1. Spirits are only tools or instruments of life, yet serviceable for certain purposes. [Tools (Organs); Spirit]
2. Spirits are bondservants, the more inwardly evil, the more insane. What use they serve. [Tools (Organs); Spirit]
3. The spirits that have been placed next to someone take to themselves the person's knowledge and memory, and this causes them to think they are that person. Still, each one possesses its own desires, thus its own nature, and cannot take on the person's desires or nature. [Knowledge; Memory; Spirit; Person on earth; Nature]
4. Spirits play the part of anyone a human holds in great respect, and say they are that person, because they want to be revered under the guise of such. They especially want to be taken for the holy spirit. [Holy; Spirit; Gods; God]
5. About the portrayal among spirits of various things on earth, which arises from things they saw while living in the body. [Portrayal (Representation)]
6. [The index also refers to no. 3.]
Spirits put on a human's knowledge and memory, thinking them to be their own; but they do not influence a person's mental images except through feelings, from which mental images originate. [Spirit; Knowledge]
7. Spirits bring on dreams, and when the person is sleeping, they dream the same. [Dream, Sleep]
7 1/2.
The things seen and portrayed in a dream were grasped in the dream, but were inexpressible after I awoke, both as to what kind of things they were and where they came from. [Dream, Sleep]
8. Dreams coming from angels are entirely different - beautiful, enjoyable, informative, predictive. [Dream, Sleep]
9. About Solomon, what he was like, and about his wisdom [cf. 68a]. [Solomon; Wisdom]
10. About speech and association with spirits - several facts.
[Association; Speak, Speech; Spirit]
11. There is no permission [of evil] except for the sake of a good purpose. [Permission]
12. [The index also refers to no. 15.]
A kind of permission [of evil] is apparent among spirits, even among evil ones. [Permission]
13. I was given the power to seemingly permit, in several ways. [Permission]
15. [The index refers also to nos. 12 and 16.]
Permission takes place through many intermediaries. [Angel; Lord; Intermediary; Permission; Truth]
16. [The index refers also to no. 15.]
Truths, however, flow in from the Lord directly, even if through angels. [Angel; Lord; Intermediary; Truth]
17. [There was] communication with spirits by means of inward thought. [Think, Thought; Inward]
A spirit attempting to do evil becomes upset by being looked at. [Spirit]
18. Spirits gladly speak with people, provided the person does not ponder about their nature - and they cannot bear it if spirits coming from elsewhere speak with the person. One spirit is not aware of the presence of another. When they are not being spoken with, spirits do not know otherwise than that they are the people [they are with]. [Spirit; Speak, Speech; Nature; Person on earth]
19. The spirits nearest by did not understand, nor do they understand today, the inward meaning of the Lord's Word, and therefore neither did the prophets of old. The secrets contained within it are expressed by means of symbolic portrayals. See Prophet. [Inward; Prophet; Word]
20. During the praying of the Lord's prayer, the threefold meaning was perceived as a threefold life. [Prayer; Life]
21. Earthly spirits think they are people on earth, furnished with bodies, and therefore want to be regarded as such. However, it is not the body that makes the human being, but the mind, or understanding and will: so good spirits and angels are human beings. [Spirit; Person on earth; Body; Understanding, Understand; Will; Mind]
22. The human mind is null, when a person is born, but it is formed by things of this world. Therefore it must necessarily be reformed in order to become spiritual. [Mind; Regeneration; Spiritual things]
23. Spirits are held in bonds in many different ways, not knowing that they are being so held, and when they are released, they think they are acting from their own power and do not know how they are being restrained.[Bond; Power]
Spirits were led by me to speak in such a way that they did not know otherwise than that they were speaking from themselves. [Speak, Speech]
They speak and act according to their own nature. [Nature]
About Permission. [Permission]
24. Spirits become insane when they think, speak and act out of their own fantasy, and they consider insanity to be intelligence and wisdom. [Insanity; Wisdom; Fantasy]
25. Wisdom is to look and strive toward purposes pertaining to the Kingdom of the Lord: so the Lord Alone is Wisdom. Purposes tending in that direction are numerous beyond estimation, and they are arranged in order of priority. See Purpose. [Purpose (End); Kingdom; Lord; Wisdom]
26. The human soul is purpose. If it looks and strives toward nature, the soul is earthly. [Soul; Purpose (End); Nature]
27. [The index refers also to nos. 39, 40.]
Evil spirits are much more insane than beasts because by means of reason they act against order [cf. 18a].* [Beast; Insanity; Order]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 1.
28. About inward spirits whose belief is based on understanding: they cannot stand being called instruments of life. They are meant by Gad.* [Belief (Faith); Implements; Gad]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxii, locus 17.
29. By evil spirits who are not living in order, delights also can be produced, so that they are "the delights of a king," or Asher [Gen. 49:20].* [Spirit; Pleasure; Asher]
I could not think even the least thing, but what flowed in from the Lord. [Thought, Think; Inflow]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxii, locus 17.
[THE "BATH FRAGMENT":]*
....Also distinguished into heavens, according to their different kinds of mental belief, are the angels who govern inward human thoughts: for people have around them an inward, and a very inward, heaven - even an innermost one. I also was enabled by the mercy of God the Messiah actually to share my thoughts for a while with those who were in the heaven of understanding - or rather, to have contact with them through my thoughts and, by intermediaries, to speak with them. I was even allowed to purify my thoughts to the point where I directly touched those who were in the heaven of belief based on understanding. Then I saw that it was they who are meant by "Gad" in a more inward sense. For even though they know, and are therefore able to believe, that God the Messiah Alone rules them through the Holy Spirit, and that they only had power when they were directly enlivened - still they were upset and wanted at first to cause a commotion, but after some contention with me, they quieted down.
Moreover, I was also allowed today, by the Divine mercy of God the Messiah, actually to experience the fact that spirits, even if they are evil, that is, in upside-down order, are also able to give "the delights of a King" [Gen. 49:20]. These, when they are in that state, are meant in an outward sense by "Asher," for they were able to produce harmonious pleasures, performing services to the inward heaven, or inward person.
These are the matters that are hidden here, and more could be said about them: 1747, the 8th day of February, on which day I was allowed to note something in the margin about the blessings of the sons of Jacob, chapter 49 of Genesis.**
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxiii.
** See Experientiae Spirituales, Vol VI, appendix E.
In the upper left hand corner of page 62 of Swedenborg's Schmidius Bible is the annotation, "About Gad and Asher, see Experiences, Tome III at the end." In the lower right hand corner are his annotations on Gen. 49:19-20, which read:
"Vers. 19.) Gad is the righteousness of the more inward person, thus of faith through understanding, in that we think we are our own, not believing we are controlled by God the Messiah in the least details, as is usual with everyone lacking Divine experience. They are the fruits of faith by understanding, thus "he whom a troop tramps upon." He "tramps upon the heel" when it is Jacob, in almost the same sense as [the prophecy] that nature tramps upon the heel, Gen. [3:15?].
"Vers. 20.) Asher is blessedness that is the result of loves, or Issachar, in the more inward meaning, and in the inward meaning."
30. Differences of speech revealed who they were, and where. [Speak, Speech; Spirit]
30 1/2. [The index refers also to nos. 32-35.]
Combats were seen, as if of a last judgment, p. 11.* [Combat]
* The pages containing the missing paragraphs were numbered by the author from 1 to 63.
31. [I spoke] with the Apostles, saying that by them, just as by the Tribes [of Israel], are symbolized the essentials of faith, or of the Church; that they were not to sit upon thrones and to judge the universe [Matt. 19:28, Luke 22:30]; that they form a synod. [Apostles; Church; Faith (Belief); Tribes; Judgment]
32. [The index refers also to nos. 30 1/2, 33-35.]
An effigy of a last judgment, illustrating the words told in the book of Revelation, that they will be cast down onto the earth [cf. 12:9]; and how the casting down will take place at that time. [Judgment]
33. [The index refers also to nos. 30 1/2, 32, 34-35.]
The deceitful were cast down out of heaven. See also page 11 there, no. 30 1/2.* [Deceit; Judgment]
* The pages containing the missing paragraphs were numbered by the author from 1 to 63.
34. [The index only refers to 34 and 35 under Judgment (no. 33).]
35. [The index only refers to 34 and 35 under Judgment (no. 33).]
37. *Regeneration takes place in every individual case in the same way as it does collectively, namely in the Church, in the world of spirits, in heaven: there is a continual combat of inner elements with outward ones, thus of the Lord's angels with the spirits controlling the person's outer elements. This happens in different ways, depending on the nature of each individual, and their various states. See also Temptation. [Regeneration; Combat]
* 37 and 38 are listed together with the above explanation found only once - NewSearch98 footnote.
38. *Regeneration takes place in every individual case in the same way as it does collectively, namely in the Church, in the world of spirits, in heaven: there is a continual combat of inner elements with outward ones, thus of the Lord's angels with the spirits controlling the person's outer elements. This happens in different ways, depending on the nature of each individual, and their various states. See also Temptation. [Regeneration; Combat]
* 37 and 38 are listed together with the above explanation found only once - NewSearch98 footnote.
39. *[The index refers also to no. 27.]
Humankind is viler than the beast, not knowing on their own the laws of order and of society, but having to learn them, and even then, they grasp at falsities as if they were truths, unlike beasts. For this reason, they must be regenerated [cf. 141a]. See also no. 27.** [Regeneration; Society; Beast; Order]
* 38 and 40 are listed together with the above explanation found only once - NewSearch98 footnote.
** See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, loca 10, 12.
40. *[The index refers also to no. 27.]
Humankind is viler than the beast, not knowing on their own the laws of order and of society, but having to learn them, and even then, they grasp at falsities as if they were truths, unlike beasts. For this reason, they must be regenerated [cf. 141a]. See also no. 27.** [Regeneration; Society; Beast; Order]
* 38 and 40 are listed together with the above explanation found only once - NewSearch98 footnote.
** See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, loca 10, 12.
41. What Peace is, and that Peace has countlessly many aspects. Calmness [on an outer plane] corresponds to it. [Peace]
42. Enlightened knowledge from the Word prepares the way for belief; and what else it accomplishes. [Enlightened knowledge (Cognitions); Word]
44. *The inward parts of the Word are most beautiful, but the outward sometimes ugly - an assertion that is supported by the comparison of the inner and outer figure, structure and form of a human being, and can also be illustrated by optical projections.** See Word. [Word; Inward]
* 44, 45 and 46 are listed together with the above explanation found only once - NewSearch98 footnote.
** Cf. 2164.
45. *The inward parts of the Word are most beautiful, but the outward sometimes ugly - an assertion that is supported by the comparison of the inner and outer figure, structure and form of a human being, and can also be illustrated by optical projections.** See Word. [Word; Inward]
* 44, 45 and 46 are listed together with the above explanation found only once - NewSearch98 footnote.
** Cf. 2164.
46. *The inward parts of the Word are most beautiful, but the outward sometimes ugly - an assertion that is supported by the comparison of the inner and outer figure, structure and form of a human being, and can also be illustrated by optical projections.** See Word. [Word; Inward]
* 44, 45 and 46 are listed together with the above explanation found only once - NewSearch98 footnote.
** Cf. 2164.
47. [The index also refers to nos. 48, 50.]
Mankind has been given the ability to command evil spirits, not to be commanded by them.* [Person on earth; Spirit]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 14.
48. [The index refers also to nos. 47, 50.]
Spirits and demons control a person's reasoning power through feelings. See also Understanding. [Feeling (Affection); Understanding; Reason, Rational; Spirit]
50. [The index refers to this under Person on earth and Spirit (no. 47).]
51. I spoke about the bodies of the angels, what shape they have. [Body]
52. What the Kingdom of the Lord within a person is: the feeling and looking is focussed upon the Lord, through belief. From this there is salvation. [Kingdom; Salvation, Savior; Belief (Faith)]
53. What the kingdom of the devil is: the looking is focussed upon oneself, and if upon what is outside of self, yet it is reflected back toward oneself. From this there is death. [Love; Devil; Die, Dead; Kingdom]
54. A proposition put to spirits: whether Demons are able to do anything contrary to what they desire; for they say that they want what they desire. It was answered that they are not able. See also Love, Feeling.* [Desire; Power; Will]
A proposition put to spirits: whether Pure Love is able to will anything but the salvation of all. It was answered that it is Pure Love Alone Who wills, and it is the Salvation of all that He wills. See also Freedom.** [Salvation, Savior; Will; Love]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 11.
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 11. See also The Word Explained 5336 and footnote.
55. A kind of vision in a seemingly wakeful state, which state was unknown to me before. Perhaps this kind of vision is what the prophets had. What I saw. [Prophet; See, Vision]
56. Twice in a wakeful vision, I walked along a road, in the spirit, [experiencing] something like what is read about Stephen [Acts 7:55-6], that he was led by the spirit. [See, Vision; Spirit; Road]
57. What peace is: a reflection on peace, and on what things disturb it. [Peace]
58. From curiosity spirits want to know everything, so that they also inquisitively arouse all and the least things in a person's memory, and this process cannot be stopped. [Curiosity; Person on earth; Memory]
Spirits think that they are people on earth in every respect. [Person on earth; Spirit]
(In the margin.) Evil spirits do not want good people to be spoken well of; and they do not want good people around; and they are not aware of the presence of another spirit.
(In the margin.) Spirits take it very hard that they are controlled by a person on earth. [Spirit; Person on earth]
(In the margin.) Evil spirits do not want anything to be revealed about themselves. [Spirit]
59. Spirits eagerly call forth things that agree with their native character. Spirits want to be parted [from a person] when they come across things that go against their nature. [Nature; Spirit]
60. Truth is whatever looks to the Kingdom of the Lord, so that truths are all the means that look, tend and lead to it. But when it comes to means, circumstances make each case different. [Kingdom; Circumstance; Truth]
61. A certain spirit, from an idea persisting with him, suddenly denies the resurrection. [Resurrection]
62. All people and all things in the world and in heaven, with unlimited variety, are instrumental means [leading] toward the prime and final goal, that is, the Kingdom of the Lord, thus [they are] for the sake of the Lord. [Goal (End); Kingdom; Lord]
63. Abraham's faithlessness was transplanted into Jacob and his descendants.* [Abraham; Jacob]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxii, loca 15, 16.
64. In how many different ways spirits flow through feelings and thoughts into a person, from feeling into thought, and the other way around. [Feeling (Affection)]
65. It is different when they are speaking with people. [Feeling (Affection); Thought, Think; Speak, Speech]
66. My lamentation regarding temptations [cf. 133a, 375a].* [Temptation]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, loca 9, 13.
67. The fact that the Lord controls the universe can be evident from the government of all things in the body by the hierarchy of minds; also, from the development of a tree and of a plant from the seed. [Lord; Universe]
68. Spirits with me who did not know I could speak with spirits were pleased [to think] that spirits control people, and that they are the person [they are with]. But they were displeased that the person replied, and was investigating their character, and controlled them. [Spirit; Person on earth]
69. In every least particle of love of self and of the world is concealed the ambition of possessing the universe, thus hatred against the Lord. See also Feeling, and Desire and Will. [Hatred; Love]
70. Horror-provoking visions and displays brought on by evil spirits. [Display (Representation); See, Vision]
71. It was shown by a vivid series of experiences, how the Lord governs the thoughts, and that people are unable to think differently [from what is ordained], however much they suppose that they can. See Thought. [Thought, Think; Inflow]
72. When my thoughts were focussed on the world, they carried me down like weights, and my inward thoughts seemed to be erased, and then I seemed to be governing myself. It was shown, however, that this was not true. [Weight; Thought, Think]
73. Thoughts were streaming into my mind imperceptibly, and my actions were being governed by spirits. The spirits were stirred with feeling when my thought was directed toward them. [Inflow; Thought, Think; Spirit; Action]
I could tell spirits apart by their speech. [Spirit; Speak, Speech]
74. Spirits were aroused to speaking by my looking at them by an inward gaze. [Looking; Speak, Speech]
75. [The index refers also to no. 90.]
While I was in a most sweet sleep, some spirits were very severely assailed, thinking it was done by me, when yet I knew nothing about it.* [Dream, Sleep]
* Cf. Arcana Coelestia 1983.
77. The cunning and malice of some spirits, when they are allowed to pour in desires and persuasions, is beyond description. They can hardly be recognized for what they are, except from their motive. [Malice; Motive (End); Persuasion; Deceit]
There are simple spirits who speak and think hardly anything of themselves, but from others, such being their nature. [Thought, Think; Simple; Speak, Speech]
Cunning and evilly disposed spirits more easily lead astray learned people and sharp philosophers than they do others, because with them, they are able to slip in more falsities. [Learned; Philosophy]
Even the most cunning and wicked spirits have no power. [Power]
78. Spirits and angels do not have a memory born from and next to the physical senses, but an inward one, which is rather a nature, or character. A sense-based memory they have from the person they are present with. [Character; Memory; Nature; Person on earth]
79. Symbolic displays by good spirits and angels, which are of a wide variety and a source of much pleasure, regard the Kingdom of the Lord. [Kingdom; Display (Representation)]
Symbolic displays by evil spirits concern the kingdom of the devil. [Devil; Display (Representation)]
80. The spirits with me could tell that they were not people on earth, and this by our speaking to each other, and by our separation, and by instruction. The process of being separated, I was sometimes allowed to experience quite keenly. [Spirit; Person on earth; Speak, Speech]
81. While I was praying the Lord's Prayer, my hands were folded and unfolded by a manifest force. Also, the words seemed to be lifted up, and mental glimpses of the contents imparted [cf. 128a].* [Hands; Prayer; Words, Expressions; Glimpse (Look)]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 8.
(1) A person on earth is a spirit clothed with a body. [Body; Person on earth; Spirit]
(2) Spirits are not strong in sense-based memory, nor are angels. [Memory]
[(3) is not referred to in the index.]
(4) When I was in company of spirits, not as one of them, but as an earthly human, I was unable by my own effort to bring up anything from my memory. [Memory; Associate]
(5) A person on earth cannot live without being governed by means of spirits: for which reason the Lord, Who rules spirits, rules the whole human Race. [Lord; Person on earth; Spirit]
(6) If the Lord were to slacken His control for a moment, immediately mankind would be cast headlong into insanities and a most hideous death. [Insanity; Die, Dead; Lord]
83. The sensitivities of the father and the mother are born with and in the offspring. But the father's are inward sensitivities, so that they develop after a longer period of time; while the mother's are outward sensitivities, so that they develop within a shorter period of time [cf. 37a].* Father; Hereditary, Heredity; Mother]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 3.
84. From concord there is Light, from discord shadow. [Harmony; Ignorance; Light]
85. How spirits raise up mental images out of a person's memory, which fall into words of speech. [Mental image (Idea); Speak, Speech; Memory; Words, expressions]
Spirits quickly steal away and hide the things [in a person's memory that] they are averse to. [Memory; Ignorance; Spirit]
Spirits speak as hastily [as possible], and sometimes more quickly than people on earth, and in fact, with the usual rhythms [cf. 54a]. See Gyre and Choir and Form.* [Rhythm; Speak, Speech]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 5.
86. About choirs of spirits and angels, and their harmonies, unity, forms, whirling and back and forth movements in speaking and acting, which image the beauty of things heavenly and spiritual. Also, about the heightening of happiness from many united into heavenly forms by the Lord. See also Rhythm, Gyre, Form, Choir, Unity, Agreement, Love, Society. [Angel; Choir; Whirling (Gyre); Form; Unity; Harmony; Speak, Speech; Happiness; Lord]
About Choirs of spirits and angels, which are small images of the kingdom of the Lord, see Form [cf. 63a].* [Spirit]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 6.
87. Heavenly pleasure perceived by me, together with speech, also accompanied by an anxiousness to feel the pleasures more keenly; see also Joy and Happiness. [Pleasure; Joy]
88. Dreams were introduced by evil spirits and were obstructed by good spirits, which I heard the spirits admitting after I awoke. [Dream, Sleep]
89. A dream appeared to spirits not to be a dream, but something carried out in wakefulness, and they would hardly believe [it was a dream] before it was proven. This also shows what the life of spirits in connection with people on earth is like. [Person on earth; Spirit; Dream, Sleep]
90. [The index refers to this number under Dream, Sleep (no. 75).]
91. There are not the least traces of thoughts and feelings a person can perceive, which inward spirits do not perceive more clearly. [Feeling (Affection); Thought, Think]
92. [The index also refers to no. 93.]
Several experiences showing that spirits present with other people do not, as they do with me, see through the people's eyes nor hear through their ears, but that they have portrayed inwardly objects of sight and speech, which affect them according to their nature. See Hear, See. [Hear; See, Vision; Ear; Eye]
Spirits do not see through the eyes and hear through the ears, like they do with me, in those to whom [the spiritual world] has not been opened, see See. [Spirit; Person on earth]
How things were when for the first time it had been opened in me, and how greatly surprised the spirits were; and what their state was like when I was in human company; and other matters. See Hear. [Hear; See, Vision; Company (Association)]
93. [The index refers also to no. 92.]
Without humankind, order is not complete. The Lord Alone is most perfect order, that is, Order. [Lord; Person on earth; Order]
94. How spirits of the inward world communicate with spirits of the outward world [of spirits]: there is an inflow that is hardly perceptible and expressible. [Correspondence; Inflow]
95. A perception of the calmness of peace, with its delights and diversity [see 41]. [Peace; Calmness]
96. Evil spirits continually strive to cast people down into fatal hazards, thus to bring harm upon them, and this comes from the spirits whether they know it or not. But good spirits and angels, [acting] from the Lord, strive continually to rescue people. [Spirit; Danger; Die, Dead]
97. About little children and those innocent like them: lower spirits are controlled through them by the Lord - both the lower spirits' powers, and their fantasies. [Little child; Innocence; Fantasy; Power]
98. Of Loves, there are kinds and species, from which come all and the least things of a person's life. These loves derive primarily from a certain prevailing love that is present in every other love and also determines the person's nature after death. [Love; Nature]
99. The inward level of meaning in the Word cannot be seen at all unless the meaning of the letter is almost blotted out. This applies also in other things, as in philosophical material, when the mind dwells on the words by themselves, as on trivialities; or when a person is absorbed in outer and physical objects. A like principle applies when it comes to the more inward level of meaning. See also Knowledge, Wisdom, Learned, Preach. [Word; Inward; Philosophy; Outer]
When the mind dwells on the words by themselves, the inward meaning does not show itself. See Inward. [Words, Expressions]
100. [The index refers also to nos. 101 and 101 1/2.]
Demons and evil spirits arouse and bring out in a person the things that agree with their own nature. They skillfully take away words, and the meaning of words. [Nature; Spirit; Words, Expressions]
101. [The index refers also to nos. 100 and 101 1/2.]
Demons and evil spirits arouse for some evil purpose whatever agrees with themselves in a word or in a mental image
/acquired and put together from various sources [Mental image (Idea); Evil; Good; Words, Expressions]
/originating within different groups [Nature]
/gathered during bodily life [Spirit]
101 1/2. [The index refers also to nos. 100 and 101.]
Good spirits and angels, [acting] from the Lord, divert their efforts and bend them toward good, or else make a reply. [Spirit; Evil; Good]
102. Evil spirits call everything that is true and good evil. [Good; Evil; Truth]
It is customary for spirits to call me "underlig."* [Wonderful]
* Swedish for "wonderful," "amazing," "strange."
103. Very many symbolic displays have appeared to me, when my eyes were closed, and also some of the inward kind. [Display (Representation); See, Vision]
104. Spirits are brought into company with each other, according to their own nature and character, to the point where they are societies. See also Form. [Spirit; Nature; Society (Consociation); Character; Person on earth]
Evil spirits want especially to control people, and when this is not allowed, after fighting over them, they go away. [Person on earth]
105. Spirits and demons induce desires together with conviction, and this so diligently, that people do not know otherwise than that it comes from themselves. Sometimes they bring on a persuasion such as they themselves are not subject to, for the purpose of leading the person astray. [Desire]
Spirits and demons induce desires along with conviction, and this so diligently, that I scarcely knew otherwise than that it came from myself. Sometimes they brought on a conviction such as they themselves did not hold, for the purpose of leading [me] astray. [Conviction (Persuasion)]
110. The ancient Church people beheld in physical objects spiritual and heavenly things, and therefore they were in company with spirits and angels. Today, when it is not even known or believed that there is any interaction [between earthly and heavenly things], that has completely changed. [Church; Spirit; Angel; Interaction (Correspondence)]
112. [The index refers also to no. 113.]
Riches should be valued according to the use to which they are put; similarly sciences, philosophy, and gifts of talent. [Science (Knowledge); Riches; Higher knowledge (Cognitions); Use]
113. Also, [wealth of] higher knowledge about spiritual matters, from the Word. See also Philosophy. [Knowledge; Use; Wealth; Higher knowledge (Cognitions)]
114. By the names in the Word, realities are symbolized - this illustrated by examples. See Word. [Name; Word]
115. I have seen the inward parts of the Word almost apart from the literal meaning. [Inward; Word]
116. Spirits have read through my eyes the things I wrote. Also they have written by my hand, as well as dictated words aloud. [Write; Hand]
118. [The index refers also to no. 119.]
Spirits said that the Lord governs the universe. [Universe; Lord]
119. [The index refers also to no. 118.]
What the speech of spirits with me is like. [Speak, Speech]
120. The spirits present with a person are like the person, well-informed in one who is well-informed, uncultivated in one who is uncultivated: for they are unable to arouse in the person any but those characteristics which agree with their own nature [see 100]. [Person on earth; Spirit; Nature]
121. [The index refers also to no. 138.]
Spirits arouse anything whatever in a person's life - past events, any of the things done in his or her life, or things thought. [Memory]
122. Spirits bring with them from life in the body an unwillingness to have their thoughts exposed - something which they greatly resist. [Thought, Think]
123. Many spirits are around a person, the one not knowing the other. Each one supposes that he is that person. They come, they go away - but from where, to whom, and from whom, they do not know, believing they have come on their own, that they have always been there, and always will be. [Spirit; Person on earth]
124. Truth and goodness are instilled [into a person] by the Lord through angels and good spirits, which is really repugnant to evil spirits, so that they want to withdraw. Therefore, truth is commonly aroused by them as well. But with anyone who is the kind to be moved by truths, good spirits are associated. [Spirit; Truth]
Spirits arouse feelings especially, and from these, thoughts, speech, and acts. [Thought, Think; Feeling (Affection)]
[A person's] nature is improved by means of temptations and combats. [Temptation]
125. Several groups of evil spirits, convinced of certain truths, were nevertheless afterwards just like they had been before. [Nature; Spirit; Truth]
126. Spirits who say there is one creator of the universe, and will not acknowledge the Lord, when yet they are Christians, are evil and deceitful to the same degree that they depart from the acknowledgment of the Lord; nor do they let themselves be led to [Him]. [Lord; Evil; Deceit]
127. Evil spirits hold people in murderous hatred, and they strive for nothing but their destruction, except when they imagine themselves to be the person [they are with]. [Person on earth (Man); Hatred]
128. How miserable the state of [evil] spirits would be if all in the universe were not ruled by the Lord, can be clear from the fact that they get their life's pleasure from torturing others, whomsoever they can. See also Grief. [Torture; Lord; Pleasure]
129. A person's spirit is in a more perfect state when separated from the body to which it had been attached. [Spirit; Body; Person on earth; Soul]
130. I was allowed, with all the senses of the body, to be in the company of spirits. [Spirit; Sense]
131. I was enabled to perceive the spirits' characters by an inward sense, so that they could not fool me. [Nature; Sense]
132. Certain spirits are most deceitful. They are sirens. The kinds and species and differences among them are countless. [Deceit]
133. [This is also referred to in no. 127.]
Every evil spirit has the urge to be lord over others, and some, to be lords of the universe; so they are stupid, and one is easily controlled by another. Every one of them wants to subject someone on earth to himself as a most lowly slave. Consequently, if the Lord were not in complete control, people [on earth], possessed [by spirits], would instantly perish. See Gods. [Gods; Lord; Bond; Person on earth; Slave]
134. I saw and read writings and the words of the writings, as clearly as if in daylight, with my eyes closed. [See, Vision; Write]
137. Spirits are certainly substances, and these substances, forms. The activities of these [spirit-substances] are variations in form, and changes in orientation. These [activities] are the source of thoughts and feelings. See Substance. [Substance; Orientation (State); Form; Feeling; Thought, Think; Spirit]
138. [This is also referred to in no. 121.]
139. Spirits were amazed that mankind lives in such ignorance about their own soul and about the individual human faculties that constitute their life. [Mankind (Person on earth); Soul; Ignorance]
140. [The index refers also to no. 295:3.]
What the Book of life is: all and the least things thought, said, and done are inscribed upon a person's nature, so that nothing so miniscule can be imagined that is not in it. [Book; Words, Expressions; Thought, Think; Nature]
141. The speech of the heavenly beings among themselves is incomprehensible, and contains more within it in an instant than can be unfolded on many pages. [Angel; Speak, Speech]
142. The speech of spirits with people on earth is in their own vernacular, or in other languages which the person is practiced in, not in their own, which they do not know at all. They prefer familiar and clear words that obviously follow from their mental images falling into words. They are not heard by anyone but the person being spoken with, even in the midst of company. See Speech. [Speak, Speech; Words, Expressions; Mental image; Language]
143. Many spirits collectively who are being led along by love of self and of the world, not having been withdrawn from these loves by the Lord, are called the devil. Of these there is a very great multitude. Love of self, see Arrogance [cf. 97a].* [Love; Devil]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 7.
144. Another bond [see 23] is that many spirits are not able to think and act differently from each other. Sometimes this happens when they are under some leader. In this way, one is controlled by another, and many by one. [Leader; Society; Bond]
145. All are ruled by the Lord, all the human race through spirits; indeed, [it is led] toward the final goal by way of intermediate ones. [Person on earth; Goal (End); Spirit; Lord]
146. I experienced with my senses as witness that I had thought nothing at all from myself, but that everything had been inspired and imparted. [Thought, Think; Sense]
147. A conversation with Jews about eternal life. They expect it to be full of joy, at first like sleep, then the very happiest of all states. When asked whether they wanted to share life with their fellows, or be by themselves, they said, In a large society together with their leaders. Asked whether they wanted to live with the others as they [really] are inwardly, they said they did not know what the inner person is. But then it was told that in the other life they would live with their companions as they are inwardly, and thus (since they well know each other's inward character and also know that of their leaders) that they would live in disharmony, hatred and unhappiness, they finally revealed that they were awaiting the Messiah, Who would unite them [cf. 51a]. See Jews.* [Jews; Inward; Society; Lord]
* See Experiences Spirituales, Vol I, p. xxxi, locus 4.
148. The bad things that happen to a person are all and each one from evil spirits, even if not deliberately, because it is their nature [to inflict harm]. [Bad (Evil); Spirit]
148 1/2. Evil spirits inspire feelings together with conviction, especially [in people] who trust in themselves and ascribe everything to their own judgment; for these credit themselves for everything and think themselves most wise, when yet their wisdom is insanity. For wisdom should be judged by the end [in view], but these are guiding themselves toward an end which is hell. See also Knowledge, Philosophy, Learned, Preach. [Wisdom; Conviction; End; Hell]
Sometimes those who think themselves the wisest are the most insane. See Wisdom. [Insanity]
148 1/3. Evil spirits believe especially that they are the holy spirit and that the Lord can do nothing without them. But they were asked from whom they go forth, whether it was not from some god of the heathens, baal or some other. [Holy; Spirit; Gods]
[This third section of threshold materials consists of three annotations found in front of the Bible Index of Isaiah and Jeremiah and apparently belonging to Spiritual Experiences.]
[148 1/4.]
The speech of the ancient Church was like an earthly paradise from which they discerned the heavenly one. The speech of the Prophets is like this, for by what one reads there, spiritual and heavenly matters are to be understood. But in the course of time, that heavenly paradise was changed into a merely worldly and earthly one. At the coming of God the Messiah, the gate from the earthly paradise to the heavenly one was opened; and at His Coming into glory, it is to be opened again. [1747]*
[148 1/5.]
For one who is being regenerated, matters of understanding come first; for one who has been regenerated, matters of the will come first. A person is formed by the world through ambitions, and the resulting education, but is [then] formed anew through the understanding, so that the will may be reformed. This takes place by means of matters of understanding and, at the same time, things heavenly entering into them, bringing Charity, and thus a [new] character.
[148 1/6.]
1747, the 7th day of August (old calendar): a change of state in me, [introducing me] into the heavenly Kingdom, in figure.**
* The year 1747 is deleted in the manuscript.
** In this passage the translator takes "in Imagine" to refer to Swedenborg's projected image in that Kingdom as a man, while actually still living in the world.
149. [This first section of experiences extracted from volumes of the Index Biblicus, containing paragraphs 149 to 205, was originally written at the end of the Bible Index of Isaiah and Jeremiah.]
About the Terror of those who have led a corrupt life
It was observed that among spirits, the instructed who had corrupted their way are, more than others, extremely frightened and tremble at the judgment of truth, so that they give up hope then and there, while others do not. Indeed, they resort to more humble prayers than others, and they do not know where to hide. But still, the moment they recover from their fright, they return to the former arrogance and pride, thinking themselves to be the only ones in the whole of heaven, as I today found out. 1747, the 9th day of October (old calendar).
150. About the native Character of the descendants of Jacob
For quite a while, the descendants of Jacob who are in the other life, and who act in character, depicted to me what they had been and what they are like, namely, that in every dangerous situation, they yield, are very fearful and despairing, humbling themselves even to the dust; but the moment the dangerous condition is past, they return to their character and are haughty, scorning all in the universe in comparison with themselves. Moreover, just to acquire earthly and worldly possessions, they resort to any means, even deceptive supplications, and very many other devices.
151. About the Jews, what they are like
Just as they were described by Jeremiah, so the Jews indeed are in the other life; their character exactly matches the description. This was shown to me by much experience, for very many of them who, by God the Messiah's Divine Mercy, were round about me, spoke with me after having been let into torments. But they were still insane, so there seems to be hardly any remedy for them except, as I told them, to be woodcutters and water carriers, like the people spoken of in the Book of Joshua [9:27]. 1747, the 12th of October (old calendar).
There was one who was with me for a while who could still grasp more inward matters, and was quite amazed (I was told that he was Nicodemus). He was able to understand that they were true, but, after staying and conversing with me for some time, either he withdrew, or else was amongst the spirits who are not speaking. The 11th day of October, 1747 (old calendar).
152. About the collective [energy] field of spirits
It is certainly difficult to understand what the collective field of spirits is, and what their impact upon human minds is, without being informed how spirits are differentiated most distinctly into kinds and species, and how their energy, which creates that field, responds to, and thus guides, every single thought and mental image in a human being.
[The relation of human minds to] the collective field of spirits is no different from that of the air, which is the grosser atmosphere and related to hearing, compared to the ether or purer atmosphere related to sight; or the dense clouds around the earth compared to the clear and serene region up above.
1) The [energy] field of spirits is now so corrupted, that whatever flows from the more inward heaven into their realm, which constitutes the third heaven,* becomes so distorted that whatever [is communicated] does not become known at all, but all and the least messages stream into human minds with an entirely opposite content.
2) Such is that field at this day, and so it has been growing and is growing toward the last day, when it will be dispersed. But in most ancient times, it was not so. It is also because of this field that revelations cannot come forth today as they did in ancient times, except by an extraordinary way, and that there is no such communication with the heavens as there once was.
3) For a period of some hours I was shown how the collective field operates into human minds, and in fact, when it was allowed, how I was not in the least able to stop them from taking away my thought, and from prevailing - such is the strength of that field today, when spirits are given the power to act.
4) The whole field utterly opposes the angels' endeavors; and the power of the angels, who all belong to God the Messiah, is increased so that they are able to overcome.
5) Astounding things would emerge if I should tell what filthy objects they portray when they are allowed to work by fantasies - which I would rather pass by, because it would be shocking to tell; they are nothing less than filthy.
6) Angels of the third level** can also be in that same realm, and because they are governed by the heaven of angels, they cannot be hurt at all.
7) A fact I have found noteworthy was that at times, I have heard a spirit speaking with me, and he was abruptly removed. Now I have been allowed to learn that he was snatched away by the collective field, that is, compelled to speak in accord with the field's action. I observed still more things that have slipped from my memory: for that field takes away whatever truth and goodness they find to be the most unpleasant. But if God the Messiah sees fit, [I will speak] more fully elsewhere about this collective field, in general and in details. 1747, the 14th day of September (old calendar).
8) The collective field can be compared with the ethereal atmosphere, in that this conveys to the eye the individual objects, like those on streets and in the countryside, in all the details of their forms and shapes - indeed, to a thousand eyes at the same time, or even tens of thousands - and in this way, to each of a person's thoughts, reasonings and fantasies individually. [The comparison is valid,] for [the collective field] lies inside of nature.
* I.e. in descending order.
** I.e. third in a descending order.
155. About Speech and the understanding of things, with Angels
1) I have spoken with spirits around me about the speech of angels and their understanding of matters which the spirits are extremely interested in knowing about. Having been taught by experience, I said that the angels' speech cannot be perceptible to us, because it contains countless elements almost simultaneously, which would have to be unfolded extensively in a sequence and in many roundabout ways; and that it is not portrayable to us except by forms virtually beyond our grasp and my powers of description, whirling around together in gyrating motions, following the varying pattern of more inward forms. About these forms as they were shown to me, I have spoken elsewhere [191a-92a].
2) Meanwhile, there is a form of speech, or of very many speaking at the same time, which, when it falls into the lower orb, does not appear the same, but sometimes quite different, for the most part turning into pictorial symbolism like that of the Prophets, which consequently more inwardly contains heavenly, and therefore hidden, matters. There is a reactive understanding with the angels, that is, arising from these symbolic displays, which, when exhibited through our mental images, are transformed into heavenly subjects that angels can understand, so that the earthly paradise can pass over into the heavenly one.
3) It was also shown to me how angels, from facts of nature alone properly joined together, have understood a series of very lofty, heavenly matters. Yet this cannot happen with the angels except through the mercy of God the Messiah. 1747, the 21st of August (old calendar).
4) Such gyrating motions I have sometimes been able, by the Divine mercy of God the Messiah, to feel come over me vividly, and I was able to gather therefrom that myriads of such more inward mental images could compose one material one, we may call it,* in which such a countless number of elements are contained that a person in the world could never believe it, much less comprehend it. In every more inward mental image, in its turn, [are contained countless elements], but in an incalculably greater degree of perfection.
Now this form, and consequently the influence of God the Messiah through angels, and from them through spirits, upon human minds, becomes disturbed when a person lives in a contrary order, especially when one wants to go into the mysteries of religion by means of knowledge that has been called up by the love of self and the world, and therefore by cupidity. From this there arises a confusion or disturbance like that among the Babylonians building the tower, when their lips were confounded [Gen. 11:4-9],**
5) affirming the absence of God the Messiah from humanity, even though all things are nevertheless ordered in such a way that they may be restored to a semblance of some heavenly form. This can take place in countlessly many ways. For no matter what abstruseness, entanglement, jumble, comes to exist in the lower realm or world, it can nevertheless be brought back to order by God the Messiah; otherwise mankind would perish and not be able to understand anything. On this account there is still a spiritual influence enabling them to exercise their reason. The door from the heavenly Paradise to the earthly one is said to be opened when one is acting from what is higher, that is, according to order - which also is "to turn the face toward." About the Babylonic confounding [of the lip] and the opening of the heavenly Paradise.
* The meaning is not that "material" is the wrong term, but it is being used in the sense of "an idea with man in the material world." -tr.
** This paragraph and the first half of the next is emphasized in the original by the word "Obs." written four times in the margin.
156. About the Three classes of angels*
Angels of the first class are to be called Heavenly; they are governed directly by God the Messiah through Love; they have a lofty Understanding of goodness, and of its truth. Angels of the second class are to be called truly Spiritual; they are governed by God the Messiah indirectly through heavenly angels. Angels of the third class are to be called feelings or Goodnesses; they are governed through heavenly angels, as well as spiritual ones, thus indirectly by God the Messiah; for their intelligence and wisdom is not of that quality that they can be governed directly. The rest are called Spirits, among whom there is immeasurably great diversity.
Angels ascend according to their perfection and are therefore to be called higher and lower; or if they are being introduced [into heaven], then they are to be called inward, very inward, and innermost. Now these are symbolized by Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham; and also by Egypt, Assyria, and Israel in Is. 19:25.
* The first half of this paragraph and the entire previous paragraph is emphasized in the original by the word "Obs." written four times in the margin.
160. When I asked afterwards whether there were few or many of them, I then realized from the way they spoke and answered that there were very many of them. But then on further inquiry, I realized that with a person who separates the inner sense from the outer, there are very many present, who prompt this;* whereas with someone who is led only by the senses of the body, and whose thought is captured by everything that comes along and does not dwell very long on any one of them with his inner sight, there are very few [spirits], so that they are led for the most part by a certain general vital force from spirits, although the spirits are nevertheless there, because every person is being led by God the Messiah toward the final goal.
* The index at Spiritus reads: "There are many spirits with one who thinks separately from the objects of the senses; and fewer with one who thinks only from the objects of the senses. The latter are ruled by a more general influence." Thus, in the original, instead of "internum ab interno," the intended words were "internum ab externo."
161. I have been informed further, that spirits, demons, angels, are thoroughly differentiated from each other according to kinds and species countless in number, and that each category is together, enjoying their own happiness and pleasure, which are very different in each case. These they pass on to people on earth by way of symbolic displays, at every wish and permission of God the Messiah, so as to perform for them an appropriate work. It is for this reason that mention is made here and there in the Word of God the Messiah of places that were holy, good angels being in delightful places, ponds,* lovely fields where there are also clear and flowing waters, but the evil spirits in swamps and unpleasant places.
* The ms. has "lucanis," probably for "lacunis," "lagoons," but A. W. Acton translates the word as "sunlit groves."
162. What also seemed amazing to me was that I have gotten to know places like these, where I even spoke with them, and have been able to speak with them again as if they were present, although I was a hundred miles away, for distance amounts to nothing; but this happens only insofar as God the Messiah grants it.
About this fact I have spoken from time to time with spirits, and have proven it to them by means of human sight, which likewise sees objects at a very great distance apart from distance, like the Sun, Moon, stars. So why should there not be communication with spirits, who are on a deeper plane than that grosser nature where the sight [of the eye] is?
So there is communication of even the most distant angels and spirits with humanity. Their being present with me was a sensory illusion; for something like a presence results when spirits are taking part in someone's thought, that is, those spirits who as intermediates and from closest by are to help carry out the matters which God the Messiah wills and permits to be done. These [words were written] on the 24th day of August, 1747 (old calendar).
163. About the general vital force by which brute animals are governed, and also those human beings, to a degree, who live a life like that of the brutes, you may see spoken elsewhere [167]. But still, there are no human beings who do not have their own spirits around them. They are few [in some cases, cf. 160], because there is not a great deal of communication with them.
165. The conditions of spirits are many, and they will be discussed elsewhere if God the sees fit. Here only these two states ought to be mentioned: [1] That in which very many together constitute one form, and act conjointly, as though they were one person; and likewise then speak as one. Thus do the angels portray the kingdom of God the Messiah in its least form. I have been allowed from time to time to see this and even, clearly, the activity of their [collective] form. [2] Then there is the other state, in which they are removed from people on earth and are consequently in a dream-like condition, like the state of a person asleep. 1747, the 24th* day of August.
* The manuscript has the 2nd.
169. About the most High God and creator of the universe as seen by those who do not acknowledge God the Messiah as the Mediator
I spoke with spirits about whether any can acknowledge the Supreme Jehovah, Parent of our Savior, as the supreme Creator, who do not acknowledge God the Messiah, and who are carried away by cupidity into wrong living; and then it came to me quite vividly that they cannot acknowledge any other as the creator of the universe except some entirely earthly God, who boasts himself to be the supreme one - thus some demon speaking grandiose words.
That this kind of demons do exist, I have learned from actual experience with some who supposed and boasted themselves to be the creators of the universe, and in this way were deceiving many. But it would be too much to describe their boastful words, and the many things perpetrated by them. I will only mention this, that after I had almost come to believe they were as great [as they claimed], they were then thrown down at my feet, and in speaking with me said so much drivel, that I really could not keep from laughing.
So demons of this kind are gods whom those adore who, led astray by cupidity, live in an upside-down order, and then have joined company with those who acknowledge nature as the creator of all things; for they find it impossible, due to the darkness of their understanding and the grossness of their character, to penetrate beyond nature. These things were written in the presence of spirits. 1747, 24th of August.
mNow this is why the pagans acknowledged and adored so many gods, who all symbolized things in nature, and those who had sunk the lowest, idols, but others, different human beings who once lived; etc. etc.n
179. About the End of the World
So easy it is for Jehovah God to destroy the whole human race, and everything living on earth - and indeed, instantly, and by fire or hellish pains! For there are evil spirits who very closely surround the nature-bound person, and arouse his or her life; and as soon as they are given the power to act, the person is instantly tormented by a kind of spiritual fire, and dies, perishing in a moment, when God the Messiah does not, out of mercy, firmly hold all things, down to the very least, in order.
This is so true, and I can affirm it so certainly, that I am permitted to swear to it most emphatically. For I have observed it very frequently, and indeed, through experience so real that there can never be any, not even the least doubt. This is the "Terror," and also the "fire," by which the world is to perish [cf. Is. 33:14-18],* if it does not repent, and also [the meaning of the words] "that the seas will roar," "the Sun and Moon will lose their light," etc. 1747, the 27th day of August (old calendar).
* See also 189.
181. Even now I am permitted to watch certain kinds of spirits, such as those who are fascinated by measurements and related matters, who by nature seem to be allured to studies of the Geometric sciences. Their imaginings, displayed to me, dwelt upon those studies, so as to correlate them all in a remarkable way with the category of measurements. They did not appear to me as evil.
There was another kind of spirits who were boastful of themselves, yet who were not so bad, etc. etc., actually being only feelings [156, 178], who touch a person with a certain delightful pleasure - and if evil, are to be called Sirens.
182. The different species of Feelings as they are called, when together, speak some below, some above the person, by a method of almost a pulsation. By their positions they seem to be distinguished from each other.
183. The simple speak very simply, but still pleasingly, for good simplicity is in itself pleasing.
184. There are of the lower sort a great multitude, who have little belief and enlightened knowledge by which what is spiritual and heavenly could develop in their character. These are to be of service in providing force, strength, stability, endurance.
186. Whether the angels know what is now going on in the world, I cannot say for sure; for what comes through spirits to the angels is changed to such a degree that there is not even a resemblance - which is, of course, so that they will not be disturbed in their heavenly joys. For there is an interaction between all things, which can turn [what comes to them] into pleasures [see 29].
By means of various interactions, in fact, when God the Messiah so guides all and the least details, very clear, pleasing displays can be drawn forth, so to speak, out of extremely confused and disturbed mental imageries of a person individually, and of many at the same time. This can also be confirmed by experience, for when the mind is generally absorbed in pleasing things, then everything that comes up turns into an aspect of that pleasure.
189. About the extreme passion of evil demons and spirits for destroying and tormenting humanity
Today when I was extracting the passages contained in Is. 34 about a universal destruction, evil demons and spirits could not restrain the desire to exaggerate them and to unleash their fury, and their state of cruelty was so intense that they grieved that the universe was not being destroyed. Then each of them [wanted to vent his fury] on the other, to the point of wanting nothing to be left, and barely himself. For that desire originates from an inner self-hatred. 1747, the 29th day of August (old calendar).
190. Spirits had not heard or understood the thoughts
Today I was allowed to write something about the inner and outer person when very many spirits were present, as I clearly realized by sense. But afterwards I was told by one of them that he had understood nothing of what had been thought and written. I was thus taught by experience that spirits could not perceive any but such things as agreed with them, and that all understanding of the matters at hand would be cut off from them when it so pleases God the Messiah. 1747, the 31st day of August (old calendar).
191. About the character of people in the other life
People in the other life are not the same as in the life of the body, for now they are not able to pretend, to say one thing and do another, and, making use of the mental intellect, to put on goodness when they are evil. The character pertaining to the will now remains, while matters pertaining to the understanding that have not been branded upon one's character, pass away. So no one is able to pretend to be a different kind of person than they are in their will, thus in the way they live.
There are even deceptive spirits who are able to put on the appearance of angels; but they are the worst, and the cunning ingrained in their character is nevertheless exposed. Few such spirits have been admitted to me, for they must be kept far away from the company of others so that others may not be contaminated, and for many more reasons. 1747, the 31st day of August (old calendar).
192. About various kinds of symbolic depictions made by Spirits
When the physical senses are withdrawn from the inner parts so that the inner parts can operate and stand forth - something that occurs at this day in very few - then mental imagery of a different kind than the usual seems to open up.
1) One kind occurs when one is allowed to sense and become aware of the workings of spirits, not so much by an inner sight, as by a sense that accompanies dim sight; likewise also their presence one by one, as well as their approach and departure, not to mention other phenomena. In this kind of imagery, which, by the merciful consent of God the Messiah, I have been following now for almost three years, I have sensed and become aware of so many facts, particularly regarding the workings of spirits, that they could never be described without filling volumes. However, this one noteworthy fact I would like to relate: that evil spirits continually try by this kind of fantasy to stir up hostilities among themselves, and when it is permitted, they may simply fantasize their companions into different kinds of animals, like different kinds of snakes, for example; and their companions, so depicted, cannot free themselves from that illusion before the permission is withdrawn.
So [spirits can be turned] into different kinds of animals, merely by being portrayed as such; and this is the reason why they speak of the devil and others in the fables of the ancients as having been turned into so many forms of animals, and why in the Word of God the Messiah [spirits] are also portrayed symbolically, as by serpents, dragons, wolves, etc., all depending on the desires and the stages of the desires they are in.
2) As to the second kind of imagery, the things that appear to the mind of those who have been allowed to separate outer things from the inner, are portrayals just as alive - with closed eyes, but fully awake - as [those seen] in bright dreams, and sometimes as [those seen] in broad daylight. In fact, at such times, a kind of morning Light usually appears, with a flaming fire, and in that light as well as apart from it, various objects [are seen], such as people and things, as if in broad daylight. And all the while, there is usually conversation going on with the spirits depicting all this.
3) The third kind of imagery is as actual as when one is wide awake and accompanied by complete sensation, so that there is no noticeable difference. But in me, this kind emerged at a time when, and as long as, [my] inward person was separated from [my] outer.
4) There is also another condition of active or live imagery, which should specifically be called the vision of the prophets, when all the least spiritual objects are portrayed by the kind of subject matter that is contained in the letter, or literal level of meaning, of the [books of the] prophets.
5) I have been allowed to see also finer and purer things portrayed, but to me in this state they were rather imperceptible, yet in it the objects were somewhat perceptible to me, but not to spirits.
mThat the ancients, especially the children of the ancient Church, were in that state and thus saw various symbolic displays by spirits and angels, can be conclusively ascertained from very many sources; but this state no longer occurs, for numerous reasons.n
Conjugations - I or [Hebrew] [to visit]
In I or [Hebrew], both in the active and in the passive, the point prevails in the first syllable, that is, P
- also [Hebrew] in the active,
- The passive is [Hebrew].
In II, or [Hebrew], [Hebrew] prevails without the point
- then ([Hebrew]) in the active, and [Hebrew] with [Hebrew] in the passive without ([Hebrew]). The passive is [Hebrew];
In III, [Hebrew], the point prevails in both syllables [Hebrew] and [Hebrew].
- In the passive [Hebrew] prevails, as in [Hebrew].
In IV [Hebrew], the [Hebrew] prevails, with points in both syllables
- it is called the reciprocal conjugation, for it is to visit each other.
Conjugation II or [Hebrew] [to approach]
In the Ist or [Hebrew], the ([Hebrew]) is absorbed, and then [Hebrew] has a point
- in the passive or [Hebrew], the ([Hebrew]) is retained, and in the [Hebrew] there is a point
- also in the ([Hebrew]).
In the IInd or [Hebrew] the ([Hebrew]) has been absorbed, and the [Hebrew] has a point
- in the passive the ([Hebrew]) has been absorbed, and everywhere there is a ([Hebrew]) as in [Hebrew], with a point.
In the IIIrd or [Hebrew], the [Hebrew] is kept, but with a point in the [Hebrew]
- in the passive likewise, with [Hebrew] under the [Hebrew], as in [Hebrew].
In IV or [Hebrew] as above, everywhere with the ([Hebrew]).
Conjugation III or [Hebrew] [to dwell]
In I or [Hebrew] in the active just like with [Hebrew], the ([Hebrew]) is absorbed like the ([Hebrew]) above.
- In the passive for ([Hebrew]) [Hebrew]is substituted, as in [Hebrew], and the [Hebrew] or [Hebrew] is kept everywhere.
In II or [Hebrew], there is everywhere a [Hebrew], with an added ([Hebrew]).
In III or [Hebrew] the ([Hebrew]) is kept everywhere, with a point in the [Hebrew]
- in the passive under the [Hebrew] is [Hebrew], as in [Hebrew], the [Hebrew] and the point in [Hebrew] are kept.
Conjugation IV or [Hebrew] [to find]
In I or [Hebrew], there is a [Hebrew] as in [Hebrew], except in the future, where there is [Hebrew].
- In the passive there is a point in the [Hebrew].
In II or [Hebrew], [Hebrew] prevails without a point in the v
- in the passive [Hebrew] with [Hebrew] as in [Hebrew], or [Hebrew].
In III or [Hebrew], the point prevails in [Hebrew], as in [Hebrew].
- In the passive there is [Hebrew] under the [Hebrew].
