The Spiritual Symbolism of the Animal, Vegetable and Mineral Kingdoms

Swedenborg saw in his waking visions that this material in which we live in is but a theatrical representation of spiritual realities in the heavenly realm, a higher dimension in which space and time have no meaning. His writings expose us to a systematic way of thinking, for both science and theology, which categorizes everything into degrees of order. In our natural material world, we can generally divide things into animal, vegetable and mineral. Each of these three kingdoms correspond to universal spiritual realities:

"All things of the earth are distinguished into three kinds, called kingdoms, namely, the animal kingdom, the vegetable kingdom, and the mineral kingdom. The things of the animal kingdom are correspondences in the first degree, because they live; the things of the vegetable kingdom are correspondences in the second degree, because they only grow; the things of the mineral kingdom are correspondences in the third degree, because they neither live nor grow." (Heaven and Hell, n. 104)

In his exposition of the spiritual meaning of scripture, it is revealed that in general animals correspond to the will and its affections, plants correspond to the understanding or thoughts of truth, and minerals correspond in the lowest degree to knowledges, or mere obedience to authority. From mineral to vegetable to animal there are increasing degrees of freedom.

The animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms are the most well known general degrees of order. However within each of these three kingdoms the degrees of order repeat. Swedenborg wrote in the 18th century before the periodic table of elements was known, and before the structure of molecules was known. Despite this, he makes this rather interesting statement in regards to the mineral kingdom:

"In all forms of uses there is an image of creation. Forms of uses are of three kinds — the forms of uses of the mineral kingdom, the forms of uses of the vegetable kingdom, and the forms of uses of the animal kingdom. The forms of uses of the mineral kingdom cannot be described, because they do not appear to sight. The first forms are the substances and matters of which the earths consist, in their least parts; the second forms are aggregations of these, and are of infinite variety; the third forms are from plants fallen to dust, and from the remains of animals; and from continual evaporations and exhalations of these, which add themselves to the earths, and form their soil. These forms of the three degrees of the mineral kingdom represent creation in an image in this, that being acted on by the sun through the atmospheres and their heat and light, they produce uses in forms, which were the ends of creation." (Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 313)

Despite not knowing about atoms and molecules, Swedenborg divides the mineral kingdom into the following three degrees:

1. Substances in their least parts.
2. Substances that are aggregates of the least parts.
3. Organic substances.

It is possible that the the first degree is atoms, but its also possible he may be referencing simple molecules. So, I was curious, with our knowledge of modern science, how do we classify molecules? For this I found this article: Classification Of Compounds. One method is classification based on what the molecules contains (e.g., oxides contain oxygen). But within this method there is a broad classification between inorganic and organic. So what about inorganic molecules, can they be divided into two further degrees? Yes:

Another classification scheme for chemical compounds is based on the types of bonds that the compound contains. Ionic compounds contain ions and are held together by the attractive forces among the oppositely charged ions. Common salt (sodium chloride) is one of the best-known ionic compounds. Molecular compounds contain discrete molecules, which are held together by sharing electrons (covalent bonding).

So with this scheme, we can divide molecules into three degrees:

1. Ionic compounds
2. Molecular compounds (covalent bonding)
3. Organic molecules that support life

So this is different from the classification of Arthur M. Young in his theory of The Reflexive Universe. He had come up with seven divisions of molecules which is described in this post: The Universal Order of Design - part II, one of which is based on the covalent bond.  However Swedenborg had classified the mineral kingdom into three broad degrees which is also supported by the general modern classifications. The final degree - organic molecules - is actually a subset of molecular compounds. But since it supports life, it is classified as a higher degree of order as it leads to the next higher kingdoms of plants and animals. For Young, his classification is based more on functional form where the highest degree of order was the DNA molecule, so there may be some validity to his classification which requires more analysis. Each higher degree uses the previous degree as a foundation for the next.

Below the mineral kingdom of molecules, there are perhaps three other degrees of order, which we can classify as dimensional, subatomic, and atomic. As they were invisible to the ancient world they were unknown, and at the time could only be inferred.

The three degrees of order can be extended to classify three levels of spiritual development, which Swedenborg terms as natural, spiritual and celestial. These three degrees also correspond to three degrees of heaven in the afterlife. The levels of spiritual development, in most general terms, are as follows:

1. A life of usefulness, and obedience to laws
2. Mutual charity, or living by the truth from one's understanding and rationality
3. Acting from love to the Lord

There are three heavens that correspond to these three stages, and these three stages overall correspond to Love, Wisdom and Use in the Lord:

"because the Lord is Love Itself and Wisdom Itself, therefore also He is Use Itself; for love has use for its end, which it produces by means of wisdom. For love and wisdom without use have no boundary or end, that is, they have no home of their own; wherefore it cannot be said that they are and exist unless there be a use in which they are. These three constitute the three degrees of altitude in the subjects of life. These three are as the first end, the middle end which is called the cause, and the last end which is called the effect... These three degrees with the angels are named Celestial, Spiritual, and Natural; and for them the celestial degree is the degree of love, the spiritual degree is the degree of wisdom, and the natural degree is the degree of uses. These degrees are so named because the heavens are distinguished into two kingdoms, and one kingdom is called the celestial and the other the spiritual, to which is added a third kingdom, in which are men in the world, and this is the natural kingdom. And the angels of whom the celestial kingdom consists, are in love; and the angels, of whom the spiritual kingdom consists, are in wisdom; but men in the world are in uses; and therefore these kingdoms are conjoined." (Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 230, 232)

Thus one can see that the theology of the New Church is rational, and conjoins both spirituality and science into one systematic spiritual philosophy that is applicable to one's life.

The Symbolism of the Gemstones of the New Jerusalem

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

Towards the end of the book of Revelation, or the Apocalypse, the apostle John sees a huge city descend out of heaven, which is called the New Jerusalem.  In the visions of Emanuel Swedenborg, he was shown that this is a prophecy of a New Church which would succeed the older Christian churches. A "city", especially Jerusalem, signifies a doctrine, and this city which comes down out of heaven signifies heavenly doctrines. There are two main doctrines which distinguish the New Church from all the Christian churches which preceded it:

1. Acknowledgment of only one God, in one person, who is Jesus Christ.
2. That one must turn away from one's sins and live by God's commandments.

Most consider Jesus to be just a good teacher or prophet, but those who hold this view ignore the many claims He made about Himself in the gospels. The first doctrine, that Jesus Christ is Jehovah in human form, is signified by the light at the center of the city:

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. (Rev. 21:22-23)

The "Lord God Almighty" is God Himself, which no man or angel can approach or see directly. The "Lamb" is the Divine in human form, which resides in the Divine Human as the soul resides in the body of every person. The "light" is the Divine Proceeding, the Holy Spirit, which enlightens us all spiritually. The Divine itself, the Divine in the human, and the Divine proceeding, is one trine in One Person, Jesus Christ. This trine exists in every person as the soul, body and spirit. Other churches which do not profess a belief in one God in one person do not belong to the New Jerusalem. These are the ones which profess a belief in a trinity of three persons, and are signified by the following passage in the book of Revelation:

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. (Rev. 16:13-14)

The false doctrine of a trinity which opposes an idea of one God in one person is signified by the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet in the book of Revelation. Those who support such a doctrine will oppose the church of the New Jerusalem. Such a spiritual conflict is known as the battle of Armageddon. The book of Revelation should not be interpreted literally: it does not concern the kingdoms of this world, it concerns the doctrines and spiritual states of the Christian Church. Whereas a "devil" spiritually means that which influences one to do evil, a "demon" is that which influences people to believe in something false. Thus it is symbolically shown as frogs coming out of the mouth, for the mouth is what teaches others. Most are ignorant of the falsehood, as most do not question the belief-system they grew up with. 

