Spiritual Exoskeletons and Endoskeletons - Which One Describes You?

This is part of my "grand unified theory" (ala Malcolm Gladwell) about the development of human spirituality. It is based on the work of Jonathan Heidt, James Fowler, Emanuel Swedenborg, Jean Piaget, and many other thinkers in the world of spirituality. (Yes. I believe that our morality is one face of our spiritual development.) This includes Object Relations theory as well.

James Fowler, author of The Stages of Faith (summarized here, though I believe people stay in the earlier stages of faith far longer than this optimistic projection) has built a model of spiritual development that echoes Jean Piaget's stages of psychological development. A developmental model of spirituality makes immediate sense to me, as we already speak of spiritual "growth." We develop physically, emotionally, psychologically, morally, and in all other ways. Spirituality is developmental too; how could it not be?

The main focus of my interest today is the shift between stage three (Synthetic-Conventional) (exoskeleton) and stage four (Individuative-Reflective) (endoskeleton) according to James Fowler. I know for myself that this shift reached a crisis point in my early forties. It dovetailed with a probable mid-life crisis. My trust in and reliance on my childhood faith had taken too many blows. I was being existentially ejected from (birthed from?) identification with that religious denomination. The process took years and was deeply painful. Another soul who was undergoing a similar birthing likened it to the process of becoming a butterfly after one has been a caterpillar.

"This is where things get crazy and kind of disgusting. The caterpillar does not simply rearrange itself into a butterfly or moth. It takes much more than that. The caterpillar starts to digest itself! That’s right, it releases enzymes that start to liquify almost the entire caterpillar. If you were to cut open a cocoon during this stage, a liquid caterpillar smoothie would ooze out." Mike Szydlowski, The Columbia Tribune, Oct. 2021

Goo

We found this analogy apt. It was NOT comfortable. Emanual Swedenborg would say that this shift is from "historical faith" to "living faith."

"There must be, for Stage 4, a relocation of authority to within the self. While others and their judgments will remain important to the Individuative-Reflective person, their expectations, advice and counsel will be submitted to an internal panel of experts who reserve the right to choose and who are prepared to take responsibility for their choices."  James Fowler, Stages of Faith

A Barrier Between Stages Three and Four

The shift from three to four can be very painful, especially if one has been in a denomination that requires its members to stay in stage three. Stage three relies on an outside authority. It relies on obedience and compliance within its membership. This outside authority serves as a spiritual exoskeleton to the membership. All of us require this stage as part of our development. It enables us to grow our spiritual core (endoskeleton), the place from which we can discern, sift, and organize our own authentic spirituality.

All denominations that need stage three adherents see this shift as a threat. Members who question the legitimacy of the teachings and rules threaten the leaders' authority. Eventually, these members vote themselves out of involvement as they realize their inability to change the denomination. Depending on the level of cult dynamics in the denomination, this ejection from the group can be hugely isolating, disillusioning, and painful. One can lose a sense of belonging in an otherwise cohesive and interconnected "family." The leaders generally invalidate the pain of such members and see their departure as "trimming dead wood." (I have heard this spoken explicitly.)

Exoskeleton

In truth, those who manage to launch from such a denomination are the living wood, and can eventually find root within a group that welcomes stage four spirituality. (I have found a home in a Unitarian Universalist congregation.) But many stay alone and isolated, unwilling to trust again or otherwise unable to find a new spiritual home. They are suffering from spiritual trauma and abandonment.

Endoskeleton

This shift from an authority-based faith to a living, inwardly reflective faith is part of our healthy spiritual growth. Our spirits call us to grow to this level and beyond. Unfortunately, many religious denominations see this shift as heresy, disobedience, rebellion, and "falling" from grace. These groups tend to punish, shun, vilify, and cast out such members. No wonder it can be hard to leave!

As those of us who have left such groups tend to remain isolated, we can be unaware of the huge and growing body of people on a similar path. If only we had a way to form our own, mutually supportive spiritual communities. Yet we tend to be gun-shy of belonging again.

