIMILAR 'IMMACULATE' OR DIVINE MANNER...God made the first human bodies, symbolically called Adam and Eve... MAN WAS UNIQUELY GIVEN THE POTENTIALLY OMNISCIENT 'THOUSAND-PETALED LOTUS' IN THE BRAIN, AS WELL AS ACUTELY AWAKENED OCCULT CENTERS IN THE SPINE. "GOD, OR THE DIVINE CONSCIOUSNESS PRESENT WITHIN THE FIRST CREATED PAIR, COUNSELED THEM TO ENJOY ALL HUMAN SENSATIONS WITH ONE EXCEPTION: SEX SENSATIONS. THESE WERE BANNED, LEST HUMANITY ENMESH ITSELF IN THE INFERIOR ANIMAL METHOD OF PROPAGATION. THE WARNING NOT TO REVIVE SUBCONSCIOUSLY PRESENT BESTIAL MEMORIES WAS UNHEEDED. RESUMING THE WAY OF BRUTE PROCREATION, ADAM AND EVE FELL FROM THE STATE OF HEAVENLY JOY NATURAL TO THE ORIGINAL PERFECT MAN. WHEN THEY NEW THAT THEY WERE NAKED, THEIR CONSCIOUSNESS OF IMMORTALITY WAS LOST, EVEN AS GOD HAD WARNED THEM; THEY HAD PLACED THEMSELVES UNDER THE PHYSICAL LAW BY WHICH BODILY BIRTH MUST BE FOLLOWED BY BODILY DEATH... The personal responsibility of every human being is to restore his 'parents' or dual nature to a unified harmony or Eden."

On this subject the Ascended Master Saint Germain teaches: "Excess sex gratification... wastes your energy. If you insist on doing it then you cannot have the energy that brings your Freedom... The Law of Life is that the sex is to be used only for pro-creation of your kind."

The Ascended Master Ray-O-Light teaches us: "Your Great Ascended Master Jesus said to you, the last enemy to be overcome was so-called death. Well what do you think is the last activity which that enemy uses to hold its domination and what is the motive back of that? Misuse of the sex activity. That is how death has held its dominion upon the face of the earth."

Beloved Sanat Kumara, known in Theosophy as the Lord of the World or the King of the spiritual Hierarchy, teaches us: "Sex... was never intended for anything but the propagating of the human form... The sinister force has tried to use every possible excuse to make individuals believe, they could use it for pleasure, and still go on to Perfection."

The Ascended Master known as the Great Divine Director teaches on the subject: "You have been told repeatedly, that unless you cease your sex desire, you cannot gain Freedom and Ascension!"

One of the Seven Mighty Elohim, Beloved Mighty Hercules, warns us: "Dear people, as you value your future existence, stand guard over any slightest sex desire in the world. Annihilate it instantly because I tell you frankly, that sinister thing has become so diabolical that you must absolutely stand on guard in every way."

If turning away from God and practicing sex brought about the Fall of man then in order to get back to the Garden of Eden, or enter into the Celestial State of Consciousness, we must abstain from sex except for the procreation of children. Eventually there will be no need for sex at all when we have the Divine Power as gods on earth to manifest living souls using the Light of God as is symbolically expressed in the creation story of Adam and Eve. The higher aspect of this Law of God is that we must learn to keep our minds and feelings pure.

Jesus taught these Higher Spiritual Laws or Commandments in the Sermon on the Mount which replace and transcend some aspects of the Law of Moses: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God... Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement: But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother... shall be in danger of the judgement and whosoever shall say to his brother...Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire... Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."(St Matthew 5:8,22,27-28) 

We must be willing to sacrifice our worldly way of life for the Heavenly Way of Life as expressed by Jesus: "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"(St Matthew 16:25-26)