The second doctrine, that one must live by God's commandments, is indicated by this passage:

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. (Rev. 22:14-15)

Those who falsely interpret the apostle Paul, and express a belief in a theology of "faith alone", or belief only, will be the ones who are typically opposed to this second doctrine. You cannot have a faith, and live contrary to it. What survives after death is the true desire of your will. You will go where your desire takes you. This is why the act of repentance, an acknowledgment and

THE GEMSTONES OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

One thing that will make the new Church stronger than the churches that preceded it is that it will be able to see the inner spiritual meaning of scripture.  The doctrines rest on a strong foundation, and the high walls signify the truths which defend it against what is false. In the foundation of the city there are a variety of special gemstones, which all reflect light in a different manner. This signifies the abundant knowledge which is available to those who wish to know the spiritual meaning of the literal sense of scripture, beyond a superficial understanding. Here is the passage:

The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. (Rev. 21:18-21)

Gemstones reflect light in different ways. Likewise, everyone who reads scripture, will see a different aspect of the truth in a different light. Unfortunately, Swedenborg didn't bother to explain the meaning of each gemstone, and assumed they had a similar spiritual meaning to the 12 tribes of Israel explained earlier in his explanation of the Apocalypse, and to similar stones named for the breastplate of Aaron. I decided to take a look at the gemstones in more detail, to see if there was any pattern to the stones.  What I thought was going to be easy quickly got complicated. Lets review each stone, and then towards the end I will examine any possible patterns. What I found was hard to see at first, but it took me by surprise.

1. JASPER (QUARTZ)

Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica (SiO₂), usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. In modern times Jasper refers to a variety of opaque quartz, but in ancient times it had significant translucency. So although there are a variety of Jasper stones, the one intended in scripture seems to be the translucent variety, since it is described as "clear glass." If that is the case, it the ancient gemstone of jasper is not the modern jasper, but quartz (SiO₂):

There are actually many varieties of gemstones that are actually varieties of quartz but with impurities that give them color.

2. SAPPHIRE

Sapphire, meaning "blue stone" is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃). Some sapphires form a six pointed star in their stone due to inclusions in their crystal structure, these are known as "star sapphires". One famous one is the 182 carat Star of Bombay:

3. CHALCEDONY

Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline form of silica (SiO₂), composed of very fine intergrowths of the minerals quartz and moganite. Chalcedony has a waxy luster, and may be semitransparent or translucent. Like jasper, it can assume a wide range of colors, but those most commonly seen are white to gray, grayish-blue or a shade of brown ranging from pale to nearly black. The name "chalcedony" first appears in Pliny the Elder's Natural History of the first century A.D. as a term for a translucid kind of Jasper. The name is probably derived from the town Chalcedon in Asia Minor. A little later the word appears in the Book of Revelation, and unfortunately the word is found nowhere else, so the exact identity of this stone is a bit uncertain.

4. EMERALD

Emerald is a variety of the mineral beryl (Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆) colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. The similarity of emerald to beryl was suspected by Pliny the Elder in his work Natural History of the first century A.D., but that fact was not confirmed until the 19th century. The fact that Chalcedony also appears in that work and was used by the apostle John indicates he may have even read that work. This also happens to be a clue as to why the gems are ordered in the way they are.

5. SARDONYX

Onyx is formed of bands of chalcedony in alternating colors. Its bands are parallel to one another. Sardonyx is a variant in which the colored bands are sard (shades of red) rather than black. Black onyx is perhaps the most famous variety, but is not as common as onyx with colored bands.

6. SARDIUS (CARNELIAN)

The Sardius gemstone is now known as carnelian or sard, which is brownish-red. Both are varieties of the silica mineral chalcedony colored by impurities of iron oxide (Fe2O3). The color can vary greatly, ranging from pale orange to an intense almost-black coloration. According to Pliny the Elder in his Natural History, the stone sardius is derived from the city Sardis in Asia Minor, but it is probably from the Persian word sered  meaning brownish red.

7. CHRYSOLITE (CHRYSOBERYL)

The gemstone chrysoberyl is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula BeAl₂O₄. The Greek word means "gold-white spar".

8. BERYL

Beryl is composed of beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate (Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆). The hexagonal crystals of beryl may be very small or range to several meters in size.

9. TOPAZ

Topaz is a silicate mineral of Aluminium and Fluorine with the chemical formula Al₂SiO₄(F,OH)₂. Topaz crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. Pure topaz is colorless and transparent but is usually tinted by impurities; typical topaz is wine, yellow, pale gray, reddish-orange, or blue brown. It can also be made white, pale green, blue, gold, pink (rare), reddish-yellow or opaque to transparent/translucent.

10. CHRYSOPRASE

Chrysoprase, chrysophrase or chrysoprasus is a gemstone variety of chalcedony that contains small quantities of nickel. Its color is normally apple-green, but varies to deep green.

11. JACINTH

Jacinth is a red transparent variety of zircon (ZrSiO₄).

12. AMETHYST

Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz (SiO₂) and owes its violet color to irradiation, iron impurities (in some cases in conjunction with transition element impurities), and the presence of trace elements.

A CLUE TO THE SYMBOLIC PATTERN OF THE GEMSTONES

So, those are the twelve gemstones that appear in the foundation of the New Jerusalem in the vision of the book of Revelation or Apocalypse.  So when I first looked at it, I could see no pattern in it.  The order and selection of gemstones is completely different than the twelve gemstones listed for the breastplate of Aaron.  As with the twelve tribes of Israel, the different listings can signify different things depending on context.  There does not seem to be a superficial pattern based on color, and even that is complicated by the fact that some of the stones can have different colors. I stared at the information and almost gave up on this.

The clue to the pattern comes from Pliny the Elder's work entitled Natural History.  First, he makes use of the word Chalcedony for a gemstone, and the only other writer to have used that word for a gemstone is the Apostle John in the book of Revelation who was his near contemporary.  In the same work, Pliny the Elder noted how the emerald was similar to beryl. This casual observation was scientifically verified in the 19th century, when it was discovered that emerald had the exact same chemical formula as beryl, it just had an impurity from chromium. Here is some history on emerald and beryl from Wikipedia:

Mineralogist René Just Haüy discovered that both crystals are geometrically identical, and he asked chemist Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin for a chemical analysis. In a 1798 paper read before the Institut de France, Vauquelin reported that he found a new "earth" by dissolving aluminium hydroxide from emerald and beryl in an additional alkali. The editors of the journal Annales de Chimie et de Physique named the new earth "glucine" for the sweet taste of some of its compounds. Klaproth preferred the name "beryllia" due to fact that yttria also formed sweet salts. Friedrich Wöhler and Antoine Bussy independently isolated beryllium in 1828.