Conjugation V or [Hebrew]; [to reveal]
I or [Hebrew] in the active and passive like [Hebrew].
II or [Hebrew]; here [Hebrew] does not occur as it does in the previous cases.
III or [Hebrew], is recognized by a point in the [Hebrew] and in the [Hebrew].
- likewise the passive by a point in the [Hebrew] and [Hebrew], and also by the [Hebrew], as in [Hebrew].
IV or [Hebrew], as elsewhere.
Conjugation VI, or [Hebrew] [to turn about]
In the Ist or [Hebrew], the prevails, as in [Hebrew]]
- but not in the passive or [Hebrew]; here a point is in the [Hebrew].
In the IInd or [Hebrew], as usual but without [Hebrew] and without a point in the [Hebrew].
- In the passive [Hebrew], the v prevails throughout.
In the IIIrd or [Hebrew], the [Hebrew] prevails with double [Hebrew]
- likewise in the passive.
In IV or [Hebrew], as usual, with s placed before the [Hebrew].
Conjugation the VIIth or [Hebrew] [to arise]
In the Ist or [Hebrew], the [Hebrew] prevails, as in [Hebrew].
- In the passive also, the [Hebrew] prevails, with a point in the [Hebrew].
In II or [Hebrew], ([Hebrew]) prevails.
- In the passive ([Hebrew]) turns into ([Hebrew]), as in [Hebrew].
In III or [Hebrew], double [Hebrew] prevails, and also [Hebrew]
- likewise in the passive.
In IV or [Hebrew], as usual.
195. Another reason why it became quite clear to me that there are intermediary stages of permissions in succession, is that I myself have been allowed several times to permit spirits to speak, and this, taking into account the fact I pointed out earlier, that they were led by their own nature and could not refrain from so speaking - although they were indignant later that they were permitted to do these things, because in this way their character was exposed.
197. About the setting in order of evil and ungodly spirits
That spirits are arranged by kinds and species into classes has, I believe, been said before [161], and, in regard to any given society in particular, so arranged that in their midst are the worst, such as those who had knowingly departed from and obscured the light of truth. Going outward, those closer to the circumference are better by degrees, and at the periphery are those who, though similar to the rest, had not known better.
This arrangement is made by God the Messiah, so that the worst ones are surrounded and restrained, for they are unable to act or to speak except as a group. According to the judgment of God the Messiah, the spirits toward the outside are allowed to speak or to do - many as one, so it is the collective speech of many - things that are not too harmful, in times of temptation; and the spirits toward the inside, too, as in times of inward temptations. 1747, the 4th day of September (old calendar).
198. All spirits and people on earth are held in bonds
Something I have very often noticed was that all spirits were held in bonds, that is, in the kinds of restraints that withheld them from breaking out into lusts and passions - each species of spirits in a bond different from that of another. And to the extent that they are given the liberty, they rush into lusts and passions beyond measure, unless held in suitable restraints by God the Messiah. Likewise also the angels, for each one of them, like people on earth, is evil to the core.
Today I also found out that one spirit, when his bond was loosened, flew up on high, and wanted to go still higher, and if he had been allowed to fly forth in pursuit of his lust, I do not doubt but that he would have burst, or else fallen to nothing. For a spirit, like a person in the world, if given the liberty to break away and follow the impulse of his lust, does not abstain from the ardor of his passion until he bursts. 1747, the 5th day of September (old calendar).
200. Much of the inward content of the Word of God the Messiah cannot be learned from the experience of the present human race, but from that of the ancient human race, and of spirits
One comes across very many things in the Word of God the Messiah, both in the Old and the New Testament, which cannot but appear as unintelligible. But this is because the human race living today has completely changed from the race that lived in the ancient Church, and afterwards in the earliest [Christian] Church. If they had been living today, they would have been able to know very well [what those things meant] from experience and by means of revelation [given] to them.
It can also be learned better by observing the condition of the spirits and human souls now filling up the lowest realm of the heavens. This is the reason why I am being permitted to bring in experiences from them, too, about things almost erased from human memory today, and in this way to make up for the ignorance.
These words [were written] in the presence of spirits, who became indignant that their experience was being taken, 1747, the 15th of September (old calendar), such as what is meant by being drunk, by blushing, and the like.
201. A filthy odor
When religious truths and goodness are being broken down and thereby blocked off, then this is depicted by filthy odors, like that of a swamp, or of a corpse; so also if this is being done for the sake of one's pleasures. Therefore a similar offensive and filthy odor presented itself to me, when my eyes were closed, at nighttime.
202. About the devil's Extreme Wickedness
That he could be so wicked as to be able to tempt the Messiah most deeply, I have wondered at within myself! But I have heard from heaven that because [the devil] was created into a state of perfection, and fell from it, such wickedness as was in him cannot ever be imagined; and because Adam had been infected by that wickedness, he was cast out of the paradise, and the way to the tree of life was put under guard [Gen. 3:24]; for he is able to corrupt every human being, except the Messiah Alone. But now he is kept in bonds; only his gang is let out, which is therefore meant by "the devil," as he is called. 1747, the 23rd day of September (old calendar).
203. About the condition in which spirits and angels perceive things that are in the body and in the world
The condition of angels and spirits in people on earth is such that they cannot perceive any of the things that are in the lower realms, except in those persons to whom the gate into heaven has been opened. Such a person can devote himself to inner matters, when the senses have been withdrawn from outer ones.
The reason why the angels and spirits in this case do perceive things is that they then more or less attract perceptions, and the person on earth passes these on to them by consciously mirroring the things, as if inviting them to perceive the surroundings. This has been verified by numerous instances.
So angels and spirits perceive nothing whatever from humans, except insofar as they are given that ability by God the Messiah. As for the reflecting that enables them to perceive, much would have to be told about it. 1747, the 4th day of October (old calendar).
204. About the gentiles, or the uninformed: they come into the Heavenly Kingdom more easily than the informed
Today I was shown by actual experience how gentiles with an evil character more easily embrace the faith and practice charity than those who have been instructed. Gentiles somewhat evil in character were [present] for quite a while and stirred up many evil things; but they did this for the reason that they had been unable to hear and understand what had been said and talked about. I judged them to be evil spirits, but later, when the light of understanding was given them by the mercy of God the Messiah so that they would understand like the informed, they began to speak, and very devoutly, calling upon the mercy of God the Messiah, and displaying heartfelt charity toward the others; so they were allowed to join them.
They behaved so kindly and so intelligently and wisely, that I could not but marvel; while on the other hand, the informed were indignant at their being admitted into heaven. Thus those they had judged to be spirits were changed into angels.
About the persecution of those same ones this last night and the evening before, I cannot say anything except that there were persecutions and lamentations. I can testify that there were persecutions of the devout gentiles by the informed. 1747, the 6th day of October. This also confirms [the prophecy] that from Arabia would come those who would strike the instructed with shame, as we read in Chapter 66 of Isaiah. Obs.: When the light of understanding is taken from them, then they are evil, which they complained about vehemently; whereas when the light of understanding is dawning, then they quickly change, and are good and affectionate; it is different with the informed.
205. About the deceptions of the senses in all things: unless they are dispelled, truth can never appear
Angels were very amazed that people of the present time, even those reputed to be learned, do not grasp the fact that the human being is composed of three distinct faculties - in addition to the body, which will die - that actually relate to so many heavens of angels. And they were also surprised that people still do not know that a human being's life does not at all belong to the person, but that all life is poured in by God the Messiah.
In other words, people are under such great shadows and deceptions, that they can hardly believe otherwise than that the eye sees of itself, thus that the mind within feels of itself, and that the human intellect understands of itself - when yet a lower entity [is governed] by one higher than itself, and all [are governed] by the Highest, thus by God the Messiah. It is only instrumental functions that human beings have [from Him], by which they are individuated, as everyone can understand.
Therefore, if we do not dispel these fallacies, we can never be said to abide in truth. To have faith, it is necessary that one believe truth; this opens up the way to God the Messiah, Who is Truth Itself.
Therefore they are also greatly amazed - since human beings do not perceive by sense even the most nearby causes behind the objects of nature [and yet believe they are there] - that they should be unwilling to believe in the spiritual, heavenly and Divine realities that are remote, remoter and remotest, unless they perceive them with the eyes, and practically feel them. 1747, October 9th.
1) But because I was able, by certain reflections granted to me by God the Messiah's mercy, and several other methods, to give them the feeling that they had use of bodily senses, I came to the conclusion that this idea does remain with them after the death of the body, and that the more inward aspects of a person do not know otherwise than that they are a human being, for into the image [of the more inward person] the body was formed [in the first place]. By means of muscles, the body acts in unison with the will, as is well known, whence comes the abiding idea of body.
2) Today also I was shown that spirits could be present and speak with me, as well as perceive my thoughts - and nevertheless see nothing that I did. So I was almost sent back into my former state; then I could feel nothing whatever of their operation as I usually could, except so little that I could hardly tell the difference between this and the ordinary state. 1747, the 13th day of October (old calendar).
208. Things that spirits most especially shrink from, such as sharp articles, and certain kinds of animals
There are some things which spirits most especially shrink from, as when anything like sharp, pointed articles were imaged in my mind, immediately then, as if aroused, they would start to make trouble. I believe this was due to the fact that things of this nature cannot be conveyed and portrayed to the angels; for earthly figures are those that are comparatively sharp, while heavenly forms begin from what is circular.
There are certain kinds of animals also which they very much abhor for the same reason, such as those, I suppose - I am still not sure about this - which are forbidden in the books of Moses and considered as profane.
209. About a Spiritual property on the plane of nature, and the fact that religious truths can be preached by an earthly-minded person
What we are calling a spiritual property on the plane of nature is that element within the light of nature that gives people the ability to reason in general, even about spiritual and heavenly matters, and about religious truth, and also to preach and persuade regarding them, even if it is an earthly-minded person. It should be noted that [with such,] these are matters of the memory, which are brought forth by a native perspicuity, and this from various motives and desires, both short and long range.
The spiritual property that endows an earthly person with the ability to reason is something spiritual that does not have the heavenly within it, because if it had, then it would come forth from what is heavenly, thus from the genuine source, that is from Love, thus from God the Messiah. However, one may think of this spiritual element as being encompassed by the heavenly, because without the heavenly element, no ability to reason can exist.
210. About general fields arising from everything in the Kingdom of God the Messiah
Nothing more amazing and unbelievable can be told than that there are seemingly general realms or fields of those properties which constitute God the Messiah's Kingdom, that interact with those in human minds, both the more inward and the inward, which are in the Kingdom of God the Messiah. These fields cannot be described, but the matter could be illustrated by a comparison.
In general, there are higher and lower heavenly, as well as spiritual, fields. The lowest realm has been ruined as long as it is allowed for evil spirits to inhabit it, and this field still rises up even to the rational realm, and disturbs it.
Today, by the mercy of God the Messiah, I was placed in that rational field in such a way that the reasoning part of me was in harmony with that realm, which was therefore not disturbed as at other times. Then the spirits in it felt oppressed, saying that they could not live in it, as a bird in an atmosphere where there is no air, but [only] ether, or as a fish in air, but wanted to flee away. This tells me that when the Kingdom of God the Messiah comes, then evil spirits are necessarily cast out, for they are almost unable to draw breath in it, as just said. 1747, 20 October (old calendar).
When I was praying, especially the Lord's prayer, I was received into that realm, which enabled me to view the more inward content of that prayer.
All those heavenly and spiritual realms look to the Kingdom of God the Messiah, because they are from God the Messiah, Who is the Kingdom of God. It follows from all this that there must surely be a general realm, in order for there to be individual ones, which cannot exist except in community; and that all individual things relate back to collective ones, which in turn guide the individual ones - ultimately into the order they themselves are in. Otherwise individual elements must necessarily be cast out of the community. These are rules known to Philosophy, and universally valid.
211. There are also realms of evil spirits which are to be called hellish ones, because they will be turned into hellish ones on the last day of judgment - these realms or fields rise up in proportion to the increases of human wickedness, or in proportion to the destruction of belief on the earth. Therefore, since they have risen so high at this day that they are suffocating or extinguishing all truth and belief, it necessarily follows that the Kingdom of God the Messiah will come shortly - otherwise no flesh can be saved [Matt. 24:22], and hardly anyone of the human race be regenerated.
212. As for the individual realms which constitute the collective ones, each angel, and each spirit, make their own realm, that has its own changing conditions. From the individual ones, a collective realm is thus formed by God the Messiah, which He does by arranging the angels and spirits by kinds and species, or classes, as if in tribes. Whether there are as many realms of angels, and as many contrary realms, as the tribes of Israel and Jacob, is still a question in my mind.
213. From this it can also be quite clear how everything is dependent upon the Providence of God the Messiah, which guides the collective, and all individual things toward the best end. And the fact that in the lower realms, so many incongruities are encountered, which are attributed to luck, is also for the sake of the best outcome, for a variety of reasons.
216. My understanding, especially of more inward matters, was taken away
To this also I can solemnly testify, that my understanding of especially more inward things has so frequently and conspicuously been taken from me, altered, and thus changed, that I cannot keep count of the times. Experiences so numerous are reason enough to conclude that one cannot understand anything, especially when it comes to more inward matters of religion, except what God the Messiah permits, grants, and mercifully gives one to understand.
At times it has come to such a dispute and scolding of those spirits who were openly removing my understanding of more inward things, changing it into a different one, that I am not allowed to describe it. Written 1747, 22 October (old calendar).
217. Evil spirits are ever trying to act against order, even though they are aware that they are not in the least able to
Early in the morning there was a kind of spiritual conflict, namely of spirits who wanted very badly to attack me, and indeed, with all their strength, but it was as if I had been removed. Although I was aware of their attempts in an extraordinary way, I did not hear their speech, but it was as though a field were withholding me from their attempts. I was surprised at their stubbornness, and the fact that they could not pause, but only stubbornly keep on striving, though in vain; and I was also surprised that they could not accomplish anything whatever, or have influence upon me.
It was a state such as I cannot at all describe; but it seemed to me that if they had then succeeded, they would have completely overpowered me. I likewise noticed at the time that it was an inward collective realm or field into which I had been raised - I do not know whether those spirits were in the same one. I also observed at the time that there was not the least thing that did not come through the guidance of God the Messiah and His compassion toward me; also, that a spirit could not do even the most minute thing except by permission. 1747, the 22nd day of October (old calendar).
218. Many of the good are held in captivity, while the evil are enjoying freedom, in the other life
About the State of disbelievers at the time of the last judgment*
How good souls are still being held in captivity has been made known to me so openly that nothing could be clearer. I was allowed to undergo it, and at the same time to speak with them; likewise, to learn that they are sometimes granted freedom and seemingly a reprieve from captivity. I cannot describe that experience, how perceptibly I underwent it, and for days at a time; also how they were raised up out of captivity and restored to a certain freedom, and again drifted back, one after another, into captivity. Then too, from their description, how those who are in hell were tormented, and what hatred reigns there, causing one to persecute another, even unto death.
Meanwhile others, who are ungodly and extremely profane, are still enjoying freedom. The reason for this has been revealed to me, which is that unless those spirits enjoyed freedom, the human race, whose faith has now been devastated, would not be able to live in such bodily and earthly pleasure, and sensual pleasures, as they do, but would be in continual misery and torment of conscience. For if good [spirits] and angels ruled in that lowest heaven, they could not but infest mortals with continual torment of the conscience; and this, for many reasons, is not allowed as yet, while the devastation process still goes on.
But at the time of the last judgment, the upright who have lived in ignorance, called by the prophets "the gentiles," are to be released from their captivity, and evil spirits to be thrust down into harsh captivity and hell, as the prophets foretell in many passages. Then there will come upon mortals leading an ungodly life, and also upon those like them in the other life, the anxiety about which God the Messiah speaks [Himself],** as well as through the prophets. 1747, the 24th day of October (old calendar).
I have spoken about these matters with those who are in captivity, and those who are in freedom. Those in captivity take consolation, thus have hope. Many of those who flit about freely have no care, believing that this is not true.
* This second heading in the original is emphasized by the word "Observe" written and underlined in the margin.
** Possibly a reference to Matt. 24:15, Mark 13:14, Luke 21:20.
219. I seemed to be given the ability to communicate heavenly pleasure to upright souls in captivity
Since many years ago it has been granted to me to clearly sensate heavenly pleasures in different ways, and so many of them and in such a variety of ways, that I cannot in the least describe those pleasures. They were of a kind that a person on earth could never believe or understand, if I should attempt to describe them.
In any case, today, by the mercy of God the Messiah, heavenly pleasures were given to me, not expressible, which I was then allowed to transfer - as if they were from me, when yet they were not from me - to souls in captivity, who said they were able to feel those pleasures, and from them they also received consolation.
Moreover, they are called birds* - which is a great comfort to them - because of the way they rise up from captivity into a kind of freedom, both of speaking and of understanding, of perceiving, speaking and seeing; nor can I describe their pleasure, even though I am being allowed to perceive it tangibly. 1747, the 24th day of October (old calendar).
* J.F.I. Tafel read "sheep" (oves) for "birds" (aves).
220. An image of the last judgment depicted
About the torment, and finally setting free of the unhappy
A dispute about mercy
This night when I awoke, many things were exhibited to me that are rather hard for me to describe. There appeared a kind of revolt by spirits, for I plainly saw that many who were in the last heaven were being thrust down, and many who were in captivity were rising up. But what was granted to me to see very clearly was that the unhappy ones who for a long time had been in harsh captivity were striving, many at a time, with those who were in freedom in the last heaven and who wanted in fact to deprive them of mercy, thus all hope of salvation.
This dispute continued by day, until I awoke. They complained greatly, with much anxiety, and this over and over again, that the others wanted to take away mercy, and that then it would be over with them. For they had been undergoing severe punishment, so that they wanted nothing more than to lose their life completely. The only hope brought to them by God the Messiah was that they were able to think there was still mercy; and when the wicked ones having freedom wanted to take even this away, their anxiety was doubled, and they were falling into despair.
As regards the strife itself, how they disputed about mercy, it is not an easy thing to describe, for the displays like these of spirits evade description. Therefore, when they had complained most bitterly about that injustice, that is, that their only comfort - that there would be mercy - was being taken away from them, finally the hope dawned upon them that they would not lose the mercy promised to them. I was even able to feel to a degree within myself an emotion of mercy, not as my own, but as belonging to the heavens, and thus to God the Messiah. Finally I saw these spirits who had been in such anxiety wonderfully liberated, by a kind of ascending, which likewise cannot well be described. Afterwards I spoke with them, and being very kind, they are now among the happy. 1747, in the night between 27 and 28 October (old calendar).
At the time, I was shown on several occasions that they were almost deprived of mercy - it came very close - so that they were brought to the extreme of distress and [fear of] eternal death, before being liberated. But it was told to me that they had led an evil life.
221. About the happy state of infants
This morning before I arose, I came into a calm state and remained in it for some time; and I spoke with someone during that time about this state - for it was extremely calm, and approached closely to peace. But that it was not the peace I had previously felt, was because my attention was always being draw to other matters, and specifically to a pain which certain spirits caused me in the region of the loins and had now held me in for a second day - and things of that kind.
I spoke with him about that happy state of infants, who were said to live in that pleasurable state. I also spoke about that state [of calm]. The spirits who were round about and able to hear the speaking, but not be in that same state, thought I had been transferred to a different place, because they were not able to grasp anything at all as before, except the sound and its effects. Thence arose a discussion of place, and we were taught by the experience that [a place there] is not a specific location - even though many at the same time can be in one place - but that it is a state belonging to a given realm, if you will, into which one can be brought, in whatever place one may be.
222. The 3 solar atmospheres operate in the earthly mind, not in the very inward mind; but God the Messiah in the very inward and the innermost mind is the Sun
There are four earthly fields emanating from the sun. The [aerial] atmosphere that makes hearing possible is well known.
A purer atmosphere separate from the aerial one is what produces seeing, or sights, by wonderful reflections of all objects. How far this atmosphere penetrates into the earthly mind, or whether it presents material ideas, as they are called, or fantasies and mental images, is not yet so clear - but it seems probable from many considerations. This, then, must be the first atmosphere that governs in the earthly mind.*
A second atmosphere, still purer than the ether,** is the one that produces the powers of magnets, which govern not only in relation to the magnet in particular, but also to the earth as a whole. But how far-reaching these forces are, it is not our job to describe. This atmosphere produces the structure of the whole terraqueous globe according to the poles of the world, and many more phenomena concerned with magnetic elevations and inclinations known to the world. In the earthly mind, it seems to produce reasonings, which must also contain what is spiritual in order to be alive, just as the sight and any other sense must, in order to perceive.
The purest ethereal atmosphere is that universal one in the whole world, which manifests itself in the reasonings of the same mind, whence that mind is said to be earthly. Its inward workings when corrupt are called reasonings, and when in accordance with order, simply reason, which is the outward aspect of thinking, accountable to the spiritual influence.
These atmospheres pertain to the sun, and can be called solar atmospheres, and thus pertaining to nature.
As regards the very inward mind, however, in it there is no such thing, that is, what is of nature, but what is spiritual, and in the innermost mind, what is heavenly, both of which are produced by God the Messiah Alone, and are alive; and if realms are to be given names, these should be called spiritual and heavenly ones.
This morning an angel and I speaking together discussed this subject, and so I became convinced. 1747, the 27th day of October (old calendar).
* I.e. what is elsewhere called "ether." See True Christian Religion 32, Last Judgment (Posthumous) 31, Coronis 17.
** I.e. what is elsewhere called "aura." See the references in the preceding footnote.
223. All things down to the very least in the innermost and very inward heaven that reach the inward and outward one, where there are hellish demons, are turned into evil
For a long time, and more than a year now, I have very frequently and, in fact, daily experienced that almost everything coming out of the very inward heaven, which I had also been allowed by the mercy of God the Messiah to perceive, was turned into the contrary, and thus into evil; and it surprised me for a long time, how they were able so suddenly to find those opposite and contrary things. But finally I was given to understand that those demons who at this day still inhabit the last heaven, or hover about there, especially those who inhabit hell, turn what is good into a contrary and thus responding evil, as well as turning what is true into a responding falsity. Turning truth into falsity is typical of the last heaven, and in fact they did this so suddenly and skillfully that I could not but marvel.
I was also given to learn that they did not even know what was being done in the very inward heaven, but nevertheless corrupted it into the opposite, so that there was [in that last heaven] a sort of conversion of all goodness into evil, like the inward heaven's [conversion] of truths into falsity - as happened today: while I was reading [the word] "Chaldeans," they suddenly turned it into "Jews," which was the contrary. 1747, the 27th day of October (old calendar).
224. All evil, even accidental, comes from hell
From things that have been said, it is already clear that all evils, even accidental ones that the hellish demons are not aware of, nevertheless break forth from them. For the innermost and very inward Heaven, acting as means or intermediaries, dispose and administer those things which are foreseen and provided by God the Messiah. Now because they dispose and administer the things conducive to the salvation of the human race so foreseen and provided, therefore with people on earth who trust in themselves, these are turned immediately into evils, even accidental ones. So there is not even the very smallest evil thing that happens to a person, that does not originate from hell.
I have spoken several times about these matters with demons of the inward heaven, and sometimes they would say that a thing could not have happened, because they were unaware of it, and at other times they so obviously did things they could not deny, that they openly admitted having done them. 1747, the 27th day of October (old calendar).
225. The worst demons, or furies, are shut up in hell, and they cannot be released from there without the human race being destroyed
No one can possibly conceive how harmful that gang is that is kept bound up in hell. Some of them who had been slightly loosed, attacked me so hard, and so very cunningly and sharply, that I would never have been able to believe such poisons could ever exist. This is why that gang is kept bound up in such a way that they cannot as much as open their mouth to, much less attack, anyone except the very worst kind for whom there is no more hope, or when someone aroused with murderous hatred is committing criminal acts. Unless this hellish gang were held in bonds almost like chains by God the Messiah, the human race would perish.
But their bond is loosened, as far as it is permitted, when a person on earth falls into a fury. I have experienced that fury several times previously, this being permitted for the purpose of enabling me to tell about it.
When I had written these things, the reins of those furies were very slightly slackened, which so alarmed the spirits in the last or earthly heaven, that they openly made known their terror, and then wanted to resort to supplications to God the Messiah. From this it can be evident how grotesque the faces must be of those earthly minded spirits who hover about in the earthly heaven [218, 223]. 1747, the 28th day of October (old calendar).
226. A conversation with spirits and angels about the indeterminable, about philosophy, about fallacy
When new angels had arrived, a conversation with them was arranged, and after I had shown them the things that came before my eyes, such as urban scenes, and more, the conversation focussed on the diversity of auras and states of mind in the heavens, i.e. that they were indeterminably numerous, which was also proved; also, that all variations of state of mind are from differences of love in the people concerned.
There was then a discussion about the indeterminable, namely: 1) That indeterminables can never exist except from the infinite. 2) That indeterminables regarded in themselves are images of the infinite. 3) When they said they were being instructed in things they had not known before, it was answered that they are not being taught by me, but by themselves - which was a paradox to them. But it was explained in this way: one imbibes philosophical knowledge by oneself and by the working of one's own mind, and when we have learned it and reduced it into rules, we are not aware that it is something from within, and in fact, indeterminably more perfect [than if from without]. And because man is ruled through angels and spirits, I therefore must have these things through them [and not myself]. Hence we can now conclude how poor and what a nothing philosophy is, because of which people are nevertheless acclaimed as learned - when yet any young boy whatever is much more learned of himself, or in himself. 4) So it was shown that in many areas, the same fallacy exists. 1747, the 29th day of October (old calendar).
227. About miracles: they accomplish nothing where there is no faith
I spoke with a certain angel, and the subject of miracles also came up, [namely,] that they accomplish nothing whatever in disbelievers, being like a wind that touches, and is dispelled. For there is nothing within such persons to which [the miracles] relate. The descendents of Jacob were such [disbelievers] right after the exit from Egypt, near the sea of Suph;* and also later, when they had crossed over the sea.
Certain spirits said that miracles were what they wanted to see so that they would believe, and they received the reply, yes, but belief is on the inside, and takes root in the inner parts of a person; it does not care for miracles, it despises them, but in those who do not have faith, miracles can never produce any root.
These and similar matters are better and more fully grasped when discussed with spirits, who see the entire meaning, together with the antecedents and consequents; also, the meaning is reinforced by a kind of symbolic display and imagery, which is a form of angelic speech. 1747, the 30th day of October (old calendar).
* I.e. the Red Sea.
229. About the fear in the spirits who are still free
Very much could be told about the spirits who are as yet free, and are producing all the evils and falsities in the human race. They appear sometimes as though they were insane, for so far as they are permitted, they act and speak without any reason. But when it was pointed out to them that they were still humans, and that they therefore could be rational, and were asked whether they saw that they are wild animals, not humans - then an ability to look upon themselves was given them by God the Messiah, and they acknowledged themselves to be like wild animals of the forest, and worse.
But they nevertheless soon returned to their insanities, until it was proven to them that they could never accomplish anything, and that they would be more unhappy than the rest. When this was shown to them by a spiritual method, then such a fear seized them that they fell to their knees. But quite obviously, the moment the fear is gone, they return to their own nature. 1747, the 28th day of October (old calendar).
230. About the state of prostitute souls
In the night between the 30th and 31st of October, female spirits were allowed to come to me - or I was admitted into the realms composed of them - who, having no serious belief, had lived a loose and whorish life in the world. They consisted, as I was able to make out, of the kind of women who drift about, and do not pursue any other life than one of prostitution, not caring about legitimate marriages. So they are little or not at all concerned [to know] what the inner person is, and what belief is, and consequently, [such knowledge] could have little affect on their character.
These realms, as they may be called, or societies, were divided up into kinds and species. With certain ones of them I was allowed to converse, so that I might know what kind of life they live after death. Their life was like insanity, devoid of reason, not to mention of understanding. I was wondering whether there were insane women in the other life, but I was told that the souls of these were [insane], not knowing anything of beauty or modesty. Such women corrupt everything having to do with true marriage love, especially by bending it toward free love. The number of such is very great. They lead an unhappy life, for they no longer know what pleasure is, such as there is in the other life. 1747, in the night between the 30th and 31st of October (old calendar).
231. From sadness and insanity, there are pleasures of intelligence in the other life
I saw an amazing thing in mental imagery, after having observed those female spirits [230], that is, when I was grieving at the existence of such in the other life whom I judged would be of no use. There was a remarkable symbolic display during an interval of some time, portraying how insanity, blended in various ways, would still gently and sweetly touch the mind.
So that I might perceive this better, there was also present an element of understanding, something like an eye, which was observing, and considered this as pure insanity. But by an amazing interweaving, so to speak, something was being portrayed all the while that resembled lace, meaning that it could be converted to something beautiful in appearance. But that eye of understanding prevented me from being touched by any pleasure, about which I complained, and indeed there was someone who was looking on these things, indignant that I was apparently being moved by insanities thus intertwined, and I realized that if that element of understanding had not been there, I could have been quite moved, and in fact by a new pleasure I had not experienced before in this way.
Therefore, while I was considering further what would become of those unhappy, seemingly insane souls in the other life, and what use they might be to themselves and others - because nothing is ever permitted by God the Messiah apart from the goal of use in His Kingdom - I finally realized that as a consequence of the influence of such souls as these, pleasures could be produced similar to those that flow into innocents and wonderfully affect them. It is of course through the Divine omnipotence that they are arranged like wonderful interlacing patterns of such a kind that from them, pleasures can be woven together and touch blessed minds, especially young children, and thus innocents.
So from insanities, even the saddest and most unpleasant ones, God the Messiah disposing, gladness and pleasures can be produced and grow as if by germinating, just like an abundant crop of standing corn out of the dust of the ground. I was also allowed to get from angels of God the Messiah the feeling of a kind of gladness, from the fact that even such states of actual unhappiness and unpleasantness could be useful, together with the hope that those among these women who are being enlightened in matters of belief in God the Messiah, might also be able to feel pleasures from a different source, composed of things opposite, or the little eyes of understanding. 1747, the 29th day of October (old calendar).
mThese things have been described to some extent, so that some kind of a portrayal of spirits and angels may be discerned.n
232. The punishment of witches
It appeared to me in sleep that some witch was using her witchcraft for the purpose of taking away true love, and thus of weakening a person. When I awoke, the witch appeared, who, being recognized, was handed over for due punishment. That punishment was horrible - I could never have imagined that such a punishment exists. I was told that it occurred when angels simply inquired into her wicked deeds. And in fact it was such that she gradually melted away into horrible snakes or worms, and wholly vanished into them. So she was cast out of sight. 1747, 3 November (old calendar).
233. About displays
It is customary with some to present displays especially of holy things, and to make dramatizations of sacred subjects. Dramatizations of this type are not allowable, because the image of them remains after death and by the profane is turned into profane portrayals. For the level of their character determines the subject matter of the portrayals in the least details, so that when the character is corrupt, it follows that the rest of the contents, or the individual details, reflect that, and take on a melancholy and profane countenance.
However, displays of this kind are turned in a different direction by those who are of an upright character, and are innocent, which I experienced tonight while in a wakeful state. For little children, together with innocent souls, softly portrayed the Messiah let down into the tomb, but never did they show the Messiah, but another, in a way that one could know from a afar that the Messiah was being represented; then also how, after the resurrection, He descended to those bound in the pit, and loosed the captives there, and led them with Him to heaven; and that He was joined to His Divine Essence. But as I have said, these things were portrayed so softly, and so devoutly, that they were not in the least allowed to think of God the Messiah except thus as if from afar, so that it would be in no way frightening, as are the dramatizations on earth.* 1747, the 1st day of November (old calendar).
* "Apparently a reference to the so-called Miracle, Mystery, or Passion Plays common in the Middle Age" - A. W. Acton.
234. Moreover, while He was in the tomb, for a short time they portrayed something watery being softly let in, to represent life returning, during which time it was in a gentle wave-like motion. By this they were expressing symbolically, although from afar, as said already, the spiritual life in Baptism.
235. When they were portraying the descent to those below, they most beautifully depicted delicate tiny cords let down by them, by which they wanted to raise up God the Messiah from thence, and by which they also wanted to depict the loving longings they were gifted with by God the Messiah to be able to do this, as they are now dictating to me. 1747, the 1st day of November (old calendar), after getting out of bed.*
* Cf. Arcana Coelestia 2299, Heaven and Hell 335, Conjugial Love 412.
236. It was also told me from within that God the Messiah allows very many things of these and similar things in the world, for the reason that upright souls and innocents who had been brought up with such displays during their life, persist in them. For they only perceive harmless things therein. 1747, the 1st day of November (old calendar).
237. In a single human thought there are myriads of feelings and the like
About the Cherubs
I was today engaged in a tacit conversation with heavenly beings, and it was given me to grasp clearly with understanding that in one human thought, myriads of myriads of influences from the heavens converge. In thoughts that are empty and earthly, the influences of spirits, or those who are in the third heaven,* converge, but in those that are spiritual and heavenly, the angels' influences, so that God the Messiah arranges human thoughts by means of spirits and angels, with a variety that is great beyond calculation. Wherefore spiritual and heavenly thoughts, which embrace the truths of religion within them, move [the minds of] the whole angelic heaven, when God the Messiah so disposes.
* I.e. the last, or third in descending order.
238. Empty thoughts cannot rise up higher than to the third heaven,* for there are Cherubim, as they are called [cf. Gen. 3:24], who keep guard, and who turn those things which are false and evil into truth and goodness, and at last into innocencies, of which the innermost heaven consists. 1747, the 3rd day of November (old calendar).
* I.e. the last, or third in descending order.
239. What true belief is, how it touches the heavens of God the Messiah
From the above it can be evident what true belief is, and what effect it has, namely that it touches the heaven of God the Messiah, that is, the angels, and reaches even to the heaven of innocence, and if it is an innocent believing, even passes into that heaven itself, and thus to God the Messiah. 1747, the 3rd day of November (old calendar).
240. There are Sirens also in the last heaven
The worst female spirits of all are those who can be called Sirens, for they mask their wrongdoing with a veil of innocence, with so much cunning that anyone would be taken in if the deception were not exposed by God the Messiah. Such a one was she who was described a page back on November 3rd under the heading, The punishment of a witch [232]. Anything whatever that can be found in a person that they can bring out, they do bring out for the purpose of invalidating truth, so one must beware lest anything false enter [the mind], except to be refuted.
1) I was in thought about forms and in fact about that of very inward things, which is the spiritual form. It is of such a nature that it withstands every assault.
The properties of that spiritual form are: that it can be reduced by anxieties and pressures into all possible, thus an infinite number, of forms; it can be attached to all forms whatsoever in a lower region, and really be hardly troubled by them at all (however much those inhabiting the lower realm may think it is [troubled], because they reason from self);** and it becomes all the firmer, the more stress it comes under. Each one of an immeasurably great number comes together and unites for the protection of the other; for there is nothing in a community that is not protected by the individual, in fact most individual components - even up to an immeasurably great, indeed infinite number - and thus held fast forever, so that it can never be harmed.
And many of the things deduced logically from the stability of that form, may also be deduced in regard to its perfection. Collectively it protects the individual component, and every individual component joins together in support of the community; and it is a fact that the more this form yields, or is yielding, or in other words, the softer it is, the more firmly it stands - for then what is innermost, both universally and in the individual parts, which is its universal element, joins in, and so on, etc., etc. mAnd that there is nothing so irrational, that it is not traced back to something rational, thus which does not have a place in the immeasurably great number of finite elements, i.e. in the infinite - that is in God the Messiah.n
2) These were my thoughts this morning on the subject of forms; and the angels of the very inward heaven, and of the innermost one, received [them] I believe, but as applied to heaven as a whole and the angels' modes of resistance, stability, patience, and other like qualities, which are spiritual and heavenly; and so they confirmed these things by a voice that reached me, saying they were amazed that such a thought had ever been able to come into a human mind. So when human minds know truths, then from the mercy of God the Messiah, this passes over to the very inward and the innermost heavens.
3) It is entirely different in the case of falsities, even in natural science, for which the learned world today is so avidly grasping that hardly anyone knows what is true and what is good, either in matters of natural science or of morality - as a result of which, communication with the very inward, and thus with the innermost heaven, is being taken away.
When I was writing these things, [I noticed that] earthly words are not adequate, because they contain more of the earthly element in my mind than could be removed so as to reveal what is spiritual more clearly.
4) However, it is a different matter when it comes to the inward form,* which contains that earthly element that was bruised [cf. Gen. 3:15]: this form communicates so closely with the lower earthly forms, or forms that have become imperfect, that they can easily be broken - and the more earthly they are, the more easily. All its perpetuity comes from the very inward form, whose perpetuity in turn comes from the innermost, and thus from God the Messiah.
In fact, the spiritual element itself, without the innermost filling it up, so to speak, is broken. This I have learned in many ways, and indeed, by wonderful symbolic displays, as well as experiences. This is the spiritual element that dominates in man today and creates the impression of being more inward, when it is only inward. Therefore it is called thinking, but it is [mere] reasoning; for anything rational is accompanied by the true spiritual inwardly within it, and this in turn by the heavenly within it [cf. 209]. 1747, the 6th day of November (old calendar).
* The manuscript has "interiorum," but the context calls for "intimiorum."
** That is, from the point of view of self-love, which would be troubled.
242. It is a spiritual paradox that in human beings, especially in their inner parts, there is nothing but a fluid stream, like the spirit outside of the person
It cannot but seem paradoxical to everyone that in the most minute human fibres, there is nothing solid, or fixed together, and thus at rest; for if it were fixed together, or thereby standing still, it would be exceedingly breakable and would most quickly perish, because not attachable to anything. But in the inner regions, not even the least part of a part of a part, even unto the more and the most inward spiritual substances, is at rest, but they are most fluid, as in spirits and angels.
Only physical elements can be said to be fixed together - but not in the way that the fallacy of sight and touch leads one to believe: for the less something is concretized or approaches solidity, the more durable it is. This is apparent from many examples, as in old age, when the parts begin to harden and become more solid - thus to all appearances, more firm - whereas they are then more fragile, and more susceptible to deterioration.
From these considerations it therefore follows that man is a spirit, also while living in the body, and that the coherence of the individual parts depends upon their being yielding, and thus upon their being at the disposal of very inward and most inward elements, and through both of these, of God the Messiah. 1747, the 6th day of November (old calendar).
243. About the sea roaring at the time of the last judgment
This night I seemed to be crossing a turbulent sea by boat, and soon, when half awake, I saw that sea, so black, with the waves surging up so high, that it would strike anyone with terror. That turbulence in the sea also seemed to be increasing. The waves at first heaved from left to right, then again toward the shore where I was. There were some people on an island or a rock, who were rescued.
When I awoke more fully, I plainly perceived for some time a commotion, with a feeling, as on other occasions, that I was surrounded by spirits, who were rising up. And as I heard, they were the bound from the pit, who, by the mercy of God the Messiah, had been loosed or set free at this place. There were a lot of them, as I could make out from the noise and other telling sensations; and it was also said that the Seas roaring at the last day or time, denote these and similar events [cf. Jer. 51:55, Luke 21:25].
244. The liberation of the bound from the pit is like the coming of the unborn babe to the mouth of the womb in a woman about to give birth
A heavenly secret I have been instructed about several times, is that those who had been bound in the pit, or purged, of whom the prophets spoke so many times, are not set free from thence until their punishment or chastening has been completed. When this is completed, liberation ensues like [the delivery] with a woman in labor, in the sense that there is a certain necessity which can no longer be resisted, urging them to struggle forth, and to be set free from slavery.
But in this connection very many things come to mind about the condition of those who are being purged, or punished - regarding [the nature of] their chastening and punishment, and the state of liberty into which they struggle, and the modes by which they are set free - which would fill many pages, but which I do not think would really increase belief.
Heavenly states are of such a nature that if they were laid bare to anyone living in the world, they would not be believed, but would drive them crazy. This is due to the incredulity of those who want to believe nothing but what they understand, and [yet] are not able to understand the causes in nature that lie nearest to their physical senses. How then could they understand spiritual and heavenly things so remote, in fact the most remote, from the senses which they nevertheless want to use to investigate them? 1747, 12 November (old calendar).
245. About spirits who distort holy things by "plastering with untempered mortar" [Ezek. 13:10-15]
Today again, I was shown how the worst spirits distort holy things, namely that they bring holy things to bear as if they were their own, and as it were plaster them over, and bring them in this form to human consciousness; consequently, innocent people can easily be persuaded that the very inward holy things come from those spirits, when yet it is mere "untempered mortar," as described in Ezekiel [13:10].
At first I considered that the sensation of very inward things originated from them, but afterwards, when better informed, I was allowed to expose their deceptions to them through conversation and symbolic depiction. This angered them, especially the fact that from something evil a perception of goodness can result, and one of truth from something false. Along these lines the clay wall [v.10] was also explained. 1747, the 12th day of November (old calendar).
They imagine they are good and holy when they are declaring their vows, like the dragon now and then, when yet inwardly they harbor malice, although in that state they do not know it.
246. About a supplication by certain of the Jews for the mercy of God the Messiah
When the sixteenth chapter of Ezekiel was being explained, where the whoredom of the Church of Jacob's descendants is treated of, some of the Jews who said they had been from the sect of the Pharisees, when they had given their attention for some time to the inward meaning of the words, were so moved by truth that they devoutly implored the mercy of God the Messiah, confessing their sins. 1747, the 13th day of November (old calendar).
247. The extreme cruelty of some who nevertheless profess mercy and holiness with the mouth
Something so very cruel was depicted to me this night, that anyone would shudder if he should get even a slight notion of it. Therefore I want to spare chaste eyes and ears an account of the details. They were proclaiming the mercy of God the Messiah, which they arrogated to themselves alone. For some quite trivial reason, as I explained to them, they seemed to want to lay a most cruel hand upon innocence itself, for the sake of revenge (but in the manner of spirits, who believe that what they conjure up by fantasy is really there). So they were occupied with an act entirely opposite to mercy, but whether they have any mercy, and charity, anyone can judge, since they themselves committed an act contrary to mercy and charity, just for the sake of vengeance against innocence - not against wickedness, or with a good motive.
248. When the last Heaven is not controlled by angels, those who are there burn with anger and are malicious to the utmost degree
I also experienced today that whenever in the last heaven, and below it, evil spirits are not controlled through angels by God the Messiah, they are so malicious and burn with such anger that it cannot be adequately described. For this reason, there is always a controlling presence of angels and a consequent calming effect, adapted to a person's state or his orientation with respect to the final goal. 1747, the 19th day of November (old calendar).
249. Natural sciences, or the sciences of natural phenomena, at this day are still like the last heaven, which distorts truths into falsities
I conversed today with the spirits and angels around me on a variety of topics, and afterwards about the sciences, or the wisdom of this age. It is incapable of serving as a basis for spiritual truths, much less for heavenly truths, but is like the last heaven, which distorts the truths coming down to it from heaven into the opposite. For today, whatever is taught by the sciences about the natural causes of observable things, like those in the human body, such as the senses, or whatever they contribute to a knowledge of the soul and related matters, is full of false hypotheses, in which not even one truth comes to view - in fact, the way is even closed by them to the point where it is not allowable to reach out the thoughts beyond grossest Nature. Therefore spiritual and heavenly things are considered to be nothing.
Since this is the kind of basis into which spiritual truths are coming down, they are necessarily stopped and prevented from entering, for there is no natural truth there to receive, connect with, and confirm them, but it either completely repels them, or distorts them into the opposite.
Hence one may conclude of what use scientific truths, or truths unearthed through the sciences, could be. 1747, 14 November (old calendar).
250. When I say "of use," I mean for those who study scientific matters with the attitude that they cannot believe anything without them; besides its use in schools, where nothing but such material is propounded and taught by philosophers, even by those who are committed to the priestly office. It is also of use because this kind of knowledge is a challenge to youth, promoting their ambitions. An additional use is that by its means, spiritual things let down from heaven are not so readily distorted, so as to blind their minds and lead them unconsciously into a wavering belief or no belief.
Because the world today is considered to be scholarly and does not want to believe anything but what it understands, therefore with people of this character, what is spiritual can scarcely function effectively unless the existing false and lying basis is either completely broken up and perishes, or is converted into a basis consisting of natural truths.
What these people will be like after death, those of them who possess some discrimination can conclude from the fact that life after death is a continuation of the life of the body, and that distortions of this kind, which are falsities in spiritual matters and concealments [of truth], when specific and individual memories pass away [after death], overlay [the mind] with a sort of crust, and thus virtually corrupt the core, or character [see 245]. So they cannot but become most stupid, and thus the wiser they were in the body, the more stupid [they become] (in fact, more stupid than those who had not learned anything whatever of the sciences), because of having imposed the sciences upon the exploration of spiritual matters. 1747, 14 November (old calendar).
251. The whole of nature in general and in its parts symbolically portrays the properties of heavenly and spiritual things
mManmade things are of small value compared to those of naturen
I was conversing with spirits and angels about the things that come to sight in nature, and which no one reflects upon as being like images of things heavenly and spiritual - for example, the way a plant or tree is born and grows from its seed. The life-giving sap of the plant or tree is drawn up through the bark and rind, to be distributed throughout its mid and central parts, just as spiritual elements must go back to heavenly ones. Then also, all and the least of its parts regard the fruit as their goal, that is, the renewal and thus perpetuation of life. Likewise, in every fruit, even those surrounded by hard crusts within which the kernels lie concealed, there are coverings or surfaces of various kinds one within another, through which the juice is conveyed to its inward and innermost parts until the fruit is ripe.
These things depict similar processes in a person who is being regenerated. The coverings depict earthly elements, matters of knowledge and reason, as well as matters of the understanding which are spiritual elements; and, as from a general plane diverging into an infinite number of pathways, they can go back and be distributed to all and the least parts in the innermost recesses. The resulting perpetuity in such things [of nature] corresponds to eternity in a human being's life. It is similar with all things down to the very least in the animate kingdom, in the human body, and in its smaller and least parts. 1747, the 15th day of November (old calendar).
252. It is also remarkable that mankind has not yet rightly observed that all things whatever which are manmade, or artificial, such as statues, pictures or countless other things, may be beautiful in outermost appearance and even regarded as very precious, when yet inwardly they are composed like clay and mud. It is only the surface that the sight of the eye admires.
But those things which grow from seeds begin from within and grow up or advance toward the outside; these are not only beautiful to see, but even the more beautiful, the more inwardly they are viewed.
It is similar in a person's life: those things which begin from the outside, or start with the human, are comparable to what is artificial, the outer surface of which people value and admire, while what is within is completely worthless; but things that are fashioned by God the Messiah from most deeply within are to be likened to those in nature that are beautiful from their innermost parts. This, then, is what God the Messiah says, that all of Solomon's magnificence cannot be compared to a tiny lily, which is nevertheless little valued [Matt. 6:28-30, Luke 12:27-28]. 1747, the 15th day of November (old calendar).
253. Spirits also, like people on earth, acquire many habits reflexively
Besides other experiences, it has also been observed that evil spirits, who are ever intent upon doing evil to us, also acquire the habit of bringing evil upon people unwittingly. For example, whenever they hear a carriage, or the sound of a carriage, then unconsciously, as if unaware of it, they attempt to force me toward the carriage - among other things also that stream suddenly into their minds, solely from habit; but it is needless to recount the experiences.
(Today also, and previously, I found out that the dragon was learning deceptions that he had not practiced before, and was therefore severely punished, lest they add to his [evil] nature.)*
* This postscript was probably written at the end of August, 1748, about which see 2967-68.
254. To one human thought, thousands, in fact a myriad, of spirits and angels contribute, all of whom God the Messiah arranges in order and governs
This cannot but appear as a paradox to a person on earth, who supposes that a thought is a simple unit, and not formed from tens of thousands of components. But even though it can be demonstrated by very many things in nature - [as] that to one action, thousands in fact myriads of muscles, as well as of the tiniest fibres all the way from the brain to the action, contribute, or, that throughout nature, myriads of rays contribute to the formation of one single object, as also to the propagation of growing things - still it appears as a paradox that something similar applies to a person's thoughts, and feelings, because the operation and influence of spirits and angels upon human minds has not been attested by experience.
But from experience, through the mercy of God the Messiah, I am able to say that thousands of spirits and angels contribute, even though only a few are very close by. I am unable to explain the experiences, but can only say that this fact has been shown to me on several occasions, by sight and also by sense. I have even perceived their operations, somewhat obscurely, but so tangibly that I can affirm the matter with certainty. I perceived them both by sensation and from the murmur, in different ways and at different times, but their situations and states vary, according to the good pleasure of God the Messiah. And this will not be strange to any educated person if he only rightly compares the things in nature with those which must be in the heavens. 1747, the 19th day of November (old calendar).
Like [the experience when] one spoke, and there was shown a bright cloud round about, so that I might see how much flowed in, also [how much] from his speech.
255. About the very inward Realm, and about Cherubs
When I was brought into thoughts about how the very inward and innermost angels influence human minds, and was reflecting that they do so in an imperceptible manner, being in the realm of the very beginning points of human thought, consequently in a like realm of mental imagery or depiction, which is imperceptible (such an imperceptibility must be the plane proper to thoughts) - while I was pondering on these matters, then I was given from the mercy of God the Messiah to sense a gentle kind of turning motion overhead, into which I later even seemed to be raised up, or which enfolded my thoughts. At the first sensation, when I was not yet in it, it was like the turning motion of a soft cloud settling down, and it was said that this can be called "the Cherubs," to whom "wheels" are ascribed [Ezek. 1:9,10] on account of that turning motion. After this, that field encompassed me, and I experienced a great calmness. The last heaven, in which I had been previously, was below me, and in fact, at my feet and below the feet. There I heard someone speaking, but as if out of the lowest place, complaining that I had been raised up away from them, and that therefore he did not want to live.
When I was later thinking about the very inward realm, which must as yet be called strictly "cherubic" and in which realm I am while writing these things, I am able to understand not only why wheels, but also why four faces, were ascribed to them [Ezek. 1:10], i.e. "of a lion, of a man, of an eagle" - namely: "that of a lion," because of its strength [extending] into the lower realm, or last heaven, for it holds that in proper order, otherwise it would fall to pieces; "the face of a human," because the very inward person, to which this realm properly relates, is "human" - the kind of thought we have pertains merely to the inward person, which in turn is governed by the very inward realm [see 241:4]); "the face of an eagle," because it rises up high above the realm in which our perception or sense-based understanding lies. "The face of an ox" is omitted, and afterwards by Ezekiel "the face of a cherub" is named in the first place [10:14], because then he understood that it was the cherub to whom three faces were being ascribed. 1747, the 20th day of November (old calendar).
256. Belief in God the Messiah joins the very innermost or deepest things with the very outermost
When I was in the cherubic realm [255], I was given to understand that the angels there do not know what is going on in the last heaven, unless, by the mercy of God the Messiah and by the presence of God the Messiah Himself through belief, communication is effected with those in that last heaven, thus enabling [the angels in the cherubic realm] to become aware of and to perceive it.
I have been permitted to understand this fact, due to the mercy of God the Messiah. For except when I was concentrating my inner gaze upon God the Messiah Alone, I received word from them that then they knew nothing about what was going on in the realm below them, and about what I was thinking.
Therefore, belief in God the Messiah, [coming] from Him through the innermost and the very inward heaven into the realm of humankind, is the very thing that joins and associates all things together, from the Most High even down to the most low.
Without belief in God the Messiah, inward elements would be torn away from the more inward ones, and would therefore perish. 1747, the 20th day of November (old calendar).
257. Self-procured belief, however, or a believing one seeks to impose upon oneself, is not worth anything, but only a belief inspired, given, as if poured in, by God the Messiah. For a faith procured for oneself from one's own imaginings, is only illusion, and does not ascend.
But here there should come several observations, such as how a person can know that belief has been given by God the Messiah; and very many other points.
258. I was raised up into the very inward realm, as often as I prayed our Lord's prayer, though in differing ways
Whenever I was praying our Lord's prayer, morning and evening, almost every time I was raised up, in different ways, into the very inward realm, and in fact [this raising up,] together with the change, was so perceptible that nothing could have been more so. This [has been occurring] now for more than two years.
Explanations of the more inward contents of the Prayer were inspired at these times, with a great deal of variety. But when the prayer was finished, I was let back into my normal environment.
259. Very many of those bound in the pit are ascending, and therefore the last time is at hand
About the place of the lower ones
This night at a time of wakefulness, also by the mercy of God the Messiah, I was enabled to learn that very many of those bound in the pit [see 228, 244] are now being borne upward by God the Messiah, that is, from the pit (which is below the last Heaven), otherwise called the place of the lower ones.
The ascent lasted for quite a long time, which leads to the conclusion that there were very many. And that it was the believers who were being raised up, was also shown - by spirits of gold, small ones in effigy. From this one may conclude that the last time is now at hand. Therefore, let those on earth be watchful! 1747, the 20th day of November (old calendar).
260. About the man not invited to the banquet, and not dressed in a wedding garment, who was cast out [Matt. 22:11-14]
Today a certain evil spirit appeared to me who thought that he had risen up into the very inward heaven, because he had lifted himself very high overhead and wanted to stir up trouble there by diverting belief from God the Messiah and transferring it to himself. Thus he wanted to exalt himself even unto God the Messiah, and claim His power to himself - not knowing that he was only in the last heaven, where evil spirits are still dwelling. This fact was shown to him pictorially, but to no avail; for he went on with his wickedness.
But because this person was an evil spirit, he had to be dealt with by means of symbolic displays, or mental imagery. Therefore, truth was wrapped around him symbolically, whereupon he was cast out, and he shouted that he was being greatly afflicted, begging to be released from that place.
