FRACTALS

“This is how God created a system that gave us free will. It’s the most brilliant maneuver in the universe, to create something in which everything is free! How could you do that? …exploring this set I certainly never had the feeling of invention. I had never the feeling that my imagination was rich enough to invent all the extraordinary things. I was discovering them; they were there although no one had ever seen them before. It’s marvelous! A very simple formula describes all of these very complicated things. Who could have dreamed that such an incredibly simple equation could have generated images of literally infinite complexity? We’ve all read stories of maps that revealed the location of some hidden treasure. In this case the map is the treasure!” -BENOIT MANDELBROT in Fractals: the Colors of Infinity (Arthur C. Clarke Documentary).

......the societies of which the whole heaven (that is, the Grand Man) consists, are very numerous, and are more or less universal. The more universal are those to which an entire member, organ, or viscus, corresponds; and the less universal are those to which their parts, or parts of parts, correspond. Every society is an image of the whole, for that which is unanimous is composed of so many images of itself. As the more universal societies are images of the Grand Man, they have within them particular societies which correspond in a similar manner. EMANUEL SWEDENBORG [AC 4625]

If God is Love itself, many people would like to know how God was able to generate the universe from His own substance (Love), according to His form (Truth) and by His power (Action). Today, as a result of the discovery of fractals and Chaos theory, we may be able to finally grasp how the universe involved and evolved, as well as how order is maintained and restored.

Now, we know that fractals are generated from an equation or iterated function system. For example, the Mandelbrot set is generated from the equation:

 Z_n+1= Z_n² + C, where Z is a complex number

As we can see, this equation is extremely simple, yet it results in something infinitely complex and beautiful. In fact, it took the speed of modern day computers to be able to generate fractals such as this. Such a fractal embeds deeper and deeper levels. We can zoom in without end and discover new worlds or levels of organization.

But what makes a fractal different from other functions? First, we can see that in order to find the next point or iteration of the fractal, we must use the previous iteration. The equation is feeding back upon itself. This is also why it is SELF-SIMILAR. And, although all kinds of forms are generated on many levels, the fractal tends to possess a specific form that tends to reemerge periodically. In Chaos theory, this recurring form is called an “attractor.” Every iteration is tending toward this pattern or form. In addition, we can detect that all parts of this fractal are interconnected to each other as well as to the whole.

Now, let us see how all this relates to the creation, preservation and restoration of the universe by God. We already know that Divine Love is an infinite complexity organized harmonically. This organization is Wisdom or Truth. So, the universe was generated from Love, Wisdom and Light. The quantum of action is God’s action in the material world. The universe is being generated in accordance with the Principle of Least Action. This is where the laws of the universe originate. And this action is in correspondence with Love and Wisdom or Divine Providence. Divine Providence is organizing all events in the universe so that all beings return to the state of Universal Love or Heaven as soon as possible.  Since the universe is continually being generated from the freedom of Love and according to Wisdom, there is a certain freedom on every level and disorder may continue to increase. But, when this disorder reaches a  critical point, the universal attractor of Love is able to restore order on every level.

Therefore, the universe still embeds this universal attractor. The infinitely complex and organized vortex of Love is the equation by which God is continually generating. maintaining and restoring the universe.  God is both immanent and transcendent. Hence, the universe is not identical with God; it is only His reflected image. Time is the involution and evolution cycle or iteration by which the universe is generated. The first few billion years of iteration produced the galaxies, stars and planets and their corresponding Celestial, Spiritual and Natural Heavens. Finally, earths were eventually generated. These levels are all a self-similar image of God.

 After the earths were produced, and millions of years of iteration, molecular compounds were formed into DNA. Thus began the biological evolution of living species on earth. Once again, all these minerals, plants and animals were all partial images of God. Finally, after many more million years of iteration, the first human species evolved. This  was a complete image of God because man possessed a (free) will to Love, a mind to understand Truth and the Power to act. Every human being embeds the whole evolution of the universe within himself. And all this organized knowledge is passed on to future generations through heredity and procreation.

Eventually, the first religions or churches began to evolve on earth: the Adamic, Noachian and Israelitish churches. Each of these churches restored order within the human mind and love within the human will. But, in each instance, during each of these spiritual cycles (or churches), man exercised his freewill and order devolved into disorder. And, at the consummation of each of these churches, the strange attractor of Divine Love was able to restore order and raise a new dispensation to remind man of his true purpose.

When the Israelitish Church was consummated, man had completely lost touch with the attractor of Love and man’s mind was flooded with disorder. But God descended as the Messiah on earth to restore spiritual equilibrium. Jesus was the Word (Divine Truth) manifested in the flesh of humanity. While on earth, Jesus sowed the seeds of Truth within human consciousness and restored equilibrium by resisting human temptations. Through His last temptation or crucifixion, He fused Divine Love (Father) with the humanity He embodied (Son). At that point,  the body of Jesus in fact became the Divine-Human body of God by which we could enter into the spheres of Heaven. Through this Divine Human body, God was now able to raise each one of us into Heaven.

