"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 the Common Ground lectures at the Swedenborg Library...warm & relaxing." 
Bill, Wilmette, IL
Above, 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. 


The Library is open for visits on Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 1–5 PM Central Time, and by appointment.

Our upcoming free Zoom programs this spring are listed below.
Welcome to the Swedenborg Library in Chicago
Above: Lecturer Jerry Leitner addresses a group during a Swedenborg Library program. 

Here you'll find information on upcoming events and programs on a wide range of topics, from spiritual practices, the world's religions, spirituality in America among others. 

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. 

One of the insights that Swedenborg had about the heavenly realm was that people who lived the good of their religion of all religions were found there. The Swedenborg Library embraces that idea, and is an ecumenical center. People of all faiths, and those who aren't sure what they believe are welcomed here. 

The Swedenborg Library has public hours on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, from 1–5 PM Central Time, and by appointment.
In-house & Zoom: Wednesday, May 7, 6 PM Central
A New Swedenborg: Deguchi Onisaburo, Swedenborg & the Quest for a New Kingdom in Manchuria with Dell Rose. 
"Emanuel Swedenborg was the greatest theologian of all time," wrote Deguchi Saburo, the flamboyant co-founder of the Omoto faith and one of the most significant figures in modern Japanese history. Onisaburo was a promoter of a form of 'Shinto Universalism.' He sought to inform the world of the realm of the gods. When He began to read Swedenborg in the late 1890s, Onisaburo found a kindred spirit in the Swedish seer, and utilized many of Swedenborg's concepts in defining his own cosmology. 

Deguchi used Swedenborg's depictions of Tartary as the bases for an attempted theocratic coup in 20th century Manchuria. This tale is stranger that fiction! 

Location: Swedenborg Library, 77 W. Washington St. (at Clark), 17th floor
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 7, 6 PM Central
Fee: Donations accepted

Zoom Info:
Meeting room: 558 403 3057
Password: Swedenborg

Download Zoom free to join meetings at Zoom.com
Zoom: Thursday May 15, 6 PM Central
The Language of Angels: Japanese Engagement with Swedenborg in the Quest for a Universal Language with Dr. Avery Morrow
The notion of a "language of the gods" had fascinated Japanese intellectuals for centuries, and the concept gained exceptional prominence in the nationalist culture of the Meiji-period, continuing into the Showa. 

In the search for this universal language, several major Japanese occultists found inspiration in Swedenborg's discussion of the language of angels, and sought to wed these ideas to their own nationalist and occult projects. Linguistics, after chemistry, might rightly be called the first esoteric science, and Japan gives us another testament to the attempt to discover a universal essence of communication. 

Dr. Avery Morrow is a Japanologiest and scholar of religion, with interests in Japanese esotericism, 'gush, or 'alternate history,' and its role in directing Japanese culture. He is author of The Sacred Science of Ancient Japan: Lost Chronicle of the Age of the Gods, which introduced readers to the genre of prehistory, providing many salient comparisons with European esoteric traditions. 

Zoom Info:
Meeting room: 558 403 3057
Password: Swedenborg

Download Zoom free to join meetings at Zoom.com
Zoom Program, Part 2 of our series on the Apostle Paul - Date TBD
Paul Through the Glass Darkly: Curating the Apostle–Self-Perception and the Optics of Conversion, with Dell Rose
Accounting for more than half of the New Testament, the letters of Paul remain some of the most influential writings ever. Yet their familiarity also masks their strangeness.
   Join us as Dell discusses Paul and his rhetorical strategies, examining their context in the first century world. As Christianity's most important articulator, we will discuss Paul's motivations and reasons for lasting success. 

(Suggested reading: Matthew Sharp, Divination and Philosophy in the Letters of St. Paul, ©2024 available on loan from the Swedenborg Library.)

Zoom Info:
Meeting Room ID 558 403 3057
Password: Swedenborg
Date/Time: TBD
For all Spring 2025 upcoming programs, click on the "Coming Programs & Events" button at left, and view the brochure PDF.
To view the recent program, "Swedenborg's Inward Turn" with Rev. Robert McCluskey, use the link to Youtube below. 
To view the video, click the link below, or copy the URL address below and paste into your browser window:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbWqnT4rjRs&t=803s
Scholar Dell Rose joins the Swedenborg Library
Dell J. Rose develops and hosts programs for the Swedenborg Library in Chicago. Dell holds the position of Swedenborg Doctoral Fellow with the Swedenborg Society in the United Kingdom, and he 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. 
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, Kanjin Cederman Shonin, Rabbi Menachem Cohen, Phil Cousineau, Matthew Fox,Rev. Dr. George Dole, Rev. Kuni Fumioka, Barbara Geiger, Mercy Gilpatric, Jack Gilroy, Terry Gunnell, John Haller Jr., Fatima Imam, Kenneth James, Sunny Dawn Johnston, Jim Kenney, Christopher Largent, Stephen & Robin Larsen, Erik Larson, Rev. Dr. James Lawrence, Jerrol Leitner, Dr. Wayne Martindale, Rev. Robert McCluskey, Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson, Ron Miller, Dr. Raymond Moody, John Moulder, Dr. Bjarke Nielsen, Sarah Odishoo, Dr. Vadim Putzu, Paul Quinn, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Rose, Ahmad Sadri, Kristen Schaffer, Ann McNamara Smith, Richard Smoley, John Stolfo,Edward Sylvia, Brother Wayne Teasdale, Dr. Alfred Thomas, Pauline Viviano, Rev. Wilma Wake, John Wasik...