The other thing to note is that in the book of Revelation each gemstone is given a number. Emerald is #4. Beryl is #8. Eight is a multiple of four. It was then I got a hint about the pattern.  When discussing the symbolism of numbers, throughout Swedenborg that numbers that are multiples of other numbers often signify the same thing:

...numbers produced by division signify the like as their multiples — for instance five as ten, and as twenty, and also as one hundred and one thousand, and so on (Heavenly Arcana, n. 5708)

...compound numbers signify the same as the simple numbers of which they are composed, and therefore the simple numbers the same as their compounds (Heavenly Arcana, n. 9716) 

Half and double in the Word involve the like with the numbers to which they are applied — as twenty the like with ten, four the like with two, six with three, twenty-four with twelve, and so on; so also numbers still further multiplied involve the like, as a hundred and also a thousand the like with ten, seventy-two and also a hundred and forty-four the like with twelve. What therefore compound numbers involve, can be known from the simple numbers from which and with which they are multiplied; also, what the more simple numbers involve, can be known from the whole numbers, as, what five is can be known from ten, and what two and a half is from five, and so on. In general it is to be known that numbers multiplied involve the like with simple numbers, but what is more full; and that numbers divided involve the same, but what is not so full. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 5291) 

...numbers that are multiples of a similar number have a like signification as the simple numbers of which they are multiples (Apocalypse Explained, n. 336a)

THE SYMBOLIC PATTERN OF THE GEMSTONES

So, knowing that a multiple of a number has a similar spiritual symbolism, and seeing that beryl (#8) was a multiple of emerald (#4), combined with the fact that emerald and beryl were discovered to have the same chemical composition in the 19th century - that could hardly be a coincidence. Its evidence that a higher intelligence was taking the information in the apostle John's head and ordering it in a logical pattern.  So, lets take note of the following pattern of doubling in the list of gemstones for the foundation of the New Jerusalem:

3, 6: Gemstone #3 (Chalcedony) and #6 (Sardius): both are forms of Chalcedony. Both happen to be named after cities in Asia Minor.
4, 8: Gemstone #4 (Emerald) and #8 (Beryl): both have the same chemical composition. Despite being a brighter green, Emerald is the impure version of Beryl.
5, 10: Gemstone #5 (Sardonyx) and #10 (Chrysoprase): both are forms of Chalcedony.
6, 12: Gemstone #6 (Sardius) and #12 (Amethyst): both are forms of Chalcedony. Both contain the impurity of Iron Oxide (Fe2O3).

The sixth and twelfth gemstones contain Iron Oxide:

And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations --- 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' --- as I also have received from My Father (Rev. 2:26-27)
She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne. (Rev. 12:5)
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. (Rev. 19:15)

Swedenborg states, "by the rod of iron with which the nations should be smitten, are signified truths from the literal sense of the Word confirmed by rational arguments from the natural man" (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 828.) As the gemstones in general signify truths from the literal sense of the Word, it is fitting that the sixth and the twelfth gemstones happen to have iron in them.

We have seen a doubling pattern for gemstones from #3 to #6. Beyond that we cannot double.  But what about gemstones #1 (Jasper or Quartz) and #2 (Sapphire)?  It would seem that gemstones #1, #2 and #4 form what I call a "base series" - gemstones #1, #2 and #4 represent the common base elements that can be found in all the other gemstones:

Gemstone #1 (Jasper or Quartz) is composed of Silicon Dioxide (SiO₂). All forms of Chalcedony are also composed of Silicon Dioxide.  Silicon has a tetrahedral formation of SiO₄ but the other oxygens combine with other silicon atoms to form the final composition of SiO₂: the following shows Silicon surrounded by four oxygen atoms, each forming a vertex of a tetrahedron:

Gemstone #2 (Sapphire) is an aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃). Each Aluminum atom has an octahedral geometry:

A tetrahedron has four faces. An octahedron has 8 faces. Again, a doubling. Note that the tetrahedron and octahedron are among the five Platonic solids:

We see forms of the tetrahedron and the octahedron in the chemical geometry of the gemstones.  The cube, of course, is the shape of the city of the New Jerusalem.  The city has twelve "gates".  Note that the Icosahedron has 12 vertices, and the Dodecahedron has 12 faces (they are duals of each other). The number 12 appears prominently in the symbolism of the New Jerusalem - more on the meaning of the number 12 later.

Now from gemstones #1 and #2, if we double again, gemstone #4 (Emerald) contains silicon, aluminum, and beryllium.  Those are the three base elements from which all the gemstones are formed. Their variety comes from trace elements caught in their formation. The base elements can be found in the following gemstones:

Silicon Dioxide (SiO₂): 7 gemstones (1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12)
Aluminum: 4 gemstones (2, 7, 8, 9)
Beryllium: 3 gemstones (4, 7, 8)

Also recall that in an earlier blog entry I divided the periodic table of the elements into seven main groups, as follows:

1. Alkali metals
2. Alkaline earth metals
3. Transition metals
4. Post transition metals and Metalloids
5. Non-metals
6. Halogens
7. Noble gases

Beryllium belongs to group 2.  Aluminum and Silicon belong to group 4.  Again, a "doubling."

So why this pattern of doubling?  This is because the number two signifies marriage love, the conjunction between good and truth. It symbolizes the union between God and His church. Thus the city of the New Jerusalem is first described as the "Lamb's wife":

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." (Rev. 21:9)

THE CITIES OF CHALCEDON AND SARDIS

I want to focus on another kind of symbolism in the names of the gemstones, which I think is not accidental.  Note that Chalcedony (gemstone #3) is probably named after the city of Chalcedon in Asia Minor. Its "double" is Sardius (gemstone #6) which is named after the city of Sardis in Asia Minor.  Sardis is well known to those who have read the book of Revelation: the church of Sardis is mentioned at the beginning, as the fifth church out of the seven churches. In the letter to Sardis Jesus said:

You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments (Rev. 3:4-5)

Sardis is the fifth church. If we look at the fifth gemstone, it is Sardonyx, which is basically sard mixed with Onyx stone.  You can see white bands mixed with red.  In the sixth gemstone, that which was sard in the onyx stone is separated to become Sardius. This could symbolize the "cleansing" of the white garments. Sardius thus does not exactly represent Sardis, but rather what comes after Sardis, which was practically a dead church.  Thus Sardius is the sixth gemstone, which comes after the fifth. And we see that is the case in the following passage:

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Rev. 19:7-8)

White is a symbol of truth. Red is a symbol of love - or in the opposite sense, evil sin. Before white and red were mixed in Sardonyx, which gets purified in righteous deeds (Sardius). Now, if the gemstone Sardius represents what comes after Sardis, then the gemstone Chalcedony represents what comes after Chalcedon.  So, why would the city Chalcedon be marked as a significant city, when this city does not even appear among the seven churches of Asia Minor earlier in the book of Revelation?  At that time, Chalcedon was not important.  But it just so happens that the city of Chalcedon plays a very important role in the Christian Church.  So important, you can call it foundational - and its yet another item that shows that the book of Revelation is a prophetic work.

It just so happens, that the last major ecumenical council took place in the city of Chalcedon in the fifth century A.D. It is known as the "Council of Chalcedon":

The Council of Chalcedon was a church council held from October 8 to November 1, AD 451, at Chalcedon (a city of Bithynia in Asia Minor), on the Asian side of the Bosporus, known in modern times as Istanbul. The council marked a significant turning point in the Christological debates that led to the separation of the church of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century. It is the last council which many Anglicans and most Protestants consider ecumenical. ...The Council of Chalcedon issued the 'Chalcedonian Definition,' which repudiated the notion of a single nature in Christ, and defined that he has two natures in one person and hypostasis; it also insisted on the completeness of his two natures: Godhead and manhood.

Most modern churches - Catholic and Protestant - are Chalcedonian in their theological views.The problem is, not only is this doctrine foundational for these churches, it happens to be false. The doctrine in itself, like the trinity, is again not exactly logically coherent (of the illogical mathematical variety of not 2 but 1, and not 1 but 2), so there will be an endless variety of opinion on what it is and what is isn't. Swedenborg was shown in a vision that the purpose of this council was not to arrive at the truth, but rather to divide the nature of Christ into a perpetual dual Divine and human nature.  The reason for this theological distinction was so that the Popes of the Catholic Church could claim the title of "vicar of Christ" - that is, one who stands in the place of Christ as head of the church. In this way the Catholic Church consolidated its authority, thus the council found strong support from Pope Leo the Great. Those who held that Jesus had one nature - Divine - then became known as "Monophysites".  Who were the Monophysites? The original Christians of the Middle East!  It took another century for the Byzantine Empire to suppress them as heretics. Sick and tired of persecution, the Monophysites eventually joined forces with Islam to get rid of the Byzantine Empire. And so began the gradual decline of the Christian Church, as it became a tool for political power.

