"Watch your Tone."

 

“Watch your Tone.”

Tone in relation to affections

“Watch you tone.” A command that is frequent upon the small ears of small children – especially those of the rabblerousing variety. But does this commonplace phrase of “Watch your tone,” inform more than just behavioral adjustments from the small to adolescent?

            “Please take out the garbage,” said the mother.

                        “Whatever.” snapped the child.

            “Watch your tone.” replied the mother.

Now the meaning of tone in this situation is slightly different than what I hope to explore, but does it still hold true? Allow me to explain. Tone, as it is used above seems to refer more towards the child’s use of inflection on his words, but Tone in spiritual speech is oh so much more important.

            From Heaven and Hell #241 (Ager translation):

“for the vowels stand for tone, and in the tone there is affection, the tone of the speech of angels corresponding to their affection… This enables angels to recognize what someone’s quality is in respect to affection and love.”

The Tone in spiritual speech actually informs the meaning of an angel’s words; down to the very affection from which the thought corresponds to. Now, this is not to say that inflection and intention of words do not also have weight on their meaning, but on the spiritual level, a proper Tone – the vowel sounds – is vital.

 

Quality of Tone in relation to clarity

The importance of an angel’s Tone in spiritual speech is further supported when one considers that as one moves from the first heaven to the third heaven, spiritual speech holds more meaning per “word”, and also emphasizes vowels, or the Tone, more.

From Arcana Coelestia #1642 (Elliott translation):

“For angelic spirits [spiritual / second heaven] acquire a clearer understanding from one single idea comprising speech or thought than spirits [natural / first heaven] do by means of several thousand; and the understanding of angels [celestial / third heaven] is similarly greater compared to that of angelic spirits.”

            And from Heaven and Hell #241 (Ager translation):

“The speech of heavenly angels [celestial / third heaven] is like a gentle stream, soft and virtually unbroken, while the speech of spiritual angels is a little more resonant and crisp…Further still, the language of heavenly angels lacks any hard consonants and rarely puts two consonants together without inserting a word that begins with a vowel.”

As one may percieve from the quotations above, spiritual speech improves in clarity dramatically as vowel sound or Tone increases in use; so much so that one idea of thought or speech may represent thousands in the heaven just below. Celestial angels watch their Tone, and they are closest angels to the Lord. Should not you do the same in an attempt to be closer to Him?

 

“But I’m not an angel…yet?”

Of course, you might say, “But I’m in the natural world right now… I’m not an angel…I don’t have access to spiritual speech yet!”. While it is arguable – perhaps a quick argument – whether or not you have access to spiritual speech in this very moment, it is not arguable that spiritual speech is with you.

            From Heaven and Hell #243 (Ager translation):

“Speech like that in the spiritual world is inherent in every man in his interior intellectual part; but man does not know this, because this speech does not with man, as with angels, fall into words analogous to affection; nevertheless this is what causes a man, when he enters the other life, to come into the same speech as spirits and angels, and thus to know how to speak without instruction.”

So, even though one is unable to speak by means of spiritual speech – unless one wishes to perish immediately – because one’s internals and externals are not linked such as that of the angels of heaven, such a person still inherently possesses spiritual speech.

 

Wherever you will go

            Since spiritual speech is inherent to one’s humanity, it does not leave a person except in cases where a “person” chooses to be so far removed from the Lord’s light and / or in confirmed in thinking that they can prove falsities that they are frequently mute.  

            From Conjugial Love #233 (Rogers translation):

“they are incapable of thought and so have nothing to say, but stand as mute as machines, as though in a deep sleep… people become like that who are inmostly evil. ‘The light of heaven cannot flow into them from above,’”

This occasion aside, evil and infernal speech remain similar to angelic speech as their speech comes from their affections.

            From Heaven and Hell #245 (Ager translation):

“The speech of evil and infernal spirits is likewise natural to them because it is from affections; but it is from evil affections and consequent filthy ideas, to which angels are utterly averse…when the inner nature of their speech is perceived as wise angels percieve it, it is head as the gnashing of teeth, and strikes with horror.”

Whether one is in heaven or hell, their speech reflects their affections; and as mentioned earlier, their affections are determined through their Tone. These past passages also demonstrate that speech is a vehicle for one’s thought and affections so that others, regardless of spiritual fate might understand.

 

The Lord is Speech / Taking the Lord’s name in vain

            When one considers that one’s Tone corresponds to their affection, and that this Tone increases in both clarity and consequently perfection as one becomes closer to the Lord, it is not unbelievable that,

            From Arcana Coelestia #1642 (Potts translation):

“the Lord, from whom is all the life of affection, thought, and speech, and who alone is the Speech, and the Word!”

It might be observable that I frequently spell “Tone” with a capital T. This is perhaps heretical overall, but means to serve as a compositional element here, that ascribes to that notion above that the Lord is Speech and thereby is all the life of affection.

