INTRODUCTION

Swedenborg (1688-1772) worked for decades as a scientist (especially metallurgy and mining), but his reputation today is primarily as a mystic. He kept a dream journal during the period of his great change from engineer to visionary, early 1743 to late '44; one of the world's oldest surviving dream-journals. It was never meant for publication--scrawled, with scratch-outs, abbreviations and highly personal references--difficult even before translation. However, Swedenborg's scientific habits serve him well--dates are clear, dreams are in sequence, and he regularly attempts interpretation; he's practical, reasonable, and sometimes records multiple possibilities.

Yet he was devout; he seems determined to emulate Christ, purging all selfish and worldly urges to become, essentially, a saint. Curious ambition for a scientist! Odder still, he achieved it--at least his practical demonstrations of miraculous knowledge (see Swedenborg's Visions) were the best-documented of his century; he influenced Blake and Emerson, and troubled Kant. If he'd been Catholic he'd likely be a saint--if a controversial one like Francis of Assisi. As it is, he's a strange, powerful figure making both scientists and conventional Christians uncomfortable. Good for him!

RELATED TOPICS: more early dreamworkers: Descartes' Quod Vitae, Hervey de St Denys, Alfred Maury: Guillotine & Bridge-guard - Henri Agassiz: Fish - Catherine Paton: Axe of Death - Anna Kingsford - Havelock Ellis - Frederick Greenwood's Skylight, Her Hand on the Mantel & He has Repented - early Carl Jung -- See also the full INDEX OF SUBJECTS.

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	BROMAN'S DOG: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/5, a dream of a man-serpent-dog Swedenborg fights a worldly acquaintance, then his dog, who turns into a serpent... CAUTION: FIGHTING, SCORNS MATERIALISM
	DENTATA: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/10/9, a dream of a toothy vagina--yet not a nightmare Swedenborg's in bed with a woman, but finds she has teeth in her vagina. He interprets it not as revealing some fear of women but as advice about pacing his scientific work. And the surrounding dreams hint he may be right... CAUTION: ALMOST-SEX
	FLYING, FIGHTING, LOVE: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/23, a dream of... oh, guess! Swedenborg fights a flying woman over a lake, then is in bed with another. After some language and privacy problems, all goes so well he thinks they've made a child... CAUTION: VIOLENCE, SEX
	HEADSMAN: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/17, a cannibal nightmare prefiguring Jung Swedenborg meets an executioner who cooks the heads he chops off, and eats them. Yet in context, the nightmare may be constructive... CAUTION: VIOLENCE
	IN THE FORM OF WOMEN: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/7/3, the earliest recurrent dream-symbol? Swedenborg tenderly says goodbye to a lover. A few nights later he realizes his dream lovers repeatedly represent scholarly fields! An avid scientist, he find research as sexy as, well, sex...
	IN THE STAR; 1988/9/12 by Wayan; an epic, out-of-body, intrastellar quest-dream I tour the heart of a red supergiant, where dreaming souls explore their fears and heart's desires, unconstrained by solid matter... CAUTION: SWEDENBORGIAN VISION, UNICORN NUDITY
	THE KING'S LANGUAGE: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/24, a dream on the language of dreams Swedenborg struggles to grasp the King's broken French. He wakes to realize he's trying to learn a greater King's difficult language. Still relevant today, for he saw the problem's twofold: the difficult language of images, but also issues the waking mind missed--or wants to deny!
	MUSCULAR STUDY: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/14, a sexy dream of work advice (no, really) Swedenborg jokes with his cousin's new girlfriend as she grows bigger and stronger and bigger and... Oh. He needs to study the muscles!
	POLITICS BITES: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/13, a dream of... read the title! Swedenborg's in bed with a woman, but she has teeth down there. Oh, now and she's not a woman, but his political buddy Johan! Well, maybe it means not to get involved with women, or men, or... politics? CAUTION: JUST WEIRD
	SAVED TWICE: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/5/19, maddeningly brief mention of two predictive dreams. Swedenborg dreamt of danger on his London trip, twice. Both situations then came true, but he was prepared... CAUTION: ANNOYING TO E.S.P. SKEPTICS
	SHAKING: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/6, a dream of the physical side of spiritual struggle Swedenborg shakes uncontrollably all night, releasing or discharging some strange energy. He frames it in religious terms, but it's a phenomenon even secular writers have reported... CAUTION: WEIRD
	SWAB'S DOG: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/8, a warning dream Swedenborg cuddles a talking dog who asks after its old master, Swab, and then kisses Swedenborg, grossing him out. But he wakes knowing just what his doggy pest represents...
	SWEDENBORG'S VISIONS: as reported by Immanuel Kant, 1759-61; three solid ESP hits. Philosopher Immanuel Kant's detailed and deeply ambivalent report on Swedenborg's three very public displays of extrasensory perception, and their implications... CAUTION: WILL UPSET E.S.P. SKEPTICS
	SWORD AND BOAR: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/30, a dream warning of excess. A boar attacks Swedenborg's late brother, alive again. He tries to help, but the pig eats his brother's head. That's what you get for drinking, partying, and gluttony... CAUTION: VIOLENT DEATH
	SWORDLESS: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/8/4, a dream warning about bragging Swedenborg gets in a duel, but his beautiful silver hilt has no sword attached. Uh-oh... Then he's in bed and realizes he's been sexually boasting... CAUTION: PHALLIC SYMBOLISM
	UNSWEPT HOUSE: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/1, a flying-searching-unreadiness spiritual dream Swedenborg flies on horseback through a house seeking someone. One room's clean, lit, full of people, but most are empty and dirty. Longing to meet God is not enough! He's only cleaned up one aspect of his life...
	WINGED BEAST: by Emanuel Swedenborg, 1744/4/7/29, a dream of fighting one's own flaws Swedenborg fights a monster but lacks strength. Yet later, on a higher plane, he learns the beast did die... CAUTION: VIOLENT

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