The Mind – A Spiritual Centre

What if the real secret to life isn’t found in your heartbeat or your next breath, but in the invisible world of your thoughts and affections? Deep within us, beyond flesh and bone, lies a marvellous structure, the human mind, which the Lord designed as the true seat of our life. According to the Bible and the New Church’s teachings, our mind is not just where we think, but where we truly live: a spiritual centre where love (our will) and wisdom (our understanding) unite to shape everything we feel, believe, and do.

Why does this matter? Because our spiritual and natural life depends on the state of this inner world. The Lord teaches that life is so much more than meeting physical needs or going through the motions. What truly brings life and vitality is what we love, seek, and value within our spiritual priorities. The astonishing truth is that, even after death, it is this mind—our spirit—that continues and defines who we are for eternity.

The Core of a Person

The Bible and the teachings of the New Church teach that true life, both natural and spiritual, is closely connected with the state of the mind. The mind is seen as the core of a person, where both our will (our desires and loves) and understanding (our thoughts and beliefs) reside. These two faculties, when joined together, form the human mind, which is the seat of our life (The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Teachings 28; Divine Love and Wisdom 387).

Spiritual life is especially a matter of the mind, of what we love, intend, and believe. Not just what we do externally. The Lord teaches in Scripture that life is more than just physical existence. Indeed, our focus is not to be on material needs alone, but on seeking what is higher and eternal (Matthew 6:19-34, Luke 12:21-41, Deuteronomy 8:3). The mind, which is our spirit, is the real person, and after death, the mind continues as our spiritual self (Divine Love and Wisdom 388).

Integrity of Mind

If our understanding part of our mind is governed by our will for what is good, our mind is whole, it is one, it is now human, and so is our life. However, if understanding and will are divided, as when we know the truth but prioritise ourselves over others, our mind is split, and our life is in disorder (Arcana Coelestia 35, 7179). The mind has an effort toward what is human and spiritual, because God Himself is Human, and we are created to receive His love and wisdom (Divine Love and Wisdom 388).

Mind receives what is Heavenly

Life in its deepest sense comes from the Lord and flows into us through love and wisdom. Love and Wisdom are received by the will and understanding. If our mind is turned toward spiritual things, seeking to love the Lord and our neighbour, seeking wisdom and discernment, and wanting to be of service, our mind becomes “like heaven” and is truly alive. But if it is turned only toward self and worldly matters, it becomes “like hell” and spiritually dead (Divine Love and Wisdom 276).

Therefore, an important lesson is to care for both body and mind, always with the mind’s health and spiritual well-being in mind. The mind is the real you. This means feeding your mind with things that pertain to intelligence and wisdom from the Lord’s Word, so that all of our life may look to what is higher and be of service to the Lord and spiritual ends. This is to be truly alive (Arcana Coelestia 6936).