I believe that authentic, unhampered spiritual growth requires that we make this shift. We are designed to think for ourselves based on years of spiritual work and learning from others.  We are built to continue growing spiritually, constantly deepening and adding greater nuance to our understanding. But we also need a spiritual community. Such supportive and non-dictatorial communities exist out there. They are just hard to find. They tend to mind their own business.

Do you rely heavily on outside authorities and some declared text as literally the Word of God? Then you are probably in an exoskeleton stage of spirituality. There is nothing wrong with this stage, but we are meant to evolve beyond it.

Do you think for yourself, incorporating years of experience, thought, and observation into how you understand the human condition and our responsibilities to each other? Then you are probably in an endoskeleton stage of spirituality.

Do you do some of both? Do you feel wobbly and insecure about what to think and whom to trust? Then you are probably in transition.

All of these stages are normal. This model is not to be used to judge others but to assess oneself and understand others.

Maslow and Swedenborg

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

in Conversation with Swedenborg’s Process of Regeneration

Rev. Alison Moore, Nov. 17, 2019

Montgomery New Church, Cincinnati, OH

Genesis 28:10-16; Luke 6: 46-49; Divine Love and Wisdom 330 

I left my composed sermon behind, due to a lack of ink in the host’s printer, but also following my own deep sense that speaking from my heart was the better thing to do this day.

The Readings

Genesis 28:10-16  Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.  He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

After the reading from Genesis, I invited the congregation to reflect on the detail that Jacob was to be a blessing. He wasn’t just to be blessed, he was to be a blessing to others. The path of regeneration opens to each of us a connection with heaven, which is like Jacob’s vision of the angels ascending and descending between us and God. It is the gate of heaven.

Luke 6:46-49  “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?  As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on a rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on sandy soil. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”

After the reading from Luke, I observed that I grew up believing my spiritual house was already built on a rock simply by virtue of being born into the right denomination. We “had” the rock, and it was everyone else whose house was built on the sand and that would fall. I now believe that we all build our houses on sand repeatedly until we learn what spiritual rock truly is. The process of spiritual growth and regeneration may mean that our spiritual house falls down several times, requiring us to re-examine the things upon which our beliefs are founded. I invited everyone to forgive themselves and be open to the times when the foundations of everything they believe seem threatened because that is an invitation from God to grow.

DLW 330: The divine purpose of creation is that all humankind enters heaven. Every secondary goal in creation is in service to this primary goal. Because the whole focus of creation is on the regeneration of humankind, this focus breaks down into three areas of human life: our physical bodies, the development of our rational capacity, and ultimately our spiritual life which grants us union with the Divine (which is heaven). We are united to the Divine by a spiritual life; but we cannot live a spiritual life without a developed rational faculty, and we cannot maintain a rational perspective when our physical life is unstable. Our body is like the foundation of a house; the rational faculty provides a sturdy dwelling; and because of these structures, spiritual consciousness flows in from the Lord, dwelling within them.

From this, we can discern the priorities of providence regarding our lives: to support the health of our bodies, so that we can develop our rationality so that we can be made spiritual and become joined to the Lord.

Following the reading from Swedenborg’s Divine Love and Wisdom I highlighted that the very purpose of our life on earth is to become angelic—that all of Providence is aimed at our spiritual growth—and that by engaging on this path of regeneration we are asking God to make us blessings.

The Sermon
The following is the best I can recall of what I said in lieu of a sermon:

Welcome to this beautiful harvest feast celebration. It is a lovely thing to see the two congregations coming together in shared worship. As someone who left the one tradition in order to pursue ordination and the right to serve as a minister in the other, I know a bit about loss and about needing to find comfort within new traditions. And I imagine that, for some in this room, the ways we will worship this morning will feel unfamiliar.