The church of the New Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven, is NOT Chalcedonian.  It is what comes after the false doctrine of the Council of Chalcedon, just as the gemstone Sardius represents what comes after the dead church of Sardis. And that is the hidden meaning of that obscure stone of Chalcedony which was mentioned only by John and Pliny the Elder in ancient times. The truth of the matter is, although born as a human, through a process of sanctification Jesus made His Human Divine.  This was a process that took His entire human lifetime, until the mere human body he inherited from his mother Mary was transformed into the Divine Human: one nature, Divine, as the Monophysites originally declared.  This is why He rose from the dead: His body was a Divine reflection of the Divine soul from within Him. And that is why He lives forever now. This is known in the New Church as the doctrine of the Divine Human, and is a foundational belief for those who wish to become sanctified in their own lives. It is a foundational doctrine of the New Jerusalem.

The Spiritual Symbolism of the Four Forces

THE SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATIVE UNIVERSE

In Emanuel Swedenborg's Doctrine of Correspondence, there is nothing that exists in this material natural world which is not a representative, or symbol, of something in the spiritual world:

...there is never anything in the created world which has not correspondence with the things existing in the spiritual world, and which does not thus in its own manner represent something in the Lord's kingdom; from this is the existence and subsistence of all things. If man knew how these things are, he would never attribute all things to nature, as is usually done. Hence it is that all things and every single thing in the universe represent the Lord's kingdom; even so that the universe with its heavenly constellations, its atmospheres, and its three kingdoms, is nothing else than a kind of theatre representative of the Lord's glory which is in the heavens. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2999-3000)

Here I am going to cover some symbolism, ranging from scripture, to ancient myths, a bit of astrology...to modern science.  I am going to focus on the subatomic world, the second plane of existence in Young's Reflexive Universe. This goes a bit all over the place....but that's the nature of the microcosm, or a holographic universe, where the part explains the whole.

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE FOUR FORCES OF THE UNIVERSE

Swedenborg wrote that the natural forces of this world correspond to that which is spiritual which proceeds from God:

In everything spiritual there are three forces, an active force, a creative force, and a formative force. The active force, because it is spiritual, proceeds from the fountain of all forces, which is the sun of heaven, and that is the Lord's Divine love, and love is the active itself, from which the living force which is life proceeds. The creative force is the force that produces causes and effects from beginning to end, and reaches from the First through intermediates to the last. ...The formative force is the last force from ultimates, for it is the force that produces animals and plants from the ultimate materials of nature, which are collected in the earth. The forces that are in nature from its origin, which is the sun of the world, are not living forces but dead forces. ...They do not differ from the forces of light in the eye, which simply cause the mind, which is spiritual, to see by means of its organ, the eye. The light of the world sees nothing, but the mind by the light of heaven. The same is true of plants. He who believes that the heat and light of the sun of the world do anything more than open and dispose the things proper to nature that they may receive influx from the spiritual world is very much deceived. (Apocalypse Explained, n. 1209.2-3)

We now know more about the natural forces of the universe, which Swedenborg described above according to the knowledge of his time. There are four universal forces: gravity, electromagnetic (light), the weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force:

THE SYMBOLISM OF LIGHT

So what do these four forces mean in the spiritual world? Light - the carrier of the electromagnetic force - is the easiest: it corresponds to Divine truth, that which enlightens us spiritually. There are many passages of scripture which use this symbolism:

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. (John 1:4-9)

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." (John 8:12)

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5)

For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. (Ps. 18:28) 

The LORD is my light and my salvation (Ps. 27:1) 

Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle. (Ps. 43:3)

The above passages, by the way, show the equivalence between Jesus as LORD, and Jehovah as LORD in the Old Testament. That's because Jesus is Jehovah in human form - one and the same. There is no such thing as a trinity of three persons as invented by the Nicene council in the 4th century A.D. But that is another subject I have brought up in other blog entries. It is problematic, as that is the underlying assumption in the theology of most Christian churches.

THE SYMBOLISM OF GRAVITY

From the correspondence of light to Divine Truth, its easy to figure out what gravity corresponds to: it corresponds to Divine Love. Anything that has mass is attracted to another body that has mass. The higher the mass, the stronger the attraction. Gravity is a property of space. The stronger the love, the closer we feel to another person. There is not, of course, a direct reference to gravity in scripture, but there is to weight or burden:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matt. 11:28-30)

Swedenborg saw that in the other life, space and distance are appearances: there is no space and time in the spiritual world. Spirits and angels will be closer or farther from each other dependent on their love:

...in the spiritual world one appears in presence to another, if only he intensely desires his presence; for thus he sees him in thought, and presents himself in his state; and conversely, one is removed from another so far as he is averse to him. And because all aversion is from contrariety of affections and from disagreement of thoughts, it comes to pass in that world, that several who are in one place are seen by one another so long as they agree, but as soon as they disagree they disappear. When also any one goes from one place to another, whether it be in his own city, or in courts, or in gardens, or to others out of his own society, then he arrives more quickly when he eagerly desires it, and more tardily when he does not—the way itself being lengthened and shortened according to the desire, although it is the same: this I have often seen to my surprise. (Heaven and Hell, n. 195-195)

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE WEAK AND STRONG NUCLEAR FORCES

Gravity and light are well apparent and obvious to many, but it is only within the last century that science has becomes aware of two other forces: the weak and strong nuclear forces. If gravity corresponds to love, and light to truth, then what about the weak and strong nuclear forces? These were not known in Swedenborg's day. However, in the psychology of the human Swedenborg describes a progression from the celestial (Love) to the spiritual (Truth) to the rational, and from the rational to the natural. Or to put it another way, the will is one's love, one's understanding is one's truth, then comes the rational, and the outward external body is the natural. Swedenborg describes our rational self as the medium between our internal spiritual self, and our outward bodily self:

The rational also pertains to the external man and in itself is a kind of medium between the internal and external; for through the rational the internal operates into the corporeal external (Heavenly Arcana, n. 268)

Properly speaking, the sensual man, that is, he who thinks from sensual things, is the external man, and the spiritual and celestial man is the internal man; but the rational man is mediate between the two, and by this, or by what is rational, there is communication of the internal man with the external. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 978.3) 

Throughout his writings, Swedenborg calls the inner spiritual self the "intellectual", there is a medium called the "rational" and the lowest degree are mere knowledges of the memory:

There are three degrees of the intellectual faculties in man; the lowest is the knowing faculty; the middle is the rational; the highest, the intellectual. These are so distinct from each other that they should never be confounded. But man is not cognizant of this, for the reason that he places life in what is of sense and knowledge only; and while he cleaves to this, he cannot even know that his rational is distinct from the knowing; and still less that his intellectual is so. And yet the truth is that the Lord flows through man's intellectual into his rational, and through his rational into the knowledge of the memory. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 657).

These planes of the human soul were known to the ancient Egyptians: in the hieroglyphs, Egyptologists have been puzzled by the separate terminology the Egyptian priests gave to the human soul, self or body. But that is another topic.

