Swedenborg and the Doctrine of Correspondences
October 31, 2025•586 words
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian whose later writings focused on the relationship between the spiritual and natural worlds. He believed that every material thing has a spiritual counterpart, forming a system he called correspondences.
According to Swedenborg, the visible world is a reflection of the invisible one—everything we see, touch, and experience represents a deeper spiritual truth. The Bible, too, is written according to these correspondences, which reveal its inner meaning when properly understood.
The Doctrine of Correspondences
Swedenborg taught that all creation is connected in a chain from the Divine to the material. The natural world is the outer expression of inner spiritual realities. Nothing in nature exists apart from its spiritual origin, and by studying these relationships, a person can gain insight into divine order.
“All things in the natural world correspond to things in the spiritual world, and the Word is written by pure correspondences, so that every single thing in it contains a spiritual meaning.”
— Arcana Coelestia
Common Correspondences
| Natural Object | Spiritual Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fire | Divine love or the warmth of the Lord’s presence; in a negative sense, selfish or hellish love |
| Light | Divine wisdom and spiritual understanding |
| Water | Truth from faith; spiritual knowledge that cleanses the mind |
| Rock (Stone) | Natural or external truth; firmness of faith; the literal sense of Scripture |
| Earth / Ground | The human mind or the church where truth and goodness can grow |
| Mountains | Love to the Lord; celestial goodness |
| Hills | Love toward the neighbor; charity |
| Trees | Knowledge and perceptions of good and truth |
| Fruit | Works or deeds that come from love or faith |
| Bread | The good of love; divine nourishment |
| Wine | The truth of faith; spiritual understanding and joy |
| Sun | The Lord as Divine Love itself |
| Moon | The Lord as Divine Truth as reflected in faith |
| Stars | Spiritual knowledge or individual truths of faith |
| Clouds | Truth obscured, or truth adapted to limited understanding |
| Wind / Spirit | The influence of divine truth; the breath of spiritual life |
| River | The flow of truth from higher to lower levels of understanding |
| House | The human mind or a person’s spiritual state |
Example from Scripture
In John 4:14, Jesus says:
“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.”
Swedenborg interpreted “water” as divine truth and “thirst” as spiritual longing. To “drink” the water is to receive divine truth into one’s life, which then satisfies the soul’s desire for understanding.
Key Works
Swedenborg’s main writings on correspondences include:
- Arcana Coelestia (Heavenly Mysteries) — a verse-by-verse exposition of Genesis and Exodus using spiritual meanings.
- Heaven and Hell — a detailed explanation of the spiritual world and its laws.
- Divine Love and Wisdom — explores how divine love and wisdom form the essence of all things.
- Doctrine of Correspondence — a concise explanation of the principle of correspondences, included within Arcana Coelestia.
These works are freely available online through the Swedenborg Foundation and Wikisource.
For Swedenborg, correspondences form the bridge between heaven and earth. Understanding them allows a person to see that every part of nature and every word of Scripture is alive with divine meaning.