Toward an Angelic State of Mind

The teachings of Emmanuel Swedenborg have shaped my ethical and moral values since I was a child. My subsequent introspections, experiences, studies, discoveries and teachings developed by the works, philosophy and spiritual teachings of Swedenborg form the narrative basis of the 37 essays and letters that comprise Toward an Angelic State of Mind: Essays of Spirit from a Swedenborgian Novelist.

Many of the essays in this collection first appeared in New Church Life, for which I wrote for twenty years. Thus, there are literally hundreds of attributed references to Swedenborg’s writings and commentaries. The other essays convey my experiences in the world as a teacher, author and lifelong student whose works and actions are bedrocked in Swedenborgian philosophy, mysticism and thought.

Consequently, as the reader passes through Toward an Angelic State of Mind, he or she will not only see various elements of Swedenborgian philosophy as they shaped my life, but also how I grew to integrate them in my every day walk — whether in a classroom full of inmates, down to the pristine Havasupai Falls of Arizona, along Thoreau’s Walden Pond, or navigating the heart of marriage with my wife of 42 years, Betsy. Toward an Angelic State of Mind is very much a series of photographs of a Swedenborgian’s life — a life filled with adventure, discovery, success, error, redemption, and the greatest of all gifts: lifelong love of wife and family.