Knowledges of the memory are in the lowest degree, as they are obtained through the bodily senses from the outward world. The progression of human growth is from knowledge, to reason, to things spiritual, which regards use as their end:

It may be evident to any one, if he gives attention to the matter, that the learning of knowledges is nothing else of itself than means whereby a man may become rational, and thence spiritual, and at last celestial; and that by them his external man may be adjoined to his internal; and when this is done, he is in use itself. The internal man regards nothing but use. For the sake of this end, also, the Lord insinuates the enjoyment which childhood and youth perceives in acquiring knowledge. But when a man begins to place enjoyment in knowledge alone, it is a corporeal desire which carries him away. And so far as he is thus carried away, or so far as he places enjoyment in knowledge alone, so far he removes himself from the celestial, and so far does the knowledge shut itself up towards the Lord, and become material; but the more the knowledge is acquired for the end of use — as for the sake of human society, for the sake of the Lord's church on the earth, for the sake of the Lord's kingdom in the heavens, and still more for the Lord's sake — the more is it opened towards Him. On this account, also, angels, who are acquainted with all knowledges, and indeed to such a degree that scarce one part in ten thousand can be presented to the full apprehension of man, still esteem such knowledge as nothing in comparison with use. (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1472.2)

So, if everything in the natural world corresponds to the spiritual, we can tentatively guess the symbolism of the four forces known is physics as follows:

1. Gravity = Love, or the will.
2. Light = Truth, or spiritual understanding, the higher "intellectual" (conscience).
3. Weak force = the Rational
4. Strong force = knowledges, the outward natural man, from sensory perceptions.

Gravity and light as symbols of love and truth is more commonly known to people as we experience these everyday: gravity we feel, and light we see. Likewise we feel love, and we see things by the truth. The strong force, as it binds quarks together to form atomic nuclei, makes sense as a symbol for outward knowledges gained from the natural world. That leaves the weak force as a symbol of the rational - which will sound a bit strange at first. The weak force combines with electromagnetism (light) to create the electroweak force. The weak force also ensures atoms have balanced protons and neutrons, atoms that do not go through radioactive beta decay. It is responsible for the decay of heavy particles into lighter particles. It plays a large role in hydrogen fusion, and luckily its weak or otherwise our sun would have burned out long ago. But this is not an association most would make, without a knowledge of the internal planes that humans must pass through to achieve their full potential. So for now, let's assume that the symbolic association for the weak force is true.

THE FOUR ANIMALS OR LIVING BEINGS

If everything is symbolic of something spiritual, the four forces which govern the entire universe must be symbolic of something rather important. Without these forces, nothing would exist. Is there something in scripture related to these four forces? For that, one of the strangest passages of the Bible came to mind: the vision of the Apocalypse, where the apostle John sees four living creatures surrounding the throne of God:

Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: " Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" (Rev. 4:6-8)

The prophet Ezekiel had a similar vision of these four living creatures or angels:

Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.
Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man.
Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings.
Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves' feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze.
The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings.
Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.
As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. (Ezek. 1:4-10)

Ezekiel continues later in his description:

As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning.
And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning.
Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces.
The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.
When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. (Ezek. 1:13-17)

The reference to the wheels are interesting. We know all the force carriers have intrinsic spin, or a discrete angular momentum.

These bizarre passages of scripture are highly symbolic, and as such, I could find no adequate explanation of this symbolism until I encountered Emanuel Swedenborg. Only Swedenborg goes down to the level of detail where he describes the symbolism of the calf, lion, man, the eagle, and all those other small details that most ignore. But before we get into the meaning of these four living creatures, I would like to note that these four guardians are ancient symbols of a stellar religion which preceded Judaism. Some time during the astrological age of Taurus (4th and 3rd millenium B.C.) - or earlier - these four guardians were assigned to the four quarters of the heavens, as follows:

1. The sign of Taurus = the calf, or bull
2. The sign of Leo = the lion
3. The sign of Scorpio  = the man
4. The sign of Aquarius = the eagle

This symbolism was probably assigned during the astrological age of Taurus, for in that time during the vernal equinox the sun rose in the sign of Taurus, the summer solstice occurred in Leo, the autumnal equinox occurred in Scorpio and the winter solstice occurred in Aquarius.

Some have seen this association before, but do not know why this is the case. Preceding Judaism there were former heavenly visions, and in the Middle East some of this knowledge can be seen in the way the symbols of the zodiac were created. Thus some of these animals can be seen as guardians to ancient temples. Some of this ancient knowledge is very Messianic in nature - they knew in early times, a Saviour, half-man and half-God, would be born of a virgin to save the human race.

Most, who have seen this association, assign Scorpio to the eagle, and Aquarius the water-bearer to the man. But, I want to point out why this is incorrect. Why would a man be used to symbolize the sign of Scorpio, which is a scorpion? I believe that this man is signified by the constellation of Ophiucus, the serpent bearer. Ophiucus is a huge man who is treading on the Scorpion. And this provides a clue as to the meaning of the living animal who has the face of a man:

I have seen some speculate that Ophiucus is the healer Asclepius in Greek myth. This symbol was used by Moses to save the people from the bites of poisonous serpents (Num. 21:6-9). Here is the rod of Asclepius - in North America the symbol of the caduceus is confused with this symbol:

Aquarius is often taken as the sign that is represented by the man, but this is also incorrect. Its an easy mistake to make, seeing that there is a man bearing a water jar in this sign. So was the sign of Aquarius ever associated with an eagle?  I found this story from Mythology of the constellation Aquarius:

[Aquarius] is the eleventh zodiacal sign and one which has always been connected with water. To the Babylonians it represented an overflowing urn, and they associated this with the heavy rains which fell in their eleventh month, whilst the Egyptians saw the constellation as Hapi, the god of the Nile.
Greek legend, however, tells of Ganymede, an exceptionally handsome, young prince of Troy. He was spotted by Zeus, who immediately decided that he would make a perfect cup-bearer. The story then differs - one version telling how Zeus sent his pet eagle, Aquila, to carry Ganymede to Olympus, another that it was Zeus, himself, disguised as an eagle, who swept up the youth and carried him to the home of the gods. ...Ganymede, often riding on Aquila and always carrying the golden cup, accompanied the great god on his travels, impressing him with his kindness. This was made manifest when, realising how in need of water the people on earth were, he pleaded with Zeus to be allowed to help them and was given permission to send down rain. Eventually he was glorified as Aquarius, god of rain, and placed amongst the stars.

Here is a Roman mural showing Ganymede being carried off by an eagle:

Despite the fact that most symbols of Aquarius show a water bearer, and not an eagle, will be seen to have no difference as water and eagle symbolize something very similar in the spiritual world.

THE SPIRITUAL SYMBOLISM OF THE FOUR ANIMALS

These four living creatures are very ancient symbols. So what, exactly, is the spiritual symbolism of these four animals? For that, we look at what Emanuel Swedenborg had to say - for it was to him that the internal spiritual sense of scripture was opened in visions, which took place in a period of over 25 years:

And in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four animals, signifies the Lord's Word from first things to ultimates, and its guards. I know that men will wonder that it is said that the four animals signify the Word: but that this is their signification will be seen in what follows. These animals are the same with the cherubs in Ezekiel. There also, in chapter first, they are called animals; but in the tenth chapter, cherubs: and they were, like these, a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle. In the Hebrew language they are there called chajoth, which word indeed signifies animals; but it is derived from chaja, which is life; from which also Adam's wife was called chaja (Gen. iii. 20). Animal also, in the singular number, is called chaja in Ezekiel, hence those animals may also be called living beings. Nor is it extraordinary that the Word is described by animals, when the Lord Himself is here and there in the Word called a lion, and often a lamb; and they who are in charity from the Lord are called sheep; and also the understanding of the Word is called a horse in chapters that follow. That by those animals or cherubs the Word is signified, is manifest from the fact that they were seen in the midst of and around the throne; and in the midst of the throne was the Lord: and because the Lord is the Word, they could not be seen anywhere else. They were also around the throne, because they were in the angelic heaven, where also the Word is. That the Word and its guards are signified by cherubs is shown in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture (n. 97); where are these words: "The literal sense of the Word is a guard for the genuine truths which lie hid within; and the protection lies in this, that that sense can be turned hither and thither; that is, be explained according to one's apprehension, and yet the internal of the Word not be injured or violated by it. For it does no harm for the sense of the letter to be understood by one otherwise than by another; but it does do harm, if the Divine truths which lie hid within are perverted: for by this is violence offered to the Word. Lest this should be done, the sense of the letter acts as a guard; and it is a guard with those who are in falsities from religion, and do not confirm those falsities; for these do not offer any violence. This guard is signified by cherubs, and is also described by them in the Word. (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 239)

