Description

Emanuel Swedenborg was an 18th‑century scientist who claimed to travel between heaven, hell, and even other planets. Was he a mystic genius or a dreamer lost in visions? In this episode, we uncover how his strange ideas shaped spiritualism, occultism, and even modern paranormal culture.

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Emanuel Swedenborg: Mystic, Scientist… and Proto‑Occultist?

In this episode, we dive into the extraordinary life and afterlife of Emanuel Swedenborg—the Enlightenment thinker who claimed to converse with angels, demons, and spirits from other worlds. His doctrine of “correspondences,” the belief that every physical thing mirrors a deeper spiritual reality, became a cornerstone for mystics who wanted to read the universe as a vast symbolic text.

We explore:

• Swedenborg’s visions of the afterlife and cosmic journeys
• How his writings influenced Helena Blavatsky, Aleister Crowley, the Fox Sisters, and Daniel Dunglas Home
• Why poets like William Blake and thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson drew inspiration from him
• The surprising role he played in the Theosophical Society, New Thought movement, and the occult revival

From séance parlors to cosmic philosophy, Swedenborg’s influence ripples through spiritualism, mysticism, UFO lore, and modern occult culture. If you’ve ever wondered how Enlightenment science collided with fringe spirituality, this is the episode for you.