In 2022, the SAA (Swedenborg Association of Australia) celebrated its 30th year of service and uploaded the very earliest Candela magazine issues. See bottom of the Candela page for some facsinating historical editions. For a special celebration issue of the Candela, click here to open and download it.
And below are some major highlights of those 3 decades (thanks to Michael Chester for this history compilation):
1992
- Regular group meetings began in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Over 80 talks in Sydney recorded and made available as DVDs.
- First of 8 Celebrations of Spring held at North Ryde (Sydney).
1993
- Logo competition won by Joe Vandermeer. Updated with colour in 2015.
- Regular Newsletter Candela first issued. Colour print started in 2016. 108 issues so far.
1994
- Publication of Presenting Swedenborg: A Roadmap for Readers. Major revision in 2019. This booklet is a ‘road map’ to provide a bridge for the would be reader who wonders where to begin and where to find the central concepts in Swedenborg’s writings. To view or download a copy, click here
1995
- Website established on the internet. Upgrades occurred in 2003, 2014 and 2020.
2002
- Cooperative agreement between the SAA and the Swedenborg Centre concluded with future activities under Association’s name.
2009
- Added the first video to the SwedenborgAustralia YouTube channel - video called Spiritual Rays of Light. The video presents key concepts based on the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. You can view it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjHC206cVd0 Additional videos have been added subsequently.
2012
- Practical techniques for spiritual living was published and added to the website. View it at https://static.swedenborg.com.au/pdf/brochures/Practical_Techniques.pdf
- The Circle of Spiritual Practice followed in providing additional spiritual practices.
2013
- Presence on Facebook began. Approximately fifty posts a year. In June 2022 has 475 followers.
2015
- Participated in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Australian Afterlife Explorer’s Conferences.
2017
- Publication of the Swedenborg Anthology — an explanation of words and terms used in Swedenborg’s writings. View or download it here
2018
- Registered Office moved from North Ryde to Roseville.
2020
- Beginning of Zoom meetings. People from all over Australia and indeed the world can join in live meetings. Swedenborg Saturdays was set up as a special endeavour for SAA members to meet and share their interest in Swedenborg and his Writings.
- Revision of the classic: A light burden: Easier ways to shun evils. An in-depth practical look at a basic teaching of Swedenborg - turning away from evils is vital to spiritual growth. View or download it here