This is what must be suffered by those who contemplate arrogating to themselves power over the faith [of others] - especially when this effort is the result of more than mere simplicity. 1747, the 20th day of November (old calendar). In his distress he said that he had been instigated to doing this by the diabolical gang.
261. About the liberation of those who are bound in the pit; then,
What is meant by the pain of a woman in labor
Some of those who are bound in the pit are not set free before they arrive at the utmost of despair, that is, until they have paid the last of the debt [cf. Matt. 5:26]. This is also called the pain of a woman in labor, and the arrival [of the unborn babe] at the mouth of the womb [see 244].
262. There are realms of calmness, which are to be called auras of ignorance, in the third heaven
This morning I was guided into several realms, so to speak, of the third heaven,* and in fact to its innermost region (for each heaven has its innermost, very inward, and inward parts) where spirits were said to sojourn who are recently delivered from the pit. There was calmness, and nothing sad was noticeable; so that here is the calmness that in the inward degree corresponds to peace in the innermost regions [41]. Afterwards, surrounded by something like a column, I was guided into other auras, so to speak, of the inward Heaven, and indeed, to the heaven of ignorance (every heaven is distinguishable into its heavens), where not a sound was heard, but it was calm.
mThese are the habitations or mansions about which God the Messiah [spoke] [John 14:2], which are here called auras.n**
Finally [I was conducted] to another heaven of ignorance, consisting of the kind of people who are unconcerned about heresies, and who neither affirm nor deny anything, saying that every person fosters his own opinion. Yet here it was not so calm. It was as if someone wanted to smash the wall with an axe, and someone said that he feared that person might finally strike him.
These heavens are separate, and well guarded, so nothing in the heavens is disarranged, except as to appearance in the inward heaven - which is no longer to be called the inward, but the lower heaven.*** There abides a gang of lower spirits above hell who carry on licentiously. 1747, the 21st day of November (old calendar). - Obs. The heaven of ignorance in the inward heaven interacts with that of Innocence in the very inward and innermost heavens.****
* I.e. in descending order.
** The Latin word is "sphaerae."
*** Nevertheless, the author continues to call it the inward heaven for some time.
**** This sentence is emphasized by the words "Obs. Obs." written in the margin.
263. About the teachability of spirits, and about magic
Besides the many experiences I have had one after another over a long period, I have also today learned through some unique ones that spirits are teachable, and in fact avidly seize upon things that are beyond imagination; also, that the Egyptians' magic on the plane of nature resulted from this fact. For there are very many spirits who try to utter such things, but because it is abominable and profane to do so, their mouth is immediately closed up, and they are cast out from the society. Since they are abominable pests to societies there, they are kept in a place where they are no longer able to communicate their magical powers to others. They are only given access to me for the purpose of temptation. 1747, 23 November (old calendar).
264. There are also spirits who are unceasingly intent upon things contrary to truths and goodness, seeking to distort them in ways so evasive of our consciousness, that if we were told we would hardly be able to believe it. This has surprised me at times, when I noticed truths and goodness being thus compromised by spirits.
But these spirits conceal themselves more than others and are more invisible, so that I was at the point of believing they could not be found. Still, they were found, and some of them were punished and cast out, the punishment being of a kind to fit their criminal attempts. 1747, 23 November (old calendar).
265. Spirits are being transferred into the very inward heavens, and are becoming angels
Today it was granted me to observe that spirits become angels, and that they are transferred into the very inward heavens, and thus seem to disappear from spirits. For they do not speak after this as they did before, except through the spirits who are serving them and whom they control, and who, when they realized this, were indignant. 1747, the 23rd day of November (old calendar).
266. There is a group of spirits, some of whom are in a person's head, and some outside, and these interact
At times I have observed, when certain spirits were outside [of me] and also speaking with me, and when they were thus holding me captive so that I could not get away from them, which has happened to me several times, then at the same time they also had their auxiliary spirits or troops in the head, either within or outside the brain. It was granted me to observe this by manifest experience, for when those outside with whom I was speaking were cast down, then the ones in the head flowed out, and indeed with a sound like something going out, and being pushed out, through the ear. It was evident that there were many, from the fact that now and then ten, twenty, more or less, seemed to be drawn out in this way by those who were outside and with whom they were as if bound together in society.
It can also be inferred from this how a person is kept bound by an evil band of spirits, and that they are within as well as outside of the person, thus closing off the operation of angels. Nevertheless, the angels' operation slips in in a wonderful way like a more inward activity within an action, and so, the person is given to understand what is true and good, although with difficulty. 1747, the 24th day of November (old calendar).
267. Spirits who are sent to a person on earth think they are the person to whom they come
Certain spirits, by ascending, came to me, saying that they had been with me from the beginning, thus that they were the ones who have spoken with me from the start. When I became indignant and rebuked them, because I did not recognize them, they finally admitted that they had just come for the first time, but that they put on, so to speak, everything of the person, so that they think they had been with him or her from the beginning.
It is amazing, but a spirit puts on in a moment a person's characteristics, knowledge, language, and the like, just as if he had possessed them from the beginning. About this subject I have conversed with spirits also from time to time. 1747, the 24th day of November (old calendar).
268. Human souls are transferred into heavenly joy, to see the glory of God the Messiah
Today I witnessed two people I had known in life and with whom I had been speaking - after the conversation had turned to the subject of heavenly joy, and the fact that the delight of talking with a person after death was nothing compared to the joy in the heavens - transferred into the very inward heaven, into some habitation of it. From there they spoke with me, now as if from a higher place, while it was only from a more inward one. They testified that such joy is unspeakable, and that compared to it, earthly and worldly delights are nothing. 1747, the 24th day of November (old calendar).
269. About witchcraft, magical arts, fortune telling and the like - where they originated
1) It has been shown me by experience that some of the spirits thought they could do anything in heaven and on earth, if only they were taught by symbolic displays involving divine matters, and brought these into practice, thinking they would have the same result as if they were divine. It is unnecessary to describe the displays themselves. [See 233.]
This is at first allowed for a number of reasons, especially because of ignorance, when such things are learned by those who in simplicity believe them to have a miraculous power. But afterwards they are corrupted by desires to practice them in the pursuit of profit and self-glory; then the goal immediately perishes, and they become like fallen leaves, or like shells without kernels, which drop of their own accord, and perish. All this was portrayed to me in a sequence, which it would take too long to describe. 1747, the 27th day of November.
2) At this day, those who engage in such practices have been put down, and spirits of this kind are held in bonds. Several times, when somewhat loosed from these bonds, they wanted to persuade me to learn similar arts, but due to the mercy of God the Messiah, it was in vain, so they were returned to their bonds, where they must necessarily undergo a considerable change, through torments comparable to either fire or decay.
The Egyptian magicians were of this kind, because they distorted the symbolic depictions of the ancient Church and thereby practiced magical arts, probably countless in number - but all of which were like shells without the kernels, or leaves that fall off when the sap is gone, even though they may outwardly appear bright with varied colors for a short time.
Equivalent to such magical arts, therefore, are those qualities in which people seem to shine, such as their own good judgment, and the like, by which they imagine themselves to be in control of everything. Likewise, science and philosophy, by which people believe they control spiritual and heavenly matters, are like fortune telling and witchcraft. Therefore these are to be understood at the present day by witchcraft and the like, and by Egyptian wisdom, etc. 1747, the 27th day of November.
270. The environments where souls are after death interact with the parts and members of the human body
From actual and quite sensate experience, I have learned that the auras, as they are called [262], where human souls abide after the death of the body, interrelate entirely with the human members; specifically, the heavenly domain with a person's head, but the lower ones with the loins, and the lowest with the feet. For this reason, when I was let down once again into the lower place without the angelic column around me [228], then it was granted me to perceive sensorially that the lower place, where there were souls, corresponded to the feet, so that the lowest place must correspond to the soles of the feet, or to the region under the soles - which, however, I was unable to perceive because I was not let down that deeply.
But also by the Mercy of God the Messiah, it was granted me to feel that the souls were emerging from the lower places and thus coming into the last heaven (in the lower place I spoke with them, also when they were rising up), and that they also gave expression to their gladness at being delivered from their bonds, and from the pit. 1747, the 28th day of November.
271. The lower place of damnation is extremely cold, and their life at that time had been miserable
Those who had been in a certain lower place were many, who are so cold that they seem to themselves obliged to acquire heat through labor, and the cutting of wood; for this kind of fantasy stays with them, and they do not know but that it is real, supposing that this work will make them not only warm, but also deserving of salvation. The cold is comparable to cold in the teeth.
Now these are the ones who are represented by the wood-cutters [Deut. 29:11, Josh. 9:23-27]. Who they are that are being held in such an extremely cold prison, may be concluded from [the nature of] their loves in the life of the body, namely, that they had then been cold, not instructed at an early age in any true love, but only enticed by bodily pleasures contrary to true love. So perhaps one may infer that they had come more from the crowd of gentiles, but on this I am not so well informed. These people were exceedingly glad to come into the day, and to see the light, which also shows that they had been in darkness. No one can describe how miserable these crowds are. 1747, the 28th day of November.
272. About a certain one let down into the lower place, who was finally raised up
A certain one who had been let down into the lower place was finally being raised up, but on the way he labored very hard and struggled with the greatest exertion and labor to ascend, but for a long time it was in vain. From this, I was able to infer that an ascent and raising up comes through God the Messiah, Who Alone releases the miserable from the pit, and elevates and bears them into the heavens.
I spoke with this person while he was laboring, and after he was allowed to emerge from the place of the lower ones; so the truth of this has been witnessed to by actual experience. 1747, the 27th or 28th of November.
273. Continuation about those who were raised up from among the wood-cutters in the cold place
With those who were raised up from the cold place, I spoke later on. Many were also raised up afterwards, and, as they say, into the light. Actually, they are people who have been selfrighteous about good deeds, and have attributed to them the power of salvation. As for the righteousness or merit of God the Messiah, they have regarded it only as a kind of example, which they should follow, not [aware] that He Alone became righteousness for the sake of all.
After they were elevated, they came into a higher habitation, and were there instructed about the reason why they were kept in that cold place and in continuous labor; and there they seemed to themselves to be clothed in shining white garments, for so it appeared to them, because thus the imagery of their lives follows from their acquired character. They were also instructed in other matters about which they avidly received teaching, though something still persists with them at the beginning from their former fantasy, of which they say they desire most eagerly to rid themselves. These words were written in their presence. 1747, the 29th day of November.
274. About the habitation of those who live devoutly, but only acknowledge the one God, not knowing that God the Messiah is God over the Universe
This morning in full wakefulness, while I was being brought by the mercy of God the Messiah through many habitations, I was also led down among those who had not known that God the Messiah was the God of the Universe, but had still led a devout life. Among them it was really calm; the rest I am not given to remember.
But these also were raised up to a higher habitation, where they were taught, and thus given to feel inward joy, although the notion persisted with them that they had come into a beautiful city, and into beautiful dwellings, besides other places. 1747, the 29th day of November.
275. Even in the inward heaven* there are habitations for those who believe they are living in a kind of earthly paradise
I was also guided to one habitation that is even in the inward heaven, which habitation can be called that of the blessed; for they have such a blessed and pleasant life of imagery, that they seem to themselves to be in paradise and to be enjoying delights like those of an earthly paradise, together with manifold gladness. It was granted me to see a glimpse of their garden, not from very close by. 1747, the 29th day of November.
* See 262, footnote 3.
276. One kind of habitation, where they were being amused by being led around in a circle
Also shown was the dwelling of some, where something like a wheel coming down from on high was led around in a circle, and it was said that those were entrenched in this fantasy who care for nothing but things that are different, and run about in search of them, and from them derive their only amusement. 1747, the 29th day of November.
277. A turbulent sea with great waves was seen
When by the mercy of God the Messiah I was being conducted through several habitations of the inward heaven,* it was also granted me to see, not nearby, a great sea, swelling with huge breakers that dashed against some unseen shore.
It was told that such are the fantasies of those who want to be great in the world and to innovate all things, and in this way acquire glory for themselves.
Thus it is the swelling of their mind that produces this kind of a fantasy. 1747, the 29th day of November. [Cf. 243.]
* See 262, footnote 3.
278. The arrangement of the habitations
It was also granted me to reflect on the arrangement or situation of the habitations of the inward heaven,* and it struck me that there was a precise order, so that they formed a figure by which the one habitation faced and enclosed the other, but which I was unable to understand. For from above, I also heard spirits speaking whom I thought to be among the lower ones. So their situation is not determined by height alone, but also by some incomprehensible arrangement.
The arrangement of the glands in the brain would seem to be able to cast some light on this matter, if investigated; for in the individual human being are such things as interrelate, both as to situation and as to arrangement, with those in the universal human being. 1747, the 29th day of November.
* See 262, footnote 3.
279. Why the heavenly field, vortices and habitations correspond to the parts of a human being
The reason why the parts of a human being interact with the heavens and its habitations, and lower things are felt under the feet - and in fact as coldness, according to the experiences adduced previously [271] - is that God the Messiah, as Human, fills the universe, so that the things in the universe interact with Him. Therefore Heaven is God the Messiah Himself, because He is all in all things, and thus the heavenly field, vortices and habitations correspond to Him and His parts. 1747, the 29th day of November. Otherwise, Heaven and the universe could not go on.
280. The habitation of many, where they think they are building cities and giving them away free
Early in the morning I was guided into one habitation of the inward heaven* where imagery of a manifold variety prevails, and, in fact, to those spoken of before [274] who had been raised up into a higher habitation. Here they now seem to themselves to build cities, and to give them to others, and even to hide something secret in the city which they want no one to discover, lest it be done violence.
There is a kind of innocence about them, and for this reason they are even protected by little children. I stayed with them for a long time, and I could not but love their life, [which was] similar to a sweet sleep. 1747, the 30th day of November. They are all childlike, and do not know anything of evil, being also in a state of ignorance.
* See 262, footnote 3.
281. About my conversation with Abraham, Jacob, the Apostles, and many more of the ancient time
For many weeks I was in conversation with the Apostles, with Abraham, with Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Sarah the wife of Abraham, Leah, Rachel. At the time, I could believe no differently than that I had been speaking with them; but afterwards, being taught by experience, I was able to deduce that they were spirits who impersonated them in the inward heaven, and even believed they must be the same people.
For the angels in the very inward heaven can speak with people on earth through spirits of the inward heaven - thus this is done indirectly - but these spirits impersonate them, and are able in so doing to show what those [angels] had been like in the first period after the death of the body. It is different when they appear to a person in the very inward heaven,* [thus directly,] which is done by a lofty portrayal. 1747, the 1st day of December.**
These things came today into my thought, but whether this is the way these matters really stand, I am unable to find out as yet for certain.
* See 262, footnote 3.
** The manuscript has "die 31 Nov."
282. The worst of the devil's gang cannot exercise even the least power on those who trust in God the Messiah
One was let out of the lowest hell, about whom see the next page [284-87], who trusted in himself and his own power to overturn everything, even to the point where he thought he could displace boulders. So he was permitted to exert all his strength and power against me, but he was not able to inflict upon me even the very least of the evil he had brought to bear - not even upon my thought, except something vaguely. At this he was astonished, and afterwards he sank away. 1747, the 1st day of December.
283. I arrived in one habitation where heat occupied my feet and loins
While by the mercy of God the Messiah I was being guided through several habitations of the inward heaven,* I was also led through a habitation where heat at once occupied my feet and loins, and then I was told that here the kind of women were who had indulged in a life of bodily pleasure, but had nevertheless desired children; one of them even seemed to me to be pregnant.
This habitation is therefore quite unlike one in which women were who had had no desire for children, where I had felt no heat.
The conclusion follows that these women, even though they had indulged in pleasures, still had not extinguished the natural desire of love, which is to procreate offspring.
* See 262, footnote 3.
285. Another noteworthy thing is how fantasy deceives them. For when they have been let out [of hell], they think they are walking around some circle, and trampling the universe beneath their feet, imagining themselves to be the greatest gods. Moreover, the hellish place is portrayed to them as a tub with a covering, and a little globe nearby on a kind of pyramidal base, on which they believe the universe to rest, which they look at, and which they control.
By their fantasy, I seemed to be let into such a tub, where a state prevails such as can never be described; for hell is too harsh ever to admit of description. But from mercy, it was not God the Messiah's good pleasure that I should be let down into it, because of the dreadful and wicked things there.
286. Further, I was told afterwards from heaven that those abide there who have so little left [of what is human] that they remain there for centuries, and that there are people there who have been there already for twenty centuries. I was also told that there is no one there today from among those who perished at the time of the flood (these were released from that dreadful hellish vat), and who have been created anew.
286 1/2. Later, when I was arising from bed, that devil [282, 284] was amazed that I lived on the earth. These things I saw in full wakefulness, accompanied by conscious thought, as well as speech; so that this is the untarnished truth. 1747, the 1st day of December.
287. The lowest hellish gang, therefore, consists of those who act most cunningly, and in fact almost unnoticeably, upon human minds, so that [their activity] is nothing but deception and venom, and indeed, diametrically opposed to mercy, and to innocence.
288. About heavenly joy
Today some of those who were around me and spoke with me - both acquaintances and people unknown to me - were raised up into the very inward heaven, and they told me through messengers that the happiness is such that it can never be uttered by the mouth or perceived by the mind [of anyone below]. Then it was also granted them to guide my hand while I was writing these things, so that it would be as if they were telling and writing them.
But before they had been raised up into the very inward heaven, a certain one who had departed the life of the body not long before, seemed to me to have to shed his outermost parts, or the earthly element that was still clinging. This can never be allowed to enter into the very inward heaven; but those enveloped with the earthly element are able, by the mercy of God the Messiah, to live in the last heaven, also among the blessed. About their condition, see the things reported here and there above [cf. 220, 262].
Happiness does not consist in the kind of symbolic displays, seen by the eye, that exist in the inward heaven,* but in the kind which the tongue can never utter, and which the mind in the body can never contemplate. Thus Paul, who was caught up into the innermost or third heaven [2 Cor. 12:2-4], must have been divested for the time of both the body and the earthly mind - which is [effected] by the omnipotence of God the Messiah.
2] Some others supposed that they also had been raised up to that heaven, but because they had not been divested of bodily and earthly elements, they were raised only toward the outer court of the very inward heaven; even they were proclaiming the blessedness [they felt].
Meanwhile, I spoke with several about the state of those who were raised up into the very inward heaven, saying that when they returned to their earthly mind, they would be unable to express the happiness, the reason being that the earthly elements of the mind as it were hide it from their sight, because those elements dominate in spirits of the last heaven, no differently than those of the body and the senses do in bodily life.
Some spirits also who were unwilling to attach faith to these things were then also raised up toward the outer court of the very inward heaven, and they exclaimed aloud that they had never seen nor could ever have imagined anything more beautiful, and more delightful. 1747, the 2nd day of December.
* See 262, footnote 3.
289. About the harmony among angels, even so far as a speaking of many in unison
By prolonged experience this morning, through the mercy of God the Messiah I was shown that angels cannot live together in blessedness unless they are the kind that can speak and act together. Blessedness consists in unanimity and harmony, whereby many, even very many, consider themselves to be a one. For from many agreeing together, or a harmony of many, comes a oneness, which results in blessedness and happiness and, from a shared feeling of happiness, a doubled and tripled happiness.
289 1/2. As for their speech, today by a lengthy experience I was shown many at the same time speaking, thinking and understanding together, as is usual in the heavens.
I was also shown that when there is anyone among them who thinks by himself, or who wants to say anything more [than the rest] due to some kind of love, or to a habit formed because of a given love; or if others who are not similar are brought into their company - especially when they are not yet prepared by a purging process, and initiated - then that discordancy among the many is at once quite clearly felt, so that it can never fail to be found out who of the spirits is at variance. So that spirit is dissociated in some way, depending upon the nature of his dissent, until such a time as he is prepared, and becomes accustomed to joining in, and to taking an active part himself in creating heavenly harmony.
Therefore it is unanimity coming from the love of society, this in turn coming from the love of God the Messiah, which makes what is heavenly. 1747, the 3rd day of December.
290. Souls after death see their own parents, children, friends, and experience from this an innermost gladness
That souls after death see each other, and join in conversation, and even think it is just as if they were together on earth - in the beginning, that is, before they have been well initiated in spiritual matters - to this I can testify, as well as to the fact that they experience an innermost gladness, provided there had been a mutual love between them in the life of the body. 1747, the 3rd day of December.
291. The power of the devil is mere illusion, and thus boasting, and he can be cast out by one innocent, and then be tormented by himself
It happened that one of the hellish gang came up to me stealthily and worked deceitfully. To expose this, he was sought out, and found, and then he spoke many boastful words about his power; he had even been invisible. When I had spoken with him for a little while, saying that he possessed no power but what it was permitted him to have, then he was allowed to exercise his powers, and when he had tried in vain to do so, he admitted that he had been able to accomplish nothing whatsoever here. And after he was told that one little child alone could cast him down, one of the smaller innocents was sent to him, who only approached him and, as it seemed to me, circled around him; and because of this he was overcome by such great anguish that he cried out and implored that the innocent might leave him, because he was feeling so oppressed and anguished that he could not describe it. 1747, the 3rd day of December.
292. There is a diabolic gang who boast that they are the Messiah and perform miracles
He with his gang, who was permitted to enter into me, in order to practice their arts more effectively also attempted to perform miracles in front of those who were with me in the other life, both acquaintances and unknown people not very long deceased, and others, and they really thought they were performing them even though they were only illusions. For they seemed to themselves to be let down into the depths of the earth, from where they were nevertheless able to speak with me, thus as though they were hidden or absent, which seemed miraculous, as if he could turn the universe around or upside-down, as such magicians imagine they can do.
This kept on for quite a long time, and when I was inquiring into his character, he replied that he was the Messiah, and indeed he thought he was, and was eager to aver it quite definitely, but I did not want to hear it.
Thus [the saying] of God the Messiah comes true, that those would come who would call themselves the Messiah, and would do miracles [Matt. 24:24]. 1747, the 3rd day of December.
293. From the inward heaven,* angels are being transferred to the very inward heaven, where there is peace and joy such as no one can utter
Today, from early morning until noon, I was among and spoke with those who had been in the inward heaven and had been transferred into the very inward heaven [cf. 265]. A conversation was able to be carried on with them, but through an intermediary angel, who told me this, namely, that he had now been made a sort of medium to establish communication from me to them.
They said that there was joy, and peace, such as a person could never feel even the least bit in mortal life, and which was eternally changing. In order that I might feel this happiness to some degree, an Angel came to me. Other happy ones surrounded the Angel, and they approached toward me, and then, only from its proximity, the joy and happiness so penetrated my innermost parts and, as they say, the deepest marrows, that I would not have been able to sustain it, without almost dissolving from innermost joy. 1747, the 4th day of December.
* See 262, footnote 3.
294. In the other life man and wife can indeed converse with each other, but yet not remain together; the same applies also to brothers, sisters, friends
It was said before [290] that in the other life, Fathers, mothers, brothers and friends can converse, but nevertheless they are separated of their own will, because earthly associations hold them back from striving for heavenly things. Besides, on such occasions the things they had thought are brought to view, which cannot [but] draw them downward to worldly matters, and cause annoyances in various ways. 1747, the 4th day of December.
1) To souls and spirits who were able to speak from their character making use of the knowledge within me, it could by no means appear otherwise than that they had retained all remembrance
of their bodily life. They put on that knowledge as if it were theirs, so that they could not know otherwise than that my memory was theirs. This happened in one way with those I had known in life, in another with those I had not known. This is obvious from the single fact, to which I bear witness, that all spirits when they came to me were able to speak in my vernacular tongue, no matter where they had been born, not knowing but that it was their language and that they had been born into it. About their own language they knew nothing whatever.
2) Their character takes the place of memory, so that they loathe, or love, truths or goodness, as if by some keen scent. For as soon as anything comes along that is not agreeable to their character, they bend it off toward things that soothe their character. They do this so skillfully and amazingly that they do not know but that they are acting from the memory.
Moreover, they can even converse among themselves on a variety of subjects from things in a person [they are with] - which is also amazing, although I did not hear [the discussion] - and then likewise, not know otherwise, than that they are speaking from their own former memory. Certain acquaintances were surprised at this, but still could not but acknowledge the truth of it.
But it must be understood that all things, even the very least, are so governed by God the Messiah that they cannot take out of anyone's memory any but those things that can serve a use. Thus it is wonderful the way all things and each detail are governed.
3) Nor should there be any doubt but that each and every detail inscribed on [the memory] during the life of the body can also be brought forth and shown to them, as I have experienced myself most lucidly. The smallest details are brought out, and even in their own point of time, and I could not in any way prevent it. To recount the particular experiences would be a needlessly lengthy undertaking. 1747, the 4th day of December.
296. Spirits think they are bodied people
From a great deal of experience I have learned that spirits and also [newly arrived] souls after death thought, in fact believed, that they were in the life of the body, and indeed, with such conviction that they were extremely surprised when they were told [the truth] and were able to know it [themselves] from the fact that they could be transferred, as well as other experiments [showing] that they were spirits without bones and flesh; nor could they learn [in any other way] that they were dead as to the life of the body. 1747, the 4th day of December.
297. Those who are raised up from the lower part of the earth, or pit, by God the Messiah, into the inward heaven,* also into the very inward one, are allotted their own places and habitations in a most precise manner
I was amazed how thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, were raised up by God the Messiah out of the pit, or lower parts of the earth, and especially how all of them were able to be allotted their own places in the heavens. Finally today, I learned that the greatest part of them seem to themselves to be transported in carriages or coaches, and to be driven around to various places, to test whether this or that place is suitable, that is, whether the person is in harmony with the souls who are there. If not, as happens in most cases, they are carried about until they find agreement, and thus rest, namely among souls who harmonize with their own character. Nor is there ever any soul raised up by God the Messiah who does not find his or her own rest, and thus a companionship with others harmonious with his or her own character.
This travelling from place to place can take a rather long time for some, but there is no anxiety; for in the meantime they are also being adapted, and perfected, so as to be able to live within a heavenly society.
* See 262, footnote 3.
298. Moreover, the heavenly female inhabitants of any one habitation can feel and see at once whether someone is concordant with their character and thus able as a part to contribute to their happiness - and this so accurately, that nothing could be more so. They can even [discern] in which place in the habitation, or with which people someone can be compatible - and all of this, as to each and every detail, by the arrangement, and under the indirect and direct auspices of God the Messiah, Who is All in all things.
299. I was raised up also into a habitation of the very inward heaven where, by the mercy, and under the direct and miraculous auspices of God the Messiah, I was able to abide for a while, and at the same time speak with the angels, who sensed most sharply that someone was present. For they are extremely happy about newcomers, and want most eagerly for a newcomer to become one of them. But from that keen perception, they at once know and sense whether that person is able to live among them. If not, they are sad, and still make every effort to initiate the soul, but when there is not concord, they separate themselves. Then the soul is again allowed to be transported around in carriages, which I have not only heard, but also seen; and I have been with them in the carriages, and afterwards conversed with them at some length.
From these circumstances in the inward and very inward heaven, one can see how things are with those who are quickened immediately after the life of the body, namely, that "they walk through dry places, and seek rest" [Matt. 12:43, Luke 11:24]. 1747, the 5th day of December.
300. No one at all among mortals can go up out of the grave, except through God the Messiah
It is the infrangible truth, and thoroughly corroborated by experience, that no one of humankind can be aroused out of their grave, still less be raised from the lower parts of the earth into the heavens, that is, into the inward,* the very inward and the innermost one, except through God the Messiah - which also it was granted me to learn from plain experience. In order that I might know it, I was allowed to feel it by a certain kind of drawing up or pulling up, which I can hardly describe. So it is in the whole of heaven; for God the Messiah, Who has all power in the heavens and on earth [Matt. 28:18], most intensely and deeply burns with the love and mercy to save the whole human race, His Love and His mercy being of such force, because He is omnipotent. 1747, the 5th day of December.
* See 262, footnote 3.
301. In the very inward heaven, the pleasure and happiness is unutterable
By the mercy of God the Messiah, I was raised up into the very inward heaven, as told [293, 299], and spoke with the angels. It was granted me there, only by the mercy of God the Messiah, to be in their company for a little while, which miracle was due to the way in which the angels around me were arranged.
In this way I was taught about the matters previously related, and thus I could feel, even though very faintly, what it is like, and that without heavenly harmony and an agreement of characters, and without having attained the [necessary] state through the purging process, it is impossible for anyone to live among them.
Such joys as these also arise from the most delicate, and humanly imperceptible, or sublime, mental imagery, that makes it an entirely heavenly paradise, with absolute and inexpressible joy in endless variation. For the displays are so alive as to surpass, by leagues beyond number, any that a person on earth is able to picture to himself, or even think up. Such joy results from mutual love, and from the sentiment of all, that none want to be their own, but each individual fervently desires from deepest affection to belong to all. But the words are lacking, to be able to express these matters. 1747, the 5th day of December.
302. About the life after death of those who are continually engaged in studies, and who think they make them wise
I was guided today into one habitation in which I had surely been before, but without knowing at the time whose habitation it was. It is like a broad field on which are many chariots and arsenals. Where the chariots and horses are, there are many people who seem to be walking or riding in chariots hither and thither; and when I inquired who they were, one of them, approaching me, inquired about those alive [in the world] who are highly educated, asking which ones had achieved fame above the rest. Then I mentioned two or three whom I knew. But I was informed by the angels with me that those pass their life in that place who are much occupied with studies, but who are nevertheless of sound reason and do not impose the philosophy of their mind on heavenly things. 1747, the 5th day of December.
303. Those who are the innermost are as bases and as multiple centers, like the stars in the heavens, to which all other things relate, as to their centers
That the Kingdom of God the Messiah is most perfect order, and perfection itself, and consequently form itself, can be evident to anyone. So because it is most perfect form, it must also have its centers, or its bases, spiritually understood. Those who are innermost and most of all under the mercy of God the Messiah, are such centers - likened to the stars of the heavens [Dan. 12:3], in which there is a reflection of the Kingdom of God the Messiah, as there is in all and the least things of nature.
But the arrangement among these centers I cannot find out, still less describe, because this goes beyond the human understanding, which is deeply ignorant of heavenly forms. 1747, the 5th day of December.
304. When the human mind is absorbed in worldly concerns, it is as though it is let down, and falls from the heavens
I have also learned through Experience, when I was being led around in the heavens here and there, which took place during a time of wakefulness, that when I lapsed into thoughts about worldly matters, then what I had seen in the heavenly habitation at once disappeared. So those who let their thoughts drop into the world, fall from the heavens. 1747, the 5th day of December.
305. Centers and bases, which are like stars of the heavens, are very numerous in each heaven
There are many centers and bases in each heaven, and by means of them, direct communications exist between the heavens, and with God the Messiah. They are in a very calm state, and cannot be compared to anything more aptly than to the ganglia in the human body and to the nodes in the brain, into which countless tissues run, and where they are as it were renewed, and thus the things around them are put into order to accord with the purposes present in the first substances.* Therefore everything is arranged in a most perfect order and a most perfect form by God the Messiah Alone. 1747, the 5th day of December.
* "fines in principiis," perhaps comparable to seeds which are beginning substances containing every future stage in potency.
306. People rise again not long after the death of the body
Today I spoke with someone I had known in the life of the body, who recognized himself from his image, as that of a living person, raised up in my mind's eye; also from some other things displayed mentally that he recognized - and this after a period of about 5 months from when he had died. Of course, he did not know or remember much at first, because spirits had not been attached to him; but after spirits had been attached to him, he came back into a seemingly complete understanding and recollection. 1747, the 5th day of December.
307. About some who were raised up into the very inward heaven
Today again two were raised up into a certain forecourt of the very inward heaven, and from there they spoke with me, saying in a loud voice that the eye had never seen, nor could the mind ever grasp, such things! I even felt the happiness itself in me for a time, as well as a sort of waft of pleasure felt in the very inward heaven by one who had been transferred there, and who cried out, saying that he could not bear the joy, if he were not let down; but being surrounded by angels of God the Messiah, he was able to stay there [cf. 293]. 1747, the 5th day of December.
One of them, guided into certain habitations of the very inward heaven, cried out, saying that he was feeling an unceasing variation of delights, accompanied by a very deep sense of joy.
Someone was also raised up with them as an angelic companion, but he said that he noticed nothing of the kind; so that apparent height does not accomplish anything, but only the inward and more inward qualities of heaven.
But those two were only at the outskirts of the very inward heaven, because, not having been dead for very long, they were still not prepared to enter more inwardly. They cried out again, saying there are countless different kinds of delights, so many that no language could ever give expression to them. They really wanted to describe the very wonderful harmony, but could not. They seemed to themselves to have been caught up into the third heaven, but it was only the forecourt of the very inward heaven, as I am now being told. 1747, the 5th day of December.
308. They who are being conducted to their own habitations seem to be transported by carriage
Today for the third time, I learned from experience that those who are being conducted to their own habitations, as was told before [297-99], believe they are being driven by carriage and thus being carried about as if by labyrinthine routes. For they go back and forth, so that they may arrive at that habitation where there are those of almost the same character. With these they stay, until God the Messiah mercifully sees fit to take them away from there and move them to some better habitation. I spoke with some who were in a carriage, and they said that they do not know otherwise than that they are being driven. 1747, the 5th day of December.
309. About the perception of angels, and also that of souls, in the other life
In the habitations of the very inward heaven, there is such a keen perception, or recognition by perception, that when a soul or angel of a different kind or genus, or else of a different species, is present, then in a miraculous way they either turn away, or they are moved by the harmony. It is by this method that they who are being driven around in the more inward heaven are admitted; and while they are passing through the changes between many states, then by a remarkable inward sense it becomes known, more and more, whether, and in what way, they are discordant. So they are either held off a little, or else they are brought in at a place where the disagreement is not so noticeable, with the result that the heavenly form of that particular species [of angel] is shaped within that genus and is thus continually perfected, even to such a degree of perfection that anything more perfect is inconceivable. 1747, the 6th day of December.
310. These things just written were shown to me by much actual experience. For I was conducted into habitations of the very inward heaven, and I came into one of them where I could even sense, without being told by the angels, at one moment that there was discordance, but at another that there was harmony. This was because there were changes in my state [of mind], as well as the workings of certain [spirits] present, which mixed in and varied the perception.
311. A similar thing obtains in the inward heaven,* but with a great difference when it comes to the kinds of perception. But here there are so many things that language can never articulate, because there is nothing that is not ineffable, and inexpressible!
* See 262, footnote 3.
312. Moreover, there is also another kind of inner sense which could be called that of the understanding, although it is also unconscious. By this we are led for the most part during the life of the body, when we sense - because of what we have been taught from the Word of God the Messiah - what opposes [the Word] as if from conscience, and thus when we refrain from doing it, even if the loves of self and of the world may urge us to.
313. Those can be admitted into the very inward heaven's habitations who have recently come from the life of the body, but still in a different way
Some were also admitted into the very inward heaven, with whom I had spoken and whom I had known, who had deceased only several months before, and some a few years before. These also were admitted into certain habitations of the very inward heaven, that they might see heavenly glory there [cf. 268], and perceive it by sense, as well as hear it. But because they could not yet be in such a state that they could remain there, they were therefore encircled by an angelic field by which all discordance is taken away, so that the angels of that habitation could not be harmed or troubled thereby. 1747, the 6th day of December.
314. Heavenly happiness is ineffable, and the very deepest happiness of a person on earth experiencing heavenly joy, does not equal even the least happiness of the angels
Today a number of those who were in heaven were longing to learn what heavenly joy is, and it was therefore granted them, by the mercy of God the Messiah, to feel heavenly joy to the deepest degree possible for them - even to the degree where they could not bear any more. They were actually of diverse character, so that the joy of one of them reached its deepest level (as he also acknowledged), but still was not as great a heavenly joy as some had.
From this experience they were allowed to learn how great heavenly happiness is, and what heavenly joy is like, since their very deepest did not even come up to the least of the angels.
What the deepest joy of some of them was like, it was granted me by the mercy of God the Messiah to feel in myself and thereby, to learn that those joys that were their deepest, were among the lesser joys. And what is amazing, the deepest joy of one of them, who declared it to be the very highest and the most heavenly, was actually nothing but coldness, which I was likewise allowed to feel plainly.
So that they could bear those heavenly joys (as they supposed them to be, because they were their deepest ones), it had been provided by God the Messiah that they should be surrounded by an angelic field, lest they perish, and be dissolved. 1747, the 7th day of December.
315. A person's thoughts and mental images become so plainly visible in the heavens, and those who are there can so plainly see them streaming toward the person and causing him to speak, that one could not imagine anything more obvious
There was one soul surrounded by evil spirits who, as far as I can judge, had never believed differently than that each and every thing he thought and did was from himself. Then something happened to show clearly to the souls and spirits standing around him, how such a soul is led, and that he says and speaks nothing whatever but what flows in through the spirits around him, unseen by him: one little word only was spoken, and it became visible as is usual in the spiritual heaven; and it was heard how the word that was let down rolled around among the spirits and thus came to all those who were speaking. So the soul in the middle imagined he was speaking from himself, nor could he tell otherwise, he now declares.
Presently it was granted him to speak his thoughts in a similar way, but more quickly, so as to show how plainly they can be seen and heard in still more inward regions. The speaking went quickly, just as when a person is thinking - only a little more slowly. It happened in the same way, but then one could see that this encircled soul could not tell otherwise than that it was he who was thinking and speaking. 1747, the 8th day of December.
316. Evil spirits can even enter into heaven, thus be among the heavenly
By actual experience I learned that evil spirits from the devil's gang can also enter into heaven and be among those who are there and, as they believe, can do this by means of tricks that they think up - something I was also granted to hear. For they thought that I did not understand their intrigues, but I was enabled to hear and see them.
Their plotting was about a way by which they imagined they could safely enter. One method they turned down, another they seemed to themselves to discover, by which, in fact, they did ascend.
This I perceived also by sense; but as I had been taught previously [307, 314], they are then surrounded by a spiritual field, which makes them unable to tell otherwise than that they are now in heavenly joy, because of being in heaven. But these are cases of permission, and the angels of that heaven are not aware at the time that such spirits are there. But if any one of those spirits were deprived of the spiritual field adapted to each one's state of mind - and also changing at every moment - then the angels even from very far off would not be able to bear their approach, much less that they should enter, because it causes such coldness that they could never be together. This coldness it was also granted me to be conscious of and to feel plainly. 1747, the 18th day of December.
317. About the permission given to spirits to bring evils upon mankind and upon [newly arrived] souls
By the mercy of God the Messiah, it was granted me to sense to a certain extent how permissions take place, enabling evil spirits to bring evils upon people on earth and souls, even to induce falsities of doctrine and evils of life, and so to corrupt them. For all are led in accordance with their character, which is evil rooted in by heredity and augmented by one's own deeds. And when people are being led by their character - so that it would break them and inflict spiritual harm upon them if they were turned in a different direction - then there are spirits having a similar character and passion, who want to [lead them]. Therefore, they then go to work, and this is called permission.
But here so many secrets come together, that the matter cannot be explained in a few words. 1747, the 8th day of December.
318. The cunning of the devil in distorting truths and goodness cannot be adequately expressed
Now from actual experience I have also learned that the cunning of the diabolic gang is so great that they could even corrupt the heavenly, if it were possible. For I was surrounded by very many of the devil's deceitful and pernicious gang, which, together with others in heaven collaborating with them, was distorting all thoughts from the Word of God the Messiah at that time. Indeed, they were able in an instant to seize from my mind truths that I understood; and they were turning them so skillfully into falsities, that the heavenly beings who were at some distance from that place began to be upset, until they could bear it no longer, thinking that even they had been able to be corrupted. This I was enabled to realize from their weeping and complaining.
So the cunning of the devil, who is held bound in hell, is such that he imagines himself able to corrupt even the heavenly, who, even though they are most safe, are nevertheless fearful.
That I was surrounded by such a diabolic gang, I was not only given to hear from the heavenly ones but also [to know] because of a clear sensation that came over me - of cool wind, whenever they were gathering together, and again, of a coldness that touched me; likewise by a vague sensation when they were in action, that is, when they were distorting truths into falsities, as well as by a loud voice scolding them, and from their replies. I heard it also from those who were then around me, who were saying that during this time they had been in hell, and had seen most dreadful things, and toward the end realized that they had been close to me. For hell is not in one place, but everywhere, as is heaven, too - in fact all the heavens, and God the Messiah. 1747, the 8th day of December.
319. Souls of the dead do not at all know otherwise, than that they are in their bodily life, only undergoing various changing conditions in it
I have spoken with many of those deceased or departed from the life of the body, both known and unknown to me, about whom I can tell these things - but from rather much experience, because gathered from many sources.
The souls had scarcely believed otherwise than that they were in the life of the body and that they were thinking in the same way and at first, especially [about] the things that touched them most closely and deeply and seemed to draw them toward desire and action.
1. As on previous occasions, many of those who are around me today acknowledge this, and now the ones who realize that they are in the other life are amazed.
As for their condition, they have their states, of which there are many changes only between their deepest sleep and their highest wakefulness. They acknowledge, and I have also learned this from experience, that they have a waking state similar to what they had in the life of the body, and in fact, even much more perfect for the reason that they are able to grasp and see the inward content of speech and of mental images.
2. From this, their highest state of wakefulness, they are also carried into a sleeping state, just like a person in the world when he sinks gradually from a waking state into one of sleep, even into the kind of sleep in which he would dream dreams - and thus is borne from one state into another.
There are also states of sleeping as if one were awake, in which I also have been - and so I have learned these and the above matters from experience - and in which they do not seem to themselves to be asleep, but awake, because they are speaking with a companion or with companions about one thing and another while in this state as they do when dreaming.* This can be grasped by a person who has been allowed to experience a transition from wakefulness, through several states of very gentle sleep, and then into a deep sleep, all accompanied by varying patterns of mental imagery.
So the things I have here told about souls, I can affirm so positively, that they should never occasion any doubt.
* The manuscript has "in somno" "asleep," but "insomnio," "while dreaming," must have been intended.
320. Their sleeping state is when they come into or are in the same conditions as when they were living [in the world] and do not know otherwise but that they are still so living. When they are in this state, they suppose it to be their waking state; but it is, or begins to be, the waking state, when they realize that they are in the other life, and not in the life of the body or of the world. 1747, the 9th day of December.
321. They so easily slip from the one state into the other, that it happens in an instant. But all and the least things happen by the mercy and disposition of God the Messiah.
322. Only the Love, therefore the Mercy, of God the Messiah, brings about and accomplishes Man's resurrection after death, and his being brought to heavenly dwellings
By the Divine mercy of God the Messiah it has also been granted me to learn, and in fact by an experience today, that the Love, consequently the Mercy of God the Messiah toward the human race - in willing to save all and each and draw them from hell into heaven (for love has a power in it that cannot but express itself by a drawing action) and thus join them to Himself in countless different ways - is the one and only cause of man's resurrection. By that same mercy, all and the least things are held together in a heavenly arrangement and form, according to which they come forth in succession [in time], and are kept together [in eternity]. 1747, the 9th day of December.
323. Spirits can smell odors, and those odors correspond to the spiritual life of [the deceased persons]
It is also amazing in regard to the dead after [earthly] life, that when it is so permitted, it can be clearly and perceptibly smelled what someone is like who has died; and when they had lived an evil life, then such an offensive odor is smelled from the corpse, that the spirits cannot stand approaching them. They have told me that it is an odor like that of a most stinking corpse, and that the differences between such odors or stenches are like those between spiritual qualities of their life. A stench of this kind has many times arisen near me, especially that of a decaying mouse, which corresponds with greed in its countlessly diverse forms.
These facts lead me to the conclusion that by the sign put upon Cain, an odor of this kind is meant, so intense that he could wander nowhere, without being driven away [Gen. 4:14,15]. For a similar thing happens in the other life, as I have been shown by much actual experience.
But such an odor is removed from everyone when they are brought to their own habitations, for if it were then present, they could not be received anywhere and stay. So they are admitted into habitations by being perceived in a different way, through the disposition of God the Messiah Alone. 1747, the 9th day of December.
324. The states of man's life as to spiritual things are also portrayed in the other life as cold and heat
By actual and oft repeated experience, I have also been shown that those who have lived a life devoted to the body, or to the loves of the world and of self with their many states, degrees and varieties, are cold entities. In fact, they are so cold, that on repeated occasions they numbed my various members with coldness, then also with cold blasts like wind, when they came near, as tangibly as if there were a wind - but likewise by heat, when they are also given permission to counterfeit heat. These states likewise are countlessly diverse; but they too are removed, except in certain cases, even until [some] are raised up into heaven, about whom [I spoke] earlier [297, 309]. 1747, the 9th day of December.
326. Human souls, even angels, can be transferred into the condition of their earthly mind, thus into their yearning desires, and then also be examined, revealing what they are like when left to themselves [see 372]
Today, as previously [157], I was shown by actual experience that the human ability to understand can seemingly be taken away [from people], leaving them their native discernment and still as much and such ability to understand as nature allots to make them human. And I learned from actual experience that the souls of the dead in that state are then devils, and commit crimes like a devil, which was also shown by extensive experience.
In fact, it was even shown that angels can be reduced to that same state, revealing what kind of a person each one had been as to the will. For then it is as if the will, which is reined in in the world by one's ambitions, as well as by the civil law, is set free. However, God the Messiah does not permit a saint to act so freely that he sees his own infernal qualities. 1747, the 10th day of December.
327. To one who is in God the Messiah, nothing can be harmful
By plain experience, I have learned that the curse of the wicked, or the devil's curse and all his other devices, cannot in the least harm or touch those who are in the Hand of God the Messiah, that is, in God the Messiah.
This was shown me by a curse being read, and turned by devils into a display, with the intent of applying it to some devout person; but the power was granted to me to have the depiction of that curse turn around toward me. While others shuddered at it, it was even permitted to enter into my mouth and inner parts, because of the confidence that nothing of this kind, thus nothing of the devil's curse, can hurt or even touch those who are in God the Messiah.
Today also, obsessed by the devil's gang when he was practicing his cunning tricks upon me in vain, I was finally distanced from the incessant, combined curses that were being aimed at my heart. For several hours they kept coming, so aimed; but at the time I was really unable to feel the curses except by perceptible heart-palpitations, as well as by a certain feeling in the inward parts of my body arising from them. They even slipped into my thoughts their wish that I despair of life - as if they can achieve anything by that - but still nothing whatever can harm or even touch [me]. 1747, the 11th day of December.*
* The manuscript has "die 11 Dec." for this passages probably written on the 10th.
328. Love is the very power that brings about the resurrection of the dead
It has been shown before [300, 322] that the Love of God the Messiah toward the whole human race is the sole cause of the resurrection of spirits from their graves, for there is a kind of drawing up by this power.
That there is a kind of drawing up, I have learned from actual experience, both previously and today, by feeling a kind of drawing up of my head; besides other things that this is not the place to bring up. 1747, the 10th day of December.
329. Everything whatsoever that meets the eyes, no matter how diverse, is nevertheless enlivened by God the Messiah to be turned into lovely pleasures, and series of pleasures
When I was walking in the street, I was looking at different objects with my eyes, which, because of their diversity, no one would ever guess could be transformed, and thus enlivened to become a continuous series of pleasures. Then I heard from angels that these things had come through to them as an uninterrupted variation of pleasures, and this from objects they could not see at all; and so I was able to understand [this phenomenon], because there is nothing in the world that is not a reflection of the Kingdom of God the Messiah. 1747, 10 December.
330. Wood-cutters in the other life receive comfort
The wood-cutters in the other life were spoken of before [271], namely, that they labor continually. But at the time when I was there, what I did not see was that there sometimes appears to them a lamb with a baby lamb, who tell them to wait yet a little while, and that God the Messiah shortly would come. From this they receive comfort. 1747, 13 December.
331. The beginning of jealousy that is seen in little children is most sweet
From an experience today, I learned that the apparent envy in little children toward other little children when in rivalry over the mother, arises from a most pleasant beginning, and from love, thus through heaven. For while I was being kept in thought about envy in little children, it was said to me aloud from heaven that they felt a heavenly sweetness, which varied according to the individuals.
From this one can conclude that the very passions and desires in a person all come from a heavenly starting point, and from Love Itself, therefore through heaven; but that on the way, outside of heaven, they are turned by spirits into something opposite, likewise by each person as receiver [they are qualified] by his or her essential form, and its variations with their changing states of mind.
332. It is similar to the way philosophic truths, which are in themselves truths,* in each receiver or person, by application, are bent toward evil, or toward agreement with their desires. For people are apt to justify their desires by such truths, even to the point of convincing themselves.
Similarly also [they bend] the truths of the Word. From this heresies arise, and the attitudes that result from them, such as the condemnation of all who do not agree. 1747, the 11th day of December.
* The manuscript has "varietates," where "veritates" is most likely intended, which we, like A. W. Acton, have taken to be the correct reading. There is a faint correction of the first -a- into an -e-, possibly done by the author, possible by Chastanier.
333. Souls of the dead carry with them from the world the character of the body
Souls of the dead carry with them from the body all of its characteristics - even to the point that they think they are in the body, dressed in clothes, and so on - and also its desires, such as an appetite for eating, and so on, so that the characteristics of the body are inscribed upon the souls.
The nature which they carry with them from the world and the body, they keep, but in the course of time it passes over into a kind of oblivion, so that they think they have put it off altogether, especially when they have become angels - this for the reason that they have been gifted with the ability to receive the mercy of God the Messiah. Then because of their accepting that ability, their former nature seems to be erased from memory, when nevertheless it remains.
For if it should please God the Messiah to take back His gift, and to place the angel back in his former life, then that soul becomes exactly as it had been before, when leaving the body - so every soul can be told that they lose nothing, and that nothing has been taken from them - but then they become wild animals and devils. 1747, the 11th day of December.
334. The story of Joseph portrays both comings of God the Messiah
Today, when some of those who had died were together and carrying on a discussion in which Joseph was mentioned, an angel from heaven informed them that Joseph portrayed both the comings of God the Messiah. Then they declared that they recognized all and the least particulars [told to them] to be so true, that there was no doubt about it. 1747, the 13th day of December.
335. When the Psalms of David were read, they had such power in heaven, that some heavenly [angels] were struck with amazement
Several psalms of David were read, and indeed, in such a way that the inward and more inward levels of meaning were conveyed, by the mercy of God the Messiah, to the perception of certain heavenly [angels]. They were so struck with amazement as to declare aloud that they had never believed such things [were in them] - as did also those who were dead in the life after death, because the Word had similarly affected them.
In order that the difference could be observed, the meaning of the Word was brought to them just about as it had been in their lifetime when the same things were read, and this was so different that they had seen in it hardly any heavenly life at all.
From this one may infer what kind of power there is in the Word, when God the Messiah mercifully enlivens it; and what kind when the letter is as if dead, as it is when read by the dead. 1747, the 13th day of December.
336. When enlightened knowledge of spiritual and heavenly matters, which is pure truth, is [embraced] by belief and thought in a human mind, it can delightfully move the whole heaven of angels
Today I was taught by the mercy of God the Messiah that just the thoughts of heavenly truths move the angels, and thus the whole of heaven, in an ineffable manner. For the angelic heaven is on the path of truth, because there cannot possibly be a truth but that it leads to God the Messiah through belief, this being the source of the angels' pleasure and even happiness.
For those are angels who take delight together in the happiness of all and long for the salvation of all, for this is the property of mercy, and of love, and of pleasure and happiness, and it results in a sharing of happiness throughout the whole of heaven.
I was taught these things by some who had felt that heavenly pleasure, at a moment when I was thinking heavenly truths: they then, as if awakened from a peaceful sleep, got a sense of their pleasantness, and gave witness to this and confirmed it to me aloud. [Psalm 4.]* 1747, 4 December.
* Written and partly deleted in the original, this annotation perhaps refers to verses 7 and 8.
338. The intellectual activity of some consists of nought but mere offenses
It was foretold in the Word that offenses would come [Matt. 18:7, Luke 17:1], and indeed against the faith, or the truths of religion, which all regard God the Messiah. For [the truth] that He became a human being, spoke as a human being, and many similar ones, the earthly mind can never believe; therefore, even if one professes belief, yet still, on consulting the earthly mind, one falls into doubt and then into unspoken denial. The same process follows in regard to particular matters of belief, with the consequence, that the person's mental life consists of nothing but offenses.
Therefore, Only God the Messiah knows whether the life of people who completely deny God the Messiah, even to the point of blaspheming [Him], when they had been taught to do so from childhood, is worse than the life of those who had thought themselves well versed in the doctrine of faith, and had professed it, [and yet entertain such offenses]. 1747, the 14th day of December.
339. About Mohammed, and the Mohammedans
Because certain ones of the dead at the entrance to heaven drew away angrily in search of a different heaven, so they thought, where someone other than God the Messiah reigned, finally they imagined they had found another heaven, one where Mohammed reigned (no doubt they had talked to Mohammedans who had died some years before).
When they were about to show this heaven to others whom they wanted to lead away, it appeared to me as if another so-called heaven in the depth was being opened, from which I could hear them speaking. I was then informed that they were Mohammedans who imagined they were coming there to their own heaven, to stay there. After I had spoken with them for a while, God the Messiah appeared to them in glory, through an Angel, whereupon they fell on their faces in devout adoration.
After this Mohammed was quickly raised up from there, and was present with me and spoke with me at length; and I can bear witness that when he had been instructed about God the Messiah, he spoke kindly - and more kindly than many Christians (I could feel that he was speaking as he was thinking), and he instructed those who were in the depth that he could do nothing whatever from himself, and that he realized that he was no God, but a simple man, and that certain spirits had chanced to speak with him. He also wants to be instructed in the doctrine of true faith.