I have come to understand the two traditions as representing the two directions of the cross. The Glendale New Church which comes from the “high church” or conservative branch worships in a very vertical way. The focus is on God. The relationship is between the individual and God, therefore there is a discouragement of anything social and a preservation of what is called "a sphere of worship". It favors silence in the sanctuary, and that all social conversation remains outside in the hall and the rest of life.  There is something beautiful about that.

The Montgomery New Church, which comes from the original flavor Swedenborgians in North America, is more casual. They hold the place of the horizontal bar of the cross, welcoming space for our connection with each other. There is hugging and quiet chatting in the sanctuary. Their art and music are more homespun. Their ornamentation and ritual tend to be simpler and their presence unpretentious. There is something lovely and comforting in that. It is unintimidating.

I see value in both. And I give each one of you here permission to be uncomfortable with things that are unfamiliar, and still to prefer what you prefer. I invite you to be curious about the unfamiliar practices and to open in yourselves a way to appreciate the other without any need to feel inferior or superior. This is how we walk together. We can hold fast to what we love, without needing to invalidate things that are different.

So this morning I want to talk about the way psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs can be in conversation with Emanuel Swedenborg's foundations of regeneration. “Regeneration” according to Emanuel Swedenborg is the reason we are here—to become better people—to see the ways we are short-sighted and selfish and insensitive to others and to make small changes daily as we seek to become better people. We are here to become a blessing to others. This process takes a lifetime of experience and learning (and sometimes big mistakes), and I think we are meant to be patient with ourselves so that we don’t give up.

Maslow stated that there are five stages of human needs, each stage completely dependent on the previous stage for it to exist. The same way Swedenborg describes the health of the body and then a sound rational mind as necessary before a human can be regenerated, Maslow describes similar requirements that seem to map very well onto Swedenborg’s teachings.

Abraham Maslow’s most foundational human needs are the ones you might imagine if you were plunked down on an alien planet and knew nothing about how to survive. Immediately you would need to know what is good for shelter, what is good to eat, and how to clothe yourself. You would need to be able to rest—to get sufficient sleep without needing to worry about remaining vigilant.

This leads to the next level of human need which is safety and security. Once our most basic physical needs are met, we need to know how to protect ourselves. What is dangerous? We need to know we can relax into knowing our physical well-being is not imminently threatened before we have time for higher pursuits. Security in today’s world financial security. We need to know where our next paycheck is coming from. And this brings to mind our many fellow citizens who are living paycheck to paycheck, trying to hold down three or more jobs to do so. This breaks my heart. This shouldn’t be. It seems to me that our duty if we believe that all humans deserve the ability to be regenerated, is to see that many more members of society can earn a living wage with dignity, so that they can be freed up to grow spiritually too.

The third level of human need, once our bodies are well cared for and our future is relatively secure, is love and belonging. We do better in a loving supportive community. We are designed to live in community, and it is life in community that invites us to see the ways we are falling short. I can’t help but think all of the people that I know who have been rejected from their family or community for reasons of gender identity, orientation, religion, skin color, or even their politics today. It is terribly hurtful and reduces these people to a spiritual homelessness that can take a long time to recover from. I see so many people who have been rejected from their church communities, and the hurt is so deep, that they resolve never to belong to any church again. And I have to ask, if love and belonging in a safe social community is required for us to be able to regenerate, how are we serving these people by kicking them out of our churches and families? Ironically, these folks often go on to build for themselves a new social network that does love and support them. It does not reflect so well on the group that did the rejecting.

It is never simple. It is never black and white.  It is usually in need of a lot more humility and love, regardless.

The fourth level of human need Maslow calls “esteem.” Esteem has recently been translated as confidence and could also be called faith. This “esteem” is not an arrogant certainty of one’s own correctness or superiority. This esteem is faith in the process of regeneration which could also be called trust in Providence.

“Esteem” requires first that we feel secure enough to face and acknowledge the ways we make mistakes without overwhelming shame. So many of us are prone to shame. Like Adam and Eve, we are more likely to cover up and hide our mistakes than be open and honest. This hiding and covering up prevents our growth. This hiding and covering up create distance between ourselves and God, and distance between ourselves and each other. I submit that the real sin of Adam and Eve was not eating the fruit, but hiding and covering up out of shame. It was shame that made them hide. It was shame that made them distance themselves from God. They projected onto God an inability to forgive and stepped away. They didn’t even give God a chance.

