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!

SHAKING

... I heard a noise under my head. I thought that the tempter was then going away. Straightway there came over me a shuddering, so strong from the head downwards and over the whole body, with a noise of thunder, and this happened several times. I found that something holy was upon me; I then fell into a sleep, and at about 12:00, 1:00 or 2:00 in the night, there came over me a strong shuddering from head to foot, with a thundering noise as if many winds beat together; which shook me; it was indescribable and prostrated me on my face. Then, at the time I was prostrated at that very moment I was wide awake, and saw that I was cast down.

Wondered what it meant. And I spoke as if I were awake; but found nevertheless that the words were put into my mouth. "And oh! Almighty Jesus Christ, that thou of thy so great mercy, deignest to come to so great a sinner. Make me worthy of thy grace." I held together my hands and prayed, and then came forth a hand, which squeezed my hands hard.

Straightway thereupon I continued my prayer and said, "Thou hast promised to take to grace all sinners; thou canst nothing else than keep thy word." At that same moment I sat in his bosom, and saw him face to face; it was a face of holy mien, and in all it was indescribable, and he smiled so that I believe that his face had indeed been like this when he lived on earth. He spoke to me and asked if I had a clear bill of health. I answered, “Lord, thou knowest better than I."

"Well, so do," said he; that is, as I found it in my mind to signify, love me in reality; or do what thou hast promised. God give me grace thereto; I found that it was not in my power.

Wakened, with shudderings.

Editor's Note

Here Swedenborg makes his intent clear: to become a saint, emulating his role model, Jesus. Curiously, that requires more than purging the psyche of all selfishness; the body too spontaneously trembles, seems out of conscious control. A century earlier, Descartes felt them one night: see Quod Vitae.

But this isn't religious per se! Such shakes happen to secular writers too: nearly a century later, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin experienced a similar Tingle; centuries after Savarin, I felt it myself, both in dreams like Spirit Chorus or The Black Wave, and in waking life when getting shiatsu, pressure-point massage intended to release bound-up tension--not mechanical tension in muscles so much as stuck chi, or electrical build-up in nerves if you reject the idea of chi. Along with whole-body tingling I trembled visibly for a minute or two, then felt much better, as if something had been cleared out.

Swedenborg sees such shakes through a Christian lens, but don't assume they're religious hysteria.

Source: Swedenborg's Journal of Dreams 1743-1744, 1989 ed. with intro by Wilson van Dusen. Paragraphs 50-54. Descriptive titles are mine; untitled in journal. Interpretations are Swedenborg's, though run together with dream text; I offset interpretations for clarity.

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