This project has been years in the making. It was originally started by Basil Lazer, who was so inspired by the spiritual insights shared by Emanuel Swedenborg that he wanted to make them more easily accessible to everyone. He carefully selected quotes, organised them under topics, and published them as books, distributing them with his own time and resources. The current Our Shared Spirituality team continues his mission.
Emanuel Swedenborg, a spiritual writer who lived 300 years ago, shared profound spiritual insights that open up the inner world of spirituality for us. One of his great contributions was revealing the deep connections between God, our spiritual beliefs, and the personal, inner life we experience every day.
Basil Lazer discovered the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg after many years of searching for answers about life. The insights Swedenborg shared affected him deeply, to the extent that he wanted to make them more easily accessible to everyone. This became his passion and he dedicated himself to it.
Lee Woofenden brings a fresh, groundbreaking approach to translating the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Working directly from the original Latin, he renders them into the everyday English we think in and speak today. He has newly translated all the quotes in our books..
Julian Duckworth, the project’s editor, is a spiritual teacher who has gained a substantial knowledge of universal spiritual teachings over his many years exploring spiritual insights. He reorganised Basil’s work into seven books, adding selected Swedenborg quotations, and writing the supporting text. He also contributes to the project’s digital presence, helping to create and curate social media content.
Donna Heldon, the project’s art director and graphic designer, brings many years of design experience, specialising in project management and book design. She created the covers, layouts, and original illustrations for the book series, and also manages and creates the project’s online presence, including the website and social media content.