{"title":"Reference \u0026 Study Guides","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"the-core-of-johnny-appleseed","title":"The Core of Johnny Appleseed","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecent biographies of John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, have portrayed him as anything from a schizophrenic wandering ascetic to a hedonistic pleasure-seeker. But who was the real man behind the misconceptions?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this spiritual biography, Ray Silverman explores the stories and the popular misconceptions about Johnny Appleseed as well as the truths behind the legends. As a businessman, Chapman owned nineteen nurseries and twenty other land holdings throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana, brokering deals that belie the popular image of him as a wandering nomad with a tin pot on his head. But it is only once we talk about Chapman’s spiritual convictions that we come to the core of who he was: a thoughtful and also joyful Christian who was deeply moved by the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg.\u003c\/p\u003e The picture that emerges is of a lighthearted person whose convictions led him to seek harmony not only in nature but in the spiritual realms also—and to share his bounty with as many people as he could.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eJohn Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, has become an American icon. Recent biographies have portrayed him as everything from a schizophrenic wanderer to a shameless hedonist. Who was the real man behind the legends? 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For more than two hundred years, however, Swedenborg has inspired many of the world’s greatest intellects and contributors to modern culture—Balzac, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Blake, Emerson, Henry James, Sr., Czeslaw Milosz, and Yates among them—with a visionary belief system for all people, regardless of background, that emphasizes good works, personal responsibility, and one’s inner connection to divine love.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This edition provides new translations of selections from Swedenborg’s works on some of his key theological topics, including use, charity, life after death, the destiny of humanity, and divine providence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Essential Swedenborg\u003c\/i\u003e serves as an introduction to the theology of Swedish scientist-turned-seer Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). 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In the short work, Swedenborg discusses our motivations and inner natures, love and selfishness, and ways in which we can develop ourselves as spiritual people. He also covers different aspects of religion, such as the Bible, observances like baptism and the Holy Supper (Eucharist), the nature of heaven and hell, and how we can apply all these ideas to our daily lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eA new translation of Emanuel Swedenborg's short work \u003ci\u003eThe New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine\u003c\/i\u003e. 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In this book, Taylor pulls these loose threads together and weaves them into a simple, coherent whole, presenting Swedenborg’s teachings as a system that anyone can follow. Taylor describes the external or natural mind as primarily concerned with material things, and the inner mind, in its essence, as love. As we elevate our thoughts toward higher and higher types of love and wisdom, we draw closer to God and begin the process of regeneration, or rebirth as spiritual beings. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e This is the first time in many decades that a book has been published on Swedenborg’s philosophy of the mind. Taylor’s straightforward commentary gives readers a rare insight into this crucial aspect of Swedenborg’s theology. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eSwedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) devoted his life to exploring the mysteries of the soul. 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Haller Jr. traces New Thought from its nineteenth‑century roots—Phineas P. Quimby, Emma Curtis Hopkins, and others—through William Walker Atkinson, an early popularizer of the “law of attraction,” to its imprint on modern self‑help and popular psychology. \u003c\/p\u003e Rather than centering on denominations, Haller follows people, practices, and ideas: mental healing, affirmations, prosperity teachings, and the movement’s dialogue with science and religion (including the influence of the Swedish scientist, mystic and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg). 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Recognizing that spiritual growth can be stymied by materialism and external preoccupations, the authors offer tasks and exercises that can be used repeatedly to help tame the \"wild beasts,\" the negative emotions that can control our lives and destroy our relationships with others.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA special feature of the book is the \"Reporting on the Task\" section at the end of each of the twelve tasks, in which participants who were enrolled in a real-life twelve-week seminar share their struggles in their own words. 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But through decades of group work, authors Frank Rose and Bob Maginel have developed a program of spiritual growth that works best in the midst of daily living.