Even more so a reason for someone to think carefully about their Tone. Surely this does not seem to paint vulgarities in a permissible light. And perhaps one of the worst things to say by means of the Lord, is His own name in vain.

            From True Christianity #299

“In the heavenly meaning, taking the Lord’s name in vain parallels what the Lord said to the Pharisees: All sin and blasphemy is forgiven people, but blasphemy of the Spirit is not forgiven.”

Taking the Lord’s name in vain seems fairly horrible – or perhaps dangerous – from this passage alone, but it is worse when considering that we merely,

From True Christian Religion #470 (Rose translation):

“sense, think, speak, and act completely as if we had autonomy.”

Operative word phrase being “as if we had autonomy”. In some strange sense, when one takes the Lord’s name in vain, they are certainly choosing to do so, but they are not even doing so of themselves. One is taking the Lord’s name in vain, by means of the Lord.

 

Use of speech in heaven

 

            Again, since speech is a vehicle for thought, and one’s affections are shown by means of their Tone, one’s speech in heaven should only concern spiritual ideas, love of the Lord, and love of the neighbor. Better explained below:

            From Arcana Coelestia #10568 (Eliott translation):

“In general a spiritual idea has to do with the Lord, His kingdom, heaven, the Church, love to the Lord and faith in Him, and countless aspects of faith and love, thus of the Church… it is impossible for any material idea to enter heaven”

So, not only should spiritual speech not be used for profanities, it should be used in conjunction with more heavenly ideas. Fortunately, there are innumerable ways to serve the Lord and the neighbor so affections from one’s Tone are never in short supply.

 

Why does this matter / “Watch my tone?”

            All of these descriptions, and all of these cautions amount to the idea that: “Yes! You should watch your Tone!”. We have acknowledged that one’s Tone represents their affections, and that the quality of the tone and how close one is to the Lord can inform one’s clarity when speaking. We have acknowledged that despite not having access to spiritual speech immediately – unless one wishes to perish in the same instance – spiritual speech is still an inherent part of us and persists with us in our natural life; that even in hell, Tone represents affections. We have observed that the Lord is Speech and is “all the life of affection” and truly how horrible it is to take His name in vain. Similarly, we have observed that spiritual speech in heaven is not meant for vulgarities, but rather is to communicate spiritual ideas about serving the Lord and serving the neighbor.

I suggest that in addition to repentance, shunning evils as sins and looking to the Lord, one might also take care with the words that they say. For it is not the meaning in their words that may impact their spiritual state, but their Tone. And such care may serve a person well in their attempts to regenerate by means of the Lord.

 

But what if I do not watch my Tone? What of the things I’ve already said.

It is known from New Church theology that when a person dies and enters the spiritual world, their life continues similar to that of their life on earth. So too holds true in the regard for speech – if one is all too prone to vulgarities and curses in one life, they might find themselves in a similar spot in the next. This is not to say that a person who swears a lot can not find themselves in heaven, but assuredly they will have to lose those vulgar tendencies before entering heavenly communities.

Of the vulgarities said, curses cursed, swears sworn, and every other verbal battery that is likely unwelcomed in heavenly communities, the spiritual impact of these could be weighed back and forth through particular lenses, but ultimately is unknown. It is also known in New Church teachings that evils stay with a person till death and either persist in hell, or are vastated from them in preparation for heaven.

            From Heaven and Hell #513 (Ager translation):

“The well disposed undergo vastations that they also may be divested of what pertains to the earth and the world, which they had contracted while living in the world… Also that evils and falsities may be removed, and thus there may be room for the influx of goods and truths out of heaven from the Lord, and ability to accept these.”

As a means to feed one’s evils less, it may be wise to sculpt speech in such a way that only promote useful, heavenly ideas, rather than hellish ones that would need to be vastated in preparation for heaven. Similarly,

            From Heaven and Hell #514 (Ager translation):

“Elevation into heaven is impossible until such things have been removed, because they obstruct heavenly things and are not in harmony with them”

Just as evil and falsity do not exist in heaven, neither could good and truth be joined in hell and just as so, if one does prefer hell, and all its accessories – taking the Lord’s name in vain included – one would be vastated from truths. Any truth would be ripped from them as they cast themselves down into hell.

 

Final thoughts

            If anything, this journal article should be used as a means to reconsider aspects of one’s life that might not be ideal. It is not to make people afraid who curse when jamming their pinky toe into the corner of their coffee table, but it is to offer a reminder to those who sound frequently like they’ve done so to take care. Think hard about the affections your feeding, by means of your speech, your Tone, your actions, your habits, anything. The nature of religion is to live a good life and with these theological concepts might I offer to reconsider the little things along with tackling perhaps more daunting negative behaviors.