I even showed him the city of Amsterdam and the Town Hall there* from two sides, as well as inside, and he was amazed at the great number of marble works. He is now also present and affirms this fact. 1747, the 14th day of December.
* I.e. the Stadhuis.
340. The Mohammedans also declared that when they were listening to the more inward contents of the Word and heavenly truths, they had slipped into a heavenly happiness; and now as I am writing these words, they are bending forward upon their faces and adoring the God of the Universe, Who is Jesus Christ, saying that they were grasping this also by a heavenly method. This will be spoken about elsewhere [342]. 1747, the 14th day of December.
341. As soon as causes or means are detected, or they believe they have found them out for themselves, belief perishes
Several times it has been observed that belief passes away as soon as they know, or think they know, a cause.
Those spirits could not but acknowledge this, who had doubted about the power of God the Messiah when they arrived at a certain cause [of something] - such as that it took place by means of angels, or by means of heaven.
Therefore it was shown them that this would happen without those means, because God the Messiah is all in everything, and all-powerful. Nevertheless, when they have once or twice become aware of the causes, the thought sticks in their mind that there is yet another mediating cause, which lies hidden; and in this way also, belief perishes. This is also the reason why, as soon as they imagine they have discovered the cause of a certain thing, they reject [the very idea of] belief.* Therefore, belief is also destroyed by human philosophy, because they want to investigate the cause of everything there is by their own method and by their own philosophy. 1747, the 14th day of December.
* That is, they believe only what they have discovered.
342. Souls of the dead are brought by many means to recognize that God the Messiah is the Lord of the Universe
Souls of the dead such as the Mohammedans, who have come among the rest, and others who had inwardly doubted about God the Messiah for the reason, spoken of before [338], that nothing but offenses had filled their outer mind, are brought to recognize that God the Messiah is the Lord of the Universe. This is done both by vivid instruction adapted to each one's grasp, and by their being transferred into heavenly happiness - as they imagine it. They may see a great variety of the loveliest pleasure gardens, so delightful to them that they decide they have arrived in the heavenly paradise; for this [idea] is inspired into human minds.
But later, they are taught that this is not true heavenly happiness, so they likewise are allowed to experience their deepest possible states of joy, until they declare that this innermost joy is out of sight and out of reach to any human sense. Then they are also brought into their deepest possible state of peace, in which they again declare that nothing of it could ever be expressed. Finally they are brought into a state of innocence, the deepest possible one for them, even to the limit of their ability to feel.
This is done so that they may learn to tell what is truly good, what is truly spiritual and heavenly, that is, what is Divine; for true happiness, true peace, true innocence, are entirely Divine. Afterwards they come into these states, in differing ways, depending upon each one's life; for they are guided more and more towards heavenly regions, according to the character of each one. 1747, 14 December.
343. The state of temptation and purging: God the Messiah tempts no one
I was also shown by actual experience how temptations are caused by inner torments of distress, and at the same time, inward grief; likewise, how they long when they are in that state to know what should be believed, and how that [thought] keeps coming up that they [act] from themselves, and they therefore want to claim some merit for undergoing temptations, and thus enter heaven - as well as other thoughts I could not observe.
In addition, [I was shown] what their thinking was like at the time - as that everything they had heard and seen was of little value, empty, almost untrue - to which thoughts their conscience more or less assented. Thus it was allowed to observe how they were when emerging from that state - in short, they could not but think that God the Messiah permits temptations, which still involves [the idea] that He tempts. 1747, the 15th day of December.
344. About Mohammed
A seemingly separate heaven was displayed, where the worshippers of Mohammed were, but there were only spirits there, not angels. Those spirits, when they heard what was being said in this heaven,* requested that they too might come up and speak. When they came, they spoke so sensibly and prudently, and also with such pleasing ingenuity, that the spirits of the Christians' heaven felt ashamed. Then communication was also opened up, so that they could speak together, and being questioned about Mohammed, they replied that they acknowledged Mohammed, not knowing any better, but that they only wanted to worship the One God creator of heaven and earth.
Then Mohammed, with the wave-like gesture of that heaven, for there were many of them, answered them, saying that he could do nothing from himself, not even speak, but that he realized he had no power from himself, and that there was only one single [God]. This he testified before the spirits, and so he was raised up from there, and he worshipped the Most High God - none other than God the Messiah. 1747, 14 Dec.
* I.e. the heaven of Christians.
345. Mohammed told that the spirits who were in the heaven where he was were everywhere decreasing in number, and that he did not know why they were leaving; but he was informed that they were being withdrawn into the angelic heaven, and they are there being instructed in the teachings of the faith, and besides this, that all their little children were in the heavens.
346. Mohammed also said that he knew no otherwise than that he was living on earth. For the condition of all in the other life is such that even though they are informed about specific facts, as that they are not living in the body, yet immediately afterwards, they forget it; for they are not gifted with a memory of things of this kind, for reasons of necessity. Also the spirits around him said they believed they were living on earth.
347. Only the little children of Mohammedans come immediately into heaven, but not the boys and girls
When a concern arose in my mind about the little children of Mohammedans, whether their boys and girls of a few years old will be taken away to the heaven of God the Messiah, I was told that their little children are raised up, but that boys and girls 10 years of age, more or less - depending upon education, ability, character - are not at once elevated into heaven, but are transferred among their spirits, and then gradually perfected and raised up. What I have also heard said is that they did not know where many of them had gone whom they had known before, and I realized that the reason, [namely] that boys and girls cannot be raised up quickly enough to avoid being firmly indoctrinated in heathenism. 1747, 15 December.
348. The heaven of God the Messiah consists in a variety of all
The subjects themselves, or angels, must exist in a countlessly great diversity of forms, a variety that is arranged by kinds and species, both by individual [angels] and individual habitations, similar in all ways, likewise at every level. Only from variety is there a harmony of the kind where all believe that they are as if a one. From this, or from the beauty of harmony, comes happiness, in countless variety, and this to eternity. These things were said in a gathering of innumerable souls, spirits and angels, and I heard no one dissenting. 1747, 15 December.
349. They likewise agree that a universal entity [can] in no wise be universal but by virtue of its most single parts, consequently that there can in no wise be a universal Providence that does not extend to the very least details.
350. All things, even the least, can be demonstrated in heaven in full light
It might appear remarkable, but I am told that many spiritual and heavenly matters can be demonstrated, as if in noonday light, to the souls around me today. Now they are saying that they see the character of a person, and things of that kind - how much someone possesses of good and evil, of falsity and truth - altogether as if in daylight, within the person. They also [see] what someone had been like, and is now like in various states. I wanted to make note of this fact, because it cannot but strike everyone as remarkable.
351. Likewise, that all of our life, as well as thoughts, can be shown to us, [revealing] in detail what we had been like, and all this together with the [subsequent] acknowledgment of them, the grief, the anxiety, the [workings of] conscience, and so on even to our revival. These things were also told to me; and that they are true, no one should doubt, for so much that is confirmatory can be adduced [showing] that if someone had been blinded and carried away by fantasies and passions, it can be conclusively proven to them as if in clear daylight. 1747, the 15th day of December.
353. Man has use of a double memory, and how the double memory passes away
The memory people actually call memory is a memory at the level of nature, because it belongs to the earthly mind and is a memory of personal matters or material mental imagery corresponding with words. This memory passes away when a person dies.
His soul retains the ability to reason and understand due to a certain spiritual memory, or a memory of rational or immaterial ideas, as it is called. It is this latter memory that causes the illusion that one is still in the life of the body. But because this memory was born from the earthly memory, it is filled with fallacies and continues to trouble, to obscure, and if left to itself, to distort truths, so that also this memory gradually disappears to the point where the reasoning power born from it passes away. Nevertheless, this memory is still retained and the person is instructed in the higher knowledge of truth, until the time when it can be erased.
Finally, the human being remains, insofar as it is a human being, which means the remaining part together with the acquired part. This is the soil wherein new or heavenly seed is sown, and out of it arises the new human being, or in the human being the heavenly paradise, with all heavenly happiness, peace and innocence. 1747, 15 December.
354. Souls and spirits seem to be transported from one place to another, and sometimes as with the speed of lightning
It was observed that souls and spirits are transferred upwards and downwards, also from one residence to another, sometimes in an instant or the wink of an eye. But this is an illusion of the senses, just like height and depth.
The reason seems to be that the human organism is designed to interact with the heavens, so that due to given [spiritual] changes answering to movements from place to place, such movements appear in the heavens on account of the interaction. For the most part they are illusions that prevail there, of which there are so many that they cannot be numbered, and at which spirits are amazed. 1747, the 15th day of December.
355. About the form of spirits
Spirits do not sense otherwise that that they are equipped with a human figure, thus with a body, skin, bones, blood (when yet it was shown them that they cannot retain things which are of no use), that they have hair, feet to stand on, and more; from which it would also follow that they have the inner parts, such as a stomach, intestines, bladder, etc., for which, however, they have no need.
When they hear all this, they do realize that they have no need of them, and yet [they see] that they retain their figure, if not an inner one, still an outer one; and in fact, they retain the shame of nakedness from the world, so that they think they are dressed in clothes, considering it a disgrace to appear naked.
Although it is really not known what their actual form is, one can nevertheless deduce this much from the most minute organs of the brain, where the beginnings of the body's form lie: that spirits are forms not unlike those [minute organs], but can still be restored to a form similar to the human one, whenever they focus the thoughts of their mind upon it. 1747, the 15th day of December.
356. A thousand and tens of thousands together praise God the Messiah with one mouth
For much of the night a multitude of spirits was around me, and afterwards a multitude of angels, flowing in accordance with a heavenly pattern that cannot be described to the human understanding; still less can it be described how they move, and speak with one mouth, or with a unanimous voice. This was so perceptible within me, and indeed for so long a time uninterruptedly, that as they speak, nothing could be more clearly witnessed: I saw the pattern, I felt the flow, I heard the unanimity of voice. Each spirit is, and affirms that he is, part of the multitude, thus all together and each one singly, or [all] collectively and [each] individually.
From their flow, one can also sense whether they are as yet initiated to such an extent that they can reach a similar unanimity in respect to spiritual and heavenly truths as well; so that afterwards, there were perhaps tens of thousands of angels around me and indeed, for a long time, whose flow, while perceptible, was nevertheless of such a kind that I could not but assume that they were streaming in an inward heavenly pattern,* since I could not perceive any flow in a very inward pattern.
Afterwards they told me that through the entire night, and several wakeful periods, they were doing nothing else but praising God the Messiah, and doing so with an innermost gladness of heart, so they had not wanted to be let out of that state.
From this, one can gather that unanimity is the result of a harmonious configuration; besides other conclusions one could draw from it. [Cf. 289-89 1/2.] 1747, 16 December.
* See 262, footnote 3.
357. Those spirits who have not yet been initiated are urged on by a certain force as of a river, to join in, or they are carried along as by a river; hence a river symbolizes what is spiritual
I have also watched still novitiate spirits, who were not yet accustomed [to the afterlife], swept into the spiritual river spoken of today on the previous page [356]. I observed the resistance of those spirits, but still they were forced to join in and were drawn little by little toward the inward regions, and then as they became conditioned, they joined in voluntarily. At length, after being more and more initiated, they were able to flow with them in almost the same manner; but I doubt whether they were able to speak and to praise along with the others, because they are still in a compelled state, and even if they were obliged to speak alike, still they could not do so with the same pleasure as those who are completely unaware that they are flowing, and speaking and praising, in that pattern - the praise coming spontaneously, in an uninterrupted stream, in accord with the pattern. 1747, the 16th day of December.
358. The memory of particulars, together with pride on account of it, is burdensome at the first entrance into the other life
Everyone carries along into the other life the nature which they had acquired in the life of the body; so also do people who possess a great memory, and boast of it, and want to show it off. This memory, so inflated, is [hard], like a callous clinging to the outside. It must soften in the course of time, but meanwhile, it causes a pain in the head as if someone were trying to tear off one's scalp. 1747, the 16th day of December.
359. In the harmony of many, the pleasure and happiness of all is shared with each
It is due to the heavenly pattern that everyone flowing along with that pattern shares their own blessedness with all, and all share theirs with each, so that each one is like a center to all. Therefore, the more there are who make up the Kingdom of God the Messiah, the more the happiness of harmony in the individual groups increases, and it increases according to the levels. From this we can therefore surmise how unutterable the happiness must be, and [how it] must increase! 1747, the 16th day of December.
360. But all must be passive forces, to which active forces, in reaction, respond with a sharing by many with each. This also has the result that the harmony will be the more perfect, the greater a number there is; then the harmony itself also increases.
361. Daily one should pray for the heavenly kingdom - and thus, What is meant by "daily"
By "daily" in the Lord's Prayer is meant every moment, and this can be confirmed by experience, and thus understood.
For those to whom eternal happiness has been shown believe they have been at once transferred to heaven, thus that they, having come out of temptations, must be eternal heirs of the Kingdom - they who have labored in the vineyard and believed they were entitled to eternal salvation, which they then claim as theirs. Yet just the opposite was shown, namely that they were again plunged into crises, temptations, dangers of damnation, and the like.
One may conclude from this that "daily" means at each moment in sequence, one after another, but when in their order one within another, this [sequence of moments] is turned into an uninterrupted glorification of God the Messiah, so that the moments are continuous, without any division. Hence they have an inner sense of [states of] happiness, and it is their portion to receive these constantly from God the Messiah. 1747, the 17th day of December.
362. A person in the state of integrity can never die
I have learned from an experience, that a person who is in the state of integrity or the heavenly state, can never die; but that no one has been in that state, or has been a true human, except God the Messiah Alone. 1747, the 18th day of December.
363. Who the Water Carriers are [cf. Deut. 29:11, Josh. 9:21,23,27]
Those who think from the Word, but not from a belief grounded in truth, that they deserve heaven because they labor in the vineyard, or preach, and also teach, and therefore think that they merit salvation, are purged in the other life by means of appropriate fantasies, but especially by this, that they seem to themselves to be carrying water from lakes or from a sea surrounding them and pouring this water into a trough, to give a flock to drink. When the trough is filled up, they rest, until they again draw and the trough is filled again to overflowing.
A flock did, in fact, appear to come to drink, but whether the flock appears to them, I cannot yet affirm. 1747, 18 December.
364. There are not only fallacies of sense, but also much illusion and imagination prevailing among souls and spirits, consequently an apparent actuality
It is remarkable, but souls and spirits have sensation altogether as in the body - touch, as in the body, like when they feel their clothes. The same is true of strong desires and appetites, heat, cold, even sweat, which are just as actual as they are in the body, when yet they cannot be called anything but illusions. But because the sensation is as real as it is in the body, they are as if real.
Conditions of this kind are brought on by a process of mental projection, as I can corroborate by very many instances.
365. The obvious conclusion, entirely beyond doubt, is that we do not live, but suppose that we live - thus that life belongs to God the Messiah Alone, even though people appear to live. This conclusion is so evident and well documented, that it cannot be denied by any souls in whom some power of reason remains. 1747, 18 December.
366. Who they are that form the heart and lungs in the Kingdom of God the Messiah
It was said before [270, 279] that the Heavenly Kingdom is the image of one human being, because every least thing in it interacts with the Only Human, God the Messiah. But as for the heart, it is shaped, so to speak, by those who possess the deepest qualities, or it interacts with them; so also the Lungs. For the flowing, as we have called it [359], of those [angels] is similar, and their thinking is similar [to that of these organs].
A marriage union is displayed by the lungs, through a wonderful reciprocation which was portrayed in me by angels for the whole night, also in wakeful periods. It resembled something that seemed to be flowing, in the heart, then shaping the heart, and afterwards during wakefulness, [doing the same] in regard to the lungs; and it was observed throughout that they had their own breathing, and I my own, and that there was a union between the two breathings by a mutual interaction. 1747, the 19th day of December.
367. Who they are that form the kidneys
Spirits who compose the kidneys are those who like to dispel falsities from truths, and thereby purify spiritual things, which takes place in an incomprehensible way. From this arises the process of separation in the kidneys. 1747, the 20th day of December.
368. Who they are that form the liver
But spirits compose the liver who have something of innocence in them, for which reason also, the liver in infants is the largest organ of the body, and the infant is nourished by it, and it performs the function of several internal organs. 1747, the 20th day of December.
369. There is an endeavor of the heavens to hold everything together
It was proven to me by an actual energy that came to my sensation, that there is such a process of shaping [366-68], and thus of maintaining, the inner organs of the body, consequently, an interaction of the whole heaven with each person. This interaction consists of an imperceptible endeavor of all; from endeavor, action arises, and from action, endeavor. 1747, the 20th day of December.
370. What bodily Peace is
Bodily peace is, of course, the health of the body and of all its members, but besides health, there is also a delicious and perceptible peace of the whole body, which was made known to me by an actual and perceptible operation of spirits into the inner organs of the body, in harmony with the original shaping of the internal organs. From this there is bodily peace. 1747, the 20th day of December.
371. Those in the life of the body who, from jealous ambition, hope to be the greatest in heaven, and above all others, become devils
By an experience of several days, I learned that those in the world who want to stand out above others after the life of the body, and are therefore moved by envy against those who are better than themselves, become devils, and engage in the same kind of scheming. For they want to learn spiritual matters with nothing else in mind than the hope to rise up by means of them, on their own power, above others whom they envy; whereas the heavenly affection is to long to lift others up into heaven, even if one should turn out to be the least.
They who are such as to envy others, and who hope to stand out in heaven above others, are able to be the subjects of many spirits, a fact that has also been observed. 1747, the 20th day of December.
372. The human power of reasoning and understanding can be diminished, and even taken away from a person or soul, at the good pleasure of God the Messiah [see also 326]
From revealing Experience, I have learned that souls can be deprived almost entirely, or partially, of their reasoning and understanding abilities, and likewise have them restored again; for the understanding and reasoning faculty is a gift of God the Messiah Alone. When the reasoning and understanding abilities are taken away, the souls are devils, and they act only from a kind of natural instinct, and just as if in sleep. When these abilities are restored to them, they do not know but that they had been asleep. These facts were demonstrated over a period of many days.
When understanding has been taken away, they behave in that state in accordance with the evil rooted in them - each one according to the nature of their root, and to be sure, against order, against heaven, and its truths. In short, they are devils of diverse qualities.
It was visibly shown that it was taken away from them, as were their natural instincts afterwards. These are not like the instincts of brute animals, but issue from the diabolic impulse to strive continually against things spiritual and heavenly, and to think they have power, and do everything, from themselves. 1747, the 21st day of December.
373. One can also deduce from this the character of a person in whom a native instinct, or a nature derived from hereditary root, goes into spiritual matters, because such people think that they have all and every least thing from themselves, and thus, that they control everything.
374. About hell, and the cruelty of the hellish gang
What the cruelty of the hellish gang is like, can never be described. In their fantasies they carry on in the most hostile manner toward others, committing such cruelties against them that if they should be described, [all] would shudder. For if they were able to carry out the cruelties as in their fantasies, their butcheries would be more cruel than those of even the fiercest wild animals.
In their fantasies they seem to pull out executioner's axes, and other instruments of death; and if God the Messiah did not subdue their savagery, those they intend to torment would actually feel most severely tortured. For the power of fantasies among souls is such that it can bring on a physical-like sensation and, accordingly, one of excruciating pain. These sensations God the Messiah erases, and indeed, He takes the deadly instruments away from them.
In short, there are more horrible things than anyone could ever believe. The human race, which is worse than the fiercest wild animals, would have practiced such cruelties, had not God the Messiah saved them, and redeemed them, and did He not continually free them from the pains of hell. 1747, the 21st day of December.
375. Under my feet, the trembling from their savage and violent commotion lasted long enough for me to fully sense their fierceness. It should be noted especially that spirits' fantasies are of a kind that actually bring on sensation, altogether like physical sensation, when they direct them [at someone]; but God the Messiah erases them. No one will be able to believe this, unless he has experienced it. In fact, spirits could bring on in human bodies dreadful pains, and similar unbelievable effects, if God the Messiah were not constantly holding them off.
376. Diabolic spirits, by their fantasies, bring not only upon each other, but also upon people on earth, very strongly felt pains and torments
For many reasons I can assert that souls and spirits, by mere fantasies, were able to bring painful torments not only upon each other, but even upon people on earth. No one may ever believe this, but still it is so true that I can fully affirm it from experience not only in myself - indeed, quite much and frequent experience - but also from [that of] souls and spirits when they were being tormented, as well as from the strong sensation the souls [experienced] from fantasies like these - which they affirm most emphatically. For every kind of sense is produced in souls as if it were a physical one, such as sight, smell, taste, hearing, yes even desires and appetites - so strong, that they hardly occur in the body so strongly.
So this applies also to sensations of pain. Most violent ones would be brought on by the diabolic gang, if God the Messiah did not save souls from such a hell. 1747, the 21st day of December.
377. Various fantasies follow souls from their life in the body
Fantasies such as they had during their life in the body do not follow souls [into the other life], but they are turned into different ones, unfamiliar to them. Therefore certain fantasies conforming with their life are put on, such as the wood-cutters and water carriers spoken of earlier [151, 271, 273, 330, 363].
1) Those who had been violent on earth, merciless in one way or another, are turned toward incredible cruelty, for they want to slaughter their companions, any of them they come across, hack them to pieces with an axe, torture them by all kinds of methods; and they derive so much enjoyment from these acts, that they are their highest pleasures.
Those who are bloodthirsty, to whom "blood" is attributed [cf. Gen. 4:10], enjoy tormenting a person even to drawing blood, at the sight of which they have the greatest pleasure. So an unmerciful life is turned into such fantasies, which are unrecognizable to the souls.
2) From greed, fantasies of offensive and filthy little animals break forth, such as worms, mice, and other kinds, beyond number, that have never been seen on earth, and also, foul lice. They take on a form according to the quality of their greed, and according to the intention that stirs their greed.
3) One fantasy of the diabolical gang is to want to be in latrines. When they look at an outhouse, they think it is their home, finding it exceedingly enjoyable there, and imagining it to be their heaven. This has become known to me by much experience. 1747, 22 December.
378. Fantasies belonging to their earthly part, after souls have been created anew, are turned into human images
Because all evil is turned into good by God the Messiah, so fantasies of this kind, i.e. of filthy and foul little animals, which are the shapes of the fantasies, are turned at length into human images, varying in beauty. For a person's every least idea or mental image exactly reflects that person in effigy, or [said in another way:] there is a human effigy in a person's every single mental image. 1747, the 22nd day of December.
379. An outer joy, quasi-heavenly, can come over a person, which is nevertheless filthy, even though the souls thought it must be exceedingly heavenly
Today when first awakening, I was surrounded by very many spirits of differing character. Some of them wanted to deceitfully bring upon me their own heavenly joy, which is done by the transfer of one's own joy or delight to another, regardless of what produces that delight - in this case, the diabolic gang under the feet [were causing it] from a cruel fantasy that I clearly felt them breathing into me.
Because of this I felt a delight that took hold of my whole body, even the inner organs, and this in a way that made me think I was in heavenly joy among the blessed; for I was totally relaxed in soothing sensations, like those from soothing warm baths. The causes of these delights were not being felt in me, nor the fact that they arose from any cruelty, nor that they [were brought on] by deception: they were delights in which such things were not felt, because they adapt to those they meet with, and to the recipient's state of mind. For example, in a state when one is peaceful, one looks at all things in peace, even things that are not peaceful; and when one is in an angry state, everything arouses anger - even the playing of little children, etc. etc.
2] Besides these bodily, outer delights, also inner ones were poured in, and indeed by different spirits, who wanted to cause me delights because of a kind of veneration. The rest of the spirits I could not recognize, nor investigate the intentions of those from whom the delights came. Still, I lingered for quite a time in the sweetness of delights converging upon me; and I spoke about that sweet feeling as I replied to those who wanted to lead me astray and persuade me that this was heavenly joy.
I do not remember my replies, but because I had not sensed any deception I thought this was indeed heavenly delight, but an outer one, thus flowing forth from outer causes and therefore not able to last, and I wanted to remove myself from it and thus refuse it, because it did not originate from the innermost. It is possible for these [outer] delights as they were felt to serve innermost delights as an embodiment - which is put aside at once, and despised, as soon as the delight from the innermost is felt. But I heard that this body of delights was filthy, which I myself could not feel. 1747, the 22nd day of December.
mI am now being told that this kind of delight was given to Abraham [see 381], but that as it went on, it decreased, as he says, and he doubts whether it can last any longer, now that he has learned that there is an inward or heavenly delight.n
380. There are other states besides that afflict souls
Aside from the states [of fantasy] mentioned [377], there are also other ones, like thinking they are carrying people on their backs who interrogate them unceasingly until they have gotten the right answer. Carrying such [spirits] is burdensome for them, and they cannot get rid of them before the time for release has come.
Some [are afflicted] differently: they lie on their backs on a downward slope, and there they want to stay. There are some there who comfort them, but they are content with their lot; for their outermost part has been removed.
There are also those who wander about, and wherever they come, ask whether there is any work for them that needs doing. After being answered that there is no work, they go on farther, and they keep this up until they find work. 1747, the 23rd day of December.
381. Some who are enemies of faith nevertheless enjoy a kind of outer pleasure, which they call heavenly
As said before [cf. 379], there are some enemies of genuine faith who are continually striving against belief and inciting others to disbelief, even alluring them by saying they count themselves among the blessed. But their pleasure is only an outer one such as that of disbelievers in the world, and even if it is more exalted, yet because it is only an outer pleasure and fights against inner or true pleasure, it comes to an end, like the pleasures of disbelievers in the world, and is turned into unpleasantness and grief.
There are reasons why these people are still tolerated and kept in that outer blessedness and apparent joy. Meanwhile, their remaining truths and goodness diminish, so that they finally retain such a small remnant of truth and goodness, that they can hardly be made happy unless they repent while there is still time.
This was told to Abraham and his crowd, about whom I spoke earlier [379]. The same is true of those spirits and furies who are still wandering about in the last heaven [223, 228-29].
Therefore, they who want to enter into truly heavenly joy must undergo temptations, punishments, purgings, which are unavoidable, unless they want to abide in outer [blessedness and apparent joy] and thereby have their remnant [of truth and goodness] eventually go to waste. 1747, the 23rd day of December.
382. The words of God the Messiah penetrate to the heavens, and to the inward, in fact innermost parts of spirits and angels
When the Word of God the Messiah is read, it enters within people according to their own state. So with those who are in the body, it hardly enters more deeply than the bodily senses, whereas in souls of the dead, spirits and angels, it penetrates to each one's innermost parts. And as I can infer from what I was told by heavenly beings, just by the mere reading or reciting [of the Word] by a person on earth, it reaches and has its effect on anyone God the Messiah wishes in the heavens.
This kind of effect and indeed, penetration, does exist; I know for certain from things that have been said, and read, by me, and in fact, several times: namely, that they reached a large number, with varying degrees of effectiveness, and penetrated to their innermost parts.
383. One can see from this quite clearly that the words spoken by God the Messiah filled the universal heaven, and so completely, that everyone would be touched by them. This is the working power of the Word, and this is Its Life. 1747, the 23rd day of December.
384. The greedy after death seem to themselves to be shut up in small underground rooms where there are mice
There are degrees of greed, and also motives of greed. They who are greedy for money alone, which they even bury in the earth in storerooms, seem to themselves to stay in the little rooms where their riches are, and there, in fact, to be plagued by mice the size of mountains, so that they will withdraw from there. Yet they do not go away until they are wearied, when they finally roll away from these rooms, their graves. 1747, the 24th day of December.
385. They who love libraries as their riches, and fill themselves up reading books, likewise stay in rooms befitting the degree of that passion, and its motives
Those possessed of a passion for mere reading, and for remembering the things read for the sake of praise and reputation, appear to themselves to dwell in underground places, and to have books there, and candles, which now and then go out; and they seem to themselves to be reading. But so that they will tire of these fantasies, it is told, they are sometimes attacked by mice and similar creatures, which draw them away from that passion. 1747, the 24th day of December.
386. Those who indulge in promiscuous practices also seem to themselves to be in underground places
They who had loved a promiscuous life, secretly practicing loose sexuality, likewise seem to themselves to dwell in underground places, like little rooms, furnished with candles, and in fact with women resembling those who were* [the objects] of their lewd promiscuity in secret. For fantasies take over when they depart from this life, and are turned into scenes of this kind.
But they too are plagued, in a manner suited to the degree and motive of their promiscuities, as if by mice, and by the type of foul insects that the intentions of their lewdness had inwardly been. And even if they do not know that their intentions had been of this nature, yet these are now revealed to them in the form of foul insects and suchlike, until they abstain from them. For souls are at first led by means of fantasies, from which they are gradually turned away.
Thus instead of sensual pleasure they are allotted dreadful fantasies, which then take hold on them, until they so detest the sensual pleasures that they want nothing more of them, and therefore finally turn away from them, even abhor them. So [the fantasies] are according to one's motives, or hidden loves. 1747, the 24th day of December.
* The original has "sunt," which we understand to mean "are [in their earthly life...]."
387. There are filthy and foul little animals that attack and torture them
All fantasies that occur because of a forbidden love of the body or mind, have as a companion, or along with them, animals that are offensive, filthy, foul, frightening, stinking, etc., with which spirits are confronted while engaged in their forbidden fantasies aroused by their passions and pleasures, in which they find the most intense enjoyment. As a result, their enjoyments are intermixed with such horror-provoking creatures.
The species of such insects are countlessly many. I have seen some of them displayed, but they are innumerable. Each species is fashioned to image some mixture of fantasies with loves or motives - the fantasies that inevitably follow and accompany earthly-minded persons, who live their life upside-down. From their enjoyments results a most dreadful hell; for as great as the feeling of pleasure in such enjoyments is, so great is the feeling of pain, and of fright, that arises when their worldly and bodily [enjoyments], which they imagine to be heavenly, are turned into hellish ones. 1747, the 24th day of December.
388. They who want to have worldly possessions for themselves alone, and to keep them away from everyone else, are eventually thrown out of heaven
The kind of people who long to possess everything on earth and in the world, hating others in comparison with themselves and scorning them as if they should be regarded as the dirt of the streets, have an unfavorable lot awaiting them. At first, they seem to themselves to be living in the highest places of heaven, and in fact, to be enjoying the highest pleasure, like the rest. So they look down upon all as of no account, deep beneath their feet; but the lot awaiting them is just that, namely, that they are cast down and become the lowest, and are degraded to the very level at which they by their hatred had held others. For a love for all is heavenly and Divine. 1747, the 24th day of December.
389. It is mere fantasy that seems to be real, and in fact, the kind of illusion that souls in that state cannot at all distinguish from reality
About these states it has been said, and in many places shown, that only fantasies prevail that put on so much seeming reality that [the souls] think they can touch and feel things, like clothing and such, just as in the body. Accordingly, they seem to themselves to be actually in underground vaults, or in a high heaven above the rest, when yet they are scattered over the whole world. If the fantasies are simply bent or turned, those in the lowest places can seem to themselves to be in the highest, and so forth. 1747, the 24th day of December.*
* 390 is lacking in the original.
391. *About the torment of those who use violence against others, and feel joy in oppressing them; thus about those to whom is ascribed blood, violence, oppression [see 377]
After life in the body, since life-like fantasies continue by which their inward qualities show themselves, therefore they who are violent and oppressors of their fellow man, no matter what the driving passion, are tormented in hell in the following way.
With the greatest eagerness, they take those whom they fantasize that they are seizing, and tear them apart, slaughter them, chop them up with an axe, and torment them in a thousand different ways. Those who are bloodthirsty derive the greatest joy from blood, and the greater the torture, the greater is their enjoyment, which is held out to be so great among them that they say it surpasses all enjoyments.
But then these in turn are exposed to the same torment by their companions, who are thereby, in their turn, gladdened in the same way, even until the former have been so tormented, and for such a long time, that they desist; and because a dread of retaliation seizes them, that enjoyment at length passes away, and so they are finally rid of it. 1747, the 24th day of December.
* 390 is lacking in the original.
392. Idol worshippers, like the African and similar peoples, are governed after death by nothing but fantasies, and are thus purged
I was shown by a vision what kind of fantasies remain after death with those who are idolaters, or what kind of life follows them. They seem to themselves to be transformed into lowly little animals, dwelling in small houses built of clay, which they go out of and return to. Thus they lead a quite contented life, if only they are not attacked by beings who destroy their little huts of mud. For those they call devils, and while their faces appeared quite human to me, yet they were fierce, or unappeasable, as they say. They destroy their little houses, and maul [their occupants] and, like cats, stalk and bite them; and they are very afraid of them.
So they depart from that place and build little houses elsewhere, but they are attacked in the same way, until at last they become disgusted with that very base life. Meanwhile, they hold to a worship conformable with their idolatry, for there is a marble base on which [figures] resembling living ones are carried around, and these they worship from the heart.
393. After they have become disgusted with this life of repeated lacerations and attacks, then they are transferred into a better condition, and indeed, as it seems to them, into human bodies, but having faces of monkeys or apes, which they can turn forward or backward, and thus look all around them to see that no harm befalls them from their enemies, whom they had fled. Then they live in beautiful houses, like small palaces, and after they have passed through this life, they vanish, because their purging is then completed and they have entirely forgotten their former life in the world, thus their idol worship, and they are instructed, then renewed.
394. There are others besides, who are brought together around a large swan, or a swan with its neck stretched very high, and are following it. Such a fantasy prevails with those of them who seem to themselves to be well informed in the life of the body. 1747, the 25th day of December.
395. Pleasures can be transmitted from one to many
This remarkable phenomenon exists in the other life: not only can the pleasures of one be shared with many others through speech and gestures, and the resulting feelings of each, but also, the pleasures [themselves] can be actually carried over to others, and be felt by them. This fact originates in the heavenly marriage, from which come the delights of earthly marriages, and also the sharing of them between married partners. 1747, the 25th day of December.
mIn heaven this is done by the Lord through the language of mental imagery, as well as through their mutual love, in that each one has regard for and longs for the good of the other, which is something imparted by the Lord.n
396. A comparison of character with trees and fruits
Nothing exists in the world that is not a portrayal of what is heavenly, and a result as it were of what is spiritual
All things whatsoever that are in the vegetable and in the animate kingdom, are portrayals and as it were results of things spiritual and heavenly, and in fact, in a countless variety. For earthly things could never have come forth nor continued, except from spiritual ones, a fact that can be demonstrated in countless ways. Here I will speak only of how character develops in a person growing up. This is seen imaged in trees and their fruits, such as apples and others: the surface or covering is the mother of the fruit in the inward parts or cores; through the surface and the fibers reaching in from it, all the inward parts are developed. The flavor images pleasantness [of character].
After the inward parts have developed from the surface, by means of fibers branching in from all sides, then the hard coverings are separated - as with an almond - and the kernels remain.
So in the comparable process of human development: it commences from higher knowledge, thus from matters of the intellect, whereby character is acquired, which is like the kernel so formed. From the flavor of the kernel it is evident what the juice or sap, that is, the life of the person, had been like. These things were written in the presence of angels and spirits. 1747, the 25th day of December.
Because many human characters, or souls, resemble unripe or rotten fruits, having a stinking odor, therefore they cannot be compared to anything but those fruits which must develop anew in good ground.*
* This paragraph seems to be deleted in the original.
397. A vision by day, about those who are given to feasting, and thus devoted to the flesh
At midday, around lunch time, an angel who was with me cautioned me not to overindulge my stomach at table. While he was with me, a kind of vapor clearly appeared to me to be issuing from the pores of my body, having a visibly very watery quality. It seemed to sink down toward the floor, where there was a carpet on which the vapor, coming together, turned into different kinds of tiny worms. These, gathered together under the table, in an instant, and with a crackling sound, just burned up.
I saw the fiery flash, and heard the noise, and judged that all the little worms that can be generated by an immoderate appetite had thus been cast out of my body and burned up, and that I had now been cleansed of them. From this experience, one may infer what sumptuous living and the like, harbor within them. 1745, April. [See 93a].*
* See also R.L. Tafel, Documents, vol. II, pp. 35-36.
398. About Permissions [of evil]
The teachings regarding permissions make up an entire doctrine. Anyone who does not understand permissions, yet draws conclusions about them, falls into doubting and negative thoughts about God the Messiah's power over the Universe.
But it ought to be known that without the permission [of evil], no one can be reformed. For opposites have to be brought to bear in order that the shapes of what is true and of what is good will stand out, which acquire their ability to appear, and thus to be seen, etc., from opposites. Hence [comes the need of] temptations, purgings, punishments, persecutions of believers and of the faith, and more.
In short, without the permission of evils - a term which must be understood in the right sense - a person can never be regenerated and guided with any awareness, and consequently with any happiness, into the capability of being bent toward good by God the Messiah. 1747, the 25th day of December.
399. Evil spirits can, when permitted, bring on almost any seemingly heavenly sensation, when yet it is counterfeit and external
This last night I was awakened by very evil spirits, who tried to destroy heavenly qualities, bringing upon me a delicate feeling that resembled the feeling of heavenly delights, and even the feeling of marital delight, so that one could scarcely tell the difference. But being warned, I learned that these [delights] were all fake and counterfeit. For [the spirits] were deriving this feeling from their enjoyment in destroying, by their own methods, what is heavenly, and were transferring it to me in the way you may see described above [379]. So a person can never tell what is diabolical and what is heavenly apart, except from God the Messiah, therefore by belief in God the Messiah. 1747, the 25th day of December.
400. After the death of the body, departed souls gain many abilities beyond those they had while living in the body
The souls of the departed either a shorter or longer time after the death of the body, before being brought into the company of spirits, are quite dull, and know almost nothing. But as soon as they become associated with many, they acquire mental powers. Not only do they regain the keenness of mind they had possessed in the body, but also, when associated with their peers in such a way that they can serve as mediums for thought focussing, then whatever mentality they have is so greatly sharpened that they are much more acute than they were during bodily life.
Add to this the fact that now they do not function with a memory of personal affairs, which distracts them in bodily life, but directly from a kind of instinct. Now they seem to grasp more deeply and more fully the meaning of what is being said, because their mind is withdrawn from the body and its objects - so that the perception of one in the body is not nearly as penetrating.
Moreover, they are able to speak with people on earth in their own language, no matter where they were born. Also, [the spirit] comes into complete possession of the person's memory, to the point where he seems to be the person, thus even [to possess] their power of understanding. But there is the difference, that the spirit retains his own life, that is, the life of his own love or passion, causing him to feel things differently - however, these spirits are deprived of that life while people are being led by them.
Also, they very easily put on various conditions, such as innumerable different states of wakefulness and sleep, among many others. 1747, the 25th day of December.
402. From peoples afar, many kinds of spirits are being educated by means of their idols
A soul brings along with him from the world the adoration of whatever idol he had worshipped in the world. Accordingly, souls are guided right to those whom they had venerated during the life of the body, so as to be instructed there and gradually put off their idolization.
There was one people gathered around their chief - I was told they were from the Indies - worshipping the greatest God. They did this by a ceremony in which, while they were adoring Him, they were magnifying themselves in a certain way, and then straightway prostrating themselves as little worms, due to a notion they had kept with them.
Moreover, it had been more or less instilled into them to visualize the whole human race as being whirled around in heaven, and the great God following along with them from above, watching what they were doing. So [they thought of Him as being] present, zealously watching over the whirling realm.
His spirits had been taught a way of bringing upon their magnate a kind of breathing. His spirits came also to me, and brought the same thing upon me so that I would know this from experience. They were kind, and obedient, and behaving with their simple candor. Their spiraling flow, characteristic of such spirits, proceeded with ease. Later, different ones arrived, who seemed to execute this [action] even more flawlessly. 1747, the 26th day of December.
403. Mohammedan spirits are very teachable, obedient to their Mohammed, doing him every kindness from the heart, differently from many spirits in the Christian world
Once again I spoke with Mohammed [see 339, 344], and then spirits were sent to me who had been taught differently, that is, who had been taught how to delight Mohammed in a different and new way, or how to cause him pleasure. He said that he had wanted to pass this delight and pleasure on to me, but it was not permitted. However, he said that he did manage to send over spirits, so that he could show me how teachable and obedient they were.
These spirits were then taught that they should adore God the Messiah Alone, and indeed, both small and great; for everyone is given the privilege to adore God the Messiah, Who governs the universe. By this instruction they were excited, and gave thanks to God most humbly, promising they would take this to heart. 1747, the 26th day of December.
They were taught to cause a kind of washing from the head to the feet, with the accompanying enjoyment.
404. About the life and punishment of those who during their life want to make profit, and look out only for themselves
There were some who during their life had wanted only to make profit for themselves, doing this by the usual technique of eager business people. They get close to those from whom they can gain, eyeing their wealth, which, under a guise of friendship, is what holds their attention.
These people wander around, and wherever they come they ask if they may join those who are there, saying that they are poor. So they are welcomed; but because they stare with longing on their wealth or possessions, they are expelled. So again they wander around and repeat the same behavior, until they have learned how to say one thing while thinking another. This they do with so much skill that spirits can scarcely tell but that they are as they say they are.
In this manner a spirit of that type also came to me, asking whether he might stay here and serve me. I replied to him that I am nothing, but that everyone is welcomed by God the Messiah.
But since they had been like this and would probably say one thing with their mouth while wanting something else at heart, they were given the power of punishing one of their own, miserably. Now there were many spirits disagreeing [with each other], who all wanted to have him as their medium for speaking and acting; and since they were against one another, that medium was being miserably pulled apart, or being torn to pieces by action from both directions. This went on uninteruptedly for about an hour.
In fact, they induced on him the illusion of a kind of body, and were then attempting to tear the whole body and its parts to pieces.
How much pain he felt from this, I cannot tell. The pain is milder [or sharper] depending on the degree and nature of the simulation. The one speaking with me said that it had been most fierce. It becomes more and more painful according as the illusion is induced of having a body, with body-like sensations - also according as weariness and resistance come over him, making him long to be freed and let go from them. For it is impossible for him to free himself.
It is a kind of tearing apart into small pieces. The tearing spirits admitted that they had gotten much enjoyment from being able to torment souls in this way, wherefore their fellow spirits were subsequently permitted to torment them one after another, so that they would thus learn to abstain from, and finally abhor, that kind of enjoyment.
2] Thereafter, they were then sent off and, having changed their way of speaking, approached some spirits in order to steal into their company. But once more they were cast out, because the spirits recognized them and said that they were slipping in with the purpose of robbing them of their possessions. For the spirits also create the illusion of having much wealth, which people like these intensely covet.
They told how they had also been punished elsewhere. This is the condition that awaits those who, under a cloak of friendship, lead others on with the sole purpose of obtaining their riches, like very many in the world. They roam far and wide in desert-like places, and when they come upon companions and cheat them, they are punished and cast out. Thus they are more miserable than such a person's ears could believe [if told about it].
These latter words were written from him who had been among robbers, and was pulled apart in this way. 1747, the 26th day of December.
405. The spirits and souls speaking with me are mediums upon whom many are focussing
From experience I have finally learned that the spirits speaking with me are the mediums, or focal points, for many spirits. Because all spirits, including the evil, are grouped into their own kinds and species. 1747, the 26th day of December.
406. About the coldness of those who are part of the devil's gang
Every time a smaller or larger number of the diabolic gang, or those from hell, were allowed to draw near, I was seized with varying degrees of cold, and indeed, in different parts of the body - around the head, at the ears, around the body, on the feet. I could tell by the cold that they were coming, as well as by a usually chilly gust of air; and on almost every occasion I even spoke with them.
As said before [372-3], they are governed by an evil or a wicked nature, as if by instinct, and are entirely irrational, not knowing what they are doing, and yet imagine themselves to be more intelligent than all in heaven and completely in charge. For this reason, since their wickedness is ingrafted and they are incapable of understanding, I was obliged out of pity to speak kindly with them.
This surprised some who had not long before departed life in the body and had brought with them the idea that one should not speak with a devil, but rather should constantly chastise them. However, they were then instructed on this point: for when God the Messiah is protecting someone, nothing can harm him, nor does it harm him if the whole of hell should close in on him, both from without and from within, as much supernatural experience has proven to me. 1747, the 26th day of December.
407. About Mohammedan Spirits
Today also, spirits were sent over to me by Mohammed who had been taught by their own methods, while flowing in their spiraling patterns, to depict washings, from the sole of the foot on upwards. They enacted this on me with such realism, that I have no doubt but that they who take pleasure in washings are delighted by it.
Then I also spoke for a while with Mohammed. 1747, the 27th day of December.
408. About some who had been instructed, and not wanting to recognize God the Messiah, were thrust down and cast out of heaven
For several days there had been some in the heaven of spirits who were stirring up trouble and persuading others that God the Messiah was not the mediator, besides other hostile sayings inspired by their fantasy. They had led many astray, thus causing a kind of rebellion, in which certain ones joined up with them. While this was going on for several days, God the Messiah, as He had been present before to my spiritual vision, seemed to have disappeared, and so I was abandoned to these spirits' fantasy of recognizing only Jehovah the Father of God the Messiah, without a mediator. All this I was granted to see by spiritual vision, wondering what would come of it.
Presently I heard, and sensed by spiritual vision, that the rebelling spirits had been seized with pain, and that that band had been cast out, and were being miserably tormented. This I am now hearing from them. There is much moaning and weeping. They number near the tens of thousands, as they declare, begging that no one let himself be misled again, if he does not want to suffer indescribable tortures.
This and a like gang is meant where God the Messiah speaks of one who slipped into the feast not clothed in a wedding garment, and was cast out from it [Matt. 22:11-14]. 1747, 28 Dec.
They were cast into a swamp.
409. About the many and the different ways of flushing out those who find their way into heaven and think they are in heaven because they are welcomed by the heavenly, who love as many as come, and believe all their qualities to be genuine, until they are exposed
In an uninterrupted spiritual vision, I experienced, and was also now and then taught aloud, that heaven is purged by various means of those who steal in, putting on what looks like a wedding garment, pretending to be angels. They display themselves in outer form as angels, but inwardly they are wolves who are continually leading believers astray. These are let in by believers because, amongst the multitude being freed from the pit, there are many of the kind who have not yet been purged. These wander among good spirits and angels, slipping into their company in angelic guise, and then, behaving in conformity with their shrewd talents and the sneaky character still with them, they entice the innocent to their side through intrigues that are second nature to them.
They are especially those who are steeped in self-love, and in various worldly loves. They indeed have stored within them the knowledge that there is a heavenly marriage. It is that very wedding feast the whole world is invited to [Matt. 22:9], which they thus slip into, and thereupon seek to destroy, so that they may obtain supreme power and then, from hatred, work against all in heaven.
How these matters stand, and how these spirits were exposed, and how they were cast down from that heaven in bands, would be too much to tell. However, they who have been cast down out of that feast are treated miserably, being thrown into a swamp. When they may again be delivered from there, no one can say, for one's term of imprisonment in the swamp, as well as one's depth in it, differ according to each person's wickedness. If the wickedness is only superficial, the punishment is lighter than that of people who, by bringing evil into act, have developed deeper roots.
Very many were surprised that gangs of this kind emerged in that realm, because nothing appears there but turmoil, confusion and condemnation. Therefore, so that they could be shown the nature and magnitude of the heaven of God the Messiah, this was also portrayed by a wonderful flowing movement of countless numbers of stars, and an actual voice then said to them that such, and so great, is the Heaven of God the Messiah. It was added that that gang only appears as a multitude, but that this kind of purging occurs every day and at every moment - otherwise mankind, with all its different states, could never be purified, so as to be able to stay in heaven. 1747, the 28th day of December.
410. Abraham also, together with the gang around him that imagined itself to be at the top of heaven, was also cast out, and is now in the lower parts. This gang, even though they were few, had nevertheless conspired against the Heaven of God the Messiah, and against God the Messiah. As for Abraham, he must be spoken about cautiously; I am told that he also is now being punished. 1747, the 28th day of December.
411. I was told that hereafter, they will seek Abraham in vain, because he is not found anywhere, neither is his place found anymore in heaven [cf. Rev. 12:8].
412. Words of speech cannot express, much less thoroughly present anything, in the third heaven*
Also, about the efficacy of winged speech generally
Just from the speaking, and utterance of words, it could be heard and seen what was in them. By a method that is spiritual, and unknown to others, it becomes clear at once that words are inadequate, but what it is that imposes such strict limitations on words, and turns them into a different meaning, has not yet become clear. For even symbolic expressions can be deprived of meaning by the general state of mind of spirits in the lower realm of the third heaven.*
Moreover, it is amply certain that human speech is not at all adequate to express inward heavenly** matters, for which reason [its words] are given content by God the Messiah, so that they may make their way to spirits and angels, and enter their thoughts in a form adapted to each one's grasp and inner sight, achieving the effect that the speech is intended to produce. Such speech can be called "winged" - but figuratively. 1747, the 28th day of December.
* I.e. in descending order.
** I.e. pertaining to the inward heaven. See 262, footnote 3.
413. There are three different kinds of people and souls
The human race, as also their souls after the death of the body, can be distinguished into three kinds. 1) The first kind, which is the largest and the most common, are like the wild animals of the forest, that is, against order. 2) The second kind is in some order, yet not from a genuine source but from a lower source, still looking downwards like the beasts of the earth. They are able to perform good deeds resembling those that come from true caring, but which regard [only] worldly values. So they are not among those who believe in God the Messiah: and gentiles of good character can be counted among them, who are able to be regenerated more easily than the rest. 3) The third kind is heavenly, due to their belief in God the Messiah. Their works are acts of true caring, and these acts are the fruits of their belief.
These things I did not hear, or speak about with anyone, but something like this was pictured in my thought in a dream-like vision. However, I can also draw the inference from it that there is yet another kind, perhaps intermediate between the first and the second. 1747, the 28th day of December.
414. The diabolic gang likes to linger nowhere but in toilets, and similar places
It will be astonishing to anyone to hear that the diabolic gang does not like to dwell anywhere but in toilets, which they have several times admitted, even depicting to me how fond they are of staying in latrines, where there is human excrement, nor do they choose any other place, but prefer this above all. Certain other spirits were much offended at this, despite the fact they admitted the same thing to others like themselves. 1747, the 28th day of December.
415. Spirits know how to shift their own evil to another in an instant; likewise [to turn] good into evil
It is amazing how spirits, from what seems to be a natural instinct, are able at once to transform good into evil, and this very expertly, as though they had learned it from long practice. Likewise, how they can transfer some punishment or other, which they have coming to them, to someone else, and even to an innocent person, and thus escape it that time around. This has become evident to me from much experience, which would be too much to cite.
This kind of nature or instinct has no other origin than the habit formed in bodily life of lying, and thereby shifting all blame to another, or causing suspicion to fall upon another, so as to be freed of it oneself. This is what leads to such a distorted character. 1747, the 28th day of December.
416. So instantaneous is both the shifting of good into evil by various methods, and of a penalty threatening oneself to someone else, that there could hardly be anything quicker; therefore, it must spring from an [evil] rooted in by practice, that becomes second nature. This leads to the conclusion, that hardly anything else holds sway in evil spirits, but a root of evil acquired by inheritance and by practice. 1747, the 28th day of December.
417. About a change that took place in heaven
There were some who had seized the highest place in heaven, because when on earth they had believed they were uppermost, and all but themselves were as nothing. That place was occupied by some whom I am not permitted to mention by name, nor am I allowed to make known the reason. Such [spirits] as these are compared to stars, for they appear to themselves like suns, and souls drifting up from the world worship them. Because they had worshipped them in life, they are just introduced to them, so that they may then be released.
A large one of those stars was yesterday, if I am not mistaken, cast down out of that highest place, and with him, whom they had worshipped as an idol, a crowd numbering about five to six hundred, as I was told. But today they and their chief, lingering in that realm as they had continually before, now began to stir up greater trouble. For this reason their chief, after being instructed once more and warned, and yet not wanting to step away from his upside-down view of faith, was therefore rejected, and for about one or two minutes, suffered hellish torments that made him cry out miserably. Presently, when he was delivered from them, a voice came to him from heaven, [saying] that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. So he then began to think on it and acknowledge it somewhat, but because only the torments had compelled him to it, his confession is not yet acceptable, because it does not yet come from belief.
418. How permissions are portrayed in nature
Permissions in Heaven are pictured in nature by the threefold or fourfold atmospheres, the one being a step purer than the other. Each subsequent one is composed from the one before, and acts upon the next composed atmosphere both from within and from without - so that in each single part of the last atmosphere, the prior ones are present in their order.
While the last atmosphere is troubled by harsh weather, the one immediately prior to it is working quite calmly both from without and from within in its least parts, thus in the part and in the whole. The atmosphere prior to that does likewise, still more calmly, and the first one most calmly or peacefully, it being the all in all of the following atmospheres both in their parts and in the whole. In this way, by producing a calm, a prior atmosphere, and especially, the first, acts upon the following atmospheres, and through these upon the last one, and restores equilibrium, however turbulent the last atmosphere may be from wind or storm.
So it is in the heavens between the heavenly beings, and the spirits who form as it were a last atmosphere, where there are storms. One standing there would think that the whole heaven was falling because of the appearing storms, downpours, black clouds; yet after their assault, they are peacefully brought back to rest in response to the nod and will of God the Messiah.
These things were thought, but written down in the presence of spirits. 1747, the 29th day of December.
419. Certain ones, especially the Laplanders and similar peoples, are governed by a fantasy that they are carrying little children, and want to show them to the Lord of Heaven
There are some who are completely governed when they come into the other life by the imagination that there are little children in their arms, as many as they can possibly carry in all kinds of positions, just so there is a multitude of them, and at the same time, a line of boys and girls out in front of them. [Approaching] in this manner, they ask where the Lord of the place is, wanting to show Him their infants and children. However, when asked [why], they said that they wanted to nourish their children.