After 2000 years of iteration, the Messianic or Christian Church also degraded. Due to human freewill, the leaders of various sects began to teach false doctrines and, once again, order within the human mind devolved into disorder. But, from Chaos theory, we know that order will again be able to emerge from disorder. Today, God is raising a new church or “the New Jerusalem.”  Through our own repentance, He is RE-FORMING our mind and, through spiritual temptations,  He is RE-GENERATING our will by means of His universal attractor of Love.

In the age Swedenborg existed on Earth, galaxies, DNA and fractals were not even discovered. And yet, Swedenborg was able to obtain a very accurate vision of the universe because He was permitted to witness the wonders of Heaven. If he were on Earth today, he would probably describe Heaven as a Divine-Human fractal consisting of angels and societies of angels all organized in the human form. The human form is the image of God.

...in all nature there is nothing that is not formed into series of little bundles; every tree, every bush, shrub and plant, nay, every ear of corn and blade of grass in whole and in part, is so formed. The universal cause is, that such is the confirmation of Divine truths; for we read that all things were created by the Word, that is, by Divine truth, and that the world also was made by it (John1:1). Emanuel Swedenborg [TCR351]

I have also been permitted to see that an entire angelic society, where the Lord is visibly present, appears as a one in the human form. There appeared on high towards the east something like a cloud, from glowing white becoming red, and with little stars round about, which was descending; and as it gradually descended it became brighter, and at last appeared in a perfect human form. The little stars round about the cloud were angels, who so appeared by virtue of light from the Lord.

It must be understood that although all in a heavenly society when seen together as one appear in the likeness of a man; yet no one society is just such a man as another. Societies differ from one another like the faces of different individuals of the same family, for the reason given above, that is, they differ in accordance with the varieties of good in which they are and which determines their form. The societies of the inmost or highest heaven, and in the center there, are those that appear in the most perfect and beautiful human form.

 It is worthy of mention that the greater the number in any society in heaven and the more these make a one, the more perfect is its human form, for variety arranged in a heavenly form is what constitutes perfection, as has been shown above, and number gives variety. Moreover, every society of heaven increases in number daily, and as it increases it becomes more perfect. Thus not only the society becomes more perfect, but also heaven in general, because it is made up of societies. As heaven gains in perfection by increase of numbers, it is evident how mistaken those are who believe that heaven may be closed by becoming full; for the opposite is true, that it will never be closed, but is perfected by greater and greater fullness. Therefore, the angels desire nothing so much as to have new angel guests come to them.

Each society, when it appears as one whole is in the form of a man, for the reason that heaven as a whole has that form; moreover, in the most perfect form, such as the form of heaven is, there is a likeness of the parts to the whole, and of lesser forms to the greatest. The lesser forms and parts of heaven are the societies of which it consists, which are also heavens in lesser form. This likeness is perpetual because in the heavens the goods of all are from a single love, that is, from a single origin. The single love, which is the origin of the good of all in heaven, is love to the Lord from the Lord. It is from this that the entire heaven in general, each society less generally, and each angel in particular, is a likeness of the Lord, as has been shown above. Emanuel Swedenborg [HH 69-72]

.... good never puts itself forth into uses except by means of truths. In these it is disposed, and thus qualified, for unless good has been disposed in truths it has no quality; but when it is disposed in truths, it is then disposed, into series in application to things according to uses, into which things good enters as the affection of love, whence comes what is grateful, pleasant, and delightful.
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What is meant by disposing into series shall also be briefly told. Truths are said to be disposed into series when they have been disposed according to the form of heaven, in which form are the angelic societies. What this form is may be seen from the correspondence of all the members, viscera, and organs of man with the Grand Man, which is heaven. In these members, viscera, and organs, each and all things have been disposed into series and series of series. These are formed by the fibers and vessels, as is known to those who from anatomy are acquainted with the textures and contextures of the interiors of the body. Into like series have been disposed the truths from good with man.

From this it is that a regenerated man is a heaven in the least form corresponding to the greatest; and that a man is wholly his own truth and good. Emanuel Swedenborg [AC 10303]

Affection, thought, and action are also in a series of like degrees, because all affection has relation to love, thought to wisdom, and action to use. Charity, faith, and good works are in a series of like degrees, for charity is of affection, faith of thought, and good works of action. Will, understanding, and doing are also in a series of like degrees; for will is of love and so of affection, understanding is of wisdom and so of faith, and doing is of use and so of work; as, then, all things of wisdom and love are present in use, so all things of thought and affection are present in action, all things of faith and charity in good works, and so forth; but all are homogeneous, that is, concordant. Emanuel Swedenborg [DLW 214]

After this they consulted the paper left on the table by the angels, and saw written underneath, "Combine these three into one view." Then they gathered up the three and saw that they made a series, and the series or whole view was this: "Man was created to receive love and wisdom from God, and yet to all appearance as of himself, and this for the sake of reception and conjunction. For this reason man is not born into any love or knowledge, not even into any power of loving or becoming wise of himself. If therefore he ascribes every good of love and truth of wisdom to God, he becomes a living man; but if he ascribes them to himself, he becomes a dead man." Emanuel Swedenborg [CL 136]
 

Image Credit: Original Image: Partial View of Mandelbrot set, Created by Wolfgang Beyer with the program Ultra Fractal 3.

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