This maps on to my experience of working with people trying to heal relationships. We seem so quick to blame when in truth the one we find it hardest to forgive is ourselves. We use shame and blame outward to protect ourselves from feeling our disappointment with ourselves. We armor ourselves with feelings of superiority which are as fragile as glass. It is so easy to throw stones when we forget we also live in a glass house. Why is it so hard for us to see that throwing stones helps nobody? Our shame, like the snake, tells us we are not safe being open with God. Our shame is the opposite of the esteem we need to regenerate. We don't need to be perfect to get to heaven, we need to trust that God's providence, compassion, and wisdom are more than enough to get us to heaven if we would just stop hiding.

The fifth level and final level of human need according to Abraham Maslow is what he calls "Self-actualization.” In this state one become so connected with one's gifts and abilities and loves that one serves intuitively and automatically and without self-consciousness. One is a blessing just in the way one shows up. That description sounds a lot like the outcome of regeneration. Regeneration removes the things that block our usefulness. “Usefulness” does not mean a sort of numb, endless serving out of some sort of obligation or selflessness. In heaven, "usefulness" means coming from joy to contribute to the joy around us. It is a way of being that is hard to imagine. But this is the promise of heaven.

Heaven means all of our basic needs are met. We are not struggling just to get enough sleep or enough food, or to pay the rent. We are supported physically and emotionally. We are safe and we are wanted. We are a desired part of our community where the things we contribute are valued and where we in turn value the contributions of others. The life of heaven will feel something like a really well-executed sports maneuver (bump, serve, spike!), or being part of a really magnificent dance troop successfully performing some brilliant choreography. Each person performs their part to their best, and because everyone is at their best, the combined outcome is brilliant.

This life on earth has only the rarest glimpses of what it could be. The path of regeneration gets all of us there faster and with less suffering.

So this is the summation of what I came to say this morning. I came to say that we are here to become better people; that God is more than wise enough and powerful enough to lead us to heaven, even when we are having trouble forgiving ourselves and believing it is possible. Instead, let us love each other to bits. Let us do our best doing our own personal growth, and try to stay out of each other's business. Let us do better at appreciating each other and not criticizing each other, the same way we each would really like it if others appreciated us more and criticized us less. Let us create together the world we need to bring heaven on earth.

Blessings as you go forward from this place. May you increasingly become blessings to each other. Amen.

Today’s topic was inspired by a TED radio hour on Maslow’s human needs. https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2019-11-01

Being Loving with Wisdom - sermon Jan 25

This sermon was delivered on the Sunday on which we chose to honor Swedenborg's birthday.  It teaches about a key Swedenborgian concept—the union of Love and Wisdom.  The Holy City being "foursquare" symbolizes that there will be a complete balance of the two energies in all those who reach advanced state of spiritual being.

"Being Loving with Wisdom - Let's do this!"

Rev. Alison Longstaff, Jan 25, 2015

Bath Church of the New Jerusalem

Genesis 1:26-31; Revelation 21:10-17; Divine Love and Wisdom 30 

So God created humans in the Divine’s own image; in the image of the Divine was each one created; male and female God created them. 

One thing about growing up Swedenborgian is this, that one learns to think of everything as created into two essential halves of one, like the right brain and left brain, the right foot and left foot, the male and female, light and heat, the wine and the bread, the creative and the protective, the soft and the firm—it goes on and on.  By now it is so deeply ingrained in how I look at the world, I am repeatedly surprised when I realize not everyone looks at life this way. 

We are taught that these two manifestations of life come from the nature of God, like the light and heat of the sun.  We can intellectually separate them as concepts in our minds and think about them separately: “the light of the sun,” “the heat of the sun.”  But one couldn't actually exist without the other.  They are a package deal.  Each exists because of the other.  They are inseparable.  Light and heat from one sun; left and right in one human; Love and Wisdom in one God.