On interrogation, these appeared to be like the people who have long inhabited Lapland, and not unlike them as to dress. But this has now begun, because they have now been instructed, and previously they did not come in this manner, but at the sound of two muffled horn blasts, they would enter with hideous little animals.
Those people, on account of their love of little children, are more acceptable than many others, for the heavens love that love. 1747, 30 December.
420. There are some also who worship Christ as an infant, and who carry Him
There are also those who from innocence, and from harmless simplicity also, worship God the Messiah as an infant. Because of their simplicity and innocence, they, too, are let in (although they do not remain there for long), because they are innocents and simplicities, who have peace in which is innocence. There the heavenly [aura] is constantly present, which I could recognize because of the joy carried over from them.
I am prohibited from writing any more, for the reason that they worship human beings, and exhibit images of them in every temple, in every house, on the highways and at cross-roads, which is entirely forbidden; but with those who do this out of simplicity, and thus out of innocence, this is overlooked. 1747, 30 December.
421. More are now seeking Peter than before, so as to gain admittance into heaven
It was plainly shown to me that Peter was cast down out of heaven [13a, 67a]. Since that time I heard nothing about Peter until today, when I was told that now more [souls] than ever before are coming and adoring Peter, entreating him to let them into Heaven. The reason may be that something has just been revealed to those called the Jesuits, to the effect that Peter had been let down out of heaven, and that they can no longer approach him, as souls just arriving from the world did previously. Whether there is another reason, I do not yet know.*
* 422 does not occur in the original.
423. *Quakers especially, when they enter the other life, worship a cloud, on their knees
Someone appeared to me vaguely, like a cloud, kneeling, who was worshipping a cloud. When I inquired what this was, I was told that Quakers are subject to such a fantasy, because they make up a heaven for themselves out of their own fantasy, not knowing what is truly heavenly, or what faith is. For they fashion the heaven they long for, and this is turned into a corresponding fantasy; nor could it be otherwise, because they will not allow themselves to be taught by others, nor by the Word of God the Messiah, but cling to their assumed principles, believing they are ruled by the holy spirit, when yet nothing could be less true.
For there are spirits who do not know what heaven is, and who the lord of heaven is, yet want to be hailed as the holy spirit. That group is being increased by Quaker souls, but they are distinguished from [other] spirits by a white line around the head of two of them, for they usually appear in pairs. "Enthusiastic spirits" is what they call the simple ones who only repeat their adopted principles and teachings, and so arouse enthusiasm. Such enthusiasm they very highly value, so that they can be personalities and can put themselves forth as the holy spirit. 1747, the 30th day of December.
* 422 does not occur in the original.
424. To [new] souls, the Gospel is preached just as it is on earth
It may strike everyone as remarkable, though nothing is more true, that the Gospel is preached to souls in the same way as on earth, and in fact with the same sort of preaching, zeal, eloquence of expression. For they all believe themselves to be on earth, as often mentioned before. Strange as this may be, I can affirm that nothing is more true.
But the Gospel is preached only to those who are to be let out of the pit, and to some others as well. I know, too, from much evidence, that different ones also are speaking with souls, and preaching; but the Word has no effectiveness except that which is given by God the Messiah.
425. There are some who are continually building houses
Once again I saw and heard those spirits speaking and giving an account, who build houses and palaces, but which are torn down by others [392-93], and then built again. Whenever they are broken down, they grieve that they cannot live in them because they are torn down. Busy at this work are those who had been seen before with faces on both sides, also some with a single face, for about the same reason as before [393].
426. The souls of the dead, if they do not retain their fantasies and are not led by their fantasies, cannot be guided to inner knowledge, and thus prepared for Heaven
At this day, when there is no belief, hardly anyone could be made ready for heaven in the other life, because of the upside-down order of [their] life, unless nothing but fantasies prevail, or hallucinations of the senses. These reside in the [newly arrived] souls in their earthly or lower minds, where the main life of people living at this day centers.
Such souls, filled with so many fantasies, are not broken - that is, their fantasies cannot be dispelled or extinguished all at once, for thus they would be broken, and nothing of their own emotional life would be left, for it is composed of pure fantasy.
This is supported by so much evidence that there can be no doubt about it. There is an insanity in everything, which rules the life and makes up the life of [such] a person. Just now, a certain one was abandoned by the spirits who were functioning together with him, and it then appeared as if he were not alive; when thus deprived of his fantasies, he was thought to be dead. But even this could not prove anything, except that a person cannot enter into the other life like this. In such a condition, he can learn nothing. 1747, the 30th day of December.
427. Some, due to a special mercy, are prepared by means of deep sleep, and in the sleep by troubling dreams
There was also one who kept on saying only, "I am silent," and "I am speaking," and this quite frequently. Upon being asked what this was, he gave no other reply. But I heard from others that he had been let into sleep, and I was taught that some are let into these sleeps and undergo purgings by means of dreams, perhaps also by short awakenings, until they are rid of the fantasies they had carried with them. 1747, the 30th day of December.
428. There are very many varieties of heavenly pleasures and delights, in which is happiness
Those pleasures are called heavenly that come to the sensation of souls as though they were living in the body. There are pleasures which affect them so delightfully, that they can hardly bear any more. But there are delights that come from a still deeper source. In the pleasures there are different kinds of happiness, and in the delights, different kinds of heavenly marital joy. In short, there are very many levels of pleasures and delights, both as to different types and as to intensity; and these pleasures can be shared without lessening them in those who are sharing them. True pleasures and true delights have within them happiness, and happiness has peace, and peace innocence; so that true pleasures and delights come solely from God the Messiah as their only source. 1747, the 30th day of December.
429. Other pleasures are counterfeit, delusory, of the kind that can be imparted, in the world as in the other life, by devils.
430. There are some who have Jesus with them, and therefore believe
At a great distance from the realm (that is, the realm of spirits) in which I was today, there were many gathered into one, who appeared, and said that they had Jesus with them, and saw Him daily; and they are those who have saving belief.
Opposite to them, or below, there were likewise many, who were also saying that they had Christ with them; and they have saving belief based on understanding.
Thus the former are portrayed in the Word by Abraham and Isaac, but the latter, who were at a distance from them, by Abimelech. For Abimelech departed from Abraham and Isaac after the covenant had been ratified [Gen. 21:32, 26:31].* 1747, the 30th day of December.
* Cf. also AC 3004-3011
431. The state of beggars in the other life
The fantasy of those who had been begging for a long time and finally had come to take pleasure in it, and thus because of their idle life and aversion for working to procure food and like necessaries, is that they appear naked except for filthy shreds as clothing. They seem to themselves to be in a mass, so bunched together that they cannot be distinguished one from another. Having one with a cup, they beg for alms, and wherever they encounter people they beg.
I heard from them that what is said about beggars is true, that they want nothing but money, despise clothing and food, live wickedly amongst themselves, quarreling, and so forth; that they hate work, sometimes living voluptuously in all luxury, squandering money, harshly demanding to know what each one has gotten; that they had set up a sort of government among themselves, and want this to be a secret. 1747, 30 December. Note that the beggars [spoken of] here are such as had been beggars in their lives. So it is their existence, because they had had no other ambition.
432. Moors or Africans desire to be white
I have heard that the Moors or negroes, like the Africans, in the other life do not want to be black, but white. They consider whiteness to be beauty, after they have been prepared [for heaven], because the angels of God the Messiah are all shining white, and the inward ones love to be clothed in white garments. 1747, 30 December.
433. Spirits also have the ability, more than people on earth, by various methods to look into and see what kind of a person someone had been, the methods being pictured in different ways
Besides the abilities of spirits spoken of before [400], namely, of possessing every human language as their own mother tongue, and of putting on a person's memory as their own, they also have from God the Messiah, the ability to look into people and see the least details pertaining to their life.
Now this was portrayed by some objects being removed from someone, like a bubble, and objects resembling a bubble that also seemed to be taken away; and as if they had been informed in this manner, they at once told what it was. One time this was also done by what looked like a cloud removed from a soul, while in the meantime, the person continues in an altered condition. From me too they removed little bubbles like these (although they are only a symbolic portrayal), and then they saw specific details of my life. So they see such things from one little bubble or part.
Moreover, they also look intently at loves, inclinations, and feelings, as well as matters retained in the memory that are clearly displayed to the eye. I was extremely surprised when [I realized] that they had been able to see with their eyes not only someone's single mental images, but even their tiniest feelings. Spiritual life is such that these things can be brought out for scrutiny, unlike the life of the body. 1747, the 30th day of December.
434. About the veil of the Jews, also
A kind of punishment by means of the Veil
When the Jews want to protect anyone in the other life from being harmed by others, they usually cast a veil over them, under which they are safe, and guarded against harm from others, and so are not done violence.
Certain ones - but Christians - had been put under such a veil by Jews, so that they would be done no more injury by their own. But those under the veil, complaining that they were not able to breathe, were let go after a time.
The reason for this can be deduced: i.e. that those coming from Judaism are safer, being entirely in darkness, like in a thick cloud, than those who are in the light of truth, and yet deny it. This is why the Jews are also kept under the veil continually, during life [in the world].
435. As for punishment by means of the veil, those undergoing it seem to themselves, because of the illusions imposed upon them, to be under a veil stretching out to a great distance, sometimes for miles. The veil is like a thin but unbroken cloud, which thickens according to the power of the illusion. And so they get upset and run about, here and there, far and wide, trying to break out of the veil. They go at varying speeds and with varying force, until finally, exhausted, they either lie down, or are held feet upward and head downward - which can last for a long time, until their indignation has ceased.
A veil of this kind is introduced into the fantasy of those who, though they see the truth, yet - due to all kinds of reasons bursting from their loves - cannot manage to acknowledge it. But since they are constantly becoming displeased for those reasons, so much that they fight against the truth which they nevertheless see, such a veil is suited to their fantasy. And they tell me now that they are being tormented miserably by a longing to extricate themselves - a longing that is flaming up [within them]. 1747, the 31st day of December.
436. A kind of punishment consisting in running around
There are some whom fantasies punish in this way, namely by their seeming to themselves to be running around and around in a circle backwards, either from right to left, or the reverse, depending on to the fantasies. In this way, in quite short gyres, they time and again come back and go out again, carrying something with them that is weighing them down.
This kind of punishment comes to those who let themselves be led along by their desires, and even though they see and acknowledge truths, nevertheless go back on them, drawn by their yearnings. Thus they go forth into the field of understanding and recognize [truth], but being drawn by their desire, fall back into opposing it.
This is especially applicable to women, in whom desires normally take precedence, when they join in like men in matters regarding the doctrines of faith. 1747, the 31st day of December.
437. A kind of purging by bringing on a childlike uprightness
Now to some, a kind of gentle purging process is applied that brings them back into a kind of childlike uprightness, these being the sort who are treated leniently. But in that uprightness there is also, due to their fantasy, a strong desire to surpass others in understanding. Their understanding, however, is taken captive and tied up, for the reason either that they love their own [thoughts], and then can hardly bear it when others utter truer or better ones, or that they do not want the good repute of their own group, consequently of themselves, to be detracted from - thus also because of [a desire] for eminence of self above others.
Being in this state of induced uprightness, they are so tormented by that hidden desire, that they ardently want to be released from it and to return into their original condition. Yet for others, in this [childlike] state one can be happy, because one is then outside of the worrying state. 1747, the 31st day of December.
438. The last angelic heaven: their happiness is based in settings similar to earthly ones
Spirits who had not yet been let into Heaven because disharmony repugnant to heavenly beings still prevailed in them, were speaking with me about heavenly happiness. Because they did not know about it,* it was said:
There are separate dwellings, where those are who can live together harmoniously, forming societies. In fact, from a power of illusion or imagination still remaining with them, pleasant and delightful [scenes] seem to be created for them, in which heavenly peace reigns. If they so choose, pleasure gardens also seem to be created for them containing every variety of trees and fruits; as well as cities and palaces, and the like.
But these things should not be described too much for the world, lest it seek what is heavenly in fantasies.
* While the original has "ignorabam," the context clearly calls for "igorabant." By prolepsis, the author wrote "ignorabam, dicebam" and then changed "dicebam" to "dicebatur."
439. The wickedness of those entering the other life at this day is unbelievable
What left and right are
For several days, some who had died and entered into the other life not many years before, were allowed to practice their deceptions and intrigues against true and good qualities, by distorting them, and many more tricks than I could ever describe. They have mediums; they tauntingly urge each other on; they combine their malicious efforts, which are unbelievably wicked. These points show clearly enough that belief has been laid waste at this day. 1748, 2 January.
The entire lower realm, that of spirits coming from earth, is almost such that if a word is let down from heaven, it is distorted, and its meaning can hardly be understood.
The things that lie inwardly concealed in people and have become their own by practice, they bring out at the entrance to the other life, on being let in among spirits. These spirits were portrayed to me as being at the left side in front, toward the middle of the face. Those at the right were the upright. This should be noted, for all at the left, however many, are corrupt, and corrupters, who use such dreadful methods that no person on earth could ever believe it. The things they perpetrate are only the root of evil, for which they have an instinct; but more hideous is the instinct of those spirits who seem to themselves to possess some light of reason. This hellish gang is devoid of the discernment with which nature endowed them.
440. About persons who are worshipped as saints, and as gods and goddesses
Throughout the night, both at waking moments and in sleep, portrayals of people were exhibited to me who are worshipped as saints and gods - even the gods and goddesses of the ancients are still pictured, such as Venus, Diana, Phoebus, Jupiter, and indeed each in their own particular attire - Venus in a beautiful garment, Phoebus with a body having shining yellow skin, and so on. But whether these persons are only fantasies, and continue to exist in fantasies, or whether some spirits put themselves forth as the same, is not quite clear. Some believe they are these deities, and so present themselves - Jupiter, with an unceasing, lightening-like power that is indescribable because it cannot be conceived of, by which all are driven away.
441. It was also portrayed how great jaws like those of whales are fashioned, into which spiritual images were being poured and passing into the stomach, one after another, so that when it had swallowed so many that its stomach could be formed, [the figure] turned into a whale, or into a dragon.
442. Also a large fish was portrayed, stretched out, that wanted to be stroked, also symbolizing one kind of idolatry.
443. Moreover, of people who were worshipped as saints and thus as gods, only three kinds were depicted to me: namely, those who turned away from that worship, and were among angels and under their protection; then, those who did not want to be among the gods and be worshiped as gods, but nevertheless retain some of the dregs, even though they repudiate it with the mouth. The third kind is profane, accepting that kind of worship and wanting to be acknowledged as gods. They are miserable, silly and stupid. 1748, the 3rd day of January.
444. How a person is controlled as to his action through the will
A live experiment has several times been performed in me in front of spirits, to show how actions are controlled by God the Messiah through the will, which was being bent in such a manner, hither and thither, that they, and I also, thought that I was about to do something, but it was by turns averted. Thus it is only the will that is controlled.
445. The quality of spirits is also to be judged by the quarters and position [in which they are]
As previously mentioned [439], those at the left are for the most part unhappy, and more [unhappy,] the more to the left their quarter lies. Those to the right are blessed. Furthermore, the spirits around a person who are at the back [see 557], are those who want to control his or her body, and believe they are that person, for which reason they cling to the person when they come up. Those who want to be bodies, and also those who torment people after death, cling from behind, nor do they depart until the person has found out what they are after. But those who are in front below the chest and who control the subthoracic breathing, are they who allow themselves to be controlled. Those standing overhead are both those who teach, as those who are easily taught. 1747, the 4th day of January.
446. It is the nature of angels not to believe anything at all, not even the smallest detail, that does not come from God the Messiah; hence,
What peace is
I also experienced while I was writing today, that an angel was guiding the things I was writing, and in fact, in such a way as to cause me to realize that there was not even the tiniest occurrence that was not under the auspices and guidance of God the Messiah, because [directed] toward the best purpose.
From this experience I was able to deduce what the angelic quality is, and hence what peace is, because it yields [to God the Messiah] in every single, most minute particular. 1748, the 5th day of January.
447. About Mohammed: that he drove off a crowd coming towards him, and said they should go to Jesus, the Son of God
In a waking afternoon vision, I saw Mohammed becoming angry at a crowd that was coming towards him, and rather forcefully driving them away, and even angrily. He was saying that they should go to Jesus, the Son of God, not to him, because he realized that Jesus was the only Son of God, ruling the whole heaven, to Whom the power has been given by the most high Creator of the World and earth.
This is just what I heard him saying and, I now perceive, hearing these words. And he is guiding [the writing of] them, entreating me to tell this to his worshippers. 1748, the 6th day of January.
448. The nature of the angels' glorification or speech
Today, while I was writing, I became aware that heaven was speaking, but I did not understand anything. Now I am told that they had been glorifying the Redeemer of the human race. I perceived only a surge, as if of a distinct beam, and universal elements somewhat sparkling, so to speak, so that I would recognize them to be universal, having no regard to persons, or to oneself, but only to realities in general. 1748, the 6th day of January.
449. Besides this, I heard a different [kind of] speech during both periods of sleep, last night and the night before - an inward, pictorial speech. It was amazing, beyond the imagination of any person on earth. In sleep or in a sleeping state, not quite, yet almost awake, I was able to grasp what it meant, but since I awakened, I have not been able to express it, no matter how hard I try. 1748, the 6th day of January.
450. Today while awake, I also learned how these matters stand. As for the pictorial speech of the angels, anything whatever that is encountered is taken as an object, whether it be an affection, or an insight, or anything of that order; and by means of these, delicate displays are created. So the objects are realities apart from objects of the senses: such as an affection, an insight, a color. These objects then arrange themselves according to the subjects being thought about. It is due to this, then, that the heavens have communication [with mankind].
451. As for the other [kind of] speech, it is a cosmic thinking in realities withdrawn from objects of the senses, apart from persons, which cannot easily be described.
452. There is yet another, truly angelic speech, which did not come to my perception except as something general from the conversation, and from the feelings it produced.
453. There are souls released from the body coming into the other life who love to be chastised, punished and tortured
There are also souls who are of a character opposite to that of the rest, or of Europeans - I was told they were from Africa - who, upon entering into the other life, love to be chastised, even treated harshly, hoping that good will result from it; and if not punished, they are displeased.
There are likewise some who treat them harshly, whom they call devils, one of whom was shown to me. His body was dirty or yellowish, and gnarled. The bad treatments they undergo are of different kinds. The kind shown to me was one in which an eagle had alighted on their head and taken away their brain, which was done with a pain matching the fantasies - for these produce dreadful ones. Another is by different kinds of sharp punishments, which they love. Yet because of the painful sensations, they finally begin to shun these, and at the same time the spirits who are tormenting them, whom they call devils.
Thus they shed the fantasies, and believe that they are being brought into heaven, which, as they now say, no one can enter but by punishments and afflictions. This is what that people believes and stores deeply in its conscience, for which reason they are treated accordingly, and thereby obtain the reward of coming into joyful states, which they call Paradisal. And they see pleasure gardens, and very many lovely things, after coming to hate the gang tormenting them.
For a long time they spoke with me, and their speaking was accompanied with a kind of clicking sound, like that of a rag [being shaken], by which they can be recognized.
These and the things previously told to me [lead to the conclusion] that a greater proportion [of people] from Africa, than from other regions of the earth, are introduced into heaven; for their conscience in these matters is somewhat in the way of truth. 1748, the 7th day of January.
They wish me to write that they are entirely in the way of truth, because they know this from their paradisal [states].
mThey say that they do not love their own race only, but all however many there are in heaven, so that they have an ingrained universal love. They detest blackness of the body, for they know that their souls are shining white, but their bodies black, which they loathe. Later, they do not have that clicking speech, but a thinking like angelic thought, and they are overhead, as they now are.n
454. What those Africans further report, who want to be harshly treated after the death of the body
They are drawing near, and want to inform me how things are with them. From the way they are controlling their voices, I can tell that they do not want to say anything wrong, and that they long for deeper things; for they are weighing their words.
They say that when they are being maltreated, then they are black, and afterwards, they put off the blackness, and put on the shining whiteness of the soul, and so enter into heaven. Now they are surprised they had had a painful sensation, which, upon looking back, they attribute to fantasies; for they now say they have no such sensation, but only a pleasant and paradisal one. 1748, the 7th day of January.
455. How it is to be understood, since God the Messiah leads all by means of spirits and angels so that nothing is theirs, that they nevertheless become guilty of sins
It seems questionable that even though nothing that people think and do is theirs, because they are led by spirits, they nevertheless become guilty of sins and will suffer the penalties for the evils committed; but this is grasped through faith. When one has true faith, then one believes, in accordance with the truth, that nothing is our own, because we are being led by God the Messiah in the way of truth, or have true belief; and in this case all evil is bent into good, so that nothing of evil is accounted to him.
But when one does not have true faith, then one believes that everything is one's own, and that we think and do everything of our own power. In this way we are filled with fantasies, which stay with us, and the result of such a belief is that the evil cannot but be accounted to us, because, as we believe, it is from ourselves. For this reason also, evil cannot easily be bent into good, but rather, good is bent into evil, which takes root and increases, even until the person acquires a character, such as remains after death, when he or she is purged of that fantasy by means of punishments. 1748, the 7th day of January.
mThus when one has not faith, one takes on [false] convictions, which have to be rooted out.n
456. When good spirits are raised up into a more inward heaven, and then return, it seems just as if the person [they are with] has fallen into a sweet sleep, and sees the more inward regions and their glory, as if in complete wakefulness
That spirits also are transferred into very many states of waking and sleeping, you may see told above [319-21]. It appeared to me as if a particular good spirit had fallen into a sweet sleep - something I have been allowed to experience several times when the state of spirits has been communicated to me. This angel, upon awakening (or so it seemed to me) reported that he had beheld the glory of God the Messiah, which I was allowed to see very dimly in his sleep.
Hence I was able to infer that the transfer of spirits into heaven, or of heavenly beings into a more inward heaven, is like a sleep as to their* lower mental powers. And I can testify from experience, that during that sleep, things seem just as plainly alive as when one is wide awake. Therefore, the lower mental power comes to rest, as though it did not exist, when the more inward mind is raised up. For what is lower cannot be transferred into what is higher. 1748, the 8th day of January.
* The original has "ejus," "his."
457. An enormous gang of evil spirits desire to steal
Because I was being forced by spirits into a sense of their greed, I observed that many times they wanted to incite me to steal, even such things as are of little value, such as are in their market shops. And I saw that this intention and this impulse came from the spirits, who were even trying to move my hand.
From these things as well as from an actual voice, I know that those who had been merchants and were deceitful in their business dealings, trying by any means, right or wrong, to get hold of the goods of others, retain this character. Consequently, such spirits wander about, and wherever they go, seem to themselves to be stealing, thinking about nothing else. But they are penalized, or driven away by punishments. Some use the same cunning they had used in life, so that they do not want people to know this. 1748, the 11th day of January.
458. In the heaven of spirits a plot was formed to suffocate me, and what it seems to mean
When I was going to bed and about to sleep, warning was given that certain spirits were plotting against me with the intent to kill me; but because I was composed, not worrying about it any more than I did about their other threats, I fell asleep. In the night just after midnight, on waking up, I felt that I was not breathing on my own power, but, as I believed, from heaven, which I clearly perceived, so that the breathing was not mine. It was then clearly said to me that the whole heaven of spirits had plotted against me with the purpose of suffocating me, and that just at that moment, when they were trying to carry out their attempts, the heavenly breathing commenced, and so they had to give up on that try. I was told that it was the whole heaven of spirits. (The names of those who were at the forefront were also mentioned, but it is not permitted to name them, except for two, who portrayed charity and the fruits of charity. These were in fact present, but were not agreeing to it.)
Nevertheless, because they thought the whole heaven of spirits was on their side - for everyone who came, they allured over to their side by saying that those whom they claimed the power to let into heaven could not be admitted unless I were first killed - therefore that plot was formed, which ended up thwarted.
Those two who represented charity and the fruit of charity, withdrew, and in fact to the right side, while that incident occurred at the left side. But while the conspirators were being punished, they were driven off, except for their leaders, and treated harshly, while the leaders remained by command of the heavens.
This all seemed to me to signify that the inward elements of the accepted doctrine at the present day, were thus plotting against very inward and innermost things, to which they wanted to attach no belief; but that God the Messiah sustains the life of the very inward and innermost things. That life is symbolized by the breathing that was continued in me by heaven, in no wise by myself but by the heavens, consequently by God the Messiah, Who Alone is the Heavens.
Afterwards, one who seemed to be their standard-bearer, although he was not thought to be present, tried to enter the internal organs of my body and penetrate to the heart, which in his fantasies he still thinks he owns, so as to attack the more inward things, or, as he says, whore with them. 1748, the 8th day of January.
459. When he was admitted into the inward parts of my body, I was let into a kind of heavenly state, so that I did not want to expel those guests, even less avenge the harm done to me. This he also appreciated, saying that it was a peaceable [attitude]; but still, as though deprived of his reason, and still panting for vengeance, he kept on pressing to accomplish his endeavors, and is still keeping on.
460. About the adroitness of spirits in making up things that appear to be true
From one experience today, I was able to realize how spirits can counterfeit the truth, and thus play with human minds. The case in point was their depiction of the inhabitants of Saturn, whom they claim to be little people, for the most part small in stature but still of good character. They say that they meditate more than they speak, that they live in a cold climate, that they cast out from their midst those who are evil (but do not punish them with death, which they say is wicked, but that they are thus banished from society and no longer tolerated by the rest), that they worship God the creator of the universe, and similar concoctions having an appearance of truth. But because they wanted to add on embellishments, I was unable to believe them.
However, I was able to deduce from these things that the inhabitants of that planet, though they did not know Christ Jesus, must nevertheless have been taught by some Divine Word, so as to have a knowledge of Him, albeit a dim one; and that those who had not, like gentiles on our earth such as the Africans, who are destitute of such higher knowledge, can nevertheless be saved. 1748, the 11th day of January.
461. The abode of some in heaven who are called stars
In the book of Revelation [2:3,4], we read concerning the dragon that "he drew down a third part of the stars with his tail." In the zenith, or directly overhead, is the abode of a certain one who calls himself Abraham. He is like a slippery serpent, for at one moment he seems to want to be converted, at another he takes a different attitude. Nevertheless, he unceasingly labors to destroy all those whom he calls gentiles, except for the descendants of Jacob, whom he calls his own children; nor is he interested in other families, such as the scattered Israelites, because he hates Jesus, and continually persecutes Christians and distorts [Christian] teachings. It would be too much to enumerate all his deceptions and devices, which I have only been allowed to learn from experience, for he has been persecuting me now for nearly three years.
He has very great influence, because in his fantasy, he puts himself right in the zenith, and thus looks straight down upon all; so he thinks that he controls the universe, sometimes seeming to himself to be as the sun, surrounded with a like aura. It is only an illusion that he is located at the zenith. For in fantasy, he can be thrust down, and turned about, and driven in different ways, which he cannot help admitting - as happened today in a period of wakefulness. There was one who was said to work by means of fantasies, something most common among spirits, so he placed the so-called Abraham behind me, besides other playful tricks. Consequently he has to admit it was only the illusion of his arrogance that lifted him up and continually holds him there. More about him can be found elsewhere [see 281, 379, 410].
Today he also wanted to deceive me by a fantasy of [his being] the creator of the universe without any intermediary, but he was scared off from doing this and had to acknowledge that there must be an intermediary, and that he himself could never mediate, since he is a wicked person and hates all believers, all devout and innocent people, and allows himself to be worshipped as God. 1748, the 11th day of January (old calendar).
462. At his left in respect to me, or at the right in respect to him, at the same height, there is one who calls himself Jacob, who likewise demands to be worshipped. To him, fewer are said to be coming. He lies on a bed and in this manner receives those who come to him, and promises them heaven, and these, having been sent out by him, return, saying that they find rest nowhere. He answers that they must wait. So the miserable crowd wanders around, without rest. The same day. Turn the page and see the continuation.*
* This annotation appears at the bottom of the manuscript page.
463. Continuation about those who are called stars of the dragon
Farther to the same side, lower down, is David, who does not receive anyone coming to him, but those who come to him he sends back to Jesus. Thus he lives in heavenly rest, and in happiness. About Isaac, nothing is heard; it is said that because he had hated Jacob, he is not tolerated, or because he had loved Esau.
464. Farther on to the left, or to the right of the one called Abraham, even higher up, so high that no one can ascend unless he is helped by him, is one who calls himself Moses. He boasts that he is the greatest, for which reason, fantasy accordingly raises him up and holds him even higher than the rest. He is said to boast about his miracles. 1748, 11 January (old calendar).
465. A state of heavenly peace and happiness
On first awakening, once again, as frequently before, I felt a state of rest coming from peace, namely a delightful pleasantness - but it was not peace - and at the same time, a happiness that I am unable to describe in appropriate words. 1748, the 11th day of January (old calendar).
467. That sea which is called a swamp is the punishment of those who set themselves against heavenly truth, and against the One and Only Mediator Himself, Jesus Christ. It is a quite logical result that their fantasy should turn into such a swamp, for thus the very highest turns around to the very lowest, and those who are of this character physically experience the pains of punishment. For their fantasy, which they had thought to be real, does become real, and torments them in a way you may find described in earlier accounts about fantasy [376-77, 461]. 1748, the 11th day of January (old calendar).
468. About the realm between opposites
From manifold experience, I have learned that souls and spirits, once they are convinced of the truth, are for the most part, and almost always, carried away into things contrary, and so, into doubts about truths. The experience I have had in heaven in this regard is so extensive, that it would be a lengthy undertaking to relate it.
The reason for this is that one should not be convinced of the truth by visual persuasion, just as one should not be by miracles - also, that a greater field [of thought] has to be acquired, rendering the person flexible; besides further reasons, which I am not being given at this time. 1748, the 12th day of January.
469. About the Jews called together by Jacob, and about the greedy in general
The Jacob who is now above my head, occupies that vertical position in place of him who let himself down from there and submitted himself. Because he had been deprived of worshippers he is reclining in his usual manner on his bed, grandiose, summoning the rest to his bed [see 462]. Many of the Jews came to him as he was thus lying down, which I sensed through much of the night by the stench of mice.
When I could no longer bear it, it was asked in the heaven of spirits whence that stench came. Some declared that they had been troubled by the same smell, but as a result of inquiry, it was found that they were Jews who had been lifted up out of their own rooms, as it seems to them, to Jacob, before whom many were thus gathered together. Thence came the stench of mice.
Jacob told that he was surrounded by so many mice, that he could not stand them any longer, whereupon, being almost ejected from his bed, he betook himself downwards.
Those same people were complaining, because they had not stayed in their rooms, where their money was, which they were afraid thieves might take away.
470. Those who had lived long ago appeared fully bearded, so that their whole face was covered with a black beard, making them very ugly. This was because in old times, they had loved their beard so much.
471. Moreover, they also appeared to be dressed in ragged clothes into which their gold and silver had been sown. When stripped of their clothing, they lament miserably that their money has been taken away.
472. Moreover, they are of two kinds: one whose right eye looks obliquely downward under the left eye, the other whose right eye looks obliquely upward. The reason is that the former regard the earth alone, but the latter regard heaven, praying that riches exist there.
473. Their women appeared all bunched together by themselves, and very much concerned about clothes, which they seem to themselves to be selling. What the clothes were like, was not shown to me.
474. Such a lot, in general, awaits the greedy.
1748, 13 January.
475. I am told that that miserable gang wanders about in bands, looking for a place where they may be fed; and the whole heaven of spirits is said to be full of them. But still no one wants to feed them. Rather they drive them off, knowing them to be thieves. The rest are looking for their patriarch.
476. The three leaders were thrust down out of heaven
Again last night,* the three leaders, A., J. and M., who were near me, were thrust down. Two of them were also deprived of their power of understanding, so that they were silly - as is normally the case with devils when the faculty of understanding is taken from them and they are left with only instinct. A. was the exception, who still had use of his understanding.
Others were substituted in their place to receive those who came, but these substitutes complained that they could do nothing for them. They describe how they come in bands and ask where A. J. M. are, and how extremely ugly they look, ugly beyond description. They are completely devoid of understanding, unable to discern anything of what is true and good. Therefore they are rather to be wept over. As if insane, they scurry about through the streets of what they think to be the city Jerusalem, and beg. But no one receives them and, as they say, is willing to feed them. Their city is miserable, the streets narrow. 1748, the 15th day of January.
* See 281, 461-64, 466, 469.
477. About a certain ingenious spirit, or about a second Mohammed
In the morning, when I had awakened, there was a certain rather clever spirit who, to the distress of those around me, had adroitly changed all goodness into evil. On awakening, I spoke with the one possessing that talent and found that he was trying to investigate what is true. I therefore proposed at random this and that [problem], which he ingeniously solved, discovering the truth. On account of this he was received into the company of good spirits, among whom he remained for a time; but because he was too energetic, and tried to act on his own, he was sent away and came into the company of other spirits.
From this I am able to infer that some spirits much surpass others in the talent of comprehending, the difference [between their level of comprehension and that of others] being so great, that it would be hard to let oneself be convinced of it.
[477 1/2.] About Fantasies: how they are shed, and what kind remain
Moreover, it was also this Mohammed who possessed such an ability to understand what is true and good [477], with whom I likewise spoke about the fantasies that prevail among spirits who first come into that life. For they are only illusions, which must by all means be shed, and are put off only with difficulty and with resistance, because the person favors them and takes pleasure in them. Therefore, these fantasies are removed, little by little, by Jesus Christ, and those spirits are led to inward, and then more inward ones, which interact with, and can be together with truth and goodness. Hence comes heavenly joy and gladness, and in this way they live a life of their own, with delight.
These things [were discussed] with Mohammed of Mecca, and there was another Mohammed also, but who he is, I do not know. It is said that he, too, is adored. Thus both possess the ability to understand truth and goodness, and in fact they confess that the source of all truths and goodness is Jesus Christ, which they want me to testify here from so much experience that no one can ever doubt about it.
478. By the fantasies said to be shed with reluctance are meant the [newly arrived] soul's grosser fantasies, that pertain to the body and the earthly mind. Inward ones, however, that are in agreement and thus harmonious with truly heavenly truth and goodness, remain, causing them to live a life as if their own, with heavenly joy and gladness - and this is the rainbow spoken of in Genesis [9:12-17]. Its harmonious symmetry is created, and shaped, by Jesus Christ Alone. 1748, the 15th day of January.
479. Spirits are symbolized by "wind"
Spirit is likened to wind in John 3:8, and consequently, the spirits present with me at this day, many and most of the times have come with a wind, which stroked my face, indeed even moved the flame of the candle, papers, (the wind was cold,) and this very often when I was raising my right arm. This surprised me, and I do not yet know the reason for it. 1748, the 15th day of January.
480. The worst of all spirits in the last heaven, are those who had confessed Christianity; then come the Jews
From a great deal of experience, I have learned that the worst of all spirits in the last Heaven are those who in the world were called Christians. Most of them have no belief, but attack and hold in hatred everything having to do with true religion and, unwilling to be taught, persistently trample them under foot. They are so terribly cunning, and contrive such strategems in opposition to the Lord,* and against faith in Jesus, and against believers, that one cannot be amazed enough. And that [wickedness] stays rooted in their disposition and character, for then they live from their own character, and when abandoned to that, are like furies. Mohammedans are really extremely surprised about this, who themselves are easily taught, and allow themselves to be guided, and easily receive the faith.
After Christians come the Jews, as well as those who had worshipped Abraham as God, the latter also being quite deceitful. The gentlest of all are the Africans, about whom see above [432, 453]. 1748, the 15th day of January.
* A.W. Acton, p. 142, footnotes: "With the exception of the reference in no. 258 to 'the prayer of our Lord,' this is the first occurrence of the word 'Dominus' (Lord), instead of 'Deus Messias' (God Messiah). In the next few numbers the term 'God Messiah' occurs, but after this only 'the Lord'" This is not quite accurate, see 1122.
481. About the language of spirits
Spirits recognize each other, and test by various methods to find out what the others are like, so that they may join company with them
That human souls imagine they are people on earth, equipped with bodies, you may see spoken of earlier [207, 296, etc.], even thinking they have clothes on, so that only with difficulty can they be torn away from their fantasy.
They also speak together among themselves, just as they had in this world; for speaking is only the putting together of a series of mental images, which, with people in the body, falls into the words of their native language. It is the mere putting together of mental images of spirits that fall into words with a person on earth, and for this reason, all of them speak in the person's language, even among themselves, of which the person may or may not be aware - or even speak in a strange language, as is well known: for the apostles were able to speak in any language [Acts 2:4], and this came from spirits.
Moreover, there is also a communication of mental images, as there is of words. In fact, by these alone, joined together, they can express more things within a minute than man can express by words in entire hours. I have learned this from a great deal of experience, in the course of which it became evident that souls speak among themselves, and indeed, just like people in this world; and I have even heard that they can also preach in the same way, the one teaching the other.
482. But how spirits join company, or on the other hand, how they are dissociated, [will now be explained]. Because they are most ingenious, and much cleverer than people in the body, they can tell by various indications that a soul is of the kind that may fit into their circles. They also test that spirit, by leading him into a conversation so that they may follow his mental imagery, and then cause him to speak according to his ideas and their own. Agreement or disagreement is plainly felt, sometimes plainly even by me, and from this they know what things are incompatible with themselves, and what are in agreement.
They lead man also in the same way, for they follow our chain of thoughts, and at the same time, inspire feelings, and thus lead in such a way that we believe we are speaking on our own, whereas it is nothing but a unanimity [of thought]. But when a spirit is intending evil, circumstances of this kind are bent by Jesus Christ to a person's good. 1748, the 17th day of January.
483. Further about compatibility among spirits, and their simultaneous action
When it has been made evident by various methods that spirits are in agreement, they join together and act at one, for they are brought together of their own accord. So it is that spirits find out who and what they are, and actually by a kind of instinct. I do not know all their methods of testing [souls], for there are many. Those spirits who are similar are brought together, the rest dissociated.
484. But even though a spirit may be of a kind to harmonize with other spirits, such as with evil spirits, nevertheless, by the mercy of God the Messiah, these kinds are delivered from their company and inserted into a group of others, so that they may come into the company of the blessed. God the Messiah as it were unites them, so that they may live together.
Thus by the mercy of God the Messiah, they are transferred from one circle to another, and such as the circles are, such is their life. This should be very evident to me, since I have been led from one group to another, continuously, and have come into the life of each one. But in my case - since I have been gifted with a double thought, one more inward, the other inward - when I was in the company of evil spirits, I could still at the same time be in the company of good ones, and thus see what the spirits were like who were trying to lead me, and this almost always happened with awareness on my part. Without this realization that I am in the company of evil spirits, and that it is these spirits who are so thinking and making me feel, I could not but believe that I myself were such a person, and meditated such things. 1748, the 17th day of January.
485. Besides individual influences, there are also collective ones
Today I spoke with evil and good spirits about the collective and the individual influence bearing on every single feeling, evil and good, namely, that there are tens of thousands, in fact many tens of thousands [of spirits] that are responsible for the collective influence, thus the whole heaven of spirits and angels. But there are specific individual influences concerned with each person, which are recipients of the collective influences, and as such they draw upon the collective influence, and are similar to it because they interact.
Thus all spirits and all angels individually are focal points of influences, and such as they are, such are the influences they receive, and share with people on earth, each of whom is likewise an interacting focal point of influences. This matter can be understood on the physical level by means of a great number of phenomena in both the atmospheric and the animate aspects of nature. 1748, the 17th day of January. The angels expressed agreement.
486. Collective and individual influences could not exist if God the Messiah were not ruling the universe
Unless God the Messiah were controlling the whole heaven, both that of angels and that of spirits, there could never be such an arrangement of all things in the heavens and below the heavens into kinds and species, that they could run concordantly in regard to all the lives of men, spirits and angels. For lives are feelings, and unless these derive from the one and only love, Who is Divine, and thus truly heavenly, the remaining kinds and species of feelings could never come forth and relate to one another. Therefore, feelings common [to many] compose a collective form, and one so well ordered that nothing better ordered is conceivable; and without such a horizontal and vertical ordering of feelings, no one could have life, for feeling is life.
Thus do all feelings interact, just as all the parts do among themselves in one body. In this body all feelings exist in a comparable ranked order. Therefore, unless God the Messiah had become [an earthly] Human Being, and thus unless the universal heaven relates to Him as its body, the universe cannot possibly be kept in that order, and by the universe, thus by God the Messiah, all and each of angels, spirits and men. 1748, the 17th day of January. These things also were written with the agreement of angels.
487. About the dragon, who took for himself a seat in the vertex or zenith of heaven
He who because of his fantasy is seated up high overhead at the zenith [see 461-64, 466-67], had been warned several times not to reproach believers, and persecute them. But still, since many centuries ago he has kept on, and corrupted countless people. When he is frightened, it is his nature to humble himself and to promise repentance and become submissive, but still, it does not last. He is cunning to the core, and because he has practiced his deceits for such a long time, he can by no means desist, however much he is offered grace. He has been shown the punishments and torments of others, and each time he is horrified, and resorts to his own little rituals and utterances, and prays for grace; but still, he returns to his old self, so there is no hope for him.
Of the punishments shown to him, I know three. First, at a given moment he suffered a pain like that of one giving birth, or an internal pain, extremely agonizing, and he wanted to turn this toward his own merit. After that he was let into the swamp, as it is called, to be immersed into it, and was held there for some hours; but he was freed from there. Today he was let into some place of the damned, to behold with his own eyes what he deserved more than those who are there. He was horrified, and for a space of hardly a quarter of a minute, suffered cruel blows. Being freed from there, he is now shuddering and praying again, but one who prays out of fear cannot be heard, only one who prays from the heart. 1748, the 17th day of January. To enumerate his intrigues and tricks, volumes would not suffice.
488. A great mystery
It is a great mystery that the whole angelic heaven has been so formed as to correspond completely to a Human being, as a whole and as to its single parts, and all its members, and that this greatest Human being was completely corrupted by falls, so that lower things were dominating over higher ones. Thence came the necessity that Jesus Christ should come into the world and should conquer the devil, and thereby restore order, and thus be the One and Only Human Being to whom the Universe related.
It is because of this that Jesus Christ is the all in all the parts and that with Him Alone, the angelic heaven interacts; and that the lower and lowest gang has been cast away beneath His feet, like slag or dung. Therefore one who is not in Jesus Christ, or in His Body, is not in heaven. 1748, the 18th day of January.
489. About the harmonious hymns of the angels
Today I heard angels of the inward heaven,* very many of them in concert, composing a hymn, which was clearly audible to my hearing. What they were saying I could not understand, because they were angels; nor were the spirits around me able to understand what it was. Only from a certain variation of my inward feeling, I was able to learn that what is heavenly was in it. The angels clearly understood those hymns, which to me were just like a continuous childlike sound, resembling the sound of a flute. They were, to be sure, in a heavenly gyre made up of very many, saying and depicting the same thing at the same time.
Afterwards I was informed what they had said, namely, that by their hymns they had fashioned a golden crown set with diamonds around the Head of our Savior, which was done as well by heavenly displays as by distinct mental images, which are the beginnings of human words, unintelligible to spirit or man; and what is amazing, many say and portray this simultaneously, and one does not command the other in a way that anyone is directing the chorus, but all are mutually leading each other at the same time - in fact the more there are, the more easily it goes. For they are all ruled by God the Messiah.
That harmony is unbelievable to a person on earth, yet spiritual and heavenly harmony is of this nature. Moreover, the angels stream into and are turned about in spiritual and heavenly gyres in countless varying patterns. Some of the more basic ones I myself have been let into and was able to follow; but any who try to act on their own, to command the rest, unwilling to let themselves be led, cannot possibly join in except under coercion. Souls are brought gradually into harmony and unanimity of these kinds, so that they are finally able to live among angels. 1748, the 18th day of January.
* See footnote number 3 at 262.
490. Those hymns which the two childlike choirs composed, could not be disturbed by fantasies. There was one boastful spirit trying to disturb them, but the fantasies were as nothing. From this I was able to infer what influence fantasies have upon spiritual and heavenly, or angelic elements: they are too gross to be able to bring about any change. It would be as though what is gross tried to enter into what is refined, or the final outcome into the beginnings, or the body into the soul. This, as human philosophy well enough knows, is a contradiction. Similarly, bodily and earthly elements cannot enter into truly spiritual and heavenly ones. 1748, the 18th day of January.
491. Once again I heard hymnists, or those singing the praise of our Savior. In fact, a number of choirs were heard singing at the same time about a variety of subjects, by means of visual displays and mental imagery. And yet they are one chorus, consisting of very many, and acting at the same time as one, without any confusion from each other, so that one was in the other, or inside of the other, even outside of the other.
In this way the whole angelic heaven customarily devotes itself to the praise and glory of the Savior. This is why musical harmony and singing is so delicious to the heavenly ones when the thoughts of a person on earth are concordant with their ideas. I have often experienced in churches, that the heavenly choirs have joined in, with a very deep sense of gladness, unbelievable, and thus unutterable, to anyone. 1748, the 21st day of January.
492. Continuing about the heavenly Choirs, their provinces in the human body, and their functions
While I was awake, again many angelic choirs were celebrating their Savior by their songs, and indeed, many at the same time, with a varying sound I did not understand, even though they were executing each and every note very clearly (for the more subtle or inward the subject, the better articulated it is). They were celebrating God the Messiah in different ways, and even though there were many praising at the same time, it was evident from the tonal modulations that there was wide variety among them. I learned what those varieties are in general, namely three: those who perform solely by visual portrayals; those who do so visually and at the same time vocally, which seemed to me to be very refined, sounding as if subtly winged [cf. 412] and as if they were the least of those who can be called lives; there are others who perform by voice only.
493. Moreover, there are also outward angels doing the same thing, whose action reached my perception - pictorial performers as well as vocal ones, and those who performed in both ways at the same time.
But the varieties are such as cannot yet be well described. For these varieties are entirely comparable not only to the lives of individuals, but also to the lives of all our inner parts; because no type [of spirit] exists that does not refer to some member, or to some aspect of an inner part, of the human body, for the reason spoken of earlier [486, 488]. Therefore they are allotted provinces, and functions, in the Body of our Savior.*
* In the original this sentence is emphasized by the symbol "NB." written twice in the margin.
494. Later I learned to what provinces those singing angels belonged, namely that the purer ones, who are angelic, belonged to the pulmonary functions - something I was also allowed to experience, that is, that they controlled my lungs for a while, which was done so gently and pleasantly, and indeed internally, that I scarcely felt any breathing of air. I felt it from the center to the outside, for the lungs act into all parts of the body, the inner and the outer. Besides these there were some who controlled my outer breathing, which I could feel very well, and they are spiritual, and therefore more noticeable.
495. Moreover, those choirs devoted to the involuntary action of breathing are distinct from those devoted to the voluntary action of breathing. Those devoted to the spontaneous action are governed by feelings alone, while the ones devoted to the voluntary action are governed at the same time by understanding and reason, being those who are in charge of speech, and who do speak. This so happens because speaking belongs to the province of the lungs.
496. It had been told to me that those dedicated to the involuntary action of breathing, also control a person's sleep. For as soon as the voluntary action of breathing is withdrawn, a person falls asleep; then the functions of those take over who are only feelings [for those] who are angelic, or demons for those who are spirits.
497. Every spirit can be controlled through the feelings, and thus be brought to whatever it pleases the Savior. Then they are brought whithersoever it pleases Him; but they should still be carried along by understanding. This is so for many reasons, the principal one being that character, and thus will, must necessarily develop through understanding in order for the person to participate in it; for without the exercise of our understanding, we do not realize that our own self is involved. There are very many further reasons, having to do with the human being's regeneration.
498. About accountability
That a person does not have any selfhood when the will is removed, is evident from sleep. In sleep, the voluntary part is absent, so that one does not have control over any part individually, but the whole body lies at the bidding of involuntary impulses. For this reason, one is then accountable for nothing, because of being asleep.
From this also it can be somewhat evident what causes the accountability for evil, and what things, both in men and in spirits, are to be accounted to them. This subject is very extensive, and known only to our Savior. 1748, 21 January.
499. Continuation about the heavenly body
You may see it has been said [486, 488, 493] that the universal heaven relates to the Body of our Savior, Who governs the universe as if it were His body, thus without any difficulty; and that the universe would be dispersed if all and the least things did not relate to His body and were not controlled by Him.
In His body are two kingdoms, so to speak, just as in the human body; one pertains to the heart and the other to the lungs. The one pertaining to the heart is called heavenly, and the one pertaining to the lungs is called spiritual. These two kingdoms are united in a wonderful manner; and the one and the other govern in every single region [of the body], though each in its distinct way.
499 1/2. I have been told that the generative members compose by themselves a distinct kingdom, just as in the human also they are distinct or separated from the rest.
500. Moreover, it was said that those spirits who relate to the kidneys are also partially separate from those kingdoms, but I do not yet know in what respects they are separate [see 959 ff.].
501. The dragon with his stars was cast out of heaven, toward hell, and what he is up to there [cf. Rev. 12:4, 9]
That the dragon was cast out of heaven, with the rest of those who had been his companions, you may see above [32-35, 417, 461-64, 466, 487], namely, from the very top of heaven down even lower than under the tail, or the generative members, where they now live, together with those they had led astray, who think they are walking about in ancient Jerusalem and in its mud, and are attempting continually to rise up, but cannot.
I have seen their attempts, but they still remain in the lower parts, and from there they are continuously scheming against the heavenly regions. This they do by aiming unending blasphemies at the province where the parts are that interact with the heavenly regions, to wit, against the lowest human parts, where the front and rear foundation is. I felt this throughout the night, but it was without any effect, even though, as I was told, the blasphemies were unending. They scheme to do this, because when they were up high, they were attempting by means of their fantasies to enter into the heavenly regions themselves. 1748, the 21st day of January.
502. About the dragon [see 487]
Today again, the dragon was sent for a moment or two to a place of punishment, namely, one where there were dragons and snakes. When he was taken out, he resorted as usual to supplication, asking of course to be released. He was put under the veil in exactly the same way that he himself had done to countless others [434-35]. 1748, the 21st day of January.
503. It was said about him that he had persecuted Jesus when He was in the world, and it was he who had tempted Him the most, and had also stirred up the priests and elders through dreams, both knowingly, as at that time, and unknowingly, for he was the chief of those who are in hell and love themselves. 1748, the 21st day of January.
504. He also said today that he is persecuting the Church, or those who have faith, according to what is said in Revelation, that he persecuted the seed of the woman, Rev. Chap. 12 [verses 13, 17].
505. He is extremely slippery. When he is undergoing punishments and is frightened, he promises all things, and admits the truth - thus from fear, as well as from falsehood or lying - to the point where one cannot imagine but that it comes from the heart, when yet it is only from the mouth. At heart he is entertaining something different. He has so very little left [of what is human], that if purged, he could lose his identity.*
* The manuscript has no paragraph 506.
507. The dragon's nature*
It is the nature of the dragon, spoken of above [501-5], to take notice of all and the least things, so that he does not let anything, either inward or outward, pass him by. Thus he keeps his eyes alert, mixing into every single thing, and then covers up the trails by every means he knows, including denials, so it will not appear that anything came from him - except when he breaks out in overt anger.
Then he blasphemes, brings forth his inner hatred, spares no one who is not a worshipper of him, seeks to fortify himself in every way so as not to be overthrown. When thrust down, he keeps on reaching for higher things, and he is also skilled through continual practice in every kind of subterfuge, exercising many of them, including some that are very filthy and would involve him prostituting himself.
These he also practices in anger, nor could it be otherwise, due to a habit of so many years, and due to the great number of spirits together breathing into him as their own focal point, of whom he is the ultimate medium. There are, in fact, many who are likewise dragons, but they relate to him as their idol. This is why he has this nature, for if he were to be deprived of worshippers, he would be capable of nothing.
This is the chief and the God of the Jews in the life after death, as well as of all those who are evil, even among Christians so-called, all of whom he champions. 1748, the 22nd day of January.
* The manuscript has no paragraph 506.
508. He who has just been written about is the head, the rest forming the body. Those who are being led astray by him are even portrayed in the heaven of spirits as streaming into the jaws of a great dragon, and being eaten up, so that they may compose some element of that body which he is striving to obtain. Hence also he is called the Dragon.
509. About Mohammed
Mohammed, in accordance with his own wish, also underwent temptations; that he had this desire, I could also infer from several circumstances, and he was certainly tempted this night by something done by the dragon.
While I was sleeping quite pleasantly and dreaming about almost nothing else than the meaning of the word "Comforter" (Paraclyti), spoken of in John [14:16-26, 15:26, 16:7 ff.], and matters related to Him, then the dragon pretended in front of Mohammed that I was awake, speaking and answering as though he were I, about which, however, I was entirely unaware.
Consequently, since Mohammed could not see otherwise than that I was so corrupt, and this for the whole night, he was driven to doubts about Jesus Christ, whether His power was so great, since the dragon had been able to lead even me astray in regard to truths.
When I awoke, he said, still undisturbed, what I am like - that I am wavering - and that this surprised him. But when I told him that this had taken place in sleep, and that I knew nothing about the conversation, that I had only been thinking about the comforter, and the like, he was surprised. This was also proven to him by a certain experience, which was, that the dragon tried to force me to sleep. These things show that Mohammed stood steadfast in his belief, even though he was tempted in this way. 1748, in the night between 22 and 23 January.
(See the continuation.)
510. Continuation about Mohammed
When he was finally convinced that those things had taken place while I was asleep, and that I had been completely unaware of it, he was then tempted in a different manner, being put under a veil by the dragon, and thus treated like the others - and in fact, under a thicker veil than the others - and also bound, as I am now told. But still he remained steadfast.