...the cherubs was signified a guard, that the Lord, heaven, and the Divine truth, such as it is interiorly in the Word, should not be approached immediately, but mediately through the ultimates (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 239)

So, the four animals signify the Divine Truth in their ultimate form. For Swedenborg, this was the sense of the letter of scripture. For us, we are focusing on the ultimate form of the Divine Truth as it appears in nature, specifically the four known forces. Nature in itself is a theatric representation of spiritual matters: when in ancient times they knew this, they had no need of a revelation in the written form. These ultimate forms of the truth act as a guard to the ultimate truth: for they are symbols, and those who only dwell on appearances only will be stuck on the appearance. The "guards" to the higher Divine truth are also planes of development: we must pass through the lower planes of development before reaching a higher plane. Here is the symbolic meaning of each of the four living creatures, or angelic cherubs:

1. Animal like a calf (Taurus) = The Divine Truth as to affection, or love
2. Animal like a lion (Leo) = The Divine Truth as to power
3. Animal with face of a man (Scorpio/Ophiucus) = The Divine Truth as to wisdom (= Rationality)
4. Animal like an eagle (Aquarius) = The Divine Truth as to knowledge

I won't cover each of these symbolic meanings right now (this blog is a bit longer than I expected). Observe how similar the above symbolism is with the four forces of the universe:

1. Gravity = Love, or the will.
2. Light = Truth, or spiritual understanding, the higher "intellectual" (conscience).
3. Weak force = the Rational
4. Strong force = knowledges, the outward natural man, from sensory perceptions.

In ancient myths, the leg of the Taurus is the Big Dipper, the location of the pole star around which the heavens rotate.  This rotation, of course, is due to gravity. Light as a force is signified by a lion - the closest thing the ancients had to our abstract concept of "force" were of course strong animals. Leo ruled over the summer, the time when the power of heat and light from the sun was at its strongest. As for the man signifying wisdom or rationality, this is due to the fact that males are forms of intellect, whereas females are forms of the volitional will. Thus the man can signify the rational. But why is the constellation of Ophiucus associated with a scorpion? This has to do with the symbolism of scorpions:

By a scorpion is signified a deadly persuasive power, and by a scorpion of the earth persuasive power in matters of the church; since the earth signifies the church. For a scorpion, when he stings a man, induces a stupor upon the limbs, and, if it is not cured, death. Their persuasive power induces the like upon the understanding. Such also is signified by the scorpion in these passages: Be thou not afraid of them and of their words; they are thorny; thou dwellest among scorpions; they are hard of face and obstinate of heart (Ezek. ii. 4, 6). Jesus said to the seventy whom He sent forth, Behold, I give unto you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke x. 19). (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 425).

Thus the image of a man battling with a poisonous serpent or scorpion is true reason, fighting against false persuasive arguments. Only rationality, guided by spiritual truth, can fight against the arguments people come up with against God and religion. Unfortunately, rationality is not so developed in those who are in blind religious belief. Earlier I associated the symbolism of the weak force with rationality. The weak force causes heavier particles to decay into more light particles. And the funny thing is, the weak force causes beta decay: and this radioactivity is poisonous, similar to the bite of a serpent or sting of a scorpion.

On another point of symbolism, both the eagle and water signify knowledges. That water also signifies knowledge in certain contexts, can be seen from the following passages:

Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst. (Isa. 5:13) 

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. (Isa. 11:9)

Thus, in ancient times, Aquarius the water-bearer was associated with the eagle: both are symbols of knowledge. Without understanding this symbolism, these ancient myths will make no sense whatsoever.

THE PROGRESSION OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Whereas the progression of the Divine is from love into ultimates, the progression of each man or woman proceeds in the opposite direction: from knowledge, to reason, to spiritual understanding, to love. Young knew he was onto something in his philosophy explained in The Reflexive Universe. Here we covered the symbolism of some of the subatomic particles, which lies in the second plane of existence. The seventh plane is the plane of spiritual development: by understanding the symbols of these discrete degrees of order, we can gain a better understanding of the spiritual world. In the second plane, there are actually seven substages:

1. Graviton. Mediates gravity.
2. Photon. Mediates electromagnetism.
3. W/Z bosons. Mediates weak force.
4. Gluons. Mediates strong force.
5. Quarks. Forms the basis of baryon matter.
6. Baryons (photons, neutrons). Composites of quarks.
7. Leptons (electrons...).

I have only covered the first four forces, and not the fermions. Honestly I am still thinking about this one. Nothing can exist, unless there is an acting force, and something to act upon.  In this case matter is the passive body upon which the forces act upon. In all human progression, there is end, cause, and effect.  Or in other words, there is one's intention, one's thought on how to perform that intention, and then the effect or act. In other words, one's thoughts or intentions does not become "living" or "real" unless it is applied in one's life, or in one's activity. What does this imply? That the entire universe, is intentional, that every movement, is an action. The view of the universe as a mechanical machine falls apart, when we realize that at a quantum level, everything is a probability - giving room for all the universe to be a manifestation of One Being to act in an intentional way.

The Seven Dimensions of Physics

THE SEVEN PLANES OF EXISTENCE

There are seven planes of existence in all of creation, in which each plane is a higher level order than the one that preceded it. Moreover, the former plane always acts as the foundation for the following plane. The seven planes of existence I propose are a modified version of what Young proposed in the Reflexive Universe, and taken together it forms a foundation for a theory of everything. I am labeling this series of blogs with "Universal Order" if you want to review some of the earlier blogs (see blog Label column on the left). The smallest part is the microcosm of the whole, and what we see is a symbolic representation of a higher order of existence. This correspondence between different planes can be seen in the planes that have been explored by science. Thus it is related to Emanuel Swedenborg's Doctrine of Correspondences, where everything that exists is a symbolic representation of something higher. The seven planes are:

1. Space-time
2. Subatomic particles
3. Atoms
4. Molecules
5. Plants
6. Animals & Man
7. (an unknown state of existence)

Before I get into the seventh plane, I want to first establish a foundation. So I have been going through each plane, and within each plane there are seven smaller substages. We did this for subatomic particles, atoms, molecules, plants, and animals.  For the latter two scientific advances have been made in molecular phylogenetics, which is refining or redefining taxonomies that were done earlier based on morphology alone. There is one last gap that needs to be filled: and that is space-time. I brought up some various theories before, but as they are incomplete (and somewhat confusing, especially String Theory) I wanted to return back to this plane one more time.

THE SEVEN DIMENSIONS OF SPACE-TIME

Let us start with the dimensions that we know from Euclidean geometry:

1. 0 dimensions. This is represented by a point.
2. 1 dimension. This is represented by a line.
3. 2 dimensions. This is represented by a triangle.
4. 3 dimensions. This is represented by the four sided tetrahedron.

Let us assume these dimensions represent the first four substages of the space-time plane. These four geometric symbols, point, line, triangle and tetrahedron, were regarded as important among the ancient Pythagoreans. They can be taken to represent not only the first four substages of space-time, but also the first four planes of existence. Space-time can be taken to have 0 dimensions as it is everywhere, particles travel in a wave similar to a line, atoms are built on top of three quarks per proton and neutron, as well as require a minimum of three types of subatomic particles (proton, neutron, electron), and we saw earlier that there are four molecular bonds which can be used to classify all molecules in the form of a tetrahedron. This is no accident: we see how the microcosm explains the whole.

