The Swedish Da Vinci: Emmanuel Swedenborg and the Swedenborg Library

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood…" These words of Daniel Burnham had a major influence on his designs for the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and later his dramatic 1909 Plan of Chicago. Another major influence on Burnham was the Swedish scientist and mystic Emanuel Swedenborg.

emmanuel swedenborg Known as "The Swedish Da Vinci," Swedenborg's sway extended far beyond Burnham and Chicago. Helen Keller, Jorge Luis Borges, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning were among the myriad writers, educators, and philosophers influenced by Swedenborg.

A true 18th century renaissance man, Swedenborg's inventions included a submarine, a controllable glider, and devices for making mining safer and more productive. He also identified the cerebral cortex and is credited with the first attempt to establish a system of crystallography.

Like Isaac Newton, in midlife Swedenborg turned his attention from the physical world to the metaphysical. A series of spiritual experiences led him to write his own books of biblical interpretation and topical theology. His influence would spread greatly after his death in 1772. Helen Keller would later cite his message as her "strongest incitement to overcome limitations."

In Chicago, the Swedenborg Library is dedicated to practical spirituality and teaching and promoting the writing and ideas of Swedenborg and other contemporary spiritual topics. The Library's holdings include all of his published works plus other works about the philosopher.

At its downtown location the Library also offers lectures, discussion groups, workshops, art exhibits, yoga, and Qi Gong, and the Common Ground lecture series.

The Swedenborg Library is located at 77 West Washington, Room 1700, in Chicago, and online at www.swedenborglib.org. They can be reached by phone at 312.346.7003 for their brochure.