Within our bodies are seven main chakras with the Crown Chakra at the top of the head being the highest chakra and the base chakra at the bottom of the spine being the lowest chakra. Basically THE HIGHER CHAKRAS, FROM THE HEART UP TO THE CROWN, DRAW US UP INTO HEAVEN WHILE THE LOWER CHAKRAS FROM THE SOLAR-PLEXUS DOWN DRAW US DOWN TO THE EARTH. Everyone's lives are an outflow of Energy or Life Force from God via our Crown Chakra. Most of mankind have their life force flowing out through their lower chakras especially the Solar-plexus Emotional centre and their Sexual centre therefore they are repeatedly pulled back to earth on the Wheel of Birth and Death. If we would like to live in the Heavenly State of Consciousness permanently and not just temporarily at the end of each embodiment then we must learn to live our lives with only the Higher Chakras open thus becoming an expression of Unconditional Divine Love flowing thru the Higher Chakras. The chakras act as Secret Doorways to the Higher and lower Planes. The lower chakras are doorways to the lower Planes of human consciousness while the Higher Chakras are Doorways to the Higher Planes of Divine Consciousness. For example, the Solar-plexus chakra is the doorway to the Emotional or Astral Plane where hell is located. These chakras are not necessarily in logical order but are more like planets and suns revolving around a central sun (the Heart Chakra) and a great central sun (the Crown Chakra.) I believe the Throat Chakra is the Secret Doorway to the first True Heaven known as the Higher Mental Plane, the Heart Chakra is the Secret Doorway to the second Higher Heaven or Soul Plane and the Crown Chakra is the Secret Doorway to the the Highest third Celestial Heaven which leads to an infinite number of even higher Heavens in the Octaves of Light.

Genesis 3:1-5 Ye shall not surely die!

3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
² And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
³ But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
⁴ And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 
⁵ For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.-Genesis 3:1-5  Bible, King James Version 

According to the Beloved Mighty Helios: "...The sinister force... has hypnotized mankind century after century, with the idea that the physical sense pleasures are perfectly all right, and there never was a greater lie told about Life." ('The Voice of the I AM' 1949 June p14)

Arcana Coelestia, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1749-56], tr. by John F. Potts [1905-10], at sacred-texts.com
     
GENESIS 3...

190.

THE CONTENTS. The third state of the Most Ancient Church is treated of, which so desired its Own as to love it.

191.

Because from the love of self, that is, their own love, they began to believe nothing that they did not apprehend by the senses, the sensuous part is represented by the "serpent;" the love of self, or their own love, by the "woman;" and the rational by the "man."

192.

Hence the "serpent" or sensuous part, persuaded the woman to inquire into matters pertaining to faith in the Lord in order to see whether they are really so, which is signified by "eating of the tree of knowledge;" and that the rational of man consented, is signified by "the man that he did eat" (verses 1-6).

193.

But they perceived that they were in evil; from which remnant of perception, signified by their "eyes being opened" and by their "hearing the voice of Jehovah" (verses 7, 8), and from the fig-leaves of which they made themselves girdles (verse 7), and from their shame or hiding in the midst of the tree of the garden (verses 8, 9), as well as from their acknowledgment and confession (verses 10-13), it is evident that natural goodness still remained in them.