\u003cbr\u003e      Through a series of eight exercises, readers learn how to raise their awareness and their spirits to a higher level, to connect more readily with their Higher Power, and to unlock authentic spiritual joy even at life’s most challenging moments. For people working in groups, the authors include suggestions for structuring spiritual growth meetings and tools for discussion facilitators. For individuals using the book alone, Rose and Maginel provide transcripts of their own group’s discussions, challenges, and “Aha!” moments, so the reader can share in the group experience.\u003cbr\u003e      Building on their previous book, \u003ci\u003eThe Joy of Spiritual Growth,\u003c\/i\u003e Rose and Maginel offer more of the gentle wisdom and practical techniques that have made their spiritual growth program an enduring success.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eDrawing on decades of group work, the authors offer simple techniques that unlock joy and personal growth in the midst of life’s most challenging moments. For spiritual growth groups, the book includes resources for facilitators; for those working alone, it includes transcripts of real-life group discussions so the reader can share in the group experience. 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From the more politically oriented single-tax movement of Henry George to the utopian aspirations of Charles Fourier and the more spiritually inclined social gospel and pastoral clinical movements, those who took Swedenborg’s principles of usefulness to heart sought ways to reflect the divine design in human society.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e John Haller’s treatment of the era draws a magnifying glass to those intellectual titans whose fortitude in the face of psychological and social adversities stands as a testament to the robustness of Swedenborg’s concept of usefulness. As James F. Lawrence, Dean of the Center for Swedenborgian Studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, so aptly states in his foreword, “this book tells stories and builds perspectives that will prove without a doubt to be very \u003ci\u003euseful.\u003c\/i\u003e”\u003ci\u003eSwedenborg’s Principles of Usefulness\u003c\/i\u003e highlights Emanuel Swedenborg’s (1688–1772) widespread influence on an impressive host of historical figures, from poets and artists to philosophers and statesmen. His idea that our purpose in life is both to love others and to find practical ways to improve their lives led many to take on social reforms that vitalized the American landscape during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 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Using this method of interpretation, Swedenborg peels back the layers of the Ten Commandments to reveal a cohesive set of teachings with both practical applications and far-reaching spiritual implications.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Although Swedenborg discusses the Ten Commandments in many places throughout his writings, he wrote four extended commentaries on the subject in four separate volumes: \u003ci\u003eSecrets of Heaven \u003c\/i\u003e(volume 7, published in 1754), \u003ci\u003eTrue Christianity\u003c\/i\u003e (1771), the short work \u003ci\u003eLife\u003c\/i\u003e (1763), and the posthumously published \u003ci\u003eRevelation Explained \u003c\/i\u003e(1758–1759). Those four commentaries are now being combined in a single volume for the first time, allowing the reader to compare and contrast Swedenborg’s approach across a seventeen-year span.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This book offers new insights for spiritual seekers and students of Swedenborg alike, illuminating what is at once a familiar set of biblical teachings and one of the cornerstones of Swedenborg’s system of personal growth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eUsing his unique method of biblical interpretation, Swedish scientist and visionary Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) peels back the layers of the Ten Commandments to reveal fundamental lessons on God, loving others, and how to live and grow as spiritual people. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlthough Swedenborg discusses the Ten Commandments in many places throughout his writings, he wrote four extended commentaries on the subject in three separate volumes: \u003ci\u003eSecrets of Heaven \u003c\/i\u003e(volume 7, published in 1754), \u003ci\u003eTrue Christianity\u003c\/i\u003e (1771), the short work \u003ci\u003eLife\u003c\/i\u003e (1763), and the posthumously published \u003ci\u003eRevelation Explained \u003c\/i\u003e(1758–59). Those four commentaries are now being combined in a single volume for the first time, allowing the reader to compare and contrast Swedenborg’s approach across a seventeen-year span.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book offers new insights for spiritual seekers and students of Swedenborg alike, illuminating what is at once a familiar set of biblical teachings and one of the cornerstones of Swedenborg’s system of personal growth.\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Swedenborg Foundation","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":49060411474162,"sku":"9780877854319","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"EPUB","offer_id":49060411506930,"sku":"9780877856955","price":12.7,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1690\/4178\/files\/306cea4fec8e05440ca6ce9d86f37d57_f1953777-ab14-425c-bc23-d6552eab4d99.jpg?v=1788776483"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookshop.swedenborg.com\/collections\/reference-study-guides.oembed","provider":"Swedenborg Foundation","version":"1.0","type":"link"}