So in a Swedenborgian elementary school (in which one has regular religion lessons) I learned that the answer to most questions, if it wasn't “the Lord,” was probably “Love and Wisdom” or “good and truth.” It was a kind of joke, the way the answer to most mainstream Christian Sunday School questions might be “Jesus.” When in doubt, answer “Love and Wisdom” or “good and truth,” and odds are that you will get it right. 

The goal of creation was all about the union of two complementary and inseparable “halves": Love AND Wisdom; the “big picture” (Father) AND the “right here and now” (Son); the vertical axis of the cross (Divine) and the horizontal axis (human). That crux or union or intersection is what life is all about.  That coming together of Love and Wisdom within us is the holy grail of our journey on earth—to unite our heads and hearts—to become authentic, compassionate, respectful, and deeply wise. 

Now, I am also a pragmatist, so all this Swedenborgian theory doesn't make much difference to me unless it “has legs”—unless thinking about life as Love and Wisdom has a transformative effect on our lives.  And that is why I like the theory so much.  One cannot pay attention to politics or advertising or rhetoric about success and not hear buzz words like “authentic” or “integrity” or “accountability,” words like “genuine,” “trustworthy,” and “transparent.” 

All of these words point to something for which we all long—that we might find in each other trustworthiness, truthfulness, and fairness—that we could expect from life justice, equality, and a fighting chance.  We want it from others, and we struggle to live it ourselves.

We all long for these things because they are missing in this life.  They are missing because humankind is flawed and scared and unwilling to look at this or take responsibility for it.  We have all been hurt and lied to and betrayed, and it sometimes seems as if liars and cheaters and thieves outnumber by far the trustworthy ones.

Love and wisdom united—the qualities of fairness and accountability and authenticity only show up in people and organizations who have an intentionality about being one in purpose, word, and deed.  Lots of people and organizations like to claim qualities such as fairness and accountability and authenticity, then they try to paste them on the outside of their presence in the world, hoping nobody will see through the façade.  But true integrity can only come for doing the real work and living the real truth. We have all encountered such inauthentic individuals and businesses.

“Corporation” once simply meant “body.” But “corporation” now is also synonymous with a large business with no “soul.”  There are indeed big businesses with lots of soul, but unfortunately the ones doing harm give all the rest of them a bad name. By “no soul” we mean having no genuine sense of connection with or commitment to the public good.  Instead we find only a “heartless” commitment to self-service and constant “growth,” and this is called “good business.”  But if we were looking at a human body, we would call a cluster of cells whose one purpose was self-service and constant expansion regardless of cost, cancer. “Cancerous” corporations show us the ultimate example of “intelligence divorced from goodness.” 

Humans are flawed.  We are born into a world that trains us to hide, pretend, and not feel what we feel.  We can be bombarded with messages that tell us we are not good enough, and that invite us to feel contempt and scorn for those who are different.   But that is not God’s plan nor God’s intention for our lives.  God calls us constantly toward greater integrity.  Our brokenness and blindness and fear and disconnection from each other does not have to triumph.  The path to integrity can feel lonely and be very hard work sometimes, but it is absolutely worth it. 

And that is why Jesus’ story has resonated for so many people through the eons (whether or not you believe in the Divine nature of those texts).  And that is why stories like “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings” and even “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” find such long-lasting fan-followings today.  Each story taps our desire to believe in heroes, and calls forth our longing to find trustworthiness, safety, and authenticity in community. 

The best stories have a hero that is flawed—in fact, a hero that is somehow touched by the darkness within his or her own nature.  This inner darkness is the source of the hero’s pain, vulnerability, and conflict … and yet it also holds the key to how the hero subdues and transcends the darkness. 

