Is there life on other planets? This intriguing question is still being debated in scientific circles, but Emanuel Swedenborg attested that he had actually spoken with spirits from other planets in the afterlife. Originally published in 1758, this startling book details Swedenborg's conversations with angels unlike any other spirits he encountered in the afterlife. Spirits from Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Venus, and the moon discuss their lives on other planets and how their cultures differed from those of earthly life. Swedenborg also explains why the Lord chose Earth as the planet on which he would be born. Translated by the late Cambridge scholar John Chadwick and co-published with the Swedenborg Society of London, this volume also offers an introduction by Dr. Raymond Moody, author of Life after Life, who ruminates on how modern science is validating some of Swedenborg's assertions.
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was a Swedish scientist, inventor, and theologian who made significant discoveries in many of the natural sciences, including astronomy, anatomy, geology, and mineralogy. At age fifty-five, his intensive search for answers to ultimate questions culminated in an awakening that gave him a unique insight into the workings of the spiritual world. He spent the remainder of his life writing about his experiences and how human beings can come to a deeper awareness of the divine.
Swedenborg's ideas have influenced people as diverse as Helen Keller, Johnny Appleseed, William Blake, Henry James, Ralph Waldo Emerson, D.T. Suzuki, Jorge Luis Borges, and Dr. Mehmet Oz. The continuing appeal of his thought undoubtedly lies in his insights into the afterlife, concepts of divine love, and focus on personal and social development.
