TWIN FLAME HEALING: UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS

 

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was a devout Christian and an esteemed Swedish scientist whose spiritual transformation reshaped the course of his life. Initially known for his groundbreaking work in fields like anatomy and engineering, Swedenborg’s profound mystical experiences led him to explore theology and the spiritual world in a way that far surpassed his earlier scientific endeavors. His journey into spiritual awakening marked a departure from conventional Christian thought, bringing him to a mystical theology that deeply expanded his faith.

Swedenborg's dream journal serves as an intimate record of his early spiritual awakening, capturing his experiences in vivid detail. While his waking life continued as it always had, his nights were increasingly filled with profound and sometimes unsettling encounters that changed him forever.

In his unpublished, personal dream diary, Swedenborg documented 10 key signs of spiritual awakening. These signs were not only extraordinary, but they were also deeply personal, reflecting the intensity of his inner transformation. In this post, we’ve ranked these signs based on their frequency in his journal entries, from the rarest to the most common.

Can Swedenborg’s descriptions of his own experiences provide insight into how we might recognize spiritual awakenings in ourselves?

Dark Night of the Soul: Vivid Dreams and Spirituality

Sign #10: Sweating While Dreaming

Is it possible to experience a spiritual awakening in your dreams? And can such an awakening cause physical exhaustion?

For Swedenborg, the answer was an unequivocal yes. Sleep played a significant role in his spiritual transformation, and it was often during sleep that his awakening began to manifest. He described vivid and intense dreams that filled him with a sense of inner conflict. These emotional and spiritual struggles were accompanied by physical symptoms, most notably excessive sweating. Swedenborg believed that these night sweats were a physical manifestation of his internal stress, a response to the spiritual temptations and trials he was experiencing.

He recalled his dreams with remarkable clarity, often feeling that the sweating was a sign of his emotional and spiritual turmoil. He saw it as a confirmation of the struggle within, but also as a symbol of divine intervention and forgiveness:

"This last [temptation] was more severe than the former, but against this, I received even stronger evidence of the Spirit. At times, I broke into perspiration; what came to my mind was no longer anything to condemn me. I had strong confidence that I was forgiven, and I should excuse myself and set myself free."

— Emanuel Swedenborg’s Dream Diary §71

This sweating, far from being simply a physical reaction, seemed to Swedenborg to be a manifestation of his soul’s purification process, a key part of his spiritual rebirth.

Sign #9: Crying and Weeping

Tears often accompany emotional vulnerability, and in the context of spiritual awakening, crying becomes an important marker of transformation. For Swedenborg, these tears were not signs of sadness but expressions of overwhelming joy and gratitude for God's grace.

His cries came when he deeply felt the immense, undeserved grace that had been bestowed upon him. He described moments of weeping as deeply emotional experiences of joy, where he felt unworthy of the divine love he was receiving. These tears signified a shift in Swedenborg’s heart, moving from self-reliance to humility and spiritual surrender:

"Now and then, I burst into tears—not of sorrow, but of utmost joy that our Lord has been willing to show such great grace to so unworthy a sinner."

— Emanuel Swedenborg’s Dream Diary §71

Despite his intellectual brilliance and social prominence, Swedenborg's spiritual journey led him to confront the pride and selfishness that had previously guided his actions. The tears were a sign of his deep regret for past mistakes and a symbol of the profound humility that came with his awakening. The experience of crying and weeping marked Swedenborg’s recognition of his flaws and his ability to accept divine forgiveness. It was an essential part of his spiritual maturation, reminding him that spiritual awakening involves a deep surrender to God’s will.

Involuntary Thoughts and Unexpected Visitors

Swedenborg’s spiritual journey didn’t stop at dreaming; his experiences expanded into clairvoyance and spiritual vision. As he progressed, he claimed that he was aware of both the physical and spiritual worlds simultaneously, a state that he described as overwhelming and often disorienting. His experiences gradually became more vivid and direct, revealing a new reality that he could not ignore.

Sign #8: Hearing Noises

In the early stages of his spiritual awakening, Swedenborg began hearing strange and supernatural sounds—noises that had no physical source. One particular instance he recounted involved hearing a loud, booming noise that shook him awake and threw him out of bed. These sounds were a sign that his spiritual senses were being opened, allowing him to perceive the unseen realms.

At first, these noises were disturbing, as they disrupted his sleep and made him question the nature of his experiences. However, over time, they became a normal part of his spiritual reality, signaling the presence of spirits and otherworldly forces in his environment.

