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Introduction
What Are Correspondences?
The natural world is a world of effects. These effects have their causes in the spiritual world. Therefore, everything that is in the natural world corresponds to what is in the spiritual world.
For example, natural light corresponds to spiritual light or Truth. In the natural world, without light, we cannot see. In the spiritual world or the world of consciousness, without Truth, we cannot understand.
In the natural world, we move from one place to another by means of physical motion while, in the spiritual world, we move from one state into another by means of emotion.
In the spiritual world, animals orrespond to emotions and thoughts, gentle animals to positive or pure emotions, and fierce and unclean animals to impure and negative emotions. A lamb corresponds to innocence while a pig corresponds to greed.
THE BIBLE WAS WRITTEN IN THE LANGUAGE OF CORRESPONDENCES
In order to understand the Word of God; we must learn the language in which it was written.
For example, in Deuteronomy, we read, "There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun who rideth in the heaven, and in magnificence upon the clouds "(Deut. 33:26-27). Clouds correspond to the literal sense of the Word. To ride means to instruct in Divine Truths from the Word because a horse corresponds to understanding.
When the clouds are dispersed, we then see the Glory of God, which is the spiritual sense of the Word or Divine Truth and Wisdom itself.
Every word in the Bible corresponds to a spiritual reality. The Bible, in reality, is a scientific book but it is not just about natural science; it is about the science of correspondences or the relationship between the material and spiritual worlds. It is about how consciousness manifests reality.
All causes originate in consciousness and all physical circumstances are the effects of these causes.
Our life circumstances simply correspond to our state of consciousness or our loves and beliefs.
ALL NATURAL THINGS ARE SYMBOLS OR CORRESPONDENCES
Everything we see in the natural world is only a symbol for a spiritual reality. Without the reality to which it corresponds, the symbol is meaningless.
For example, if we are walking on a beach and we are in a depressed state of mind, we will not experience the beauty and holiness of this scenery. It is the spiritual Truth and Goodness of Heaven which created this beautiful image and manifested it on Earth. In order to feel the reality of this beautiful scene, we must have the Truth and joy within our own self.
A symbol is a representation of something real. The symbol itself has no value. For example, a ten-dollar bill is a symbol for goods and services. You know you can buy real things with it. But the bill itself is a worthless piece of paper. In the same way, the whole material universe is just a symbol for the reality, which is the spiritual universe.
The error human beings make is that they mistake the symbol for the reality. They value the pieces of paper instead of what they can do with them. They start to love the world, which is a symbol, intead of loving the reality, which is God.
When we understand that every thing that is in the natural world corresponds to a reality in the spiritual world, the universe is transdormed into something beautiful and meaningful.
When we see a dove flying, we experience the peace and freedom of Heaven.
IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD, ALL MANIFESTATIONS ARE CORRESPONDENCES
In the natural world; we can be depressed and still be on a beautiful beach. But, in the spiritual world, everything we experience must correspond to our state of consciousness.
If we were in a depressed state of mind in the spiritual world, we would automatically be transported to a dark cave filled with mice and spiders.
In the spiritual world, our environment always corresponds to our state of being. If we want to be in a lighted environment or Heaven, we must be in Truth.
This is why we must understand, while we are still on Earth, that our state of being is what is important, not our circumstances.
Our state of being will determine where we are in the spiritual world. Our body and circumstances are the symbol but our state of consciousness is the reality; it is who and what we really are.
Before we leave this natural world, we must strive to understand what is True and to will what is Good.

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