According to the pattern that we have been seeing, there should be seven substages of space-time, thus there should be higher dimensions than the ones we see. While this sounds like science fiction, in high level physics it is not. In fact, in order to explain certain phenomenon physics requires these other dimensions to exist. So, let us proceed to higher dimensions, according to our current knowledge of physics.

THE FOURTH DIMENSION

What is the fourth dimension? In higher physics, the fourth dimension is what we experience as time. To imagine this, flatten 3-dimensional space into a plane. As this plane moves to fill in a cube, that is what we experience as time. Time can only move in one direction to maintain causality. In Einstein's theory of special relativity, time is the fourth dimension. Time as the fourth dimension is what is known as "Minkowski Space-Time."  This was proposed by Minkowski to complement Einstein's theory of relativity, and although at first Einstein thought it was just a mathematical device, he eventually accepted it as it is necessary in order to understand how special relativity works. When he introduced the theory in 1908, Minkowski said the following:

"The views of space and time which I wish to lay before you have sprung from the soil of experimental physics, and therein lies their strength. They are radical. Henceforth space by itself, and time by itself, are doomed to fade away into mere shadows, and only a kind of union of the two will preserve an independent reality."

Here is an image of Minkowski Space:

So how does this model help in the theory of Special Relativity? The best way to explain it, is to see it.  See the following video, which also explains the relationship between Einstein's theory of Special Relativity and the Lorentz transformations:

To sum up the theory of Special Relativity I will quote from Wikipedia:

This theory has a wide range of consequences which have been experimentally verified, including counter-intuitive ones such as length contraction, time dilation and relativity of simultaneity. It has replaced the classical notion of invariant time interval for two events with the notion of invariant space-time interval. Combined with other laws of physics, the two postulates of special relativity predict the equivalence of mass and energy, as expressed in the mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc^2, where c is the speed of light in vacuum. The predictions of special relativity agree well with Newtonian mechanics in their common realm of applicability, specifically in experiments in which all velocities are small compared with the speed of light. Special relativity reveals that c is not just the velocity of a certain phenomenon—namely the propagation of electromagnetic radiation (light)—but rather a fundamental feature of the way space and time are unified as spacetime. One of the consequences of the theory is that it is impossible for any particle that has rest mass to be accelerated to the speed of light.

However, there are limitations to the theory. Special Relativity, and Minkowski Space, work as long as there is no significant gravitation.  Where there is strong gravitation, space-time becomes curved, in which case we must move on to the General Theory of Relativity which takes into account gravitation.

THE PENTACHORON

Considering how we can represent dimensions 0-3 as a point, line, triangle and tetrahedron, how can we represent the fourth dimension?  When I thought about it, there was only one geometric shape in which we could represent the fourth dimension of space-time: the pentachoron, also known as the pentatope or hyperpyramid or "4-simplex":

The pentachoron or pentatope is a tetrahedron, except now there is an extra vertex in the middle.  Inside the pentachoron are four tetrahedrons, which form the outer figure of a bigger tetrahedron. It is also known as the "5-cell".  Its described as a "four-dimensional object bounded by five tetrahedral cells." A four dimensional object?  I then found this entry on the Pentatope from Wolfram Mathworld:

The pentatope is the simplest regular figure in four dimensions, representing the four-dimensional analog of the solid tetrahedron. It is also called the 5-cell, since it consists of five vertices, or pentachoron. The pentatope is the four-dimensional simplex, and can be viewed as a regular tetrahedron  in which a point  along the fourth dimension through the center of  is chosen so that . 

To map out higher dimensional objects, mathematicians create an orthographic projection of the vertices and edges onto a Coxeter plane. Here is the pentachoron projected onto a flat Coxeter plane:

Which of course is the sacred symbol of the pentagram.  It was regarded as sacred by the ancients as well as  the Pythagoreans. The phi ratio is present where each inner line intersects the other inner line. Some take it as a negative symbol used in occult practices, but it was not so originally.

THE FIFTH DIMENSION

The fifth dimension is the curvature of space-time due to matter, and this is where the theory of General Relativity comes in. Why is this another dimension?  Suppose we live in a 2-dimensional world.  If we draw a triangle on our 2-dimensional plane, all the angles should add up to 180 degrees. But suppose it was not true that we were living on a 2-dimensional plane, but instead a sphere. The angles of the triangle would add up to 270 degrees:

As a result of measuring the angles, we would conclude that there was a dimension beyond the 2-dimensional world.  But it is not something we would be able to imagine, as our imagination is limited to 2-dimensions.  Similarly, we are seeing that large masses cause the curvature of space and time.  This is explained in the theory of General Relativity.  It also indicates that there is a dimension beyond the three space dimensions that we know and the fourth time dimension. Here is a description of the theory of General Relativity:

General relativity, or the general theory of relativity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916 and the current description of gravitation in modern physics. General relativity generalises special relativity and Newton's law of universal gravitation, providing a unified description of gravity as a geometric property of space and time, or spacetime. In particular, the curvature of spacetime is directly related to the energy and momentum of whatever matter and radiation are present. The relation is specified by the Einstein field equations, a system of partial differential equations.

As far as I know, General Relativity does not speak of the curvature of space-time as the fifth dimension. But other theories do. The Kaluza-Klein theory makes use of five dimensions to unify gravity with the electromagnetic force. While it successfully does this, it has one weakness:

However, an attempt to convert this interesting geometrical construction into a bona-fide model of reality founders on a number of issues, including the fact that the fermions must be introduced in an artificial way (in nonsupersymmetric models).

In other words, it is incomplete. It does not account for the existence of matter. Also, it is not clear how to experimentally verify this theory. But the math checks out. From Kaluza, Klein and their story of a fifth dimension:

This Kaluza-Klein Theory had many fascinating consequences. Things that have charge under electromagnetism are would just be things that are moving in this circular fifth dimension. The radius of this extra dimension would be related to the electric charge of particles. A charged particle would be move in one direction in the fifth dimension, and an oppositely charged particle would move in the other. And as the momentum of two oppositely charge particles would cancel out when they collide, they would no longer move in the fifth dimension making their combined charge neutral.

This is interesting: things that occur in other dimensions would manifest in different ways in our own dimension. Such lower level orders explain why we have charge.  Science explains the behaviour of charge, but not why there is charge. Another more recent five dimensional theory to explain gravity is the Randall-Sundrum model. I found this other article entitled Higgs Field as Weak Boson in five Dimensions, which would seem to validate my earlier guess of putting the scalar Higgs field in the space-time plane.

If we were to continue our geometric representation for each dimension, we end up with something known as a hexateron or "5-simplex".  It has 6 vertices, 15 edges, 20 triangle faces, 15 tetrahedral cells, and 6 pentachoron facets. Here is what its projection looks like on Coxeter plane:

In other words, something coming close to the Star of David. The Star of David being used as a symbol for the Jewish nation is relatively recent, dating to around the seventeenth century. Earlier, it was simply a magical symbol known as the "Seal of Solomon", used to imprison or command spirits. Thus its somewhat similar in magical symbolism to the pentagram. Odd. Here is one version of the Seal of Solomon:

However this does not go back far enough. Earlier than this, it was known as a "hexagram" and appeared in Hinduism, Bhuddism and Jainism. Here is a possible meaning of the hexagram in ancient India, from Wikipedia:

Within Indic lore, the shape is generally understood to consist of two triangles—one pointed up and the other down—locked in harmonious embrace. The two components are called "Om" and the "Hrim" in Sanskrit, and symbolize man's position between earth and sky. The downward triangle symbolizes Shakti, the sacred embodiment of femininity, and the upward triangle symbolizes Shiva, or Agni Tattva, representing the focused aspects of masculinity. The mystical union of the two triangles represents Creation, occurring through the divine union of male and female. The two locked triangles are also known as 'Shanmukha'—the six-faced, representing the six faces of Shiva & Shakti's progeny Kartikeya. This symbol is also a part of several yantras and has deep significance in Hindu ritual worship and history.