511. Next, he was put to sleep, and the others were thinking he had been deprived of his rationality and then forced to speak as his inclination prompted him, as spirits normally do. However, while asleep he was questioned about Jesus Christ, Whom he then also confessed. From this it can be inferred that he is being kept in the faith, and strengthened by Jesus Christ Alone.
These things were written in his presence, and in some cases he has dictated to me the words I have written. 1748, 23 January.
511 1/2. Mohammed now says that he remembers these things now, but that if they had not been written down, he would not have remembered the least detail. 1748, 2 September.
512. About Mohammed's spirits, how they are instructed and become angels
Spirits who approach Mohammed perform similar gyres as the angels, and indeed, along with singing in melodious voices, which I have heard for many days as I awoke from sleep. So they had been performing their own spiritual gyres throughout the night. Twice, and now once more, they were also allowed to enact singing displays, like the angels, one in fact concerning the Savior of the World, which they are said to have performed with a skill comparable to that of the angels, even so well that they were admitted into angelic choirs.
513. Moreover, before performing those gyres around Mohammed, they portrayed the things spoken of before [403, 407], such as baths, and the like, together with the resulting pleasure. They tell also that many things had occurred to them, as if in sleep, concerning the Savior of the World - something which Mohammed had not realized because it had been concealed from him. Thus one by one they had been instructed in the truth, and those instructed had been carried away from him, as he had told me before [345].
514. Moreover, during the morning and even the evening hours I heard angelic gyres being performed, both by those who had truly become angels, and also by Mohammedan spirits who had been competing with angelic ones. And now they are being cheered very much, sending heartfelt emotion through me. Mohammed affirms that he is feeling the same emotion as I. 1748, the 23rd day of January.
515. Two punishments of spirits, namely, that of being pulled apart, and the veil: how they take place in a person [on earth]
A person on earth cannot be pulled apart between two contrary [forces] as a spirit can [404], for the reason that neither his body, nor consequently his lower mind - because it adheres to the body - can be torn to pieces without his completely perishing, or dying. Therefore, in place of this punishment, or this type of purging process, a person on earth is held in between evil and good feelings [pressing upon him] from both sides, each of which tries to conquer. Thus he is held in a balance, and drawn hither and thither, and safely his indignation is kindled into anger, then perhaps turned into despair, or to the thought of [eternal] unhappiness for himself through his downfall.
This is how [the punishment of] being pulled apart exists with people on earth; and to these kinds of temptations, they seem to yield.
516. As for the second kind, namely, the veil [see 434-5], we on earth cannot be submitted to this either, for we know we are in the body, and cannot be thus concealed from any except a blind eye, nor be thus driven about to seek escape, because we know we are in the body.
But in place of that punishment we have this: when we want to recall truths to mind, or to write them down - even lucid and well thought-out truths - then the ideas are taken away, both in their general and particular form, and we cannot recall anything at all to memory. We are allowed to see something, as when a light is lit and then taken away or put out, and meanwhile we become inflamed with the desire to know it or write it down, and at the same time with indignation, and the determination to proceed, or even a [prompting from] the conscience not to give up.
These things in man correspond to [punishment by] veils with spirits, which are said to be of various kinds and species in spirits. 1748, the 23rd day of January.*
* Paragraphs 517-18 have been placed, as indicated by the author, after 521.
519. About the inhabitants of Jupiter*
1) Being desirous of knowing what kind of people are living on other planets, I have also been permitted to become acquainted with the inhabitants of Jupiter. For if there are planets, there must be rational and intelligent beings upon them, who relate everything they see to the glory of the creator - since nothing can exist in the universe that does not finally go back to the glory of God - and thus who are able by these means, to perceive things heavenly and Divine.
Their spirits are of three kinds. They who are of the lowest or reasoning kind, are black, or else dark, and they seek for those by whom they may be led to the One Only Lord, so that they may be changed, that is, become heavenly.
2) Besides this nation of spirits, there are also others whose faces shine like the Light from candles, and for the rest are dark; and they sit like idols, and let themselves be worshipped by slaves they had kept in the life of the body, for whom they call themselves intermediaries to the one only Lord in heaven, and they do not want them to get there except through their mediation.
3) Those whose faces are thus fiery are called saints,** because they had convinced themselves that they had led a holy life in the body; as a result of this, their face shines and they are distinguished from the rest.
4) The best of these [spirits] are their angels, who are not of a white, but of a most beautiful sky blue color, interwoven with little sparks of gold. These are their angels and constitute their angelic heaven, and these they call the intermediary to the One Only Lord of the Universe.
* Paragraphs 517-18 have been placed, as indicated by the author, after 521.
** The Latin is "sancti," meaning "holy ones."
520. One of their spirits of the lowest kind was brought to me, so that I might learn from him what they are like. As to his condition, this one was from among those who are dark, who seem to themselves to be flying in heaven, like swimmers in water, with their arms outstretched. This comes from the fact that in the life of the body, they do not walk upright, but creep, yet with their face looking straight forward, but not down, which to them is a disgrace, and characteristic of the very lowest kind. Those who look downward, they call the damned, and they are banished, to seek sustenance for themselves elsewhere. Besides this, like the people of our planet, they sit on seats, and are then upright. Therefore the second kind, called saintly, whose face looks fiery, do not swim in heaven like [the first], but sit.
521. As for the planet's inhabitants, the one who spoke with me told, as mentioned, that they creep, and that they sit; and that they are not divided up into cities, and thus communal societies, as we are here, but into nations and families, as we were on our earth in ancient times. Asked whether one nation waged war with another, he answered calmly that they have no need for it, since they have all the necessities of life. (They are naked, # #
517. Continuation about the inhabitants of Jupiter
# #* because of the mild climate, and for that matter in a body just like we have on our planet, for a body was shown to me.) Thus they abhor the killing of people, and wars.
517 1/2. They speak very little, but think more, and it is in a language rather of imagery than of words, in which they really excel. They can usually tell from each other's faces what they want, for they are trained to vary their expressions to show this. He tried to speak with me through thoughts alone, as he did not like words. But the power of imagery that brings out his thoughts is like speech without words. This is how he spoke with me, saying that he was a lowly spirit looking for the one and only Lord, so that he could come into heaven, for it was weighing upon his conscience that he had taken something away from a companion, of almost no value and which he believed that person was going to give to him.
They do not, however, look for their saints, or shining ones; these are only sought by their slaves.
* Paragraphs 517-18 have been placed, as indicated by the author, after 521.
518. Moreover, as he said, spirits also associate with spirits, and spirits with people on earth, which is not surprising considering they are so adept in imagery. But they have three signals to prevent them from saying more to them than they are allowed, namely, that they see a seemingly old man with a white face, which is a sign that they should not say anything but the truth. Therefore they are careful about what they say. The second sign is that a face appears as if through a window, which is a sign that they should depart and speak no more. An old man was seen also by me, afterwards a face as if through a window, and at once the spirit seemed to depart, nor did he venture to speak further with me by that kind of imagery.*
* Paragraphs 517-18 have been placed, as indicated by the author, after 521.
1) Asked whether they knew that the One Only Lord is Human, he replied that they all know He is Human, for by many of them, He had been seen as Human, and He Himself teaches them about truth, He cares for them, and they who believe in Him have life eternal.
2) He, the One Only Lord, governs their lives, and they do not worship idols, nor those saints who are intermediaries to the one only Lord for their own servants. So they live in innocence, love one another mutually, abhor wars, have the law written in their conscience or thought, and live according to it; and if they live otherwise, they are warned by their angels.
3) Moreover, because the general principles of how they should worship the one only Lord have been revealed to them in this way, therefore the children learn this from their parents. It is thus a doctrine passed by word of mouth among family members, which does not spread beyond the nation.
4) That He the One Lord had suffered, they do not know, because they live in such a state as to be taught by Himself.
5) After their death, they are led in this same way to His heaven. 1748, the 24th day of January.
* There are here placed two circles with dots in their center.
524. The first from among the inhabitants of our planet to come to them was one of the worst spirits from the inhabitants of our planet. He could not approach them, for they felt at once that he was evil, even though he was practicing his cunning. Later another came who was good; him they welcomed, and liked to associate with him. Still another came, who was of an in-between character, not yet improved, and they did not want to admit him either. Thus they sense at once what those who come to them are like. So they are kept at a distance from them.
525. Moreover, when their spirits become angels and are raised up to the angels of golden blue, or heavenly in color [519], then Horses, shining as if on fire, appear to them, which I also have seen. By these they are carried up, and so they arrive among the angels, with whom they say they are together, worshipping the one and only Lord.
526. About the dragon
When the dragon had been cast down from heaven to the lower parts - not yet to the lowest, except only to call his attention to the punishment, so that he might repent - finally, after having attempted evil things one after another, and without any result, he then showed himself as a most bitter enemy of God the Creator, Whom he formerly used to say he worshipped. But what kind of worship this had been, I was also allowed to learn, namely, that he placed himself on a par with Him, if not above Him, and even reproached Him because not everything came out as he wished. In fact he became angry, and cursed [God]. For this he was thrust down toward the lowest parts, where he was tormented for yet a little while.
Thereafter, throughout the whole night, as if insane, prodded by no one but himself alone, he cursed me, without giving a reason, he blasphemed, aiming his curses at me because I had opposed him. I could feel this all through the night, so he had been left on his own at that time.
After he was told about this, when I was awake, he admitted to it, as usual. And then, so as to avoid the punishment, he tried to get far away, to the ends of the universe. But whether he is sincere, I do not yet know.
Such a fate awaits those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the mediator, and such is their attitude toward the most high Creator, Whom they confess with the mouth, while in their heart, they consider themselves His equal; and when their evil intents and attempts are successful, then at heart they raise themselves above Him, for they acknowledge no mediator. 1748, the 24th day of January.*
* There is a line separating this paragraph from the next one.
527. Continuation about the inhabitants of Jupiter
Neither can those spirits be led astray by evil spirits, because they live in the order of life, and think more than they speak, so that their ability to reason descends from their understanding, and that understanding is instructed, through their heaven, by Jesus Christ, their One Only Lord.
This I was able to see from that spirit who was with me, and still is. For the evil breathing forth from an evil spirit cannot take hold in him, cannot become seated, but is without effect. Nor does this spirit concern himself with anything evil; he is only distressed by the matter he told about [517 1/2], which is so trifling that among Christians, it would be considered nothing. 1748, 24 January.
528. That they can tell the thoughts of others from their face, or speak by means of the face - especially those who speak little from childhood on, and do not learn to put on pretenses - is clear from much evidence. For [when they so speak], all thoughts, in their every least distinction, are marked upon the face. The spirits can display this adroitly by creating faces that pass through all the variations of a single affection in a continuous transformation.
529. Continuation about the inhabitants of Jupiter
One of them also showed me how they speak to each other by changes of facial expression, that is, by tiny little movements of their muscles - especially those around the lips. This is why there are in that region so many interwoven muscular chains. But it is around the eyes, I presume, that their feelings are displayed, that is, their more inward feelings, for the face is a reflection of the inward person, as was explained [528] in regard to the spirits who display faces, with their changing shapes and varying features.
But what they showed me by changes in the tissues around the lips, I could not understand - I could only feel the changes - because my face was not, from early childhood, trained in them and accustomed to them.
The fact that they cannot put on pretenses, but follow the true order of their life, is likewise the reason why they are unable to conceal anything whatsoever from their companions, without their knowing it at once, and knowing what they are like, and what they are dreaming up, and what they have done. So life with them is spiritual, and such persons can at once be singled out, and then taught, and be reformed.
530. They also showed that they do not force their face, but let it go freely, something quite unknown to those who have become accustomed from early youth to put on pretenses, or to speak and act differently than they think and love. Their face is drawn up tight, in readiness to vary itself as shrewdness dictates.
But with the [inhabitants of Jupiter] it moves freely, being especially let out around the lips, which protrude somewhat. In this way, the tissues are afforded the freedom of signaling everything they are thinking, quite differently from here [on earth], where the tissues are contracted, and thus unable to express the things felt by the mind. For if all the tissues in the lips and around the lips were taken apart, the truth would be quite evident: there are muscular and fibrous chains, and bundlings of the same, so complex that they could not possibly have been created only for chewing and speech, but also for expressing the least ideas of the mind, which can therefore be said to be written upon them.
531. It was asked whether they know that their one only Lord is Human. He said that they know this, and indeed from the fact that they see Him often, so that they know that He is Human, and that their one only Lord is Jesus Christ, though not actually calling Him by this name. But that it is the Supreme One Himself, Who is to be called "Jesus Christ," this they all now confess with one accord. He is not only Human but also at the same time God.
As for the name "King," they think it is below His dignity, because the name of King savors of what is worldly. That "Jesus" means "Savior," they also acknowledge, because it is the same as the Keeper of all.*
1748, the 24th day of January.
* At the end of this passage, B. Chastanier noted "see no. 3049."
532. Continuation about the inhabitants of Jupiter
The one who had been with me was becoming weary, longing for the company of his own people and turning away from those spirits who are from our earth because they were trying to deceive him and lead him astray toward things contrary to belief and truth.
This spirit also said that in the part of his earth where he had been, there was as great a number of people as the land could nourish, adding that the ground is fertile, abounding in all things. Therefore, since all live without greed, seeking only to be nourished, one can infer that there must be a multitude of people. 1748, the 24th or 25th day of January.
533. As for their faces, they are entirely like the faces of the people of our earth, except more beautiful. Two of them were shown to me in their actual shape, and they were beautiful, with bright expressions, beautifully sincere and kind, and showing a becoming modesty. For their angel had appeared behind a bright cloud, with a small face which conveyed to them permission to show their faces. 1748, the 24th day of January.
534. There also appeared to me one of their more holy ones, who in front, from the face downwards, shone with a kind of fiery light. He likewise was splitting wood [see 273, 330]) standing, and splitting the wood he had at his feet. When I asked whether he was cold, he replied that he was not warm, even though he appears fiery.
Thus when people ascribe merit to themselves, or credit righteousness to themselves, or holiness to their own abilities, the same lot awaits them all alike in the other life. 1748, the 24th day of January.
535. Their heaven is separate from ours, both so that they may be with their own people on their earth, and because they believe that the sky blue color dotted with little golden stars is the heavenly color itself; and because they are so convinced of this, they even appear to each other to be sky blue.
Nor do they want to be among the spirits of our earth, whom they know from experience to be cunning and deceitful, and who do not acknowledge the one only Lord; on account of their many wrong notions, they avoid their company. Their heaven is as great as that of this earth, and greater, because the inhabitants [of their earth] are more numerous. 1748, the 24th day of January.
536. It is remarkable that when the inhabitant of the planet Jupiter was shown to me, fiery in front, splitting the wood at his feet, it appeared to me as if it were a person whom he was thus striking, just as it did to the wood-cutters of our earth [271-3, 330], although it was only wood. From this one can infer that the illusion still persists that it is the Lord, even though they substitute wood in place of the Lord. How it looks to them, I do not know; but such an illusion occurs among others also. This shows what is hidden away in claiming merit to oneself. 1748, the 25th day of January.
537. They have little to do with those who are not of their nation. When they come upon them venturing beyond their own borders, they speak with them in a friendly manner, and want to perform for them all the services of charity; but their own circles are within the clan, which can extend quite widely. So they are divided up into nations, families and houses. 1748, the 26th day of January.
538. About the Dragon
It is amazing that although the dragon, or the "old serpent," does not cease to persecute believers - so very cunningly that I cannot describe his wiles and poisons - he has nevertheless admitted several times that he knows better than all others that Jesus Christ is the God of the universe, and governs the universe.
Moreover, spirits can also speak with him, and I have spoken with him just as with another person, often exposing his tricks in front of him. But I have done this only [through] spirits. Those who are in the heavens do not speak except through spirits.
540. With the inhabitants of Jupiter, almost all their speech is an inward mental image, or what we call a mentally materialized or imaged idea. It is not so much sensory or outer mental images, formed into words, that constitute their speech. This they have also, but in such a way that it supports the inward speech, and in certain cases, objects are expressed by it that are of use to their life.
541. As regards their speaking with their spirits, there are two kinds of evil spirits who molest them.* One kind is their worst. When he comes, a trembling and a kind of fear seizes them collectively, such as also seized me visibly when he came to me, so that I trembled, deeply frightened.
Looking at him as he was placed before me, I saw that he was a dark being, like a dark cloud, with several stars in front of him. He came up to my left side, retreating toward my back. He spoke with me, trying to talk with me in the same way as he did with them, but he was prevented by their angels, about whom something will be told presently [542]. He said that he could find out all that they had thought and done, which he does actually draw out of their memory. This is easy for spirits to do, when the Lord permits it.
Thus he wanted to reprove me for things I had thought and done, which he wanted to bring out, but it had been forbidden him. Still, he said that this is how he reproves others, surprised that he could not do so with me. He said that he is also allowed to chastise them by punishments, such as pains in the joints, even to such an intensity that they can bear it no longer - such as a twisting of the joints in the fingers, and feet, and also by some pains like gentle pricks in the face - subject to permission.
* The second kind is spoken of in 545.
542. But their angels are present instantly, and occupy the region of their head, which they fill up by a special method, not used by the spirits of this earth.
The spirits of this earth as it were take possession of the brain and the head, and sometimes with such force that it feels as if they are squeezing together the scalp, or pulling off the skull, very often with some sense of pain; so that if any other than an experienced person were to undergo this, they would believe it was pulling off their skull, or even squashing their brain.
But the spirits of the planet Jupiter approach with a gentle blowing action, occupying the brain in a kind of gentle and coordinated glide, for they fear that the person might be hurt and feel pain from them. They came to be within me by this gliding movement. They are the ones who restrain evil spirits from doing something worse to them than they have been permitted by the Lord to do; so that an evil spirit is held within limits, and controlled. These are their angels, who preserve them. I have spoken with them also. 1748, the 26th day of January.
543. A person on earth should not speak with any spirit, but a spirit may with the person on earth, and they were surprised that I spoke so much with them. From this fact they were enabled to learn that I was of a different kind. The person is only permitted, when he is being punished, to speak these words, that he will do so no more. Nor is it permitted him to tell anyone of his own people that he had spoken with a spirit. This is severely punished.
544. Continuation about the inhabitants of Jupiter
Spirits are permitted to speak with earth dwellers, but these are not permitted to speak with a spirit, except those words, when being chastised, that they will do the thing no longer. If they do it again, when they had promised not to, they are punished even more severely; for the spirit comes back, and easily proves them guilty. For he can tell from their memory everything they have done, as angels can from their conscience.
So spirits know from their memory what people have done, and angels know from their conscience whether there was evil intent, and they therefore temper [the punishment] according to the factors that present themselves. What it amounts to is that the angels judge between the spirit and the person.
545. The second kind [see 541] of these spirits who reprove, and at the same time teach them, also appear dark, as if they were dressed in sackcloth. These also come up to their left side, more to the front; and such a one came up to my side and spoke with me, saying that while he does frighten them with threats, he nevertheless brings no evil upon them. But when the people are afraid, he teaches them how they should think, and live. So these are their instructors.
545 1/2. Moreover, I was also shown a dead head, or a skull. The highest part of the head was bald, bony. It was said that those see such a head who will die within a year, so that they may prepare themselves for death. They do not, of course, fear death, except because of leaving behind their friends, parents and children; but knowing that they are going away to heaven, they are not saddened by it.
546. The lifespan of people there is for the most part thirty years. Those beyond that age are said to be unteachable, so that the spirits do not venture to reprimand and chastise them, for they say they know these things as well as the spirits. Therefore, because they are not flexible and docile like their young people, spirits are less desirous of speaking with them.
Moreover, it is of the Lord's Providence that they do not live beyond those years, lest the population grow too large. For their offspring are multiplying, because famine and thus scarcity of food does not withhold them from the sense of obligation to have children, as on this earth. Therefore they are brought together [in marriage] in their earliest youth, nor do they want anything more than to have children, caring little for the other delights, as they are here called. They are eager only for offspring.
547. Moreover, their faces are bright, and they guard them from the sun's heat. As for their bodies, they wash and groom them to be sure, but they do not care about them, for they say it is only body. The face, however, they do not call body, because they speak and think by means of it. Because, as they believe, thought is of the face, they therefore do not want it to be body; so they care for the face, keeping it bright and clean. They have a wide head covering made of light blue tree bark, with a wide brim circling the head, but no such thing for the body.
By their thoughts they showed me how they conceive of the face, namely, as speaking only, almost without any bodily element. Although it is of muscular composition, still they consider it to be devoid of muscles and tissues.
1748, the 26th day of January.
548. Continuation on the inhabitants of Jupiter
Their dwellings or tents were also shown to me. They are small, only roofs, open round about, made of light blue tree bark, which looked to me as if dotted with stars.
In addition, they also have another tent, constructed of the same material, of the same color, and likewise dotted. It was rounded, but stretched out lengthwise. Into it they betake themselves lest their faces be harmed by the heat of the sun. Their face they guard very closely, since they do not consider it as the body.
549. Moreover, I spoke with them about their saints. Their holiest ones who become wood-cutters, as said before [534, 539], do not call our Savior "the one only Lord," but "the highest Lord." In this they are distinguished [from the others], for they want to be hailed as lords also, and want their slaves not to worship the highest Lord, but themselves, who will convey their prayers to the most high. This is why they are tormented by this punishment of being quite cold, and splitting wood.
The spirits do not approach and chastise these, either [see 546], as they do the others, for they do not allow themselves to be taught, being unbending as well as cold. For while the spirits are coming toward them, they recognize because of the cold that they are such a kind, and therefore cannot approach. Such spirits seem to themselves to be, not like our wood-cutters, beneath the feet,* but rather high up, towards the front, in heaven. This is a sign that they are arrogant.
* See Arcana Coelestia 4943.
550. When I spoke with them, saying that no one can do anything good of himself, but from the only Lord, Who is Good Itself, and the fountain of all goodness, their angels replied modestly that they thought they could do good, and could not tell differently than that it is they who are doing the good. But after that, on being shown that all good that is thought and done, comes solely from the Lord of the Universe - and shown in such a way that they could comprehend it - then they replied that they are speaking in accordance with human custom, and we in a heavenly manner.
So they did acknowledge, but said it was simpler to think as they did. This too was explained to them, namely, that the Lord leaves those who live in that simplicity free to think in this way, just so they know. They were also present, but from afar, when I was writing these words; yet in such a way that they were nevertheless present, through mediating spirits.
551. They intensely contemplate the starry heaven, which they call the dwelling of the angels, not knowing anything about the many solar systems. Moreover, they are much wiser than our spirits, of whom they say that they speak much and think little, and are thus unable to grasp many matters more deeply, namely, whether [theirs] is truly heavenly goodness - therefore that they are outward people. But this they only say about spirits in whose company they do not want to be.
552. Furthermore, their angels are separate and, except for their very inward and innermost angels, cannot so well be together with our heavens; for the inward angels' own qualities, when they mingle with heavenly and spiritual angels, do not harmonize. Their fantasies, and similar phenomena to which they are subject, are different, for which reason they cannot so much be together, except by a general influence. However, the very inward and innermost angels make up one heaven throughout the universe.
1748, the 26th day of January.
553. Continuation about the inhabitants of Jupiter
After the evil spirit had come up to me [541] and their angels were keeping hold of my head in the way described [542], restraining the spirit from bringing on anything evil, angelic choirs came from our angelic heaven. One after another, they performed their harmonious pictorial gyres, and delighted [their angels] so much that they decided they had been swept up into a higher heaven - I could faintly feel their delights - and they wanted to tell this to their other angels.
Moreover, one choir after another kept coming, and thus, as it appeared to them, the entire heaven. This delighted them most deeply, so that they confessed that their One Only Lord governs all in the starry universe. Those melodious angelic choirs continued for around an hour, and [the spirits of Jupiter] were present, and they were amazed, and were deeply moved.
554. They were further surprised when I said that I would tell the inhabitants of this earth this and that which I had heard about them. This they did not want at all to happen, for it is forbidden for them, and punishable, to publish anything spirits tell them. They were likewise surprised that such things could be published throughout the planet, because they are unfamiliar with any region beyond their own, where their relatives are.
555. Their Moons shine on them, so that they live in light. Those who want to be worshipped [see 519] - being those who call themselves the holiest ones, and who call and name [the Lord] "the highest lord" and not, like the others, "the one only Lord" - do not like to call the sun "sun," for they believe it is the dwelling place of their Lord most high.
They are therefore nature worshippers. It is also for this reason that they want to be fiery, as they even appear to be, and why they have continually suggested to me "the most high Lord" [549], because they strongly desire also to be called lords. These are the ones who do not want to call the sun by name. The others said that they are lying, because they know that the sun shines larger than their moons, or great stars, and with intense heat, which they seek to avoid by withdrawing into their tents.
556. In short, even though they live so simply, they are much wiser than spirits and souls who want to be learned. For they see on their own what is good, not even wanting to name "evil." Twice I wanted to say "evil," but they were averse to it. This I can declare, that they are much wiser. The details in which our people place wisdom, they reject and call worthless. They say that there is nothing of wisdom in them, on the contrary, that they obstruct the way to wisdom, which is indeed most clearly the case - something that can be seen much better by spirits, and even by people on our earth who have not acquired a taste for philosophical jargon and petty opinions. These cannot but laugh within themselves that any should think themselves wise because of such things, whereas they are like thick clouds that overshadow and obscure all the light of true understanding. For they not only hide and take away the light from them, but also blind them, being the source of all doubts that cannot be dispelled, because they lie so far away from truth.
1748, the 26th day of January.
557. About communication of spirits with mankind
As has been stated and demonstrated [319, 445], when spirits, who are the souls of those dead as to the body, are present with people on earth and stand at their back, they believe that they are in every way those people. And if they were allowed, they could be entirely engaged in the life of the world through a person who speaks with them, although it could not be done through others. In fact, this could be done so openly, that through that person they would be able to communicate their own thoughts by words, even by letters. For several times, in fact quite often, they controlled my hand while writing, entirely as if it were their own, so that they believed it was they themselves who were writing. This is so true, that I can swear to it. Indeed, if they were permitted, they could write in their own style, which I know also from a bit of experience; but they are not permitted to do this. 1748, the 26th day of January.
558. About the inhabitants of Jupiter, continued
Their greatest concern is how to tidy up their tents, which they do not decorate. They only want to keep them clean, and also [to have enough] to eat. They do not have clothes. They do not strive to become richer than is needed in order to be nourished and to live. Besides these, their greatest concern is the upbringing of their children, whom they love most tenderly.
559. When they walk, they keep their face directed frontwards, wearing a spacious covering above it, and because they are almost jumping along, repeatedly lifting themselves up in their course, they do step upon their feet. When they take steps forward, they help themselves a little with their hands, thus raising themselves up. All these things were shown to me, and were seen and confirmed by their spirits, who do not dare to say anything but what their angels allow them to say. 1748, the 26th day of January.
560. Those who were with me saw horses, then said that many such are to be found with them, but they are in the forests, and they fear them greatly. Even though they do no harm, there is nevertheless a certain ingrained fear of them. The cause of this lies in the fact that horses portray knowledge, and that it was personal knowledge, or knowledge [obtained by] the senses, consequently pertaining to the body, self, and the world, that had led the most ancient Church astray and caused the fall - the same thing as is meant by the tree of knowledge, which led them astray [Gen. 3:6]. Herein lies the cause of the fear of horses, and from this it follows that they should not learn sciences, for thus their understanding is darkened and blinded, and thus the loves of self and of the world begin to dominate, which originate from and reign in darkness.
561. The question whether there were too many horses was answered in the negative - from which it can also be gathered that the fish of the sea are not multiplying out of bounds, nor certain harmful animals, such as crows, and others, even though they are not being exterminated, etc. etc. All of this shows clearly the Providence of the Lord, in general and in particular. This they understood, saying that the Lord governs in such a way that each may have its own existence. 1748, the 26th day of January.
562. The advantage of spirits in comparison with people on earth is evident also from the fact that [spirits from the] inhabitants of that earth could even understand letters, both those I was writing and those I was reading, as if they had been taught. Thus they come into possession of the things that are in a person [they are with].
563. Continuation about the inhabitants of Jupiter
Those who are the worst of them worship the Sun, calling it the face of the Lord. But while those who call themselves saints persuade their own people that this is so, yet they say that they themselves do not worship the sun, but the Lord on high, whose abode is in the sun. These, however, are their worst ones, and the others shun them. From them, even spirits stay away, as said before [549], on account of the cold. So they are shut out from communication with heaven.
564. Moreover, I was able to grasp many things from them because they only think, and are not interested in particulars.
1) For example, when I was considering what the Light of understanding is, namely that it is the light of truth flowing in from our Lord, and in fact, a higher knowledge of universal truths, such as that our Lord governs all things, then [I understood] that personal knowledge obscures this light, and that such details, or truths about details, are in that general light like the variations that cause colors in the world - for which reason regeneration is also compared to the rainbow.
2) I further understood that it is the thinking that makes a human being's quality. When the thinking only clings to worldly and bodily things, then the understanding attaches itself to them to such an extent that the person cannot possibly speak with the Heaven of spirits; for the thought rushes outwards, and into oneself, the world, and nature, causing persisting fantasies in the other life that must be shaken off and die, which takes place by a painful separation process. It is different in the case of those who are absorbed only in thoughts about the Lord, thus about things of heaven.
3) There is therefore a twofold arc of the rainbow: one, which [newly arrived] souls love, arising from fantasies joined to what is spiritual; the other, arising from a spectrum of spiritual and heavenly elements, without anything of nature, and such is the very inward heaven. 1748, the 26th day of January.
565. For people who give themselves over to the will of the flesh, only personal elements emerging from words, and double meanings, and the values they place in worldly and bodily things, count for anything. These qualities draw to themselves all higher thoughts, which are then engulfed in them, and thus perish - because to them, those things are everything.
But they who are absorbed in thoughts about heavenly life have no interest at all in anything of this kind, but regard it as something to be laughed about, seeing it as a little cloud in front of the sun, which they at once chase away. For they love the light without little clouds; while those living in an upside-down order love the cloud without the light. They find their light in clouds, and in this their ingenuity consists, that is so admired throughout this planet.
Such [obstructions] also are philosophical terms - consequently, the totality of manmade philosophy. 1748, the 26th day of January.
566. Continuation about the inhabitants of Jupiter
The inhabitants dwelling below the equator, like the inhabitants of this earth in Africa and in the warm zones, go about naked, as said [521, 558], as we read also about the children of the most ancient Church under the name "Adam," namely, that they were naked [Gen. 2:25]. In a state of innocence, nakedness is not shameful. The shame of nakedness arises from sin, and in fact, from the wiping out of heavenly love. Then follow loves which cause nakedness to be shameful, for which reason Adam also knew at once that he was naked, and also Eve, and they hid themselves.
So it is with those who live on this planet in the equatorial regions. Nakedness is no great thing to them, for they desire nothing else than to have children, for the sake of heaven.
567. They do not walk on four feet like animals of the earth, or four-legged animals, but more or less jump, at the same time helping themselves along with their hands, so as to go faster. From time to time they stand on both legs, but bent at the knees, and they sit gracefully, almost like the Mohammedans, wherever they may be; and they rest in the same posture.
The fact that they move forward by jumping, arises from their inward nature, because they are of the earth, and at the same time look toward heaven. But the people of our earth, and spirits, mock them for this, being evil themselves, and born into wickedness, and boasting that they walk upright, whereas this is more a result of being arrogant. Clearly, the erect position of the body is not natural, but artificial, learned by training and habit over a period of time. Nature prefers that they walk in this manner, and if [the people of our earth] had so walked, it would have become good manners from custom, just as nakedness did in the warm regions of our earth.
568. Those from that earth are now saying, while I seem to be speaking with them through spirits - which is an easy matter for our Lord in His omnipotence - they are saying that their friends do not mind in the least that they are naked, that they are never surprised about it, nor do they ever consider it improper.
569. When an evil spirit of the earth Jupiter was at my side, wanting to reprove me for things I had thought and done, the angels of that earth were also present, as mentioned earlier [541-42]. They were then holding up my face, especially the area around the lips - my mouth open, and my expression ever cheerful and laughing. Later I was told that this is the way they keep the inhabitants of that region, so that they have a cheerful countenance, not a sad one, for the reason, as it seems, that angels are present.
The evil spirit did not know otherwise than that it was an inhabitant of his earth at whose side he was standing. 1748, the 26th day of January.
570. Besides the spirits of that earth spoken of above [519-20], there are other spirits who urge toward things contrary, for everywhere there are also opposite spirits, and these are their spirits who have been banished from their society and have become evil. When they come up to anyone, something like a flying fire falls near the front parts of the person, passing thence to his back parts lower down, and from there he speaks toward the higher parts, and in fact in a rough and forked voice, such as cannot be adequately described, almost as if he spoke with a forked tongue. He tells them contrary things, namely, that they should not live according to the teaching of the angels, but free from restraints, and things of this kind that are contrary to what the teaching spirit had told them previously. For the most part they come not long after the teaching spirit has left, and then tell the person the opposite, urging him toward a licentious life.
But because the people there know that these spirits are of that character, they do not heed them. They also learn in this way what evil is, for without a recognition of evil - inasmuch as there are such people - their life and understanding cannot develop; but they must be taught what is good by means of evil, and thus they learn to avoid evil, and to strive after good, as well as to be moved by what is good. 1748, the 27th day of January.
571. Those spirits who present themselves as saints, are cold. In order that I might feel their cold, a certain spirit approached, and appeared as though he were in me, with the result that I could feel his cold condition. He said that he felt warmth from me. 1748, the 27th day of January.
572. Continuation on the inhabitants of Jupiter
Their good spirits were anxious that I should not publish anything I have heard from them, for among them it is forbidden, and punishable, to divulge what spirits speak to any outside of their family - thus except to closest friends and married partners, and children to their own parents.
1) But I replied to them that on this earth, the situation is different in that spirits and angels do not speak with people, nor do people hear what a spirit is saying, because their thoughts are immersed in worldly and bodily concerns. And it is their nature not to believe anything the senses do not grasp, so that many do not even believe there are spirits and angels, thus that there is a heaven, or a life after death, still less that the one only Lord rules all things and all people - these facts they comprehend all the less because they judge from the ideas of the outer senses, which are so limited, corporeal and material, that they grasp nothing of that kind, but cloak it all in darkness, and consequently in doubts, causing people to deny inwardly.
2) In fact today, even these things that have been seen and heard by me concerning people on another earth, many do not believe, but roll up in various wrappings, calling them fantasies; and if they dared, they would even call fantasies anything they read in their holy Word - so unbelieving they are! So what they will have thought about these matters among themselves, I do not yet know.
573. They were extremely surprised that our spirits do nothing but mock them for helping themselves along in their steps with the use of their hands, and for being naked, remembering nothing at all of the things said [in the Word] about their own heavenly life. This is an indication that they think only the lowest, or bodily and earthly thoughts, and that higher things are of no concern to them.
574. It can be inferred from their facial speech that they understand quite fully and quickly whatever a companion, and what their spirits speak, and of course, those who are more perfect, what their angels speak. For it is a speech free of elaborations that distract the thoughts and break them up into main points. Thus they can see the thoughts as a whole, for there are many things in them simultaneously, as when a person thinks or sees what is pictured almost at a single glance, as they say, together with all the feelings that are in it; so they are able to recognize what feeling lies within the speech.
Therefore with them, the face speaking is the index of their true feelings - and around the eyes, even of their mind. And they are not at all able to dissemble, and therefore their inward and more inward life itself is in their speech.
So they are able to speak with their heavenly beings, because their ideas are not thus immersed in earthly and bodily matters. Such an immersion causes the inward parts to be cut off, and, on this earth, makes people outwardly like angels, but inwardly like wild animals. They are surprised that any beauty can exist on the faces of this earth, and that they are not deformed. But this results from a different cause. 1748, 27 January.
Just now I spoke to those spirits from Jupiter who were present, saying that the evil people of this earth in the other life gradually become so ugly and deformed in their face, that they cannot look at them on account of their ugliness. I was told that their beautiful faces come from their infancy, which is innocent. 1748, 4 Sept.
575. About those in the afterlife who seek to warm themselves by cutting grass with a saw
About the wood-cutters, you may see what has been said previously [271-3, 330, 534-6, 549]. There are also some who saw, not wood, but grass, and by this means seek to warm themselves.
When I inquired who these were, [I was told] that they are those who live morally well in life, doing no one injustice, thus who are reputed as good in civil life, and also give to the needy and poor, so they believe that on this account they deserve some [reward]. But although they know that Jesus Christ our Savior is the way, and the only one to be worshipped, because He is the one only Intercessor, Human, and God, thus the one only Lord, nevertheless they still pass Him by and believe in their heart that it is sufficient for us to acknowledge the one only God, creator of the universe - by whom they mean the Father. Consequently they doubt, or rather deny our Lord, thus scorning His the Only Intercession.
These after death are the kind who are cold, and who seek to acquire warmth for themselves by sawing grass into tiny pieces.
576. Furthermore, they go about, asking among all whom they meet whether they would like to give them something to make them warm. When they receive something, and indeed, something of warmth from others, even this does nothing for them. For they are trying to obtain an inner warmth, not the outer warmth they get from others; and they finally become so afraid and sick of the others' warmth, that they go back to their sawing, to acquire warmth for themselves.
Their coldness also, I have felt, which is very intense, and they could not bear it if I either warmed myself at the fire, or warmed my feet with shoes, or anything of that kind.
576 1/2. Moreover, they are always hoping they are to be carried up into heaven because they have done good deeds in their life, even deliberating how they could force their own way, or lift themselves up, into heaven. But it is in vain, for they still become cold.
577. Still, these are quite perceptive spirits, as I was able to infer from one who had been elevated into the realm of higher spirits. The spirits there could not harmonize with him, because they were too dense, for they could not penetrate the things that he was thinking - until he came among some who had been like himself. But even in their company he could not remain for long, because that same quality was still clinging to him. 1748, 27 January.
578. About the Characteristics of good spirits
Good spirits are distinguishable by many characteristics, as by their warmth when they came up to me, by the gentleness of their action upon me, and by the softness of their speaking; likewise, by their gentle pliability when they move in the company of many, and especially by the fact that when they are working in the company of many, it is openly seen that there are many functioning at the same time - thus not completely as one, like the angels.
They are distinguished chiefly by the fact that they do not want to say anything evil about anyone - like one in their company who was speaking, and called evil spirits by a bad name because they are wicked. Him who had said this and had thus set himself apart from them, they estranged from their choir, saying that he should first be taught not to hurt anyone by some smart remark.
Thus it is recognized at once in their circles, whether they are alike, or harmonize; and so they are also tested. 1748, 27 January.
579. About angelic choirs
Many angelic choirs have been heard round about me for several days, which I cannot well identify, except for the Mohammedans [see 512-4, 3040]; for the whirling movements of the ones I was able to watch differ. There are those who complete a gyre without a sign of any partition. There are those who go through and terminate a gyre in two parts - so that the beats, as it were, heard in a whirling movement may be threefold, fourfold, fivefold. There are those who reach six quite perceptible beats in each whirling movement, which is so fast, that one whirling movement scarcely lasts one second. 1748, the 27th day of January.
580. About the inhabitants of Jupiter
I have heard from their good spirits about the death of those who live on that planet, namely, that they die in their youth, for the reason advanced earlier [546], that is, so that the population does not increase too much. But they rarely die of sicknesses, as on this earth, except those who have lived an evil and superficial life; instead they die calmly, and as if in sleep, thus entering through sleep into the other life.
581. There were some spirits from that earth who listened as I was reading Chapter 17 of John. They were surprised that the One Only Lord had become a human being, and had been on earth like another human being, but still they said afterwards that all things [they heard] are Divine. Spirits of our earth, who were disbelievers, were constantly interjecting that He was human, that He was crucified, that He was born human, and was like any other human being.
They listened to these remarks without saying anything. Later, however, they declared that these spirits were altogether devils, because they take the things they are saying from what is worldly, bodily, and the like, which they on their earth reject as waste and consider as nothing. On such refuse these spirits like to base their speaking, which blinds minds and casts darkness over the light of truth.
And now they are warning the spirits of our earth that so long as they stay in such rubble, and develop their arguments therefrom, or judge therefrom, they are no different from their own devils, whom they completely reject from society, casting and spewing them out beneath their feet, or into the mud.
The spirits of Jupiter could also judge their evil character from the fact that of all that the spirits of our earth had heard about them, they entertained in fantasy nothing else but the fact of their nakedness. Other matters, which are heavenly, they do not even think about, which leads to the conclusion that there is almost nothing heavenly in them. 1748, 26 January.
582. As for their gait, I have watched them helping themselves along with their hands, and jumping [567], because it was also granted me to see how they walk. Every third step, they turn around, performing a full circle with face and body, and then sit. They do this so that they will not be seen except for the face, for they very much like their faces to be seen, but they hide the other parts by so sitting, in their own fashion, whereby also their foreparts are concealed, which they do not like to be seen either.
583. Furthermore, some of their spirits were present with me, to whom I was showing the inhabitants of this planet, whose faces at the time all seemed to me smaller than usual. This happened because they were seeing the faces of the people of our earth as smaller than the faces of their earth's inhabitants, and they said that the faces were not beautiful, both because they were smaller, and because they were quite ugly on account of (koppor, kopparrig*). They said that among them such faces are not to be found, nor people who were blemished in the face by red pimples and the like, because they do not get sick. Some faces they smiled at, namely, those in which the region around the lips somewhat protruded, and those which widened so as to be laughing faces. Sad ones they did not enjoy, because worldly concerns imprint such expressions on them. Thus from the faces, they are able to recognize of what character people are. 1748, 26 January.
The annual movement of Jupiter is twelve years, and the diurnal movement six hours.
* In the original, two Swedish words, "koppor, kopparrig," meaning "pustules, pock-marked," appear here in parentheses, and in the margin the Latin word "maculati," meaning "blemished."
584. Continuation on the inhabitants of Jupiter
About the inflow of the angels of the earth Jupiter, it is allowed only to note that it is soft, and comes in alternating waves, so to speak; therefore it is gentle, like the character of these angels, who also think in this manner.
584 1/2. From time to time, I have engaged in conversation with them, through their spirits, for of course, what the angels are thinking, this the spirits speak, as if on their own. In general, the thought is drawn away and taken up by spirits who, without reflecting on these circumstances, believe that they are speaking entirely of themselves.
I have discussed the same matters with some who had been from another earth, and they understood them better than I. If I only intimated or attended to what I was thinking, they grasped a fuller meaning of the matter, so that they said they understood me better than by outright speech conveyed to them by speaking spirits.
585. Furthermore, their understanding far excels the understanding of the educated and wise on our earth, especially of those who are from Europe. These regard themselves as learned because they dissertate on philosophical matters, and are enraptured by nothing but terms and trivia, which take away all the meaning of a thing, as when the mind is intent upon the words of a speaker and not upon their sense - so that if the terms were gone, the mind would perceive the meaning clearly.
This the spirits of Jupiter well understood, and they said that such terms are only little black clouds, which get in the way, and which they do not want to let in when they are portraying their starry heaven by a vision. That is where it becomes evident what a difference there is. When they wanted to portray the one only Lord changing wrong feelings so that they might become good ones - which amounts to changing evil into good - then they pictured the mind devoted to understanding as a beautiful figure, and its activity as a feeling harmonizing with that figure. Then they tried to show me how the one only Lord bends bad feelings into good ones, which they did for some time in their own characteristic manner, and so adroitly that they were warmly praised by the angels.
The learned of our earth, however, could not grasp this at all, when yet they were scholars, and thought themselves wiser than those spirits. But they think themselves learned if they merely can dispute about what form is, what measurement is, what substance is, what matter and non-matter is - which the spirits of the other earth laugh about and call insanity. They love real things, while the former love nothing but filthy scum. They are now telling me these words.
586. Again regarding their gait [see 582], it is not creeping, like that of animals, but half-upright, with their chest and face leaning forward and upwards and their feet resting on the ground below, so that they can easily help themselves along with their hands or palms, and quickly turn, and quickly sit down.
587. Moreover, when I was in bed, they did not want me to turn over facing the wall, but wanted me always to look forward, that is, away from the wall. And when I said that it was not possible in this case, because I had to lie on both sides for the sake of rest, they said that this was done by their people by completely turning over end for end, and rapidly, for they want to look outward, because they believe the Lord to be there. This has also often happened to me before, but I did not yet know the cause of it, namely, that spirits of this kind were acting with the others in a group.
1748, the 28th day of January.
588. Also shown to me was the head covering of those who boast that they are saints. It is a dark, towering cap. The head beneath it was snowy white, but whether because of gray hair, I did not inquire. In this manner their saints cover their head, namely, with towers, so to speak.
589. About one kind of punishment of the evil spirits from the planet Jupiter
A kind of punishment that their worst undergo was shown to me. They are held as if in a tub, so bound up that they cannot move themselves at all. Meanwhile, they are troubled by dreadful fantasies about their own imprisonment, and a longing is aroused to come forth from their bonds. This being futile, the longing is joined by anxiety and torment, and they are told that they must bear these things until they have paid everything, even to "the last farthing" [Matt. 5:26]. Even so, they are set free. The appearance of their face was brought before me, and it was ugly, and as if it had been torn apart.
This punishment corresponds to both of the fantasies of the hellish crowd, that of being in a kind of tub [285-86], and also that of punishment by a veil, spoken about earlier [534-35]. It is said that they are then tormented miserably; but they were told that if they had paid the very last farthing, it would have taken forever. It was for this reason that the One Only Lord bore the cruelest tortures on our earth, in order that they may thus be freed, when yet they have borne this for only a dot of time.
590. Learned spirits of Europe, who are constantly trying to lead them away from truth and belief in the Lord, held forth that His act of salvation took place in a given time, and almost four thousand years had elapsed before He came into the world, and yet that also previously, spirits had been saved. The spirits of Jupiter could not help laughing at their inventing such charges in regard to Divine matters, since, as they were told, past and present are one with God; for to Him all things are present from eternity to eternity, so that promised and done is the same thing with the Lord.
There are other objections besides that they very often raise, wanting to corrupt all spirits, whomsoever they meet. Such are the Europeans, who are called Christians, and in fact inwardly, many are of this character; for in the world, they dissemble, saying one thing with the mouth while bearing something different in the heart. Hereafter, spirits or souls cannot but speak from their acquired character and therefore from the heart, consequently from a life of self-love, which had consisted of nothing but passions, with the result that their understanding, so-called, had consisted of nothing but falsities.
For there is no other power of reasoning that stays with people [after death] but what springs from their love, so that such as the love is in the body, such is the life, and such is the behavior. That love is recognized in the other life so easily that nothing is easier. When they utter but one word, or when they divulge, or only think, one mental image, their whole spirit is exposed at once, as well as what they had been like in bodily life. So they are put in the company of similar spirits, who all act in conjunction.
591. There was also conversation with spirits of the other earth on the manner of philosophizing here, namely, that when those here are describing spirits, souls, and similar invisible entities, they remove all elements on which human ideas can have a grip, such as locality, components, shapes, and the like, and leave no idea and consequently no term, by which to express those things which have to do with spirits and the like, calling them immaterial, etc., thus wrapping them in terms, finally [assigning them] occult properties. Thus they end up doubting whether there is anything within, or beyond, those things which the senses grasp, and many deny that there is (at least at heart). So they deny the existence of spirits, they deny spiritual things, they deny heavenly things, supposing that they will die, as all other animals do, from which they do not even know to distinguish themselves - and nevertheless they want to be thought learned. Moreover, they connect together their terms and thereby develop many themes that are nothing but scholarly terminology which, if unwrapped, exhibits a simple, easily expressible meaning.
The spirits of the planet Jupiter laugh about these and similar matters, and again they are calling such people insane - and manure, if their thinking is immersed and bound up, or entrapped, in such things.
1748, the 28th day of January.
592. About a punishment of women, especially, who lead an indulgent and idle life
[I have seen] the punishment of women who lead an indulgent and idle life, characteristic of those in some regions when they have become wealthy, and for one reason or another rise to prominence above others - who thus reside in pleasures, letting themselves be waited on like queens by servants and attendants, not having to worry about anything, just indulging their inclinations in elegance and indolence, reclining on couches, dressing up, and sitting at tables and desks; and in this fashion they pass their lives.
But having seen the fierce punishment that such women undergo in the other life, I was told two times that they were not the type of women who had been born into such conditions, such as queens, or who were brought up in them from early childhood and thus accustomed to them, for these have known nothing else. The type of women that are meant here are those who, because of some distinction, or because of riches, and the resulting arrogance, in the course of time have thus given themselves up to voluptuous living.
593. Those who are like this, upon coming into the other life, seem to themselves at first to be among their like, and thus to carry on in the same way as they had done during their life in the world. But this scene is changed into a cruel one, for those same women clash vehemently among themselves, bruise and tear each other, pull each other's hair and tear each other's scalps, so pitiably that one cannot stand looking on. Also, they even hang them up naked like pigs, cutting off their feet, tearing them apart in a thousand ways, one after another. In fact blood flows so abundantly that I shuddered, and it is a horror to describe such scenes, but nevertheless, such is their punishment. The spirits around me, frightened, wanted to flee away.
What kind of women they are, you may see above [592]. These appeared to me in front, toward the left, in a certain higher place symbolizing the fantasy linked to arrogance. 1748, the 28th day of January.
594. About the disbelief of European spirits
When I was reading something about the suffering of our Savior, certain European spirits who had been called Christians, brought in this and that, wanting to lead astray spirits of the earth Jupiter, with the intent of drawing them away from the true faith so that they could communicate to them their own scandalous thoughts, which are many and relate to the passion and crucifixion of our Savior.
However, I said to the inhabitants of Jupiter that among those telling these offensive things, there might be some who in the life of the body were able to be public preachers, and when they were preaching about the Lord's passion had been deeply stirred, and had moved the common people to tears; and yet now they are such scorners, because now they are speaking and reasoning from their character and their heart.
Then the inhabitants of the other earth were amazed at this, and dumbfounded that there could have been such a disharmony of their inward parts that they had been able to speak in this manner, and yet have something else at heart - which for them, as they say, is impossible, for their face cannot speak something different than their heart. 1748, the 28th day of January.
595. About someone among the most learned
One spirit who had been extremely famous and most acclaimed on account of his doctrines, came upwards toward me from below, thus from the lower earth. He was cold, as I plainly felt from the cold blast. He said that he had heard what I had discussed with others, but that of the heavenly and spiritual things, he had understood nothing, even though he had been one of the main writers on those subjects; nor did he understand what even a spirit of the lower sort knows, or even want to learn it. He was therefore rebuked and told that this was one thing necessary in this life. He did not know that he was in the other life. 1748, the 27th day of January.
596. More about the inhabitants of Jupiter
In regard to the taste of foods, they do not prepare foods for the taste, but for the use they have to their body. A food that is more useful to their body, is accordingly more savory to them, and seems sweeter. Consequently, they are not carried away by the sense of taste into luxuries that undermine the health of the body, causing the mind to suffer, which is sound in a sound body if the body is taken care of for the sake of the inward person. This is different from on our earth, where taste is in command, and so, the body becomes sick and the mind unsound.
597. About the burning desire of spirits
There are spirits who are easily enkindled with desire, so that they become exceedingly impatient, and seemingly burn with a desire, and in fact, for something of no use to them. One even admitted this, since it happened now and then that I burned with the desire of possessing and buying this or that, and realized that it was not I who was thus burning with longing, but that it was spirits. They spoke with me, confirming their desire, and saying that they could hardly exist if they did not obtain those things. Their desire persists a long time, sometimes even until I have acquired them. In fact, this happens even with those who know that the items they want are of no use to them, but only to me, as I also showed them. One said that he knew this, but still could not desist. The yearning for those things is inflamed by many other spirits of the same kind who are in society together, for whom they act as intermediaries with the person on earth. So that I might understand this better, that desire was changed within me in an instant, which was caused by the fact that different spirits had then taken over.
Thus it is spirits who arouse desires, longings, and such, as has happened with me so often that I cannot number the times. And so there are demons through whom the Lord governs people and allows them to be aroused, for various reasons, both for the purpose of punishment and for the purpose of their uplifting. 1748, 29 January.
There are evil spirits who even arouse that pleasure of sitting for a long time in toilets, and staying there beyond the required time; for devils delight exceedingly in toilets, as you may see mentioned previously [377, 414].
598. About spirits properly so called, who are not demons, but are speaking ones
Spirits properly so called are only those who love to speak and are mediums of the speech of many. These are also divided up into kinds and species, as well as into classes. They want to be called intelligence, or knowledge, and think they are the only ones who know, indeed who control all things, each in a different way. At each level there are such spirits, to whom pertain the spiritual matters; yet they think little, although they believe they think more than others. But I cannot as yet enumerate the different kinds among them.
599. It is remarkable how, when something comes up, such as if anything occurs in the other life, they then immediately think they know what it is, and speak as though they know, saying it is this or it is that and describing it as if they knew all about it. This they do one after the other, each differently, so that they form different opinions about the things that occur and touch any one of their senses, at once convincing themselves that it is as they say. Many spoke with conviction, one after the other, about one and the same object. They also love to lead me, when I am writing. 1748, 30 January.
600. About a collective glorification in the heavens
For quite a long time I was kept in a broad vision, which almost withdrew me from personal ideas, or those on the bodily plane. There appeared a kind of lively sparkling of light nearby, like the light of diamonds, and this continued for quite a long time. I cannot describe that light in any other way, for it was very general, and it drew me away from ideas on the bodily plane, in fact, from the body. When I was in it, then I was looking at bodily things as if below me, and I did feel them, but as if remote from me and not belonging to me, and thus not being part of me.
Several times, the spirits and demons said that I was absent from them, and that they did not know where I was, nor what I was thinking. They complained that because of this, I was being removed from them, and thus the gladness which they had felt from speaking with me, and from being one with me through direct communication, had passed away.
