Above, portrait of Emanuel Swedenborg, and 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. 
SAVE THE DATES:

Sunday March 8: Dell Rose leads worship at the LaPorte New Church in LaPorte IN at 10 AM. Join via Zoom using the link at right.

Thursday March 12 at 6 PM: Marleen Thaler PhD discusses the evolution of kundalini. See link at right.

Sunday March 15 at 3 PM:
In the 12 Gates program, Dell Rose will discuss the ideology about and history of demons. Zoom link at right. 

Thursday, March 19 at 6 PM: Dr. Anya Foxen discusses Western Breath and Movement Practices in Modern Yoga.

Thursday, March 26 at 6 PM: Dr. Brook Ziporyn will present an introduction to Tiantai Buddhism.

Sunday, March 29 at 3 PM: Dell Rose will discuss what Swedenborg's writings reveal about demons. 

"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  lectures at the Swedenborg Library...warm & relaxing." 
Bill, Wilmette, IL
Welcome to the Swedenborg Library in Chicago
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. 

The Swedenborg Library is located at 77 W. Washington St, 17th floor, Chicago, Illinois (in the Chicago Temple Building at the southeast corner of Clark St. and Washington St., across from Daley Plaza.) The library is open on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, from 1–5 PM Central Time, and by appointment. 
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For upcoming programs, click on the "Coming Programs & Events" button at left, and view the brochure PDF. Coming up next:
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On Sunday March 8 at 10 AM Central, Dell Rose, who is doing field work toward ordination, will be leading the worship service at the LaPorte New Church in LaPorte Indiana at 10 AM central. 

If you would like to join the service via Zoom, click this link: 

Or sign in using the Zoom Room ID of 558 403 3057, password: Swedenborg

Hymns for the service may be heard on Youtube:
Click here for the program and hymns: March 8 Worship Service
Thursday March 12 at 6:00 pm central: Kundalini's Modern Transformation as Scientification, with Marleen Thaler
Click here for more info and Zoom link: March 12 Zoom on kundalini
Sunday March 15 at 3:30 pm central: 12 Gates: A Journey To the Heart of the Swedenborgian Tradition, with Dell Rose
On March 15, we will continue our deep dive into Swedenborgian theology in our 12 Gates series, with a review of Swedenborg's experience of demons. 
For information on the Zoom, click here: 12 Gates March 15 program


View videos of the earlier sessions: 
On February 15, Dell presented Swedenborg's theology on angels; part 2 will be presented on Feb. 22. To view the Febrary 15 session, click here: Youtube link to 12 Gates 3: Angels, Part 1

Our first session discussed the origin and compilation of the New Testament, as well as Swedenborg’s doctrine of the Word. For the pdf, click the "Readings" tab in the left-hand column navigational bar, or click here: 12 Gates Readings
To view the video of session one on Youtube, click here: Swedenborg’s Doctrine of the Word, (on Youtube: Doctrine of the Word, part 1

In the second session, we compared theological definitions found in Frederick Buechner's book "Wishful Thinking: a Seeker's ABCs" with those of Swedenborg. To view the  presentation video on Youtube, click here: 
“It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12)The second session of our course on Sunday, January 25 will continue our discussion of the Word, and will be more reflexive and we welcome the experiences and thoughts of our participants. To stimulate some of this discussion, see the four following meditations found under "12 Gates" on the Readings page of this site. Photo at right: Emanuel Swedenborg. "12 Gates" leader 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. 
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 “It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12) 

The Twelve Gates is a year-long, immersive introduction to Swedenborgian spirituality, inviting students to journey through Emanuel Swedenborg’s visionary theology as a pilgrim bound for the New Jerusalem. Weaving together biblical exegesis, theological reflection, and the imaginative world of medieval pilgrimage, the course uses the metaphor of “gates” to structure a sustained exploration of prophecy, the human self, the Word, heaven and hell, judgement, charity, and salvation. 

The course is suitable for ministers, lay readers, and seekers who desire more than an introduction yet less than formal theological training. Its aim is not merely to present Swedenborg’s ideas, but to accompany participants as they discern what it might mean, here and now, to live as citizens of the heavenly city. The program may be followed in congregational study groups or online cohorts, with brief weekly reflections and larger monthly syntheses helping travelers to notice how the journey is transforming their prayer, perception, and use. 

2026 will be the first run of the Twelve Gates, and the ultimate goal will be to provide a stand-alone curriculum that will help to integrate individuals interested in learning more about Swedenborgianism and for confessional Swedenborgians interested in deepening their faith. So please come join us; your opinions will be essential to helping us establish this curriculum, and to help future souls join in their own procession to the Holy City.

 “It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12) 

The Twelve Gates is a year-long, immersive introduction to Swedenborgian spirituality, inviting students to journey through Emanuel Swedenborg’s visionary theology as a pilgrim bound for the New Jerusalem. Weaving together biblical exegesis, theological reflection, and the imaginative world of medieval pilgrimage, the course uses the metaphor of “gates” to structure a sustained exploration of prophecy, the human self, the Word, heaven and hell, judgement, charity, and salvation. 

The course is suitable for ministers, lay readers, and seekers who desire more than an introduction yet less than formal theological training. Its aim is not merely to present Swedenborg’s ideas, but to accompany participants as they discern what it might mean, here and now, to live as citizens of the heavenly city. The program may be followed in congregational study groups or online cohorts, with brief weekly reflections and larger monthly syntheses helping travelers to notice how the journey is transforming their prayer, perception, and use. 

2026 will be the first run of the Twelve Gates, and the ultimate goal will be to provide a stand-alone curriculum that will help to integrate individuals interested in learning more about Swedenborgianism and for confessional Swedenborgians interested in deepening their faith. So please come join us; your opinions will be essential to helping us establish this curriculum, and to help future souls join in their own procession to the Holy City. 
For more upcoming programs in March, click the "Coming Programs and Events" tab in the left-hand navigation bar.
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New Library Videos Available on Youtube:
New Video: Goethe's Faust: Art As Religion, with Dr. David Kretz  

The video of this Zoom program from January 22 available on our Youtube channel (search Swedenborg Library Chicago) on Friday, January 23 after noon central time. Here's the link to save you time searching: 

Goethe's Faust: Art As Religion


Dr. David Kretz is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Humanities Program at Yale University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought and in Germanic Studies. 

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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. 

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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, Rev. Jikai Dehn, Rev. Dr. George Dole, Tim Evans, Matthew Fox, Rev. Kuni Fumioka, Barbara Geiger, Mercy Gilpatric, Jack Gilroy, Terry Gunnell, John Haller Jr., Dr. Kelly Hayes, Fatima Imam, Kenneth James, Sunny Dawn Johnston, Jim Kenney, Dr. David Kretz, Dr. Keri Ladner, Christopher Largent, Stephen & Robin Larsen, Erik Larson, Rev. Dr. James Lawrence, Jerrol Leitner, Dr. Tiina Mahlmäki, Dr. Wayne Martindale, Rev. Robert McCluskey, Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson, Ron Miller, Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. Avery Morrow, John Moulder, Dr. Bjarke Nielsen, Sarah Odishoo, Dr. Vadim Putzu, Paul Quinn, Dell Rose, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Rose, Ahmad Sadri, Kristen Schaffer, Ann McNamara Smith, Richard Smoley, Dr. Jason A.J. Storm, Edward Sylvia, Brother Wayne Teasdale, Dr. Alfred Thomas, Dr. Brandon Underwood, Dr. Mariano Villalba, Pauline Viviano, Rev. Wilma Wake, John Wasik, Dr. Drake Williams