           

We are all called to this hero’s journey, and yet we don’t necessarily answer that call.  This is because journeying toward that inner union invites an encounter with God, and this can feel as scary as crucifixion.  While the spiritual journey journey is the only way to our “resurrection,” it takes us right by the valley of the shadow of death.  We often need to be quite convinced that doing our spiritual work provides a much better quality of life for us than remaining in our comfort zones will.  We need to realize that remaining spiritually clogged and stuck will result in us continuing to have unenlightened thoughts and desires which end up hurting the ones we love most.  We will be blind to our own failings and will continue to think we are not as much a part of the problem as we truly are so long as we hide from and resist our own spiritual work. 

And so we must all work towards a union of our thinking and feeling sides, and this produces in us that “genuineness” or “authenticity” that is so craved in the world.  This work produces increasing self-awareness and compassion—we realize ever deeper ways we are lying to ourselves and hiding from ourselves, (often due to shame or fear of rejection) and the compassion gives us the strength and determination to change.  This self-awareness—this inner integration can be cultivated through therapy, meditation, and studying books about spiritual growth; we can encourage it by joining support groups, or journaling, or any other of a number of spiritual practices that God has provided for us to become better stewards our personal inner landscapes. 

It begins with intention, continues with prayer and spiritual practice, and God takes care of the rest.  May we each work to become the change we desire to see in the world.  Amen

***

Before the interlude I want to add a few words about Swedenborg.  

Emanuel Swedenborg was born on January 29^th, 1688—long before you and I were born—at a time well before electricity or cars or telephones, before telegraphs or steamships, and when the whaling industry had barely started.  He grew up a Lutheran in Sweden, became a highly educated man and civil servant, and only later in life began the deep study of the Bible that led to his spiritual awakening and theological writing.  His intent was to reform the existing Christian church, never to start a new denomination with his name on it.  He lived his full and remarkable life, and died in 1772, before the colonies declared independence.

Swedenborgians today are few in number and vary widely in how we understand and value Swedenborg’s writings.   We are small because we have been shy, a bit exclusive, and more intellectual than service-oriented.  But I will always be grateful for the way Swedenborgian thought has shaped my thinking and feeling.  I find deep peace in the perspectives; I find hope and comfort in the way he describes God’s plan; and the ideas help me find light in even the darkest times and joy in the bleakest moments.  

I am a Swedenborgian minister because I love this systematic theology so very much.  I hope that the great wisdom and insanely astute insights that this lifelong bachelor penned will bring light to your paths the way it has to mine.  And I love above all the inclusiveness within his theology, which makes room for all of us to walk together in respect and love.

Swedenborg wouldn't want us to make a fuss over his birthday.  His work pointed always to the God of love and wisdom.  I think we do celebrate the way God can fill each of us with love and wisdom, and have them transform our lives by celebrating the way He did this with Swedenborg.  Happy birthday “Manny.”  Thank you for letting your light shine!

Readings:

Genesis 1: 26-31

Then God said, “Let Us make humans in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  So God created humans in the Divine’s own image; in the image of the Divine was each one created; male and female God created them.  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and manage it; have responsibility for the fish of the sea, for the birds of the air, and for every living thing that moves on the earth.”

And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.  Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.  Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Revelation 21:10-17

 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.  It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.  There were three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west.  And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.  The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.  The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.  And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements. 

DLW 30

Since the Divine is essentially Love and Wisdom united, we humans have two sides of our beings. The one side shows up as our thinking or our discernment, and the other side shows up as our desire or longing. Wisdom from God flows into our thinking side, while love from God flows into our desire. Even though we often fail to think wisely or to desire the best things for ourselves and humankind, this does not negate the very real inflowing of love and wisdom into our souls from God.  Our lack only illustrates that the channels for them have become blocked or restricted; and as long as they are blocked or restricted, we are not capable of being very loving nor wise.  Nevertheless, this inflowing continues to provide whatever good thinking and enlightened desire that we will allow, for if the flow stopped altogether, we would cease to be human.

See also a creative and playful song explaining this on YouTube: http://youtu.be/WFRRsxtWNUM