194.
THE INTERNAL SENSE. Verse 1. And the serpent was more subtle than any wild animal of the field which Jehovah God had made; and he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? By the "serpent" is here meant the sensuous part of man in which he trusts; by the "wild animal of the field" here, as before, every affection of the external man; by the "woman" man's Own; by the serpent's saying, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree?" that they began to doubt. The subject here treated of is the third posterity of the Most Ancient Church, which began not to believe in things revealed unless they saw and felt that they were so. Their first state, that it was one of doubt, is described in this and in the next following verse.
195.
The most ancient people did not compare all things in man to beasts and birds, but so denominated [or called] them; and this their customary manner of speaking remained even in the Ancient Church after the flood, and was preserved among the prophets. The sensuous things in man they called "serpents" because as serpents live close to the earth, so sensuous things are those next the body. Hence also reasonings concerning the mysteries of faith, founded on the evidence of the senses, were called by them the "poison of a serpent" and the reasoners themselves "serpents;" and because such persons reason much from sensuous, that is, from visible things (such as are things terrestrial, corporeal, mundane, and natural), it is said that "the serpent was more subtle than any wild animal of the field." ...See more respecting the serpent below, at verses 14 and 15.
196.
In ancient times those were called "serpents" who had more confidence in sensuous things than in revealed ones. But it is still worse at the present day, for now there are persons who not only disbelieve everything they cannot see and feel... and thus occasion in themselves a far greater degree of blindness. In order that it may be known how those blind themselves, so as afterwards to see and hear nothing, who form their conclusions concerning heavenly matters from the things of sense, of memory-knowledge, and of philosophy, and who are not only "deaf serpents" but also the "flying serpents" frequently spoken of in the Word, which are much more pernicious [having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way,] we will take as an example what they believe about the spirit. [2] The sensuous man, or he who only believes on the evidence of his senses, denies the existence of the spirit because he cannot see it, saying, "It is nothing because I do not feel it: that which I see and touch I know exists." The man of memory-knowledge, or he who forms his conclusions from memory-knowledges, says, What is the spirit, except perhaps vapor or heat, or some other entity of his science, that presently vanishes into thin air? Have not the animals also a body, senses, and something analogous to reason? and yet it is asserted that these will die, while the spirit of man will live. Thus they deny the existence of the spirit. [3] Philosophers also, who would be more acute than the rest of mankind, speak of the spirit in terms which they themselves do not understand, for they dispute about them, contending that not a single expression is applicable to the spirit which derives anything from what is material, organic, or extended; thus they so abstract it from their ideas that it vanishes from them, and becomes nothing. The more sane however assert that the spirit is thought; but in their reasonings about thought, in consequence of separating from it all substantiality, they at last conclude that it must vanish away when the body expires. Thus all who reason from the things of sense, of memory-knowledge, and of philosophy, deny the existence of the spirit, and therefore believe nothing of what is said about the spirit and spiritual things. Not so the simple in heart: if these are questioned about the existence of spirit, they say they know it exists, because the Lord has said that they will live after death; thus instead of extinguishing their rational, they vivify it by the Word of the Lord.
197.
Among the most ancient people, who were celestial men, by the "serpent" was signified circumspection [the quality of being wary and unwilling to take risks; prudence,] and also the sensuous part through which they exercised circumspection so as to be secure from injury. This signification of a "serpent" is evident from the Lord's words to His disciples: Behold, I send you forth as sheep into the midst of wolves; be ye therefore prudent as serpents, and simple as doves (Matt. 10:16). And also from the "brazen serpent" that was set up in the wilderness, by which was signified the sensuous [relating to or affecting the senses rather than the intellect] part in the Lord, who alone is the celestial man, and alone takes care of and provides for all; wherefore all who looked upon it were preserved.
198.
Verses 2, 3. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the tree of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. The "fruit of the tree of the garden" is the good and truth revealed to them from the Most Ancient Church; the "fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, of which they were not to eat" is the good and truth of faith, which they were not to learn from themselves; "not to touch it" is a prohibition against thinking of the good and truth of faith from themselves, or from what is of sense and "memory-knowledge; "lest ye die" is because thus faith, or all wisdom and intelligence, would perish.
199.
That the "fruit of the tree of which they might eat" signifies the good and truth of faith revealed to them from the Most Ancient Church, or the knowledges of faith, is evident from the fact that it is said to be the "fruit of the tree of the garden of which they might eat" and not the "tree of the garden" as before when treating of the celestial man, or the Most Ancient Church (Gen. 2:16). The "tree of the garden" as it is there called, is the perception of what is good and true; which good and truth, because they are from that source, are here called "fruit" and are also frequently signified by "fruit" in the Word.
200.
