Above, portrait of Emanuel Swedenborg, and the Lincoln Park Chicago monument to Swedenborg, whose vision of the new Jerusalem (Revelation, chapter 21 in the Bible) inspired city planner Daniel Burnham. Swedenborg looks benevolently toward the city, holding a copy of "Secrets of Heaven" to his heart. 

SAVE THE DATES:

Thursday, July 9, 6:00 PM
The Book of Job study will continue, via Zoom. 

Thursday, July 23, 6 PM: Dell Rose will begin the series on mystic Jakob Bohme (1575–1624) who influenced later esoteric traditions. 

Sunday, July 26, 3:30 PM:
The 12 Gates Swedenborg Study convenes via Zoom.  

Thursday, July 30, 6 PM:
Jakob Bohme's Aurora, part 1, with Dell Rose. 

"I appreciate your events so much–they are thoughtful, sane, and restore the soul!"
Victoria, Chicago, IL 
If we despise our neighbors or regard people as our enemies for merely disagreeing with us or not showing us reverence or respect, our life is a life of self-love. 

If for similar slights we hate our neighbors and persecute them, then we are even more deeply entrenched in self-love. 

And if we burn with vengeance against them and crave their destruction, our self-love is stronger still; people with this attitude eventually love being cruel.

–Emanuel Swedenborg, "New Jerusalem" section 68. 
"Thanks for the welcoming format of  lectures at the Swedenborg Library...warm & relaxing." 
Bill, Wilmette, IL
Welcome to the Swedenborg Library in Chicago
Our circulating book collection offers a range of contemporary books on spiritual topics, as well as the work of the 18C Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg. 

The Swedenborg Library is located at 77 W. Washington St, 17th floor, Chicago, Illinois (in the Chicago Temple Building at the southeast corner of Clark St. and Washington St., across from Daley Plaza.) The library is open on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, from 1–5 PM Central Time, and by appointment. 
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What's New:
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The video of "The Proprium" from our Twelve Gates Swedenborg Study (Sunday June 21) is available to view on our Youtube channel after 11 PM CST on Monday, June 22. 
To view it, click here:

Also, Dell's excellent summary of Swedenborg's concept of correspondence is also available on our Youtube channel:
If you missed this week's episode of "The Book of Job," it is available on our Youtube channel. To view it, click here: 
For upcoming programs, click the "Coming Programs and Events" tab in the left-hand navigation bar.
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And now for something completely different:Beads of Mercy

Dell Rose, program director of the Swedenborg Library is pleased to inform everyone about a new contemplative practice and outreach ministry he has developed called ‘beads of mercy.’ 


Prayer beads have been a feature of human religion for a very long time, and we are happy to explore this practice from within New Christianity.

 

Swedenborg’s concept of ‘discrete degrees’ is vital to our embrace of this practice. (Divine Love & Wisdom §184-190) The minute connections between the physical world are avenues through which the love and influx of the Almighty might be felt and understood, and it is vital that we recognise this practice in our contemplative lives. This is especially true of the senses, and prayer beads help us to be aware of this conjunction between the physical body and the spiritual.

 

Because prayer beads are tactile, they have the remarkable ability to move with the sequence of our thoughts, and they become physical expressions of our internal will. At present, we are working on producing our own set of prayer beads based on the structure of the Anglican or Protestant rosary. 


We will also offer a workshop on using the beads of mercy at a later date. If you are interested in receiving your own string (our denomination symbol will be taking the place of the standard cross) please email Dell, Dell@SwedLib.org.

 

However, for those interested in exploring further, click on the "beads" on the rendering found in our web app below: 

Swedenborgian Prayer Beads


We will create additional models to accompany different themes in Swedenborg’s writings as well as prayer sequences devoted to the different stages of human life, healing, forgiveness, and centering.


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Winter Retreat

Our winter retreat will be here in the city of Chicago, based on popular vote. It will be 2 days, with an optional tourist day. Please use the "Contact Us" button on the navigation column at left to express your interest and request additional information.
New Library Videos Available on Youtube:
Dell Rose gave the LaPorte New Church sermon on Sunday, April 26 at 10 AM central time: "The Secret to the Easy Way." If you would like to hear the sermon, click the link below which will take you to it on Youtube.com:


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Scholar Dell Rose joins the Swedenborg Library
Dell J. Rose develops and hosts programs for the Swedenborg Library in Chicago. Dell is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the Universities van Amsterdam. His research focuses on the intersection of Western esotericism and political reform, particularly with Swedenborgianism in 19th century Britain. 

To read Dell's latest article, click on the "Readings" navigational tab at left, and you will find his article "The House of David" at the top of the PDFs there, or click here: Readings. 

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To join online discussions of others who are reading Swedenborg's work, or to view video presentations, visit one of the sites below:

The Swedenborg Community online: Click Here.

Off The Left Eye videos (organized by topic area:) Click Here.
For blog discussions of Swedenborgian and contemporary topics, or to download books: 

See Events & Programs for information on our upcoming programs. We look forward to seeing you then. Use the Contact Us form for information on our collection.
  
If you will be in downtown Chicago and would like to visit the Swedenborg Library, we are open Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 1:00-5:00 pm, and by appointment. Click on the Calendar link in the top left column for our hours and schedule. 

For more info on upcoming programs, click on the "upcoming events" bar in the left-hand column.

  

PAST SPEAKERS AT THE SWEDENBORG LIBRARY INCLUDE: 
Dr. Kagan Arik, Julia Bachrach, Marc Ian Barasch, Denise Breton, Herbert Bronstein, Sophy Burnham, Jenny Butler, Kanjin Cederman Shonin, Rabbi Menachem Cohen, Phil Cousineau, Rev. Jikai Dehn, Rev. Dr. George Dole, Tim Evans, Matthew Fox, Dr. 
Anya Foxen, Rev. Kuni Fumioka, Barbara Geiger, Mercy Gilpatric, Jack Gilroy, Terry Gunnell, John Haller Jr., Dr. Kelly Hayes, Fatima Imam, Kenneth James, Sunny Dawn Johnston, Jim Kenney, Dr. David Kretz, Dr. Keri Ladner, Christopher Largent, Stephen & Robin Larsen, Erik Larson, Rev. Dr. James Lawrence, Jerrol Leitner, Dr. Tiina Mahlmäki, Dr. Wayne Martindale, Rev. Robert McCluskey, Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson, Ron Miller, Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. Avery Morrow, John Moulder, Dr. Bjarke Nielsen, Sarah Odishoo, Dr. Vadim Putzu, Paul Quinn, Dell Rose, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Rose, Ahmad Sadri, Kristen Schaffer, Ann McNamara Smith, Richard Smoley, Dr. Jason A.J. Storm, Edward Sylvia, Brother Wayne Teasdale, Dr. Alfred Thomas, Dr. Brandon Underwood, Dr. Mariano Villalba, Pauline Viviano, Rev. Wilma Wake, John Wasik, Dr. Drake Williams, Dr. Brook Ziporyn.