THE SIXTH DIMENSION

We now arrive at the sixth dimension. So what in the world goes on here?  A curvature of the curvature of space-time.  In other words, matter in our 3 dimensional world may be a manifestation of the sixth dimension. The fifth dimension cannot handle fermions, the sixth dimension does. The Physics theory which uses six dimensions is known as the "Yang-Mills theory".  From Wikipedia:

Yang–Mills theory is a gauge theory based on the SU(N) group, or more generally any compact, semi-simple Lie group. Yang–Mills theory seeks to describe the behavior of elementary particles using these non-Abelian Lie groups and is at the core of the unification of the Weak and Electromagnetic force (i.e. U(1)xSU(2)) as well as Quantum Chromodynamics, the theory of the Strong force (based on SU(3)). Thus it forms the basis of our current understanding of particle physics, the Standard Model.

I was looking for something to explain the Yang Mills theory simply, here is a geometric representation I could find which is partly in Russian. I am not trusting it completely, so see the other videos below for a more objective description of Yang Mills theory:

Comments on the video:  Some of this looks highly conjectural, but I am interested in some of the geometric interpretations of space-time. Interesting point: extra dimensions or fields are "round", and the unit of distance is the Planck length. It shows the relationship between the six dimensions and the six observed colors in quarks. One must understand the underlying geometry to understand why particles behave the way they do. Extensive use of triangles are made, and throughout several hexagrams are made. A graviton with +/- 2 spin is used to explain some subatomic interactions. It then moves on to some Russian research on some observed cyclicity in the macroscopic world (I get somewhat lost here)...but then interestingly, it makes use of geometric polyhedrons - including the tetrahedron and icosahedron - to explain the number of subatomic particles. These geometries explain the number of leptons and quarks, as they are properties of the underlying geometric membrane. It then moves onto the underlying geometry of biosystems - viruses often come in the form of one of the Platonic solids.

These six dimensions seem to be necessary before they manifest to us as "particles" or "fields" (the next plane of existence). The Yang-Mills theory is however incomplete. It  is supposed to explain the "color confinement" of quarks, that is, why we cannot directly observe quarks.  There is an unsolved mathematical problem called "Yang Mills existence and mass gap" and the Clay Mathematics Institute will give a one million dollar reward to anyone who solves it. While Yang Mills is strong enough theory for physics, the mathematics behind it is still incomplete. I wanted to understand this better, and I am not trusting that part-Russian video, so I found a series of lectures for a general audience on the Yang Mills theory and its problems. Some of this sums up some of the earlier material I had been discussing earlier. A lot of it is introduction before he finally gets to the Yang-Mills theory:

Comments on the video: science has simplified elements down to 118 atoms, and more recently, these have been reduced to about 16 elementary particles in the Standard Model.  He discusses the importance of symmetry in physics, which basically talks about changes of state in a physical system, which is important for describing these particles.

Comments on the video: continuation on the importance of symmetry, how it is used for classification (Group Theory). If you know what symmetry is, you can skip this.

Comments on the video: Conservation laws in physics are based on mathematical symmetry. Noether proved in 1915 how a mathematical symmetry leads to a conservation law. Space motion is to momentum, as time is to energy - which shows up in the theory of Special Relativity. Thus when Einstein combined space and time, he ended up with E = mc^2.

Comments on the video: Phenomenon as electricity, magnetism and light were initially viewed as separate things, but underlying all of this was one electromagnetic force. Quantum mechanics unified particles with fields. Quantum physics is probabilistic, not deterministic, at a fundamental level. Quantum physics deals with the fact that things that we expected to be continuous in nature are actually discrete.

Comments on the video: Now, we start to get into quantum weirdness. Particles have intrinsic spin, but this "spin" is discrete. Fermions always have half-spin, bosons have integer spin. This can be mathematically described by symmetry. For fermions, this means no two fermions can share the same state when they interact with each other (Pauli exclusion principle). Quantum Electrodynamics, or QED, is based on local symmetry. And finally, he begins (around 15 min) to discuss the Yang-Mills theory. It fit in well with QED, but it predicted that all force carriers were massless: which is not true for the weak and strong nuclear forces. It could not explain why some force carriers have mass. This is handled by the concept of "Broken Symmetry": assume physical laws are symmetrical, but the universe can be in an asymmetrical state. The Higgs Boson theory is an extension of this concept of broken symmetry, which explains why the Weak force carriers have mass.

Comments on the video: He now reviews the "Eightfold Way" by Gell-Mann (one pattern is the same as the Pythagorean Tetractys) fixed the problem of the "particle zoo." In order to reach this symmetry, there must be quarks, which are the most elementary matter particles known thus far. There was another problem, mathematical infinities, which was handled in Feynmann diagrams through a process of renormalization. Virtual particles that pop in and out of the vacuum may be an explanation for the mystery of "dark energy". Combined with the theories of Yang-Mills and Higgs, new particles were predicted and confirmed in the 1970s, although for the Higgs-Boson that was more recently confirmed in 2012. However the big problem with Yang-Mills is that the formulas only work with 2 space dimensions, the problem is to show that it works with 3 space dimensions. Also, more math is needed rigorously prove why particles have the properties that they do. (Evidently, of the six dimensions in Yang-Mills theory, only two of them are space dimensions. Unfortunately these videos do not discuss the six dimensions of the Yang-Mills theory).

To finish off the symbolism for each of the dimensions thus far, the geometric object that represents the sixth dimension is known as a heptapeton, a "6-simplex" or seven pointed star.  It has 7 vertices, 21 edges, 35 triangle faces, 35 tetrahedral cells, 21 5-cell 4-faces, and 7 5-simplex 5-faces. Here is what it looks like on a Coxeter plane:

The seven pointed star is also known as a heptagram.  According to some, it represents the seven known planets, or the seven days of the week:

THE SEVEN DIMENSIONS OF SPACE-TIME

To sum things up, we have the following seven dimensions of space-time:

1. 0 dimensions. A point.
2. 1 dimension. A line.
3. 2 dimensions. A plane, or triangle.
4. 3 dimensions. A tetrahedron.
5. 4 dimensions (Special Relativity). This is space + time. A pentagram.
6. 5 dimensions (General Relativity, Kaluza-Klein theory). This is where gravity operates. A hexagram.
7. 6 dimensions (Yang-Mills theory). This is where matter operates. A heptagram.

That is looking better than what we had before. But interestingly, it ranges from 0 to 6 dimensions. What is the 0-dimension? That is either a point of singularity, similar to what happened at the Big Bang, or it simply represents higher dimensions that are so compact they appear as a singular point. Of course mathematically we can go up an infinite number of dimensions, but other physics state that there are only seven, as stated in earlier blog entries.

I have read some opinions stating that the 6th dimension is "all possibilities" of the universe, thus all the possible universes. This is not quite true - but what is true is that Quantum physics is probabilistic at its very nature: thus it is all possibilities, but constrained at a quantum level. But what is interesting is once we reach this level, physicists can then begin to explain some of the essential properties of the subatomic particles. We are not quite there yet...it is still an active area of research.

What I like about the descriptions of the seven substages of space-time is that the first four substages are "constraining" - in the same way that the first four substages of other planes are also constraining. Then reality begins to "escape" from its constraint, but this time in the form of time and gravity, until we finally reach the state of reality where matter can occur.