601. Moreover, it seemed to me at that time that I was in that glory as to the head, but not as to the body - but in such a way that I was without a head, which had diffused itself into their common head, while the body was below that realm. From this it was granted me to learn how they who are in heaven are able to hear and see those things that come forth in the realm of spirits, namely, as being remote from them, and below them, nor are they allowed to see and know anything but what it pleases the Lord [to show them].
602. The influence of evil demons I have also felt, but without any effect upon myself at the time, because they could not have very close communication. One of them who is a dragon, encircled at that time by very many evil spirits and demons, enabling him to work more forcefully, was then laboring and using every device to find his way in and attack. But he eventually admitted that it had been to no avail, and he wanted to persuade his crowd to depart.
603. Due to some bodily elements that were attached to spiritual ones, something seemed to me to have entered him, but this did not cause any anxiety, for it passed away at once, and was as if dissipated.
604. Moreover, when I was in bed, before I fell asleep, I heard a general singing of heaven around me, by many angels of the inward heaven,* and at the same time I was then in a visual glorification. That glorifying which came to my hearing, while it was audible, at the same time it was general, because what they were portraying and singing, I could not understand at all. I was told that the universal heavens continually ascribe glory to the Lord, and glorify Him in this way.
604 1/2. That such glorification goes on and on, I was also able to infer from the fact that whenever I took a breath while humming a song, I would be following those who were likewise singing by means of gyres, so that I could tell that the glorification was perpetual.
604 1/3. But this was just the glorification common to all; the angels have distinct spiritual and heavenly mental imagery, which no one can see except one who is in the heavens. I am told that it is most clear to those who are in heaven, that is, heavenly glorification, as well as spiritual; and that whatever of it comes forth in the realm of spirits, appears in such a way that they are able to know and learn nothing but what the Lord allows them to.
* See 262, footnote 3.
605. There is also a collective breathing, about which I was able to observe the following, namely, that I was then somehow taking part in a collective breathing that was easy and spontaneous; and indeed, that the collective breathing of heaven related to my own breathing as three to one, as did my heartbeat also. Nevertheless, because of the collective respiration, all can breathe in accordance with this rule, that the contiguous collective breathing turns into something continuous, so that from that continuum, all have their own breathings, of every variety.
1748, 30 January.
606. Continuation about glorification
The angels look upon everything pertaining to the realm of spirits as beneath them, nor do they have any communication, except when it is granted by the Lord that they may look upon them and observe the nature of the spirits and things there. I have been shown by actual experience how this takes place. Still, they can control nothing, as I have also been shown, for they cannot influence them on their own, but the influence is controlled in an imperceptible manner by the Lord.
607. When I fell away from that realm of collective glorification, spoken of above [600 ff.], into any imagery derived from some grosser feeling, such as pertains to the world, it was then said that it looked to them just like a fall - that I was therefore falling down from them; and whenever I fell into imagery having to do with the body, it was said that this looked to them like clouds.
1748, the 30th day of January.
608. During that state of glorifying that I was in for almost a day, or half of a day, I had no thoughts of a personal nature - no thinking in mental imagery that was familiar to me, because this was a celebrating of the Lord at which I was present, Who was being glorified in different ways by choirs of angels. Yet it happened in such a way that I seemed to be among them as to my head, so that I was able to know about the things in the realm of spirits as if they were in the body. Therefore, it is no wonder that the inhabitants of Jupiter say that the face is not body, and that they look down upon their body [547]. 1748, 30 January.
609. About philosophy - that it is worthless
Today, as I was on my way home and got back, I was moved with sadness, and I knew that the sadness originated with a certain spirit, who was upset. He came up to me, saying that in his lifetime he had been a philosopher, probably among the most famous, and had applied his mind to studies of that kind; and now, when he thought them over, he said that he was upset and moved by a great sadness, because he now saw and realized how worthless such pursuits in the world are, and that they are illusions, which take away all light from spiritual and Divine matters. He calls them manure, which is to be thrown away, and had prevented him until now from knowing spiritual, and even more, heavenly things. He is now with me, and sees me writing, and directs me. 1748, the 30th day of January.
610. In the other life they meet their acquaintances
Those in the other life, when they first arrive there, still have things of the earth clinging to them. They do not know but that they are in the world, still living there. This has been made clear to me in many ways, for [some] did not know after many years that they were in the other life, nor could they realize it except when it was proven to them, so that finally they admitted it. Thereupon they also recall to mind the companions they had had in the life of the body, and then they are also permitted by the Lord to come upon them, and to speak with them as they did on earth - but still, [to say] nothing other than what is permitted and granted. Thus all can find their own friends, parents, and children; however, they do not remain together there any longer than they are allowed by the Lord.
611. As they find their friends, so also they run into their enemies, especially any whom they had persecuted in hatred. From this one may infer how dangerous it is to persecute anyone in hatred. There no one can pretend, that is, contemplate one thing in the mind, and say in words and show on the face something different; but the feelings of the mind show as in broad daylight, so that pretense gives way to open hatred. How these persons, therefore, can be admitted into heaven, anyone can judge.
612. Heaven does not see words and names, but things
From what has already been told about spirits, it is clear that the bodily elements themselves must be laid aside - which is accompanied by pains of various kinds - and thus given to death; and later, so must the earthly elements clinging to spiritual ones. For that nature cannot enter heaven. Finally, there remains in the spirit or mind what is spiritual and heavenly.
Since, therefore, they must shed bodily and earthly elements, which in themselves are dead, before the soul is able to enter into heaven, it is most clearly evident that Heaven can never hear or understand the things in words that pertain to the body and to nature, but the things that are spiritual, heavenly and Divine, and consequently far, farther, and farthest removed from the literal meaning.
Just as when we would think more lofty thoughts than others, we are not concerned with the words, but the meaning emerging from the words, and the even loftier meaning emerging from the direct meanings - so it is absurd to think that Heaven hears, and understands, the Word according to its letter, or that it understands the names of men, women, cities, and the like; for heaven perceives the realities concealed within them, while the meaning of the letter does not reach beyond the air, or sound in the ear, consequently not beyond the body. So why would you believe that the Lord God, our Savior, attends to things that are merely bodily and merely earthly, when He Himself is heaven, and causes heaven to hear? 1748, the 31st day of January.
613. About the spirits of Jupiter
A company of Jovian spirits came to me, whose silent approach and presence, as well as their active influence, was so gentle that it could be described as sweetness. For they are all upright, and live uprightly together, wanting nothing else than to perform kind deeds for one another; so that there was a feeling of generally shared uprightness. Because of the gentleness, or sweetness, of this company, one can readily tell them apart from a company of good spirits from this earth.
614. If the least disagreement should arise among them, it is signaled by a thin white ray, like a lightening flash - which, I was told, is a sign of disagreement - as well as by the appearance of a cluster of bright little stars. Thus disagreement does exist, but it is quickly resolved.
615. Furthermore, when little stars appear, it is a good omen, as they have appeared to me more than six hundred times - small ones, still smaller ones, even single ones, also several one after the other. Moreover, it is also common knowledge to spirits of that earth, that when some kind of starry heaven appears, it is good.
616. From this it is evident that spirits of different earths cannot be together, because they are distinct as to their individual characters, as well as the characters of their societies as a whole. Thus when the Jovian spirits approached and were with me, the spirits here could not bear them, as if they had a strange odor, so they fled away. However, I admitted that I had not smelled it myself, but that it had been a suggestion inspired into me by the spirits of this earth. 1748, 1 February.
617. About temptations
How deceitful the devil's gang is, can never be expressed in words. During temptations they simulate not only angels, but indeed, even the Lord, feigning them in every way in keeping with the person's fantasies. [The devil] knows these fantasies in an instant, for he impersonates people and then searches out what is in them without their knowing it, and amazingly, remembers it when an opportunity arises.
Moreover, when so disguised, he breathes in suitable feelings that seem either good, or evil, and manipulates them in a remarkable way, skillfully bending them toward evil. He sees clearly how the feeling is developing, constantly striving to bend it toward evil.
Furthermore, he even breathes words into our thought and mouth that harmonize with that feeling, and instantly causes us to think they are our own words. They who are not aware of this, cannot believe otherwise than that they are their own words, when yet they are the devil's - to which I can testify from manifold experience. And so he proceeds from one artifice to another, which he does in an instant by a natural instinct acquired in the life of the body, which may be surprising to anyone. Such [spirits] have the nature of a wild animal, something they actually acquired, making them the more cunning in the other life, because from their nature they now act like wild animals, although with a life as if they were human.
To enumerate their tricks would fill up countless sheets; wherefore, if the Lord Jesus does not keep the devil in bonds, and restrain and reverse his attempts, a person could not but succumb at every moment. m1748, 1 February.n
618. About the stench of intemperance
One evening when I had taken a lot of milk and bread, more than the spirits thought I needed, they kept their feelings fixed upon [the idea of] intemperance, of which they accused me. This caused an odor of human dung, coming from the solids, and a foul urinous smell from the liquids, to invade my nostrils. It persisted, and I was told that this happens to me because they hold their feelings fixed upon this kind of intemperance. They say that they smell no such stench themselves. 1748, 30 January and 1 February.
619. The difference between life in the body, and after bodily life
In the body there is a different life than afterwards. In the body, anyone can do well to enemies and to those whom they hate, for any worldly reason whatever, because they are governed by a variety of motives and loves pertaining to the world. Thus they are able to dissemble and call themselves friends, when yet they are enemies.
But this is not true of the other life, since everyone then behaves according to the character they had acquired. One who harbors hatred keeps on hating, until the hatred is wiped away by means of a purging process. Otherwise, if they try to pretend, as they did during bodily life, this is at once recognized, and in fact, out in the open.
620. Moreover, they who are governed by the Lord are passive, and have no powers from themselves, being incapable of doing and feeling anything from themselves, and they know this. mWith them there is only a passive force.n These are called "poor," and also "miserable," and are looked upon as such by others who think themselves strong. But those weak ones, who can do nothing from themselves, are governed by the Lord, He Himself taking care of them.
Those, however, who think that they live from themselves and govern themselves, are called "strong," and they possess active powers, while those just spoken of possess only passive powers. Those having active powers from themselves, are the ones who stir up evil thoughts and feelings in the others, so that the evils which they think and toward which they are urged are from the active powers of such spirits as inspire them. This was shown to me by a spiritual method today, and once before, so plainly that there can be no doubt of it. About these matters, I also spoke today with the spirits around me, who cannot but acknowledge it. 1748, the 1st day of February.
621. I have been together with my acquaintances and friends in the other life for a long time
To this I can testify, that I have associated and spoken with many friends and acquaintances in the other life, who had been with me almost constantly, barring some interruptions; and that a certain friend had been at my side continually for the space of more than a month, as he attests. How many there have been, I cannot count, and who they were I am not permitted to say, even though they desired to tell this to their friends; but such a wish is not granted.
This I can aver and testify, that I have associated and spoken quite long with many in the other life who had been known to me in this, or bodily life, and that many conversational exchanges have taken place concerning the state of the unhappy, and the state of the happy. These very states were even shown to them, and they were amazed that no one in bodily life knows that they live immediately after death in another life, and that they are among spirits, whose life is a continuation of bodily life, such that they do not know but that they are still in the life of the body - so much so, that no difference exists except such as that spoken of elsewhere now and then; for their state changes in accordance with their life in the body, as you may see stated elsewhere [cf. 619]. 1748, 1 February.
622. Continuation about the spirits of the inhabitants of Jupiter
The punishing spirit who was speaking forcibly, as was said [541], as if by forward thrusts of the voice, and standing at the left, below the mid portion of the body, came up to me and wanted, according to the custom on their earth, to punish me because of things I had thought and said. And those angels, as they call them, stood at the region of my head in order to guide him, to permit him to punish according to the circumstances, and thus to moderate.
But he was not permitted to do anything to me, except to show me their various kinds of punishments, one being to cause a painful contraction around the midriff, like that of a sharp belt being tightened, which, they said, was attended with great pain to their people. Another kind was a privation of breathing, such that they finally came into a shortness of breath caused by the intervals of stoppage. Yet another was to announce their death, and the consequent loss of joy from their married partner, children, companions, or from those who are dear to them; for these spirits are able to find out in an instant what they love.
623. Moreover, they are divinely guarded from falling into distorted opinions concerning the one only Lord, both by means of penalties, and by threats and warnings; and if perchance any did fall into them, they are banished from society. On an earth such as this, things of that kind cannot fail to be rooted out, and if any families should backslide, they would be utterly removed. For to these, death is announced, which takes place for the most part by the uplifting of their spirit by spirits, and rarely by illnesses, as on our earth. So they are raised up, as they say, into heaven, nor do they call this dying, but being heaven-made.
624. Neither can their better spirits easily be together with the spirits of our earth, but must live separately. For they derive a different character from a different life, implanted by parents through the ages. As a result, they have an altogether different life, consequently a different nature that is closely associated with the heavenly ones, as observed before [564] when a rainbow was portrayed among the angels of their inward heaven.* And now, because their nature is closely joined to the heavenly ones, figuratively as the colors of the rainbow [are joined], and the natures of [their spirits and ours], being from a different root, are divergent, neither can the inward angels [of the two earths] be associated together.
These are their angels who love golden sky blue. They do not want to allow the word Spiritual - as I now observe, because they are guiding my thoughts, thus my hand - for they say they do not want to know what is spiritual, but only what is heavenly. Many of them are guardian spirits, which is due to the fact that they speak little [cf. 598], but they do think, and their thoughts consequently derive from feelings.
* See 262, footnote 3.
625. They have a sweet, silent approach [613], a prudent way of living and conversing, so they are careful what they think and say, weighing and measuring the smallest details. But if they come across in anyone the slightest thing contrary to their order, they are of a mind to punish them, so as to compel them to goodness. This they do to spirits who come fresh from their earth, bringing them back to obedience with some force. This I have also been able to observe, as I have told them, because when any such thing came up, I at once sensed their chastising thoughts. 1748, the 2nd day of February.
626. I was able to observe their presence [with me] when they themselves did not, by a widening of my mouth, or the region of the lips and cheeks, for they have this effect [569]. And as they then think I am like they are, that region of my face was disposed into that shape as a result of their imaginative power.
And so it is evident that the angels of the inward heaven* are separate because of their earthly-minded characters, as said previously, while the angels of the very inward and innermost heaven are together throughout the universe [552]; for no discordance can exist among those who are truly spiritual and heavenly, but only among the earthly-minded. 1748, 2 February.
* See 262, footnote 3.
627. Their inward angels also were instructed that the Lord never punishes anyone, much less does evil to anyone. And because at first they did not want to admit this, firmly believing that the Lord does chastise and punish, it was declared to them aloud that even their angels do not chastise or punish, nor do they speak harshly to people of their earth, but only permit the punishing and reproving spirit to carry out and speak the punishments and threats, while they temper them, and decide of what kind and what intensity they shall be.
From this they were able to deduce that since their angels do not punish and say harsh things to any person, so much less does the Lord, Who is the Best, the Fountain of all Goodness, He Who governs the angels. Hence because of their own modes of behavior, they could not help acknowledging, but even affirmed in a public declaration, that the Lord punishes no one, speaks harsh words to no one, still less does evil to anyone. 1748, the 2nd day of February.
628.* Continuation on the spirits of the inhabitants of Jupiter
From their method of chastising their people, it is evident that their angels exercise a kind of judgment upon a person, or that they judge their people, and their spirits also. For as said, they stand by, control the punishers, moderating or allowing, so that a kind of judgment can be ascribed to them. Nevertheless, they had been clearly told that while they may think they are judging, yet the Lord Alone is judge, and that He so moderates their lives that they know no otherwise but that it is they who are judging.
* In the manuscript this number appears to be deleted.
629. Moreover, their cold spirits [534, 549, 575] also came up to me in great number, but from where - whether from those who had been with me, or whether from others - I do not know for sure. It occurred to me that those who had been with me were entirely cold, creeping up like a chill. 1748, 2 February.
630. The angels must ever be perfected, and can never be perfect or holy
However it may be that souls are admitted into the very inward and the innermost heaven, yet they are not perfect, but some earthly element always clings to them which must be corrected. This is done when they are let back among spirits. Then it appears at once what residue from a rooted in nature they still retain, which is then corrected; and this betterment goes on by their being let back many times.
Therefore it is a rule that an angel can never be perfected to a point where he can be called perfect and holy, thus never to eternity. The only perfect and holy person is the Lord, Who is Perfection and Holiness Itself. 1748, the 2nd day of February.
631. About the inhabitants of the earth Jupiter
Among the punishments belonging to their penance, there is also this one put upon them, that they should eat no other food than bread, while at the same time an appetite is aroused for eating other things. Whether they make use of any other food besides greens, herbs, fruits, and then the seeds which they grind into flour, it has not been granted me to learn.
632. As for their horses, which are forest animals [560], they are very tall, and larger than our largest, nearly as tall as camels. For this reason these horses frighten them very much, as they told me when a horse of great height appeared to them - which they portrayed to me as small, and asserted to be so when speaking about the horses.
633. Moreover, they take pleasure in dining for a long time, not on account of the luxury of foods, but because companionship is more enjoyable while they are also sitting and eating. They do not sit on chairs or benches, nor on elevated grassy mounds, nor on grass, which they avoid like something unclean beneath them; but they put leaves under them, and when I wanted to know what leaves they were, they affirmed it when I named them fig leaves, such as Adam and Eve girded themselves with [Gen. 3:7] before they were provided with sheepskin tunics. 1748, the 2nd day of February.
635. About the fact that we are governed by spirits and angels; also about faith, and the active and passive principle in us
Because it is the truth, it should therefore be believed that the Lord governs heaven and earth, and that no one lives except the Lord. From this belief, when one is gifted with it by the Lord, follows another point, namely, that a person cannot commit sin, knowing that spirits who think they live from themselves and govern themselves, arouse evils in us, and that though they are in us, yet they are not aroused by us, because we are then living passively and letting ourselves be governed. Being in such a state, one can also be gifted with peace by the Lord, for then one trusts solely in the Lord, and is not at all worried about other things.
Thus a person who would live in peace must be in a passive state, not ever in an active one [see 620] except by reaction and responsive action, which likewise come from the Lord, so that the state is still a passive one, resistant or compliant. Such is the state of the angels, who live in peace, while the rest, believing they govern themselves, are continually being disquieted. For they lead themselves into various desires, thus into anxiety; and even though they are [really] being aroused by others, and in fact by very many, nevertheless each and all believe that the [evil aroused in them] is their own, or from themselves. This is why it remains with them, and takes root as something pertaining to or proper to themselves, something their own, and so also it is accounted to them.
Because it is the truth that the Lord governs heaven and earth, He gifts believers and angels with this faith; but it cannot be given to those who have not a saving faith, even if they imagine they want to think this way because they know about it. This is impossible unless they have saving faith, and are therefore governed by the Lord. That this is the case, I can testify because of long and daily experience. I have spoken about the matter frequently with spirits, so that nothing has become more familiar to me. 1748, 3 February, # # *
* 636-7 will be found after 638, in accordance with the author's instructions.
638.* # # Souls or spirits who want to govern themselves think that [to be so governed by the Lord] would be to lose all pleasure, and the whole will in which pleasure resides, and thus all freedom, consequently all life and its pleasantness - as they are now dictating to me.
But because they do not know what life truly is, and what pleasure truly is, and what freedom truly is, therefore it should be known that we for the first time have true life and the things which make life's happiness, when we are governed by the Lord alone, and when we are only acted upon. It is then granted us to live as if on our own, and to partake of heavenly joy.
But the reason it seems otherwise to those souls or spirits, is because they are judging from their own active state, in which there can be nothing but unrest, and finally unhappiness - the result of exercising their imaginary freedom. This freedom is license, or the rule of passions, and of evil spirits who arouse them. When they are under the control of evil spirits, or of their own desires, then they believe they are being governed by themselves, whereas the contrary is the case. 1748, 3 February.
Nor indeed, can the one type of person be distinguished from the other by the outer aspect, the inner aspect being what makes us such as we are and that in which happiness resides. Indeed, there are those who judge me insane when I speak in this way, when yet countless experience has confirmed this to me, and confirms it in me every day.
* 636-7 will be found after 638, in accordance with the author's instructions.
636. Who spirits are, and what they are like, can also be recognized from the quarter [they are in]
When spirits and angels have acted, whether from afar or nearby, I was able to know where they were, or in what quarter in relation to my face, howsoever my face was turned; for the directions are determined by the face. Those who are at the right side, obliquely toward the front, are good; those obliquely toward the left are evil. Far from there toward the left, lower down, is Gehenna; toward the front a little more to the right, is a swamp; beneath the feet is the earth of the lower ones, towards the left is hell. Above the head are those who boast, and who raise themselves up in fantasy, the higher the haughtier, where they are likewise arranged according to the quarters.
637. The case is the same with those who come up to a person on earth: behind are those who want to command. There, clinging to the back, at the left side, lower down, are those who want to chastise, as said above [445, 541, 545]; then above the head, those who moderate the one who chastises. Those at the right side are angels who inwardly in a person on earth - especially when they fill up the whole person - likewise protect him from the injuries threatening in other ways. In addition, there are those from the [region of the] head in the cerebrum, in the cerebellum, as I have seen many times; but what these circumstances mean, I have not yet been able to observe. 1748, 3 February.
639.* About the spirits highest up in heaven
I also became aware of spirits who, because they were in the highest part, above where the dragon was, made me wonder who they were. Speculating that they were such or such - knowing that the higher the place to which they lift themselves up by fantasy, the more wicked they are, because the more haughty - I was told that they were demons, who exert an influence, not by spoken words, but maliciously and very cunningly by an inflow of evil desires, which I have also experienced. They streamed in with concealed malice so great that I could hardly be held back.
I was told that they are not let loose or do not act freely, because they have the serpent's poison stored up very deeply within them, but are kept bound up there - although not there, but in hell. For, as was also told and shown to them, only their fantasy is there, while they are in Gehenna. Moreover, when they wanted to be let loose, different spirits were attached to them, who tempered them to keep them from pouring forth their poisons. About this they complained - and also about being compelled to speak, which they are reluctant to do because they want to operate in hiding, or secretly. 1748, 3 February.
* 638 has been placed after 635, in accordance with the author's instructions.
640. It was surmised that these were the worst of them, who in bodily life had striven to own the heaven of our Savior, by their own power, and had thus misled the innocent. They were said to have an influence, but one that was tempered in various ways. Even on the way, before their cunning or poison reached me, it was taken up by spirits in between, and thus also tempered.
These seem to be the ones who inspire the trickery in those whose ambition is to own heaven, or to possess all power in heaven and on earth. They are among the stars of the dragon and should rather be called "the beast of Babylon," spoken of in Revelation [17:3 and elsewhere].
641. About hiding spirits
There are also spirits who hide, and do not show themselves, and do not act in the open so that their fantasies, cunning arts, and deceptions become apparent, as do those of other spirits. These are in the zenith, that is, overhead, higher up than the dragon, who does not operate so secretly. Such spirits imagine that no one can discover their destructive tricks. Therefore they also think they are safe, and cannot be harmed or punished by anyone, because, as they suppose, they have withdrawn into the more subtle [parts of] nature. On this account, as they say, they do not fear anything.
Nevertheless, their deceptions appear openly whenever this is granted by the Lord, and are exposed as destructive tricks (truldoms konster*), by which they imitate the character of good spirits by streaming in softly and gently, so that their poisons are not noticed. In this way they could lead even the good astray, if the Lord were not protecting them. They slip secretly into the obvious deceptions of other spirits.
* The original has the Swedish for "witchcraft," "truldoms konster."
642. Moreover, they thought that they were exempt from the same punishment others received, because, as they believe, they could withdraw within the more subtle [parts of] nature, and so be hidden away in secret. But they were disappointed. They were not only sent under the veil [see 435], but also glued together, like the beggars [see 431], and thus deprived of all freedom. And the more they wanted to free themselves, or cut themselves loose from each other, the more tightly they were bound. The punishment for them is a very intense torment, because it responds to their secret poisons.
643. These are they who persecute the Lord on earth, under angelic guise, and do so for self-promotion and profit; and who have been successful in these intents. This is the source of their violent and in fact, extremely wicked practices, which could not be disclosed to me because they are so abominable.
644. They admit that they cannot do otherwise
The same ones who were continually plotting deceptions, and were so intent upon them that they hardly paused, were warned by the others to stop. But they admitted that they could not, even if it meant they should die. Others, too, on several occasions have admitted the same thing, that is, that they could not possibly stop. And each time they were told that this is no excuse - for if it were, all devils would exculpate themselves - but that they should go away, or else be driven away, until by fitting types of punishment they begin to feel disgust at doing such things.
So by different methods of punishment, they must be divested of evils, as usually takes place. Hence one may infer that it is their natural instinct, acquired in bodily life, not only to feel the greatest pleasure in such evils, but also to be possessed of such a desire for them, that they cannot desist from them, just as wild animals cannot refrain from tearing apart [their prey]. 1748, 5 February.
645. Spirits also alter the taste
Sometimes, in fact quite often, it has happened that something which tasted good seemed to be offensive, or to have a different taste. Twice, if I am not mistaken, I even experienced sugar as almost salty, feeling a kind of salty taste from the sugar on my tongue. I could actually taste that the moisture on my palate had a saltiness in it, which had been pressed out of my bodily fluids by spirits.
This happened when the Jovian spirits thought that sugar was salt. Indeed, they thought that anything divided up into grains, as sugar, was therefore granulated salt; and because they thought it to be salt, [it tasted salty to me]. So in regard to other things, a person's taste is thus changed in accordance with the fantasies of spirits. This they sometimes do to deceive; for they can bring on this kind of thing through deceptive fantasies.
646. Moreover, there exists nothing whatever affecting the senses, whether it be outward or inward, which they do not strive to reproduce. They imitate whatever they see and feel, and counterfeit it as if it were real, when yet it is only the outer [appearance], and artificial. Therefore it requires the highest degree of good judgment to tell apart what is true and what is counterfeit; nor can these ever be distinguished except through belief in the Lord, and thus by the Lord, Who gives the ability to discern. The same is true in the life of the body when such demons are present and try to lead people on earth astray. 1748, 5 February.
647. Speaking and coaxing are of no avail when the heart is longing, moved by a love
Through much experience with spirits, I have learned that persuasion contrary to the feelings is of no avail whatsoever. For very often my heart has been moved by some feeling, and meanwhile, spirits as well as angels would coax, saying that this should be done, and not that; but as long as I was still gripped by that feeling, their coaxing could have no effect whatsoever, as I even told them in response on several occasions.
Also this, that if the feeling shifted only a little, then at once my mind was changed, and I would yield to the persuasion. From this and from many actual experiences, I was enabled to learn that all persuasion contrary to one's loves can achieve absolutely nothing.
This is the reason why those spirits who are demons, who operate through the passions, are the most dangerous. On the other hand, the angels' way of working is to bend minds toward good through the feelings, the Lord so directing. 1748, 5 February.
648. From this can also be deduced what a belief based on the understanding [alone] is worth, or what preaching is worth, when a person is being carried along by desires, and whether a faith based solely on understanding can save! For in love there is life; in the understanding of such things there is nothing but memory.
This was told to souls after death, or spirits, and corroborated in such a way that they admitted they had been completely mistaken during their lifetime, and acknowledged their errors with sadness.
649. Man, who is an instrument, fallaciously thinks himself or herself
to be the acting force in every single action
That human philosophy has [indeed] discovered many truths, is evident from the fact that people know that the acting force and the instrumental force work together as the cause [of something]. But this is where a fallacy arises, causing the human (who is only instrumental, or an instrument) to suppose that he or she is the acting force, because the accomplishing cause issues from the two forces combined. Because of this sense-deception, we ascribe to ourselves, the instrument, what belongs to the Lord, Who is the only acting force.
This was said to some in heaven, and they recognized it to be so and likewise the fact that a person may know many truths, yet know nothing whatever in the practice of them, the instrument still thinking itself to be the force. This results in a distorted order of life, causing the fantasies that so torture their souls. 1748, 5 February.
650. Thus philosophy can assist when it is subservient, as can also sensory experience, provided it serves in enlightening those who believe nothing but what is philosophically true and which they want to grasp with the senses.
651. About the sight of spirits
There are four kinds of sight that have been made known to me. The first is a sight of sleep, just as real as daytime sight; so I said while actually asleep that if this was sleep, then wakefulness must also be sleep.
The second kind is vision with the eyes closed, which is just as real as with the eyes opened, and by which similar objects are presented to view, even more beautiful and pleasant. The same kind can exist with the eyes open, and has occurred two or three times.
The third kind is in a state with the eyes open, when those things are portrayed which are in heaven, both spirits and other things. This kind causes symbolic vision, which has become very familiar to me; but it is rather obscure, differing entirely from the commonplace human imagination.
The fourth kind occurs when a person is separated from the body, and in the spirit, and then one cannot tell in the least but that one is in a waking state and is then in possession of all one's senses, such as touch, hearing and sight, and I do not doubt, of all the rest. It is more than the sight of a waking state, because it is an exquisite one, nor does one perceive that state as any different from wakefulness - unless one lapses into a waking state of the body.
652. Spirits have all these states, some the former, some the latter. When they are in the latter, life is felt more keenly than bodily life. One spirit told me he was in that state, and he could not tell in the least but that he was in conversation with others in his own room. In the same way, gardens and countless scenes depicting the pleasures of life are displayed. In this kind of life are angelic spirits.
653. As for the fourth kind of sight, this has been granted me four or five times - an experience attended with much pleasantness - and during a waking state as well, when I was two or three times similarly led by the spirit.*
* See AC 1884, SE 56; also 1 Kings 18:12, 19:8, Ezek. 12:3, Acts 7:55-6, 8:39.
655. What a miracle is
A miracle is what is done by the Lord, when there is something that concerns Himself, belief in Him, His Heaven, or the Church as a whole, which then passes through His Heaven, and is then carried out by spirits without any of their own cooperative power [entering into it]. This is a miracle, and is called "the finger of God" [Ex. 8:19, 31:18, Deut. 9:10, Luke 11:20].
656. False miracles, on the other hand, are those which are contrived by evil spirits or devils through artificial means, and indeed, for no other purpose than [to satisfy] some extremely corrupt passion. This type of miracle is also permitted, and it looks the same in its outer aspect, but has no inner one; and it is not distinguishable [from a true miracle] except by those having faith in the Lord.
657. Evil spirits, when freed of restraints, work at nothing else than to to corrupt goodness into what is evil, and to imitate the qualities of heaven with the purpose of misleading minds by means of imitations and shams. These are their main endeavors, because each of them wants to be lord. 1748, 6 February.
658. About the passion for stealing
Those who in their bodily life had coveted the possessions of others and [sought to obtain them] by various tricks, either business dealings or other means which they justified before men as allowable, in the other life go about and continually seek to take away the goods of others. When they approach spirits like themselves, or different, those spirits recognize their character at once, and with a fine or a lashing, throw them out. So they wander about, seeking, and wherever they go they are punished by whippings or other methods. Spirits like these have come to me several times, complaining, and I learned that they had been businessmen - even, to my surprise, well-known ones.
659. Moreover, no sooner did I look at something in the stores, or at money and such, than the craving of these and similar spirits became evident within me. For, thinking that they were myself, it was as if they instantly wanted me to reach out my hand, quite contrary to my usual behavior, and in addition, slipped their own passion into my mind.
About that passion I have subsequently at times spoken with the spirits, saying that I had realized such spirits were present. This they could not deny, but were obliged to affirm it, explaining their character, and what comes over them. 1748, 6 February.
660. About the life of those who are wise from themselves
A certain spirit whom I believe I had known during his life, having died only a few years earlier, three or four, came to me and spoke with me. But about his life in the body I knew no more than that he was devoted to studies, and at the same time, devoted to philosophy. From this I was able to infer that he also wanted to be a philosopher in the mysteries of faith and thus to comprehend them, and that he would only believe something when he understood it philosophically.
He had been present with me for nearly a quarter of an hour, so that his life's belief was streaming in, as I could plainly sense from the fact that I began to doubt, feeling cold in regard to the Lord's government over least things, while admitting it over the whole. As a result, whatever particular detail then flowed in, I seemed to want to reject - as if the Lord ruled heaven and earth only by a universal, not a singular providence.
The cold was that of a belief based on intellect, or truths, not so much on affection - as I am now telling that spirit. And he is standing by, and even guiding the selection of words. 1748, 6 February.
661. Evil spirits are eager to kill and torment every single person, but in the person they are with, they are restrained in a twofold manner
Evil spirits, or rather, the devil's gang, desire nothing more than to destroy people, both body and soul, as well as to torment them in a thousand ways. This is evident from numerous experiences involving not only those who have been within me in bands, attempting to [destroy me] in many wicked ways, but also souls in the hells, who take the greatest pleasure in barbarically tormenting each other, one after another. And if the sensation were not intercepted by the Lord, the one being tortured would undergo unspeakable suffering.
Evil spirits who flit about freely are also of this nature, and yet they are joined to people in order to arouse their life, as told before [635]. However, because they do not know otherwise than that they are the very one with whom they are present, therefore they do not want to bring any harm upon that person, for this would be as if they were doing it to themselves.
This is the first reason why they do not direct such attacks against the person with whom they are present, but nonetheless, if they were not restrained by the bonds of law, they would try to treat companions who do not worship them as gods and give them all of their resources, in the same way they treat each other in hell. This is quite evident from their souls after death, when their nature is not restrained by any such bonds of law. It is also plain from kings, from soldiers, and others.
The second reason they do not torment and destroy the person is that at the same time good angels are also present, and the Lord controls them in accordance with the permissions and allowances spoken of elsewhere [398, 401]. 1748, the 6th day of February.
662. After death we retain all the faculties and sensations we had in the body, except for several earthly functions
After death people lose nothing of the faculties they had in bodily life, but retain them all, and more are given to them, which have been spoken of here and there [333, 400]; but they are gifted with different ones.
For example, when a spirit confesses that he cannot help doing evil, then by chastening methods he is tempered in such a way that he is able to desist from them, and finally turn away from them. After that he is also given the ability to accomplish something good. So it is an ability he is simply given as a gift, while he still retains his former faculties.
Faculties for doing good that are added or given, are a gift of the Lord, and as soon as this gift is taken away, a spirit returns to his original nature. This happens sometimes to angels, who, when restored to their original state, are evil spirits as before - indeed, who had been in heaven for ages, and several thousand years.
From this it follows that anything souls do from their own power, is evil, and that they can do nothing good except from the Lord Alone, the fountain of all goodness. Therefore, as soon as this gift ceases, the soul returns to its inborn and enrooted wickedness.
It also follows from this that the ability to do good is only from the Lord, and it is given, and not that anything of good has been enrooted or becomes enrooted in him. 1748, 6 February.
663. Indeed, it is true both of man, and of the newly arrived soul, that there is nothing whatever except evil coming from themselves. In any thinking or acting from oneself, it is impossible to conceive of anything so small and insignificant that it is not evil. In fact, it is evil when one thinks about wanting to do good from oneself, or wants to turn oneself [to God]. And sometimes I have been so distressed that I did not know what I should think or do that was from myself, that would not be evil. So also were the spirits distressed, as they clearly showed, and acknowledged.
It is different when one does this from innocence, for then the Lord is guiding, and whatever is from the Lord in a person is good. 1748, 6 February.
664. About the dreams of spirits
I awoke in a dream, and there appeared to me one spirit who kept on with the dream. From this I was able to learn the state of spirits in dreams, which is not really different from man's, for the still remaining outward and bodily elements in a spirit quiet down like the bodily elements in us do in sleep. I saw this plainly, for he could not fix his attention upon anything except what was going on at the time in his mind. He was speaking, as though not knowing that he spoke. His outer elements were sleeping, his inner ones thus [active] in the dream. 1748, 7 February.
665. Continuation on the provinces in the body that are allotted to the angels
There are two as it were kingdoms in the universe. As has been explained [499], one is heavenly, the other spiritual. The heavenly kingdom encompasses those provinces of the body that are under the command of the heart; the spiritual kingdom, those under the command of the lungs or respiration.
666. There are individual internal bodily parts, members, organs and sensory functions that constitute provinces, and in order for souls to be in heaven, or in the body of the Lord, they must by all means be in one of the provinces, and assigned to one member.
667. As a result of this, there exists an immeasurably great variety, just as in the body, where no particle can be completely the same as another, and if it were, it would not harmonize.
668. Nevertheless, the state of mind of souls and angels changes as they are perfected, so they are transferred to better positions in the same member or province, in fact even to different provinces that are nobler. For there is a continual purification, and as I may call it, new creation, nor can ever any angel arrive at perfection itself, to eternity. The Lord Alone is Perfect, or Perfection Itself.
669. There are also those who interrelate with the mouth, who likewise are afterwards transferred elsewhere. They are those who continually want to talk, from which they get their enjoyment. Insofar as that enjoyment is purified, so that they do not want to speak anything other than what is useful to their companions, to the community, to heaven, to the Lord, or insofar as the desire to regard themselves in talking, or the effort to be thought wise, passes away, so far they are raised to a more distinguished place.
This was shown to me today by a gold coin, which a hand representing the hand of the Lord, took and gave to one who was indignant after having been given to know that he was in the province of the mouth.* It meant that he can be transferred, and even to the region of the heart, if he is found worthy. 1748, 7 February.
* In the original, a deleted footnote is here referred to: "He said that he had not been able to hide the coin wh..."
670. The province of the eye
The eye pertains to the very inward angels, because it is in the face and projects from the brain. The mouth indeed is in the face, but it leads into the body, that is, into the stomach and into the lungs, as well as away from the same; so that they who are in the province of the mouth are less esteemed than those in other regions of the face.
The eye is the noblest region of the face and also excels the rest of the senses, and it pertains to the spiritual class, over which it presides, because its sight interacts with spiritual sight.
671. About spiritual love
Moreover, there is also spiritual love, but how it is distinguished from heavenly love is not yet apparent to me. 1748, 7 February.
672. About the heavens
I was told that before the coming of the Lord into the world, there had been no other heaven than the inward one.* For as yet no one on this earth could understand the very inward, much less the innermost matters; and because higher knowledge must precede, therefore no other heaven could come into being at that time.
The inward heaven* is such that something earthly is joined to their spiritual part. Consequently, when angels formerly spoke with people on earth, and through the prophets, the Word had to come down directly into earthly forms. This resulted in the prophetical style that the Lord also chose to use in part. For otherwise they would not have been able to understand inward, much less very inward, spiritual matters. For this reason also the Lord spoke in parables.
About this subject I spoke with those in heaven, who seemed to me to affirm them, that is, that there had been this kind of a heaven for the sake of the inhabitants of this earth, but that a very inward and innermost heaven had nevertheless existed from others in the universe.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
673. Of the same origin are symbolic portrayals, into which [spiritual] realities come down, besides very many other phenomena.
674. About the millennium
I have also spoken with those in heaven about the "thousand years" in Revelation [20:2-7]. They said that the thousand years do not mean a certain or fixed number of years, or a thousand, but a great amount of time, and that by the "first resurrection" those are meant, spoken of just above [672], who are in the inward heaven.* These are certain that they will remain there and that many will be admitted into the more inward heavens. Thus the first resurrection is for those who have something of nature joined to their spiritual part, so that they may live, and have lived, in heavenly pleasure.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
675. But those who are to be admitted into the very inward heaven must put off what is of nature. So they come into the more inward joy, for without shedding outward elements, no one is able to be admitted into what is very inward. Therefore man must die on earth, which is a dying of the body, then die again in the other life when the attached nature element must be abolished. Failing this man cannot be let into the very inward heaven. Then again the nature element must be abolished in order that the person may be admitted into the innermost heaven,* thus into heavenly glory.
* The manuscript appears to have the words "interius coelum" and "intimius" respectively, where the context calls for "intimius coelum" and "intimum." After making this revision, we noticed that A.W. Acton had done likewise, but without a footnote.
676. [A conversation] with a certain famous philosopher about certain matters in Philosophy
A philosopher who had died several years earlier spoke with me, for whom I clarified how certain philosophical terms should be understood.
In regard to "forms," I told what they are like, one within the other, and that a more inward one cannot be entered upon except by a dissolution, or death, so to speak, of the outward one, so there is an ascending from one level to another. Nature everywhere has such levels; so there are likewise degrees of the body's life, and of its vital organs, etc.
Then I said that there is nothing which does not consist of varieties of its form, and that the more inward forms can vary immeasurably more than outward forms; and that there are many varieties among the different changes of condition.
In the purer regions, I said, forms of force and forms of substance signal mental imagery; as well as other similar points.
Because he was in the other life, where they are more receptive to understanding matters of this kind, he affirmed them point by point, vowing that the world would do better to acknowledge such things than to get stuck in terms and argumentation about words, which entirely distract the mind from an understanding of the actual realities - as when a speaker dwells on words rather than the sense of the words. In this way people are plunged into trivia, out of which they cannot be raised up; besides other points as well. 1748, 7 February.
677. About very inward things
What "very inward things" are, no one among men or spirits, scarcely anyone among the angels of the inward heaven,* as yet knows. For, something very inward, those who are inward cannot understand, thinking that [what is more inward] would dissolve them, and they would become as nothing, because of regarding inward things as everything - just as a person living [on earth] does in bodily things.
But there is as great a difference between them as between what is vile and what is precious, or between a cottage and a very large city. But that which they cannot see, they think to be nothing, when yet it is the ineffable, which "no eye has seen, nor any ear has heard" [Is. 66:4, 1 Cor. 2:9]. And it is that from which everything comes that is harmonious and inwardly or more inwardly delightful within the symbolic displays of the inward heaven,* while the inward heaven itself sees only the outside, or the shapes.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
678. [The difference] was further shown today to a certain extent by a spiritual angelic choir, speaking, and saying that there is now no one [who knows, 677]. For this choir divides up and separates its lovely contemplations into mental images, which come down into words, while the more inward choir is like something continuous, which expresses more in one instant - and very clearly - than the inward choir does in an hour.
679. Moreover, there is also a mental imagery in the very inward and the innermost [heaven], but because it is not a mental imagery like the sense impressions of sight, but rather like those of the understanding, therefore, for the sake of distinction the expression mental imagery can be applied to inward [angels], contemplation to very inward ones, but [true] thinking to the innermost. 1748, 7 February.
680. About very inward things
The relation of very inward things to inward ones also became apparent when it was visually demonstrated how mental images, followed up by words, streamed into a spirit's speech, namely by a white cloud divided up into particles. At another time it was also shown to spirits and angels, I believe, how feelings streamed in in the same way.
These demonstrations show that those things were flowing in through the very inward heaven, or from very near to that heaven. One may therefore conclude that there are thousands of things in one seemingly uncompounded idea covered by only one word of speech, thus that there are thousands of things within a contemplation of the very inward heaven, or of the very inward angels, which appear simply as one thing to the angels of the inward heaven.*
* See 262 and footnote 3.
681. This can be still more clearly evident to us from the objects of our sight, to which mental imagery or a material idea almost answers on its own plane. In any object of the eyesight taken as a single entity, when it is looked at through the microscope there appear thousands of things of which it is composed. Thus a hundred tiny insects take up but one ray of vision, appearing as one point, and a faint one at that; while to the artificial or optically aided sight, not only a hundred little living animals are revealed, but even the internal parts of each.
682. So it is also with a Rainbow, in which nothing but the most general form appears, namely, bands of successive colors, when yet each color is made up of countless rays flowing into it separately and producing this most general effect. The eye perceives the myriads of rays only as a unit, and even then indistinctly. That indistinct unit appears simply as some one color which is [actually] an indistinctness thus made up of many shades.
Since the sight perceives myriads of myriads as only a single entity, and an indistinct one at that, why should it be any different in the case of the earthly mind, whose sight is no deeper than the sight of the eye? That mind, consequently, does not understand where mental images come from, which are likewise [composed of] myriads of more inward ones.
If these latter were not flowing forth in distinct forms from an innermost life, and this from the Lord, nothing distinct could ever be conceived of in a mental picture. But since a mental image is not in itself a matter of understanding, but does come forth as it is by the agency of the understanding, it can therefore be understood by means of mental images.
Therefore it is evident how general, in fact most general or most vague, that is which one thinks to be clear, sharp, wise, ingenious - which, however, is anything but intelligent and wise.
683. It happened, when I was picturing [these things] to spirits around me by a spiritual display - specifically, by depicting ideas as forms of forces, which in turn consisted or were built up of myriads of things unseen, and each of these, of myriads of myriads of more inward ones - that then, because souls and spirits are sensitive to such depictions, immediately it was as if they had gone out of their minds, as one of them who was with me admitted. He did not know how they could help perishing from insanity. For if this is the case, [they thought] nothing of life would be left [to them], and even if there were, they would still have no spiritual life coming into them.
So a life like that, devoid of a living spiritual influence, is comparable to the life of vegetation, in which there is life, to be sure, but a kind called vegetative. Therefore all things even in the vegetable kingdom reflect the Kingdom of the Lord, each in its own way; in fact, they reflect the human being, having lungs and the rest, as is known. Hence the Divine is in the vegetable kingdom, but without animate life. 1748, 8 February.
684. About the excellence of the faculties of a soul or spirit, compared
with the faculties they had while living in the world
Besides the superior faculties a soul acquires after being released from the body, spoken of previously here and there [400, 433, 662], there is also the fact that they grasp a much richer meaning in mental images, or in a given subject. This is due to their pictorial mental imagery, but what it is like cannot be adequately described. These images are ideas, shaped in definite, diverse ways so that they at once see the meaning, which appears as if shaped to the sight. Thus they receive a fuller meaning of things, in a way that is not possible in the life of the body.
685. For in bodily life there are different objects that move the senses and arouse a person, even to distraction; and besides these there are desires, which are inner objects, that cling like glue or something sticky. When we are infected with these desires, then no matter what someone else says, we stick to our desires, that being what is generally dominant in us.
Therefore, a grasp of matters like that spoken of [684] cannot exist in a person while living in the body, but it exists in a soul upon arrival in the other life and joining in the company of others. I also told these things to the spirits around me, and they affirmed them. 1748, 8 February.
686. About the inhabitants of Jupiter
Spirits of the planet Jupiter suppose, as was said before [547], that their face is not body, and therefore they have the firm impression that after death their face will be larger or wider, of a round shape. This face has been shown to me. It is sky blue, or more or less light blue in color, with little stars. This impression persists [with them] for that reason.
687. Moreover, they even believe that they will also see a fire that will warm their face. I was shown a fire, indeed a warming one, as has happened before, a hundred times. For it has been and is a common occurrence for me to catch sight of fires, and indeed of various kinds, as well as flames. These [I have been seeing] over a long period - but now for the first time, a fire that warmed my face, such as they want for themselves. But I was told that their flame, which they highly prize, is of a spotted light blue color. A flame like this, most cheerful, was once shown to me. 1748, 9 February.
688. About horses that were seen
Many times I have seen horses, as well as horse-drawn carriages, and in fact, of various colors and various sizes, as mentioned previously [302, 560, 632]. I have learned today that these stand for human erudition - in the good sense, intelligence, but in the bad sense, that erudition which distorts true intelligence.
And once earlier, I learned that one can also tell from the horse's position what it stands for. When the rear end of the horse is turned toward the face, then it symbolizes a distorted order and a distorted belief, brought on by learning - that is, when as a result of learning, people have become insane, or entirely stupid in spiritual matters, believing in nothing but what is earthly and worldly, and that they will die like animals, having no life remaining after their death. In this case their knowledge suffocates all understanding and belief regarding spiritual life. To such as these, the rear end of the horse is turned, indeed, they are cast into the horse. Although unwillingly, they are thrust inside, to their great distress and shame. 1748, 9 February.
689. Continuation about horses
From the position of the horse, one can tell what it stands for. When its rear part is turned toward the face, it means there is a distorted order of spiritual life brought on by knowledge, wiping out belief. It is different, however, when its side is turned toward one's face, or when its head is facing one: then it symbolizes that by means of the sciences, all things contained in the Word of God the Messiah have been supported. 1748, 9 February.
690. About two persons shortly after death with whom I spoke
There were two I had known during their bodily life, [whom I met,] one about six months, the other about two months after they had died. They were as if in dreams, because in their fantasy, they were entirely unaware that they were in the other life, thinking they still lived in the body. Speaking with them a little, I pointed out that they were in the other life, and they still could not believe it until it was vividly proven to them. They behaved exactly as they had in bodily life, clinging to the same fantasies.
690 1/2. One of them had been quite learned and esteemed in earthly matters. His belief was communicated to me, and it was such, as I was able to learn in a spiritual way, that there was none at all - it had been completely suffocated by earthly knowledge. He did not believe in a life after death, in the existence of spirits, much less in a heaven, to such a degree had his faith been buried in the sciences.
691. I discussed with them the need of knowledge for life, saying that the only thing necessary is to know those matters which belong to a true belief, and that other things are of small value, although they can be of support; but one should not consider them as everything.
692. In addition, I was allowed to tell them what kind of a life awaits them, namely, that they are first taken into the company of good spirits, who warmly welcome recently arrived souls; but that when they are unable to harmonize with these spirits because of their distorted beliefs, they are then separated from them as if spontaneously.
Now they are received into the company of other spirits; and when they do not harmonize, they are also rejected by them. Next they are associated with spirits who are not good, and when rejected by these, they are also penalized and punished. Finally they are left all alone, and so wander from door to door, seeking where they might find welcome and, at the last, begging to be given food, and warmth.
When they are taken in, and then desire, as they did in life, to stand out above others, and to be more esteemed, and if besides that they are eager to steal what belongs to the others, which they cannot help doing - while such people are punished in bodily life, here they are severely punished and driven away. After this they wander alone in tattered clothes, begging. This goes on until their arrogance and sense of superiority over others is wiped out, or the desire to take what belongs to others ceases.
So they are finally chastened and can be let into the company of such spirits as harmonize, and this sometimes takes very many years, a few hundred they say - even a few thousand; for the purging of some takes a long time. 1748, 9 February.
693. All and the least occurrences in the other life are aimed toward a joining together through love
Whatever happens in the other life, such as punishments, purgings, and many more things, all and the very least tend toward the goal of developing societies [whose members] harmonize as if they were one person, and this takes place only through a love for the Lord and thus for one's companions.
This love is never achieved when one person wants to be greater than the other, which results in disunion and rejection, nor when one wants to stand out above the others in some respect. On the contrary, it is achieved when one wants to be the least, and to serve the rest. Thus when all mutually want to serve one another, they are united, and each receives happiness from everyone individually, and thus from the whole. These words were spoken in the presence of spirits and souls. 1748, the 9th day of February.
694. About belief
Again today I spoke with souls and spirits about belief, saying that the belief of Christians at this day is a memorized faith, only recited by mouth, and therefore outside of the person; while a belief that is inside of the person is today almost non-existent. For their works reveal what their belief is, namely, the opposite of belief. Such is their character in the other life. There, when [souls and spirits] want to search out where someone's belief resides, it is [found] outside of the person, as far away as the moon is from the earth.
695. But whether [that kind of faith] contributes to the ability to receive a saving belief, and is therefore like bark through which the sap or life passes into the tree, or into the branches, and thus into the fruits - this is another question. 1748, 9 February.
696. About the life of souls and spirits, and its diversities
Each spirit has his life's own instinct, which is noticeable at a time when he is either left to himself, or is in the company of his like; but it vanishes when he is in the company of better spirits. I have seen that change [in a spirit], as well as his being brought back suddenly to his natural instinct of wanting to take something that was not his, although nothing of this was apparent to the company he was in.
Moreover, the life of a spirit not only changes depending upon the kind of companions he has, but is also degraded, which was likewise shown, namely, that by diminishing the number of companions to a few, his life was likewise diminished from a clever one to a rather stupid one. So the lives of souls after death are joined to different societies, and in this way also it is discerned what their character is, and with whom they harmonize.
In whatever society they are, souls think that they are alone and live from themselves. They are likewise explored during several states of a society of similar spirits, so that the spirits find out, as do the souls themselves, what they are like. For one is not the same in one state as in another. But societies of angels must be the same throughout changing states, because they must all let themselves be led by the Lord. 1748, 9 February.
mThese words [were written] in the presence of some who constituted one society.n
697. About admission into the inward heaven*
It is said in the Word [Matt. 25:10-12, Luke 13:25], that the door was closed and they could no longer be let in; also, that they had come too late, and knocked, so they were not admitted. How these matters stand was shown to me vividly.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
698. In a dream, I observed in a spiritual manner how good spirits, or good qualities, had been stolen away by evil spirits, and that there was dispute over their possession between the evil and the good; and finally, that the good qualities were given back. These things were depicted in a spiritual way.
699. When I awoke, certain societies of spirits, one after the other, began to declare in a singing, loud voice, that the Wolf had wanted to steal them away, but the Lord had snatched them from the wolf, and that they had then been restored to the Lord. On this account they rejoiced from the depths of their heart. For they had been in despair, extremely afraid that the Lord had rejected them, and that the wolves would therefore seize them and the Lord no longer wanted to keep them. They feared that there was an overabundance of spirits or angels in heaven, so that no room was left to receive more. This was the generally shared thought, which I perceived clearly.
700. When one society after the other had declared with a loud voice, as if in song, that the Wolf had stolen them away but that the Lord had snatched them back and restored them to Himself, this saying was passed along farther away from me, from one society to the other, or to one choir after another. Also, at some distance, it was uttered by those of one choir rather doubtingly, with falling voices. This choir, however, being brought back to the proper state, was taken in by the twelfth society; they said that this was the character of the twelfth. (There had actually been eleven, but still a twelfth was also admitted.) Afterwards about eight more societies came, declaring the same thing, whom I thought to be of the other sex, or of a different kind.
