Praise for "The Hidden Levels of the Mind"

Now Featured at the Patheos Book Club
The Hidden Levels of the Mind
By Douglas Taylor

What People Are Saying

"Those confounded by the writings of 18th-century theologian Emanuel Swedenborg will find an able guide in Taylor (Spirituality That Makes Sense). In this slim volume, the author explains the many facets of what could be called Swedenborg's philosophy of mind. With remarkable clarity, Taylor presents the Swedish mystic's conception of body, mind, and soul, which were believed to exist on a spectrum of awareness beginning with sensory information and culminating in unconditional love of the Lord. The goal is regeneration, a process of raising consciousness to "allow the influence of the Lord to enter us and transform our being." Just as Swedenborg blended Enlightenment rationality with unshakable faith, Taylor fits an esoteric belief system into a concise mapping of spiritual evolution. Readers expecting tales of Swedenborg's heavenly travels may want to look elsewhere; Taylor sticks to his subject without getting sidetracked, and it is interesting enough without delving into the afterlife or angels. In neatly relating how Swedenborg believed a spiritual life should be lived, Taylor affirms the scientist-mystic's continued relevance."
—Publishers Weekly, November 14, 2011

"This is a thought-provoking book for the serious student of Emanuel Swedenborg's ideas on the complex and challenging topic of human consciousness. Consciousness is something that everyone experiences, yet it is a phenomenon that eludes objective scientific investigation—because we experience consciousness subjectively. In spite of this, Swedenborg developed a comprehensive model of consciousness that was broad enough to include both a universal multi-level design of the inner organization of humankind and our person-level experience. Douglas Taylor's book underscores Swedenborg's unique view that there can be no real understanding of human consciousness, or its potentials, without bringing God's ultimate design for our spiritual growth and salvation into the equation."
—Edward F. Sylvia, M.T.S., award-winning author of Proving God—Swedenborg's Remarkable Quest For The Quantum Fingerprints Of Love

"A clear exposition of Swedenborg's understanding of the mind which will prompt readers to reassess more limited modern understandings, especially with respect to the relationship between the supraconscious and subconscious aspects."
—David Lorimer, Vice-President, Swedenborg Society, London