“God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.” — 1 Corinthians 14:33
Confusion is often thought of as a lack of clarity—as though something is simply missing, and once the right answer is found, the feeling will pass. But when you begin to look more closely, it doesn’t always feel like something is absent. It often feels like too much is present at once—too many thoughts, too many interpretations, too many possible directions, all held together without yet forming a clear whole.
In that kind of state, what once seemed certain begins to loosen. What once felt steady begins to shift, sometimes gradually, sometimes all at once. And the mind can feel caught between different ways of seeing, unable to fully settle into any one of them. It’s not only that we don’t know what to think. It’s that the way we usually recognize what is true doesn’t seem to function in quite the same way it did before.
“For now we see through a glass, darkly…” — 1 Corinthians 13:12
Swedenborg describes this experience as a normal part of spiritual growth. He writes, “When truth is being learned, there are states of confusion and inward agitation before order and peace can be established” (Arcana Coelestia 840). This aligns with our experience: confusion can be deeply unsettling, making even familiar truths seem unsteady. The Writings call these states “vastations” or “temptations,” times when the Lord permits previously hidden things in our hearts and minds—false ideas, misguided loves—to surface so that they can be seen and re-ordered (Arcana Coelestia 1106, 2967).
The Writings explain that “to undergo vastation, a person must fall into doubt about the things of faith, for thereby spiritual life is stirred” (Arcana Coelestia 1106). So, the experience of confusion is not evidence that something has gone wrong, but often a sign that the Lord is at work to bring something deeper into view: “The reason for this unpleasantness and pain is that, where things [false or disordered] are being grounded out and purified, there is resistance, and so discomfort” (Arcana Coelestia 840).
There is, within each person, an ongoing tension between what is true and what is false, and between what leads toward a more balanced way of living and what draws us away from it. Swedenborg explains, “Temptations are nothing else than combats between evils and goods, or what is the same, between falsities and truths, which take place with a person who is being regenerated” (Arcana Coelestia 840, see also 751).
But there are moments when these come into clearer view—when different ways of thinking and perceiving are brought into contrast. And when that happens, the result is not immediate clarity. It is a kind of inner disorientation. It is confusion.
This begins to explain something that many people experience but don’t always understand: confusion doesn’t always come from carelessness or indifference. In many cases, it becomes more noticeable when a person is actually striving after truth and faithfulness. The Lord permits these states so that “the truths of faith may be confirmed and the falsities which adhere may be dispelled” (Arcana Coelestia 2334).
In this way, confusion isn’t a detour from the path but part of it—a sign that the Lord is quietly working to bring what we love, what we believe to be true, and how we live into deeper harmony. Swedenborg writes, “The Lord is especially present in temptations… This is the reason why those who are being regenerated are let into temptations, and not others, for these alone can be reformed” (Arcana Coelestia 840).
The purpose of these states is not to leave us lost, but to lead us step by step into greater light. “The state of peace which ensues… is the state after temptation, when evils and falsities have been separated, and good and truth have been acknowledged” (Arcana Coelestia 3696).
Over time, this becomes clearer. The human mind is not random. It is “formed to receive life, understanding, and direction from the Lord” (Arcana Coelestia 9594). When that reception becomes unclear or conflicted, the mind can feel pulled in different directions at once. But as what is true begins to take its proper place again—sometimes slowly, sometimes almost imperceptibly—the mind begins to return to a more stable sense of balance and alignment.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” — Psalms 119:105
Seen in this way, confusion is not something simply to be avoided or pushed past as quickly as possible. It becomes something that can be approached with greater awareness—not by accepting everything that arises, and not by rejecting the experience itself, but by learning to look more closely within it.
To begin asking, quietly and honestly:
What here is true?
Swedenborg says, “Those who are in faith think and reason whether a thing is true, or whether it is not true… thus, they are permitted to doubt, and to be often perplexed and troubled” (Arcana Coelestia 729).
And to follow the truth, even in small steps, trusting that as we do, the Lord is quietly providing order and light, even when the path feels dark.
If you find yourself in a place where things no longer feel clear, it may not mean that you are lost. It may be that something is being brought into view that was not yet fully seen. And if that is the case, then confusion is not the opposite of clarity. It is part of the path toward it.
“When truth is being learned, there are states of confusion and inward agitation before order and peace can be established” (Arcana Coelestia 840).
If you would like to continue, the next step is to begin understanding the structure within which this confusion takes place:
How the Mind Is Structured
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