This is the audio version of my essay on the history of the idea of a “modern heaven” with angels and aliens in it, and how American religion and literature internalized that idea in the 19th century.
The Heart Is A Hyperdrive: How Emanuel Swedenborg Talked To Aliens In 1758
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Emanuel Swedenborg had his first great spiritual vision on Easter weekend in 1741 at the age of 53, when the Son of God appeared to him. He was already known as a psychic, demonstrating his powers on public occasions. Philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote about his displays of clairvoyance, such as his vision of a great fire that was really burning in faraway Stockholm. Swedenborg developed these skills as a form of espionage. Remote viewing, a la
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