The reason why the "tree of knowledge" is here spoken of as being "in the midst of the garden" although previously (Gen. 2:9), the tree of lives was said to be in the midst of the garden, and not the tree of knowledge, is that the "midst" of the garden signifies the inmost; and the inmost of the celestial man, or of the Most Ancient Church, was the "tree of lives" which is love and the faith thence derived; whereas with this man, who may be called a celestial spiritual man, or with this posterity, faith was the "midst" of the garden, or the inmost. It is impossible more fully to describe the quality of the men who lived in that most ancient time, because at the present day it is utterly unknown, their genius being altogether different from what is ever found with anyone now. For the purpose however of conveying some idea of their genius, it may be mentioned that from good they knew truth, or from love they knew what is of faith. But when that generation expired, another succeeded of a totally different genius, for instead of discerning the true from the good, or what is of faith from love, they acquired the knowledge of what is good by means of truth, or what is of love from the knowledges of faith, and with very many among them there was scarcely anything but knowledge. Such was the change made after the flood to prevent the destruction of the world.
201.
Seeing therefore that such a genius as that of the most ancient people anterior [coming before in time; earlier] to the flood is not found and does not exist at the present day, it is no easy matter to explain intelligibly what the words of this passage in their genuine sense imply. They are, however, perfectly understood in heaven, for the angels and angelic spirits who are called celestial are of the same genius as the most ancient people who were regenerate [brought into renewed existence] before the flood; while the angels and angelic spirits who are termed spiritual are of a similar genius to the regenerate after the flood, although in both cases with indefinite variety.
202.
The Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial man, was of such a character as not only to abstain from "eating of the tree of knowledge" that is, from learning what belongs to faith from sensuous things and memory-knowledges, but was not even allowed to touch that tree, that is, to think of anything that is a matter of faith from sensuous things and memory-knowledges, lest they should sink down from celestial life into spiritual life, and so on downward. Such also is the life of the celestial angels, the more interiorly celestial of whom do not even suffer faith to be named, nor anything whatever that partakes of what is spiritual; and if it is spoken of by others, instead of faith they have a perception of love, with a difference known only to themselves; thus whatever is of faith they derive from love and charity. Still less can they endure listening to any reasoning about faith, and least of all to anything of memory-knowledge respecting it; for, through love, they have a perception from the Lord of what is good and true; and from this perception they know instantly whether a thing is so, or is not so. Therefore when anything is said about faith, they answer simply that it is so, or that it is not so, because they perceive it from the Lord. This is what is signified by the Lord's words in Matthew: Let your communication be Yea, yea; nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil (Matt. 5:37). This then is what was meant by their not being allowed to touch the fruit of the tree of knowledge; for if they touched it, they would be in evil, that is, they would in consequence "die." Nevertheless the celestial angels converse together on various subjects like the other angels, but in a celestial language, which is formed and derived from love, and is more ineffable [too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words] than that of the spiritual angels.
203.
The spiritual angels, however, converse about faith, and even confirm the things of faith by those of the intellect, of the reason, and of the memory [intellectual, rational, scientific], but they never form their conclusions concerning matters of faith on such grounds: those who do this are in evil. They are also endowed by the Lord with a perception of all the truths of faith, although not with such a perception as is that of the celestial angels. The perception of the spiritual angels is a kind of conscience which is vivified by the Lord and which indeed appears like celestial perception, yet is not so, but is only spiritual perception.
204.
Verses 4, 5. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. Their "eyes being opened by eating of the fruit of the tree" signifies that if they were to examine the things of faith from what is of sense and knowledge [sensual and scientific,] ...they would plainly see those things as if erroneous [mistaken; incorrect; wrong.] And that they would be "as God, knowing good and evil" denotes that if they did so from themselves, they would be as God, and could guide themselves.
205.
Every verse contains a particular state, or change of state, in the church: the preceding verses, that although thus inclined they nevertheless perceived it to be unlawful; these verses, an incipient doubt whether it might not be lawful for them, since they would thus see whether the things they had heard from their forefathers were true, and so their eyes would be opened; at length, in consequence of the ascendancy of self-love, they began to think that they could lead themselves, and thus be like the Lord; for such is the nature of the love of self that it is unwilling to submit to the Lord's leading, and prefers to be self-guided, and being self-guided to consult the things of sense and of memory-knowledge as to what is to be believed.
206.
...As God they know what is good and evil... and at the same time excel in worldly learning... And yet who are more blind? Only question them, and it will be seen that they do not even know, much less believe in, the existence of spirit; with the nature of spiritual and celestial life they are utterly unacquainted; they do not acknowledge an eternal life; for they believe themselves to be like the brutes which perish; neither do they acknowledge the Lord, but worship only themselves and nature. Those among them who wish to be guarded in their expressions, say that a certain Supreme Existence of the nature of which they are ignorant, rules all things. These are the principles in which they confirm themselves in many ways by things of sense and of memory-knowledge... Such persons desire to be regarded as gods, or as the wisest of men... If they are asked what it is to live from the Lord, they think it a phantasy. If asked whether they know what conscience is, they would say it is a mere creature of the imagination, which may be of service in keeping the vulgar under restraint. If asked whether they know what perception is, they would merely laugh at it and call it enthusiastic rubbish. Such is their wisdom, such "open eyes" have they, and such "gods" are they. Principles like these, which they think clearer than the day, they make their starting-point, and so continue on, and in this way reason about the mysteries of faith; and what can be the result but an abyss of darkness? These above all others are the "serpents" who seduce the world. But this posterity of the Most Ancient Church was not as yet of such a character. That which became such is treated of from verse 14 to verse 19 of this chapter.