Sign #7: Seeing the Dead

Swedenborg’s encounters with spirits, especially deceased loved ones, became an integral part of his spiritual life. In his early dreams, he began to experience visits from the deceased, particularly family members. These experiences often took place in lucid dreams, where he was aware of both the dream world and his physical surroundings.

These early encounters set the stage for his later ability to communicate with spirits in his waking life. Swedenborg described these experiences as eye-opening, giving him a glimpse into the existence of life beyond death and the spiritual dimensions that transcend the physical world. Over time, these visits became increasingly commonplace, as Swedenborg would go on to claim that he had direct communication with the spirits of the departed.

Sign #6: Double Thoughts

One of the most unusual experiences Swedenborg documented was his sensation of having two completely distinct trains of thought simultaneously—one that was concerned with his personal affairs and another that was filled with negative, disruptive thoughts. He described this as an unsettling mental state, where these conflicting thoughts battled for his attention:

"It was strange that I was able to have two thoughts at the same time, completely distinct from each other: one for myself, which interrupted all thoughts of others, and alongside it, the thoughts of temptation, which I couldn’t escape. They held me captive, and I didn’t know where to flee."

— Emanuel Swedenborg’s Dream Diary §69

This "double thinking" seems to represent the internal conflict that comes with spiritual awakening—the battle between the everyday concerns of the self and the more troubling, spiritual temptations or trials that emerge. Swedenborg struggled with these negative thoughts, feeling trapped and unable to escape them. However, as he progressed spiritually, he began to understand that these negative thoughts were not merely his own but rather influenced by spirits from the spiritual realm. Over time, Swedenborg found the strength to overcome these thoughts, recognizing them as external forces rather than a reflection of his true self.

In these early stages, Swedenborg’s spiritual life was both disorienting and enlightening, as he navigated between the physical and spiritual worlds. His experiences provide a powerful testament to the transformative nature of spiritual awakening, showing how it can disrupt, challenge, and ultimately elevate one’s consciousness, bringing about profound change on both an emotional and intellectual level.

Sign #5: Joy and Gladness

In addition to the overwhelming love and gratitude that moved him to tears, Swedenborg also experienced profound feelings of love and tranquility. He described moments of semi-wakefulness where he felt enveloped by an infinite love that seemed to reach deep into his soul.

This sense of joy is a common marker of spiritual awakening, revealing the profound realization that we are loved more deeply than we could ever imagine.

"The Usual Tremors"

Returning to more everyday experiences, we find the most common signs that Swedenborg encountered during his awakening.

Sign #4: Chills

Swedenborg often described shivering or trembling as a reaction to spiritual temptations. These chills occurred both during sleep and while he was awake.

On one occasion, he noted that the trembling lasted for ninety minutes, followed by a series of strange images: an old acquaintance, snakes transforming into dogs and back into snakes—symbols he would later interpret as representing his struggle with the temptation of shallow, hedonistic pleasures.

Sign #3: Prostration

Swedenborg frequently experienced an overwhelming, involuntary urge to fall to his face in prayer. He often associated this profound impulse with being in the presence of something deeply sacred, sometimes accompanied by other signs like trembling.

"Although I was awake, I could not govern myself, but there came as it were an overwhelming impulse to throw myself on my face, fold my hands, and pray, humbly asking for grace and forgiveness of my sins, feeling myself the greatest of sinners."

— Emanuel Swedenborg’s Dream Diary §90

Sign #2: Preternatural Sleep

Another sign linked to spiritual awakening was a unique form of sleep that Swedenborg described as "preternatural." This state, which may align with what we now call the hypnagogic state (the threshold between wakefulness and sleep), lasted for at least six months. During this period, Swedenborg slept deeply for extended hours—often ten to twelve hours a night or more—and experienced many of the signs mentioned above.

Exhaustion and fatigue are common in spiritual awakening. It’s important to listen to your body and allow time for physical, mental, and emotional recovery. Seek rest when needed and be patient with yourself through this transformative process.

Sign #1: Shuddering

This is the most frequent sign in Swedenborg’s journal, often referred to as “the common tremors.”

"Before I fell asleep, I was thinking deeply about what I am writing now, and then it was said to me: 'Shut up! Or I’ll beat you!' I then saw someone sitting on ice, and I felt scared as if pulled into a vision. I stopped my thoughts, and one of the common tremors came over me. This indicated that I should not continue my work so late, especially not on Sundays, or at night."

— Emanuel Swedenborg’s Dream Diary §242

At this stage, Swedenborg was still caught up in his scientific work—the book on anatomy that he was drafting. He had not yet realized how his spiritual awakening would transform his life, directing him towards a deep devotion to the Word of God and away from his previous pursuits.