701. After these events, they were introduced into the inward heaven,* as I was told by a clear voice saying that they were admitted in this way when they had been in the heaven of spirits for a certain length of time. Therefore no one more could be let in, however much they cried out and insisted. This is what is meant by those who had come too late, because they had lacked oil in their lamps. They received the reply that they could no longer be admitted, whereupon they were turned away.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
702. However, it was said that this process goes on continually throughout the universal heaven, as if in a chain, from one place to the next. So in this case also, after its own cycle, so to speak, an admission of this kind repeats. And it was said that heaven can never be filled, but that this fantasy that all the places were already filled had taken over because of the prevailing despair of ever being let in, because there was no room left - brought on, no doubt, by the wolf, or evil spirits. 1748, 10 February.
703. On admission into the inward heaven,* a continuation from the other page [702]
I also heard, or saw, the reason why no more than twelve societies were admitted at the same time, and after that about eight societies of the other sex. It was because they were thus being distributed into heavenly societies that had been formed there and for many reasons could not be brought in all at once, but only in succession. For as soon as they are let in, they are received by angelic societies according to a secret mode of distribution ordained by the Lord, into their own inheritance, so to speak. This can be called their lot, because it is done by the Lord in secret, or the Lord providing.
Admitted in this way, everyone to their own societies, they are welcomed wholeheartedly and with joy, and all love and friendship is shown to them. But when they do not freely want to remain in those societies, they are received by different societies, and so on, until they come to a society in which there is harmony and unanimity. There they remain even until they come out still more perfect, and so one after another is lifted or raised up into greater glory.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
704. But it should be noted that a transfer from one society to another does not take place through a rejection by the society where one is, but through an act of will, and the desire to be elsewhere - to where according to that desire one is indeed transferred. Thus everything is done from freedom, and consequently, of their own freest will.
705. It was said, moreover, that heaven is never completely closed, even to eternity, but that in this case it is closed for the reason given [701], also and especially for the reason that the remaining spirits have not yet been prepared, and not anyone can be let in before being prepared. If it happens that anyone is admitted due to a [Divine] permission for special reasons, as a kind of ferment, that spirit is then rejected thence in the greatest disgrace.
706. One group of spirits who were agitating to be let in, received the reply that it was not yet time, but at another time, if they came prepared. Watching this incident were also some souls whom I had known. 1748, 10 February.
707. About the spirits of the earth Jupiter
Those from among the spirits of the earth Jupiter who had been with me for some time were then at the same time also admitted into the inward heaven,* for they were longing for it; and others followed them, who were also let in. Now still others have succeeded those, who, I think, are staying for the time being with me, also waiting to be admitted.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
708. Moreover, I could not but marvel considerably at how gentle and calm the spirits of the inhabitants of Jupiter are. This I was allowed to learn due to the fact that for several days now, if not for a week, they have been with me, and obtained a place in my head [542, 553]. They are very gentle, and do nothing but think, and their thoughts are so yielding, that they allow themselves to be bent, simply at the good pleasure of the inward heaven or of their angels, and thus at the will of the one only Lord. They are patient, so that hardly the least bit of indignation is observed. When they notice that this or that is not granted them, they acquiesce at once, nor do the doubts of other [spirits] cling to them, but seem to leave them untouched. They are so [calm] that unless I had known of their presence from other indications, I could scarcely have known it from some change in their state of mind. Content in those things which are enjoined on them: these are their words. 1748, 10 February.
709. About the heavenly joy of those who are being received, spoken of on the adjoining pages [697-706]
I heard more from those who were admitted, besides the fact that they were received in friendship and brotherhood and brought into their societies: namely, that everyone, as suits his own pleasure and pleasing imaginations, obtains whatever he could possibly set his heart on, and a thousand times more.
710. For example, some [longed] to be clothed in most beautiful white and clean robes, such as young men and boys very much enjoy wearing. Their joy reached me, so that I could feel their gladness; for when dressed in this way, besides being in most beautiful white garments, they also know that they are angels.
710 1/2. Some are delighted most deeply by an abundance of lovely things, such as those of pleasure gardens immeasurably surpassing every human conception. For there is nothing that is not springing up, blossoming, bearing fruit, so that all things are laughing, thereby revealing a very inward heavenly gladness in each and every leaf, issuing from their innermost parts. For I believe that such things spring from the very inward heaven, and that therefore the symbolic portrayals of them are as if alive. From this there is gladness in every detail.
711. A decoration was shown to me which then came up - just a decoration on a gate by itself. It was, by its constant variation, of a kind to surpass beyond measure all human imagination. For one decoration follows upon another, in entire processions, as far as the eye can see. This is now being displayed to them, as well as its continual changes one after another, and its seemingly live mobility. In short, it cannot be described, nor conceived of, and this is only the least and first [kind]. The yet deeper kinds are even more ineffable, not to mention the very inward and innermost kinds.
712. Moreover, the Light those who are in heaven have is such as to surpass beyond measure even the solar light on earth. I was shown this light. Some angels, shining white, who had been let into it, were sitting there, and that shining light appeared. I was told that brighter and more vivid light cannot possibly exist, because the Lord is their Light.
713. Those who are let in afterwards, or at intervals, come veiled over with a bright cloud, and are received in this way. The bright cloud was also shown to me.
714. Besides the lovely gardens of delight, there are also what are called heavenly abodes, that is, magnificent palaces, within which there are these most wonderful ornamentations, one after another, seemingly alive, countlessly diverse, and indeed, [seen] much more vividly than things looked at with the eyes of the body. 1748, 10 February.
715. About the rejection of evil spirits who try to slip into heaven by craft and deceit
Sometimes evil spirits are permitted to do this, as well as those called wolves, who, earlier, carried off some who fear them for the reason then given [699] - but only during the first period, before they have been initiated into societies.
They clothe themselves, as if in shining white garments, but they are recognized immediately by the angels, because it only is an outer layer, as if painted on, not anything living. Therefore, it is impossible for them to be received in any society, for to be received into heaven is to be received into heavenly societies.
This, then, is what is meant by there being a gulf between hell and heaven [Luke 16:26], because it is an impossible thing; and if it should be permitted, then they would at once be rejected as something entirely contrary, like scum.
717. Furthermore, there is a way to heaven, as said above [697-706]. Below is hell, then the lower earth (these are known by another name as well), then the heaven of spirits, next the inward heaven,* then the very inward, finally the innermost. Everywhere the same process is occurring, but with much difference in this respect, that in the lower earth, and in the heaven of spirits, they obtain what is delightful to them, thus being transferred from one society to another; while evil spirits [undergo this process] in the opposite manner, namely, by punishments, and thus unwillingly. 1748, 10 February.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
718. About those who desire to be the highest in heaven
In regard to those who desire to be the highest in heaven, I observed that during their bodily life, other, similar inclinations had become attached to them, to want to surpass others, either in worldly glory or in other respects. And therefore they ambition more or less the same thing in the other life, even though this is opposed to the love of the neighbor.
Such people in the other life are deprived of all rationality, and become as though they were not humans; for not knowing what they are doing, they go about everything from instinct, and as if in sleep, as said before [372, 696]. And because they had thought there was something good in such ambition, they are allowed to follow their instinct most zealously in whatever they do. So, trying to copy all [good qualities], they appear as good.
When these are permitted, they seem to themselves to fashion wings, and so to fly aloft. And then out of sheer fantasy, they fly so high that they believe it hardly possible to be any higher, as has also been shown to me. So far does their ambition uplift them. 1748, 10 February.
719. A difference of spirits
When a spirit is deprived of rationality, so that he acts from mere instinct, then he is pardoned for whatever he does since he is acting as if in sleep; also because no one can help pitying their condition, seeing that they act in this manner.
However, when the same spirits are rational while so acting, the rationality does nothing other than strive to hide their instinct. Thus a habitual pretense is usually present, from fear and from other causes, because the rationality in bodily life had hardly been anything other than a means of hiding their natural instincts and distorted loves. This I was able to gather today from actual experience. 1748, 10 February.
These points spirits were able to understand as well as if the subject were exposed to the senses, but I am doubtful whether people living in the body can understand them.
720. In the absence of reflection, spirits do not see by means of the human body they are joined to
I have often walked through the streets of a city among a large crowd, not reflecting on the spirits around me, [supposing] that they, too, would be noticing everything along with me. This reflection happens by my simply looking inward and then tacitly calling things to their attention. Almost on every such occasion and so, quite often, they told me that during that time, they had seen and heard nothing, but had all the while been attending to thought in my mind.
So also, any spirit whatever whom I reflected on was summoned up, so to speak, and this happened very often. From this I was able to infer that the spirits, when present with someone whose inward parts are not opened toward the Lord through faith, absolutely cannot speak with that person, nor see through his or her eyes. They only make use of the person's memory and so of their reasoning power, just as these spirits with me use mine, who have very often confessed that they had not been able to tell otherwise than that they were living my life. This also occurs in a group of many spirits, each one of whom thinks he lives his own life, unaware that the rest also think the same.
721. Those reflections I could best compare with people's reflection on themselves. They are unaware that their hand or face is cold, or that their foot is pressed when they walk, or that they are speaking words when they speak, or that any other condition anywhere in their body exists, unless they reflect on it, or direct their thought toward it. There are besides many similar confirmatory examples, such as the fact that if we do not reflect upon the sounds of bells, or on the objects of sight around us, we are entirely unaware of having heard or seen them. 1748, 10 February.
722. Man can live in both lives
The human race was so created by the Lord as to be able to be both in the world and in heaven, the outer person in the world and the inner one in heaven, consequently to be able to speak with spirits and angels as well as with fellow human beings. This was so that heaven would be united with the world, and the world with heaven.
This has also, by the mercy of the Lord, taken place with me, and indeed in such a way that when I was mixing with people on earth, I did not differ in the least from myself as I had been before, nor could anyone tell me from an [ordinary] weak human being. But when I was with spirits, I was then as if separate from my body, yet at the same time joined to it, because my spiritual part was then with spirits - in fact, so much so, that when I wanted to write something like "the other life," I could hardly realize that it was the other life, or the life after death; for the spirits wanted "in this life," because I was with them.
723. About a kind of spirits who do nothing but engage in robberies and commit butcheries
And about the kind who, because of them, seem to themselves to flee to cities, and then dwell in a large city
A kind of roving spirit was shown to me that engages in nothing but plundering and robberies. There first appeared to me a spirit wearing dark blue, and on his head a twisted cap of the same color, like the [headdress] of certain Turks. He came toward me, waving his right hand.
Another spirit then told me that he was fleeing, and was terribly afraid of some who do nothing but search for and find people to torture, put to the sword, torment, burn up with fire, boil, and who cruelly maltreat all whom they come across. But about this spirit who waved his hand, he said that such a one usually appears to them, warning them to beware of those robbers, because they are then near at hand.
724. It should be mentioned that before the latter appeared to me, I had been removed from the company of the spirits who were with me before. As a result, they spoke with me from far off and cried out that I was being taken away, or moved far from them, while I thought I was being transferred to the inhabitants of a different earth.
725. Those robbers are, as the spirit speaking said, entirely black from head to heel. Soon afterwards, one such did appear to me, very black, who was one of the robbers.
726. The same appeared close to me, his right hand stretched out straight at full length, threatening, in case anyone were there whom he might thus torture.
727. Presently others appeared, three in a row, among whom there was even one woman. They were cunningly awaiting the opportunity to steal something. One, at the left, secretly looking for my purse, wanted to slip his hand into it. Another, facing me, was cunningly saying he did not want to take away anything, yet his craftiness was apparent from his speech. His looks were not unattractive, nor were the woman's. Whether she had been sent out as a decoy, I do not know for sure.
Someone also appeared who was taking away boxes as though he were carrying off plunder. 1748, 11 February.
728. Continuation on the robbers and about the Large City, spoken of on the adjoining pages [723-7]
A spirit, when I asked him where he came from, explained to me, saying that he was fleeing and was afraid of the robbers, who kill, slaughter, burn, boil people. He was looking for someone with whom he would be safe. I asked where he was from, whether from such and such a region, and he said that he did not know which land, but which city. He did not want to hear "land," or the word naming it. For he said afterwards that the land is the Lord's, but the city belonged to them; that they were in the city so as to be safe from the robbers.
729. Afterwards I talked with a robber who spoke with a deep voice, like a giant, and I asked him who he was. He said he was looking for plunder to carry off. I asked where he stored his loot, and whether he realized that it would be taken away from him, since it was nothing but an illusion.
When I asked him where he was, he said that he was in a desert, or in deserted places, seeking opportunities to plunder, and that those whom he comes upon, he torments in the manner described. Thus the robbers were together [with the others]. He finally acknowledged that he was a spirit; yet still, because he is with me, he does not realize it, thinking he is still living on earth.
730. Now I realize that they are like, if not the same as, the Jews who roam the desert in this way, and upon meeting anyone, are of a mind not only to seize whatever they possess, but even, if no one knows about it, to kill, slaughter, burn, or boil [them]. That they have a mind to do this, although they do not dare, may be amply inferred from their passions, attitudes and inclinations against even their own people and companions, as well as from their wicked life when they had been given power over their enemies, whom they could not treat cruelly enough to satiate their lust for cruelty.
731. Therefore that generation seem to themselves to be living in a very large city, as they call it, where they are safe, nor do they dare to go out of it. For this reason, when they do go out of their city, unless they are like [those robbers], they are warned by a spirit wearing dark blue like the one mentioned [723], not unlike their rabbis, to beware, because the robbers are not far off. 1748, 11 February.
732. Something that surprised me very much is that when I was saying the Lord's prayer, such a robber was present with me and said it together with me, as very often happens, and I noticed that he did so with such devotion that I was unable to make out whether or not he had true belief; for I could not discern that his mind was unfamiliar with the meaning, as I could in others. Thus he was at the time worshipping the Lord as if from his heart, [praying] that He might protect him.
From this I was able to infer what that generation is like, namely, that when they are in danger, and afraid, their covetousness is entirely unnoticeable, as though it out of sight, or as if it passes away, and they perform devotion, all on account of the danger of death. This is borne out by many incidents in their history. Nevertheless they bear such intentions in their hearts [729], and, as I was able to sense, they derive this hereditarily from both dragons. For as soon as they come out of danger, they are the same as ever, except now using the heart to lie. 1748, 11 February.
733. About reflection
I was just conversing with spirits and angels about reflection, to which I do not know whether people have given enough attention; and it was said that if they give it some thought, they will discover more secrets in the doctrine of reflection than in any other.
What reflection achieves can be quite clear to everyone from the fact that we perceive no sensation of the body or its parts, and are unaware of having a sensation, unless we reflect upon that part of our body. Then we perceive heat, cold, pressure - we even feel what that part is suffering. If we reflect on our breathing, then we feel and know that we are breathing, and in this way a voluntary factor joins in; besides innumerable other instances.
734. Likewise, when we do not reflect on the things in our own mind, or our motivation - how we are thinking, what we are thinking, what we are doing, what is motivating our actions - without reflection we know nothing, except that we are, and nothing else, not what we are.
On the other hand, if we reflect upon ourself from [the viewpoint of] others, or allow others to reflect upon us, and to say what we are like, then for the first time we are able to know ourself. Otherwise we can never learn, but remain in our own illusions, and from them, reflect upon others. So one thinks truths are falsities, because one is judging from one's illusions. For such as the starting-point is, such also is everything that follows.
735. Spirits especially, stay after death in a state devoid of reflection. This is also the reason that they cannot tell but that they are earthly people, living in the world as before. So they remain in their illusions and live on as the character they had been at death. But as soon as the power of reflection is given them by the Lord, they know that they are in the other life - a belief to which they can hardly be brought until they are given something, or rather many things, to reflect on. But illusions rooted into their character still remain.
736. Consequently, spirits cannot at all help thinking that they are better than the rest, especially those who had been arrogant in life, who also dislike being reflected upon. However, when they are brought into a state of reflection, they are brought into a state of better life, for then for the first time they are able to know themselves, and know more truly what they are.
737. Moreover, even the doctrine of faith accomplishes nothing at all with people, unless the Lord enables them to reflect. That is the very reason why people learn what is true and good from the Word of the Lord, namely, so that from what they learn, they may reflect upon themselves, as to whether they are as they ought to be. This reflection is given them at certain times, especially times of distress. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, to learn truths. Without spiritual knowledge, there can be no reflection, thus no reformation.
738. However, they who fall into passions and illusions, are unable to reflect from a viewpoint of truths, until those chills and those shadows have been dispelled. 1748, 11 February.
739. About reflection
The doctrine of reflection is an entire doctrine, and without it no one is able to know what inward life is, not even what the life of the body is. In fact, without reflection from a knowledge of truths, no one is reformed. For this reason, the Lord is delivering to the people on this earth, because they are living in a corrupt state, written down truths. From these, as from a wellspring, they may draw a knowledge of truth that will enable them to reflect on themselves - or more truly, from which higher knowledge, inscribed upon the memory, the Lord may cause people to reflect upon their falsities, and the like. Therefore, without spiritual knowledge, reformation is not possible.
740. It is different on the earth Jupiter, where spirits warn them, and raise up and display before them whatever they had wrongly thought and done. So reflection there takes place through revelations, as mentioned before [523, 539-45].
Revelations cannot take place on this earth, because the door toward heaven has been closed, and people's thoughts are only drawn up to heaven by the Lord at certain times. The rest of the time, they are concerned with nothing else but bodily, worldly and earthly matters, and upon these they reflect.
If in these circumstances the door toward heaven were opened to them, as it was to Cain, with whom spirits could even speak, then falsities would so mix themselves together with truths that they could never be separated. Thus they would be damned to eternity. This is therefore guarded against. 1748, 11 February.
741. About spirits' appetite for learning
In place of the appetite people in bodily life have for eating and drinking to nourish the body, spirits have an appetite for, or enjoyment of learning. The angelic appetite is for learning only what is true and good, but that of spirits is for anything whatever that is new. This desire is almost constant, taking the place of the appetite for nourishing the body with earthly food. So in every heaven, there is a most intense feeling for understanding truth and goodness, or matters of belief. This brings on reflections, by means of which they are perfected more and more. 1748, 11 February.
Every word of this was written in the presence of many spirits and angels who were reflecting on what had been written, and affirming it.
742. About the inhabitants of Jupiter
The presence of the inhabitants of Jupiter was recognizable to me not only from the influence of their feelings, but also because they made my face appear smiling and cheerful, something they did constantly. For so they dispose the faces of the inhabitants of their planet, so that from heartfelt pleasure, they are almost laughing, or radiating joy. That it was joy of heart, I was able to learn also from the fact that they shared their calmness with me. It was so pleasant that I felt it fill my chest and my heart. Moreover, they do not let themselves be swayed by the passions of others, but remain in their own pleasant calm. Thus they are free of concerns such as the spirits of our earth have, who are stirred up by all kinds of emotions, and are continually in a state of restlessness. From this it can be inferred quite surely that the life of the inhabitants of the planet Jupiter is very far more pleasant than the life of the inhabitants of our earth; for it is passions which render a person restless.
743. Besides, they do not fear death, except on account of the loss of their married partner and little children; nor do they fear for them, since they live in tranquillity, and know for sure that their life is continued through the death of the body, and that they thus become happier, and heavenly angels.
744. [They know,] however, that there is a still deeper state of happiness, unknown to those who are with me. So they would be receptive of a more inward happiness that is not possible in those who take pleasure in a corrupt way of life, in passions and fantasies. For these people, inward things are annoying, and disquieting - which is not the case with the spirits of the planet of Jupiter.
749.* About the robbers in the desert, and about the city
About the robbers in the desert, see above [723-32], as well as about their cruelty, which I am not even permitted to describe; nor were they permitted to show it to me. In addition, it can be said that they are not in the habitable land, but are in the desert, because they go alone and do not put up with a companion, because it is their nature to want to torment, slaughter, burn up, and boil anyone they meet, this being their great enjoyment.
* 745-48 appear after 754, as indicated in the autograph.
750. There is a boundary point beyond which they are not allowed to pass. From it, a line extends away in both directions toward two cities, so that a triangle is formed when lines are drawn from the boundary point to both cities, and from one city to the other. One city, a city of the evil, is not far from Gehenna but more to the left, where the dragon appeared several times when he wanted to call together his own evil spirits to form a wicked society or conspiracy against the good, that is, against the Lord. Thereabouts is the city of the evil. Those who seem to themselves to live there, in fantasy rush around the streets, ankle-deep in mud, moaning and complaining miserably.
751. The second city lies between Gehenna and the swamp, almost equidistant from them. There, the better ones of them seem to themselves to dwell. This city sometimes appears magnificent to them, with palaces and quite beautiful houses. But sometimes the same city is suddenly turned into countryside, or small towns, sometimes even into stinking swamp, practically nothing but mire, in which they are being buried. So the illusion varies for each individual who is there, and is not the same with everyone - for they are dominated by illusions. Therefore, depending on their various passions, and punishments, as well as refreshing enjoyments at intervals, they experience these fantasies as if they were entirely actual, quite unable to tell but that they are real. In this city, it is a common expression that the city is theirs, but the land the Lord's [cf. 728].
751 1/2. I inquired who was the governor of the city. This they did not know, and told me that no one was, but that they were nevertheless together, for fear of the robbers wandering in the deserts. Thus they are held together because of fear. It is clear that the Lord controls their illusions in this way, through fear, so that one does not attack the other, as in the deserts, which would happen if they were not under the Lord's auspices.
752. Now the line drawn hence is the boundary, which, running to each city, and from one city to the other, forms a triangle within the space of which the robbers are.
753. On that boundary, a spirit almost snowy white appeared to me, and an angel also, almost shining. And as another spirit was coming up, the spirit standing there welcomed with outstretched arms the one approaching, who, bowing himself to the earth, passed under his feet. Then, having quickly turned around, being on his back or with his body downward and face upward, he was driven under his feet and then thrown forward on high, and so he fled away. This they call admission towards the city. So they are not harmed, because they say that [the spirit] is obliged to admit them.
754. But there was another one who crawled under those feet, back and forth, or under the feet and back several times in the way described. These are the ones who will worship [the robbers, see 748]. 1748, 12 February. # #
745.* # # Continuation about the robbers in the desert, and the city
But there was also one who in his crawling got wrapped up in a fine net, so that he was unable to pull himself out of it, but was anxiously crawling greater and greater distances and being tormented. These are the ones whom they want to temper by torture, before admitting them, but likewise afterwards by a spear which the spirit kept holding in his hand, and which formed a leg of that angle [750, 752], and around which a veil was wrapped, under which the spirit [being tormented] had been put. Finally he broke out near the point of the spear, but together with the veil, and not within the boundary toward the city, but toward me, on high. So this is a sign that such a spirit would not enter into that place, or that city.
* 745-48 are placed here in accordance with instructions in the manuscript.
746. But there was another man wrapped up in the net, thus two of them - for what reason, I do not know. Perhaps so that he could show me these matters. For the dragon does not want them to be disclosed, and has therefore often tried by his illusions to invalidate my visions, as well as even to steal them away so that I would not know of them, as he is also doing now. It is a severe punishment to be let under the veil, because they are thereby tormented pitifully. The one who fled away [cf. 753] drew the net with him, like a tail, because of an illusion joined to the fear in fleeing.
747. They who live evilly even in the city to the right or halfway between Gehenna and the swamp, are penalized with severe punishments.
748. From these particulars it is apparent what the fantasy of the Jews, who during their earthly life thought that they were still to possess Jerusalem and the holy land, brings with it in the other life. Few, if any, believe in heaven or a life after death - one devoted to mere greed never can believe that there is a life after death, or a resurrection, just as they did not believe it in the Lord's time. Specifically it brings with it the consequence that this fantasy remains, and so, they come into a city - the worst ones, as soon as they die, into a city to the left, the better ones into a city to the right. And their holy land to which they think they are coming is profane, and filled with robbery, that is, plundering and wickedness. They call it the land of the Lord, for as such they are obliged to worship the robbers, in order to be supplied with what they regard as the necessaries of life. 1748, 12 February. These are the consequences of their belief and life.
755.* About the difference between the delights of pleasure, and true happiness
When I was feeling deep delight, or pleasantness, I did not know their source; for it is very difficult for a soul or spirit to distinguish between false or counterfeited delights and true or heavenly ones. Their sensation is still so gross that they cannot tell. For this reason, I discussed these delights with spirits around me, as to where they came from, and it was said that false delights or pleasures sometimes so counterfeit true and heavenly ones, that they cannot at all be distinguished. In fact, unless the Lord inspires a recognition of the difference, a spirit cannot ever find out.
By false delight of this kind, evil spirits, in fact the worst ones, very much mislead and enchant those in the other life, who then think it to be the epitome of heaven, whereas it is completely hellish, because it turns into what is hellish, and into torments. Thus they not only inject the most deeply felt pleasantness, but also counterfeit the beautiful shapes of various objects, even like the gardens of paradise. For evil spirits, especially those high overhead, constantly seek to copy such things, and thus lead souls astray or entice them to their side, so that they will join them.
* Following the author's instructions, 749-54 have been put after 744.
756. The difference is like that between artificial fruits, artificial flowers, leaves, artificial human figures of wax, reproductions that are clay on the inside (it is only the outside that counterfeits and leads astray, in fact so cleverly sometimes that the untrained and simple are easily fooled), and genuine fruits, flowers, and human faces. In the latter there is life, and the deeper and deeper one goes, the more spiritual and heavenly the life is. These endure, and develop, and the more deeply this takes place, the more beautiful and the happier they become; whereas with the former, as one goes inward, the outer beauty and pleasantness falls away, or collapses, betraying nothing but what is filthy and hellish. 1748, 12 February.
Such is the life of pleasures in the body.*
* A line is here inserted separating this paragraph from the next one.
758. Those who in the life of the body have greatly excelled in cleverness, but only in outer matters, are stupid in the other life
Someone slightly known to me during his bodily life, who was brought to me just for the purpose of conversing, but had nothing to say, was so dull and seemingly stupid that he knew of nothing that we might talk about. His dullness was communicated to me, so that I could learn about it. It cast such shadows over my thought that I could hardly understand what I was writing.
During his bodily life, this man had been cleverer than others, although only outwardly, so that due to his sharpness of mind in regard to trivial matters, he was highly acclaimed.
Thus ingenuity in outer, worldly and bodily matters turns into stupidity. But I do not yet know whether this was the result of his being left to a company of similar spirits. In this circumstance any spirit is stupid, and still more one who, like this one, had only died a few months earlier [see 400]. 1748, 12 February.
759. Moreover, there was also another person who had likewise surpassed others in cleverness during his bodily life, and who was nevertheless among good spirits, and capable of perceiving the deeper things of heaven.
760. On hatred during life in the body: what it causes in the other life
A certain person, owing to various misfortunes and for various reasons, during his bodily life had nursed a hatred against some he thought had persecuted him, and on account of the length of time [he had persisted in doing this], it had taken root. I was able to tell this from the acts of his life, as well as from conversation with him. When he saw someone whom he had hated in bodily life, it was as if he had suddenly been torn away from the conversation he was having with another and had been hurled from above like a bolt of lightning, casting himself at the one whom he hated, intent on destroying him - but he was not permitted to do so. Only to me, it appeared that he took something from [the other's] head, but this then fell out of his hands.
So he was brought to me, and he remained for some time, almost as in sleep, absent from himself, constantly thinking about the one whom he had hated. Afterwards he spoke with me, and I showed him that he could have no reason for hating that person, because I had never heard that person speaking of him, either well or ill, nor had that person ever hated him, but what he had done had been done by necessity and by agreement.
Finally I noticed that the hatred in him was allayed, showing that he was still capable of moderating his hatred. This I can infer for the reason that when he suffered misfortunes during his bodily life, the Lord had been merciful to him. 1748, 13 February. This was written in his presence.
761. Continuation about the robbers
Again one of the robbers approached me like an entirely black cloud. He came up to my right side, striking fear into those who were with me, though not into me. For the mere presence of these robbers is such that it strikes those whom they approach with fear, terror, and even trembling. With all his energy he was bent on attacking me with his crafty tricks, but it was in vain. He even stretched out his right hand [see 726], trying to exercise an imaginary power, but he could accomplish nothing whatsoever. By the way, when that black robber appeared, he had stars around him, as well as a starry sky.
761 1/2. Just this one observation occurs to me as worth mentioning, that he portrayed women with beautiful faces [see 727], and then wanted to sneak them in with the purpose of gaining the opportunity to steal, which he also attempted to do by use of his illusive arts.
762. Moreover, this type of robber also appears to have fierce dogs with him, which he sets upon those he encounters to terrify and devour them. The dogs I have also seen.
763. His face was also shown, as it looks to those whom he frightens, namely, no face [was seen] except a very black something, only his mouth, opened threateningly and fiercely, so that it was rather a gaping maw showing rows of teeth. In short, he was like a mad dog with gaping jaws. It was jaws, not a face. 1748, 13 February.
765. About the year 1657
In a vision, I was shown 57, or 1657, the numbers being written before my eyes; but what they mean, I do not know exactly. 1748, 13 February.*
* J.F.I. Tafel, first Latin editor of this text, wrote: "Why not 1757?" (the year of the Last Judgment).
766. The powerful and the rich in the world are saved equally as the lowly and poor
I spoke with some after their bodily life who had been powerful, with Kings, and queens, with whom all was well, and who can be counted among the more happy. On the other hand, I have also encountered very many of the lower class and the poor who are in a wretched condition, especially beggars and the like.
So worldly power, and worldly riches, do not hold a person back from attaining Life eternal, nor does a pitiable condition or poverty promote it. The determining factor is rather the inward person and the productiveness of one's faith and charity, consequently one's motives and the use to which one's goods, power and riches are put.
Therefore, there is no distinction between the two types of people except on the plane of religion. 1748, 14 February.
767. How the different sciences take hold of the human mind, and limit it
I was talking with spirits about the different sciences, such as philosophy, and others - how they develop human minds.
As for philosophy, every aspect of it up until now has done nothing but cast shadows over minds, and thus has closed off the way to a contemplation of deeper matters, as well as of universal principles, for it consists solely of terms, and of disputes about them - even more so does rationalistic philosophy, which constricts ideas in such a way that the mind dwells upon nothing but petty details and consequently on trivia. Besides, it not only obstructs the channels to what is deeper, but also causes blindness, and completely banishes belief. Therefore, in the other life, a philosopher who had clung fast to such details and given himself up to them, is now stupid, and by far less knowledgeable than others.
768. As for Mechanics, when people gives themselves up too much to the practice of mechanical science, then they develop the mental attitude that nothing exists but what is mechanical, not only the whole of nature, but spiritual and heavenly things as well. Then if they cannot trace these to mechanical principles and their powers, they believe nothing, and so become bodily and earthly people.
769. As for Geometry and the like, this also strongly focusses the mind, as it were, and prevents it from going into universal principles - except in presuming that nothing exists but what is Geometrical, or mechanical. Yet the scope of Geometry does not extend beyond earthly and physical forms.
770. As for historical studies, they do no harm, provided they are not merely matters of memory.
771. They who indulge the memory alone, or studies that are a matter of memorizing, or other studies but only for the sake of the memory, in the other life understand very little about what spiritual truth is, still less what heavenly truth is. They remain fixed in their own personal ideas, which form a kind of callus surrounding their brain like bone, or skull; and this callosity has first to be cast off, before truth can penetrate, and before spiritual and heavenly knowledge can have any abode.
This callus is dispersed only with difficulty, and in fact, only with pain, or if perchance without these, then it has to soften, as it were, over a long period of time. Many experiences have shown this to me, and each time, the depiction of a callus amazed me.
772. Experimenting with nature, such as horticulture and similar studies, does not hinder the knowledge of what is spiritual, [or prevent those who are educated in this science] from being spiritually perfected equally with those who are not - something I have also observed in the case of a certain person.
773. Not any knowledge is hurtful or detrimental, provided it is not considered to be everything in itself, but a further goal is looked to. It is spiritual wealth, on which the understanding of realities can be based. It is just the same as with riches or wealth, and with power: if one values them only for the sake of riches and power, then one is very badly off in the other life, whereas if they are valued only for further ends, so that they are only means, and are thus regarded as nothing apart from the end, then they do no one any harm. 1748, 14 February.
774. About an entirely infernal gang
At the left side there is a hell where there are demons, as they ought to be called, who live from mere instinct, their rationality having been taken away. They are not so evil, but think when doing evil that they are doing good. So that place is for those who consider evils to be good and who, having been deprived of the ability to reason, abide there and think that they are ruling the universe. But they are then in a dream, as they themselves also said when they returned to themselves and their rationality was restored to them.
775. Not far from there, more toward the right of the same left quarter, is a dark place I had not yet seen, where there are devils. These store up the more secret types of poison. Today I observed one of them going out from there and speaking quite intelligibly, using his own wit and reason. But soon after this, a hellish poison exhaled from that place, that is, a poisonous persuasion regarding life, heaven, and the state of departed souls. This was conveyed to me first, and soon after that, the same devil, coming up to me, wanted to speak with me without anyone hearing. But because his poisons had already been recognized, he was not permitted to utter them but only to think them, so that he was, I realized, being compelled to speak differently [than he thought]. He is now present.
776. Here is true hell, and the thought is being inspired into me that these are the kind who are sent out especially to people in the world who corrupt others, and are inwardly extremely wicked. 1748, 14 February.
777. About certain rich and luxurious people in the world
There was a spirit who had lived in luxury in his bodily life, having become rich from gifts, so that he was reckoned among the more wealthy and served a sumptuous table, though he was not born such, but became such. After the life of the body, such people wander around asking for food like beggars, and they go in tattered clothing, not knowing but that they are in the life of the body. Thus their condition is changed to the opposite, which must be painful for them. 1748, 15 February.
778. About the sleep even of spirits
It has already been told, I believe, that there are various changes of state with spirits, many more than with people on earth [319, 651-52, 696], so that there are perpetually changing states which they undergo. Therefore they also have a state of sleeping and waking and all the states in between.
779. Once while a spirit was sleeping, I was awake and paying little attention to his sleep. Then there was another spirit who was sleeping and displayed what that spirit was feeling. At the same time there were also angels, who were inspiring this dream, who are always awake. Therefore, dreams like this one come from heaven, and there are angels who cause them, from the Lord, and there are other spirits who then believe they are enacting [the dream]. I even heard how this spirit was working, and what was being said. 1748, 15 February.
780. To strive after any honor on earth or among people on earth, is not heavenly
I spoke with some who had died not so many years earlier, but were still among good spirits not yet let into heaven, who inwardly still desired honor in the world, or some kind of acclaim for their name among mortals on earth. I was also enabled to feel this their ambition. Then I spoke with them, and I said that this is something worldly still remaining, and that a heavenly attitude is to desire nothing of the kind, but rather to scorn it.
781. Speaking further, I said that in heaven, all since the very creation [of man] are gathered together, thus an enormous society, with whom they may become acquainted and even associate, with the resulting enjoyment and pleasantness, without any one of them desiring for whatever reason to be greater than another, but feeling themselves less. There is no comparison, therefore, between a name in heaven and a name on earth, especially among the kind of people who know nothing of what is good and heavenly, just as there is no comparison between glory in the world, and glory in heaven. Being hereby convinced, they affirmed this, because they perceived from the Lord that it was true. 1748, 15 February.
782. About the state of life after death
From a soul after death, the first thing that must be shed is the earthly element, as well as the bodily, this being love of self and love of the world, consequently the delusions that stream forth from those loves and go together with them.
783. After this souls undergo preparation, so that their earthly part harmonizes with their spiritual part, then they are let into the inward heaven.*
* See 262 and footnote 3.
784. There they are divested of the earthly part, and thus prepared for the very inward heaven, where the spiritual element is still dominant.
785. Finally, that dominating spiritual element is put off, and then they are let into the innermost heaven, where that which is heavenly dominates.
786. These stages of divestment are symbolically portrayed by clothing being taken off, and are almost the same process.
787. However, they can be clothed again with these garments, one by one, and be brought back from the innermost to the very inward, and then to the inward regions, and into the heaven of spirits.
788. For they retain everything they had drawn with them from the world. These are resources with which they have been gifted only by the Lord; so that by putting on clothes, this process is portrayed, whereby from being angels, they can thus be reduced to spirits.
789. But they are brought back, or they thus put on those elements one after another, for the sake of being perfected. For the elements still clinging to them, of nature, of the world, of the body, joined together, while they are gradually being resolved are like a ferment, so that their life ferments, so to speak. In order for these elements also to be as if separated, or to become harmless, the souls are brought back to their original state, thus being made still more perfect.
790. No one reaches the very inward regions without being prepared, so an [unprepared] soul cannot ascend, but descend. 1748, 15 February.
791. The odor of offences
I perceived a general feeling of spirits that was so made up of offences,* that they would not acknowledge the Lord as the Lord of the universe and Savior of all. This was the general feeling that I sensed, so I was comparing it with a certain odor. For everything of this kind is so comparable to an odor, that it is even presented by means of an odor; and whenever it so pleases [the Lord], it is indeed smelled as an odor, both by those on earth and by spirits.
Then I became aware of the kind of odor like that of stinking water, or water polluted with garbage; and I was told that this is the odor [of offences]. 1748, 15 February.
* I.e. offences against the faith, or stumbling blocks.
792. Spirits who had not believed in the life after death are dumbfounded when it is proved to them
A certain spirit, about whom I know he had not believed in a life after death during his bodily life - even though in his last hours, I think he had been persuaded by a priest [to believe] - when it was proved to him in various ways that he was in the other life, was so dumbfounded, so amazed at being in another life, that he could hardly be convinced. He said that he had been living without reflecting, when yet all this long while he had been in the company of [spirits] like he now was. But he was among infernal ones. 1748, 15 February.
793. About one who is lukewarm
One of those who are devils, and who from hatred persecute truth and goodness the most, coming up to me, did not want to do anything [wrong] at all, behaving as though he had repented. Nor did I sense any deceit, even though I did think that he harbored deceits within, only awaiting the opportunity, but meanwhile putting himself forth as a good spirit, and converted.
Someone fleeing far away from him, told me that he could not bear his presence, because he smelled like vomit, which made him want to vomit. This was because he was like the one of whom it is said, that he must be spewed out [Rev. 3:16]. 1748, 15 February.
794. These [devils] are more dangerous than all the rest, because given the place and the opportunity, they are crueler than others.
795. One of them later spoke, and did, unspeakably horrible things, which therefore must not be made known, for he viciously attacked everything [true and good]. And amazingly, because such spirits have this nature, they can never let up, but once they are permitted, then no matter how they are persuaded and how well instructed that such acts should not be done, they nevertheless commit them. Their nature and instinct drive them to it and they carry them out with pleasure, because a passion for such [wickedness] clings to them. 1748, 15 February.
796. About the raising up of whatever resides in a person's memory, by spirits
It has often struck me as amazing how spirits can raise up the appropriate items from a person's memory, and indeed, instantaneously, in any situation. This is due to the fact that [something in it] interacts with their desire, which then works in secret upon the memory.
797. Moreover, in a person's memory they can also read, so to speak, what is stored there, and find out anything the person had thought and done. And this they did, sometimes, when I knew nothing about the things they had seen. So they read it as if it were a written book; and more besides. 1748, 15 February.
798. The universal rule regarding the life after death, that it is allotted to each according to his motives in bodily life
It is known that the created universe is but a complex of means toward the goal of goals, Which is the Lord, because He is Heaven. Intermediate goals range in their own series and levels, one after another, from the lowest to the higher, then on to the highest. The arrangement of these means, and series of means, is order.
799. Therefore, whatever kind of means, or intermediate goal, people are in their own goals, such is the character they acquire, and such their life at first becomes after bodily life; and such also is the abode they are allotted in the greatest body or Heaven, thus in the Human Himself, that is, in the Lord.
As for still deeper regions, and the very inward and innermost, these we do not discern, nor consequently, where our heritage will be. This the Lord Alone discerns, because these matters are too inward to be able to open up before our very dim human sight.
800. According to the goals that we set for ourself during bodily life, in every respect - regarding ourself, society in common, heaven, the Lord - we are assigned a place after bodily life as a member [in that greatest body].
801. That people's goals or motives determine their placement is clear from the fact that our life consists of our motives, which are mostly the same as our loves; and our motives, taken together, are like our soul - and such indeed does our soul become. For one's soul looks only toward purposes, and is a bundle of purposes [26]. So it is that during bodily life, we develop a soul for ourself, which is our character and instinct.
802. That our purposes determine our place is also clear from the fact that whenever people are looking to a personal goal, such as themselves, or something connected with themselves, even if they are benefiting the community, so that the common good is thus served, they are still not at all rewarded for that, because their motive was not the common good, but a personal goal. It is same as when devils are striving for the harm and destruction of a person, of society, and of the human race, and the Lord turns it into something good and salutory: yet that devil who had had an evil, a most evil, intention, remains nevertheless a devil, and becomes worse.
803. The worst purpose of all is that of one whose goal is self. Then common and universal interests are focussed upon oneself. Next worse is the purpose of those who have the world as their goal.
804. Purposes in bodily life induce the character and instinct we bring with us in the other life
Some examples were shown today of how peoples' purposes in bodily life had determined their character and formed their instinct.
805. A certain person had thought and talked of nothing else but giving phrases and words a clever twist; whatever came up he would bend in such a way that in one phrase or another, something witty would emerge. I wondered who this was, because one could not distinguish him from the other spirits except by the way his speaking and thinking were directed to things of this kind.
But I was informed that these are the kind whose only goal in the life of the body had been studies dealing with their own favorite ideas, which they loved, such as critical analyses, variant readings of classical authors and of the Sacred Scripture; or who had just loved to compile dictionaries, or who in their everyday life had loved nothing more than eloquence with words, double meanings, or plays on words.
I was shown what his, or their, life was like. It was as though I could sense nothing living in them, but only words, and scarcely anything else but words. While they were certainly alert mentally, able to speak at length, still their thought dwelt on the details just mentioned. Of these their speech also consisted, as if it were something lifeless, like something in which none but the very least life was present.
Yet, he was not evil; he could simply not stretch his thought further, but confined it to some special feature of words, as well as to the least characteristics of speech. Consequently he did not look like a living being, but like an artfully carved, talking statue.
806. But these are they who had loved only such things, and considered them as essential, while they are but the lowest means. These people always imagine such things to be most important, as is commonly done, because they are means for coming to inward, and so to very inward principles.
On account of his love of these pursuits and the delusions it causes, in his thoughts this person did not rise beyond them, much less come to universal principles. Consequently, he did not have the purpose of putting them to a further use.
807. One who loves only memorized facts and considers them to be wisdom, going by the rule that a person is the wiser, the more he has stored in his memory, has a kind of callus enveloping his thought, as said before [771]. When this callus is removed, he laments, thinking he has lost his whole life, and that there is nothing left; but as it seemed to me, he then for the first time is in a state where he can be perfected. And the reason it seemed that way to me was, I think, that he also had, inwardly, some goodness, so that some goodness sweated through. 1748, 16 February.
808. Continuation on the life after death according to one's purposes in the life of the body
There were also some of the kind who had done no thinking at all, but were only followers, so to speak, so that whatever was said, they followed. In these likewise there did not seem to me to be much life, because they did nothing on their own, only following others, as if they themselves were nothing - for if they do nothing of themselves, then their presence goes almost unnoticed. I was informed that this is what those become who during their bodily life do nothing except on impulse and who in considering, understanding, responding to anything, are like little bursts of flame. What they are to say or answer back occurs to them on the spur of the moment, so that they commit themselves spontaneously, without thought, or deliberation. During their bodily life such people are easy and flexible, and at the same time also demons; for they readily flare up, although the fire is soon put out. The flame is a visual image of their speech; besides many other details.
809. These people in the other life are apparently compatible with many [groups], for they do almost nothing else but promote what I may call harmonious movements of spirits. They can almost be called lubricants, because they facilitate [these movements], especially where some passion has not become deeply rooted.
Among these there are both demons and spirits, as well as intermediate types. Thus they are as it were mixers, which struck me as being connectors; but they are mixers, for promoting the flowing movements of spirits.
810. There are also some in the other life who are sticky, so to speak, holding onto anything that antagonizes them; nor do they let go before either having taken revenge or seeing an end to it in some other way. They are the kind who in bodily life had harbored revenge over long periods. They are almost sticky, as has often been noted previously.
811. There are others, also, who perform a quite important use. They seize upon whatever is thought, and do not reason about it, but believe and are convinced. But the ones who are good are not convinced by anything other than what they understand to be true and good. In bodily life, they had been people who had believed others obstinately, and had seized upon things that they had simply heard, without any effort to think for themselves. They are of important use, and near to the angelic heaven. When they are led astray, they are angered and grieve. Among them are also those having spiritual innocence, which arises from ignorance of more inward truths. 1748, 16 February.
812. The former ones [810], who are obstinate, or sticky, have been allotted a place before the face, a little to the left, near to the upper region, but not high up.
813. The latter, however, have been allotted a place toward the right side, and they appear to me as though they form a lesser segment of a circle.
814. About those who are allotted a place within the body
I was surprised that certain ones were allotted a place within the body, while others are outside. But I was instructed that they are allotted a place within the body who during their life had loved what is good, and had not hated anyone, but had put a good interpretation [on others' actions], desiring to do kindness to every individual and likewise, living in accordance with established order, thus showing heartfelt respect toward those who were in charge. 1748, 16 February.
815. About the first entrance of souls into the other life
As soon as souls come into the other life, they are for the most part received among societies of good spirits, unless they had been such as had led a contrary life or had been completely evil. Those in whom there is goodness and uprightness, or any such qualities, are received by societies of good spirits, and by them are shown every kindness, in fact, even to introducing them into heaven, or into companies of angels - although only for the purpose of showing them heaven and its happiness and glory. For afterwards they are let back into their original state, and then examined by spirits, both secretly and openly, as to their quality; so they are either separated from the society or brought into it, depending upon their character thus tested.
816. For this reason, when souls are let into heaven, or into other regions pleasing to him, one cannot judge from this that they are to be angels and more acceptable than others, as it is commonly supposed. But because all things take place by permission and consent, they are therefore sent back, as it were, to the spirits, so that the spirits may find out as if on their own, secretly or openly, what [these souls] are like, and more or less judge about them in their own way. Nevertheless, all these circumstances are governed by the Lord. 1748, 16 February.
817. An appetite for eating can also be brought upon spirits
That spirits have desire, and induce their desire on people, I have observed clearly and frequently [cf. 597, 741], so that they desire things which are entirely unnecessary to them, such as articles of human clothing. Indeed, they burn with an uncontrollable passion for them, even while they know that such things are not for them, but for the person [they are with], as for myself for example. I spoke about this matter with a spirit, and he knew and confirmed the fact, but did not rest until I had bought a certain sort of clothing.
818. Moreover, even an appetite for eating is aroused in spirits - even though they know, and say and affirm that they know, that they cannot eat - and in fact an appetite for specific foods is aroused, as happened today. Then when I promised to eat the foods in question today, the spirit quieted down.
Therefore, purely physical appetites do exist in spirits, which can be aroused by objects near a person, and then be aroused in the person by the spirit. 1748, 18 February.
819. By various experiences it has become clear that spirits believe they are people on earth
By much experience over a long period, it has been made clear to me that spirits do not know differently than that they are the same as myself, so that they have admitted it many times, with full assurance, declaring it to be so both when separated, and when joined to me in different ways. I was instructed by reflections, and by experiences, that spirits strictly believe that they are the person [they are with], both in respect to the person's reasoning power, or thinking, and to the body and bodily actions, even those that are characteristic; thus they imagine to be their own what the person thinks and does, indeed, that the whole person is themselves.
820. But of what quality they are can be recognized from their location with a person. The experience has been so abundant, and made so plain, and so sure, that if I were to bring forth all the instances of experience, it would be a larger undertaking than I would want to guess.
821. Spirits are educated by means of people on earth
That spirits are educated by the Lord by means of man, and in this way obtain enlightened knowledge, is most clear to me, having been borne out now by the almost continuous experience of two and three quarter years.*
* See A. Acton, An Introduction to the Word Explained, pp. 113ff.
822. That they likewise learn through other people who are not aware of this, is plain to me from many things that had happened to me before I spoke with spirits; and if I had reflected upon each incident at that time, I would have been quite certain about these facts, and able to assure everyone by experience alone.
Although this [instruction] is also accomplished by means of spirits, and a thousand other ways unknown to us, yet it should not be doubted that it is by the omnipotence of the Lord.
823. The reason [they are educated by the Lord] by means of man, as a spirit, is that they put on the whole person, and they put on everything of his or her memory, and are thus enabled to learn instantly - differently from people on earth, who must be instructed starting in infancy.
824. About permissions
The doctrine of permissions [see 398] also involves this, that evil spirits claim dominion over those who are evil, consequently over the evils in a person. They claim this as theirs by right, one even declaring that [evils] are theirs, because injected by them, so that they belong to them. For this reason, they claim dominion over every person who speaks falsely. And over one who is driven by passions, and thus evils, they also strive for dominion; but because every human is evil to the core, they are not given permission to rule except over those evils in a person that are added by actual life.
But the permission does not extend beyond the purpose that the person may, through punishments and purges, be cured of these evils. This is one of the rules governing permissions. 1748, 18 February.
825. There are spirits who depict the kidneys and the bladder in the human being
Spirits who depict the kidneys, ureters and bladder in man are at the left side of the face, but toward the front, at the opening between the side of the temples and the forehead, closer to the forehead. They are of the kind who are not concerned with inward matters, much less very inward ones, nor do they understand them. Therefore when I spoke of and questioned them about such subjects, they said they did not understand them, although other spirits had understood them well.
These same ones also easily become indignant, as if from a kind of envy. They were indignant, for example, that good spirits were standing by and present with me, and they wanted to irritate them in various ways, so as to drive them away. Thus they do many things out of indignation, they are restless in spirit, and are not content with their lot - so that some property of the urine can be traced to them.
They are present, and I am speaking with them - they grow angry, go away, come back - there are many of them, and in lines. They are not deceitful, because they do this from a kind of irritable jealousy but not from deceit, and are like those in the life of the body who are called simply bad-tempered.
826. Moreover, at the left side appeared large swine joined together, by which are portrayed the earthy matters present in the urine, and being separated from the liquid. Thus depictions of earthy matters in urine are made by means of pigs so joined together, large ones, at the left side, not far off, on almost the same horizontal plane, if not somewhat higher. # #
829.* # # These same spirits sometimes ruminate over things said previously, which they retain in their memory and then become angry, wanting to find out the reasons why they were said in that way. Thus there is a kind of stickiness in them, also [cf. 810, 812].
* This paragraph is inserted in accordance with the indications of the author.
827. The same ones who are like Kidneys, ureters and bladders, do not understand man's thoughts well, either. They do not penetrate to any but those that are superficial. Sometimes they ask whether something was said about them, when it concerned others, or whether something is true, when it is quite otherwise. 1748, 18 February.
828. There are also those who relate to the skin
There are spirits who relate to the outward human coverings also, but with these I have not spoken, only perceiving from them that they brought on warmth caused by exhalations through invisible pores. Now they are indeed speaking, saying it is they who cover all; but what they are like in other respects has not yet been revealed to me. 1748, 18 February.
830.* There are spirits relating to the large ventricles of the brain
The large ventricles of the brain are the chambers into which liquids flow from the spaces between the tissues, and from elsewhere, as is known. Thus they are, so to speak, the urinary bladders of the brain, where fluid, or lymph, is mingled with [animate] spirit and whence in turn, [animate] spirit and better elements are secreted, one after the other.
* 829 is placed after 826, following the author's instructions.
831. Those spirits are above the head, quite high up - not directly overhead, but a little toward the front, very little. They are good spirits, and they, too, spoke with me, quite pleasantly; for they operate, even speak, with a very pleasant flowing motion. They said that they constantly aspire to come to heaven, for they are not aware that they had been in heaven, and then been removed so as to be better perfected, thus returning once again into heaven when the heterogeneous parts have been cast out from them.
The case is just as it is with that fluid in the ventricles, part of which is absorbed by the choroid plexus: part is expelled from them, part seeps elsewhere; part passes over into the third ventricle under the pineal gland and thus through the infundibulum toward the pituitary gland, where it is separated into three quantities, which are borne through various paths, canals and cavities, towards the jugular vein, going to meet the chyle coming up through the thoracic duct. Mingled together there, they are carried toward the heart, thence into the lungs, then back into the left ventricle [of the heart] and thus onward, part toward the head through the carotid arteries, part downward toward all the internal organs of the body.
All these events conspire to the purpose of forming the purer blood, or animate spirit, and thus the red blood, so that by a uniting of material and spiritual elements, they may bring about a harmonious life. 1748, the 18th day of February.
832. About a state of innocence
Certain souls who had been with me were let into a state of innocence, and from it spoke with me through spirits; and they declared that it is a state of such joy and gladness, that the human ear, eye, mind, and understanding is incapable of perceiving it, for it is their innermost parts that are moved.
833. Where they were was above the forehead, upwards, a little toward the front.
834. They were with those of their parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and thus the whole family for two centuries back, who were together, and had been let into that heaven at the same time. The joy is such as to be entirely unutterable, as they are now telling me through spirits.
835. But they were only in the inmost region of the inward heaven.* For at each level there are three heavens, a spiritual one, one of peace, and one of innocence. Into the very inward heaven that is at the [next] higher level, no one can be admitted, who had not [first] been in the inward one, without being dissolved. 1748, 18 February.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
836. About those who worship nothing except holiness in the world, and do not know any specifics about what true belief is
There are some who love to teach people only to worship a kind of holiness in general, without any knowledge of true belief. They are the kind who simply hear masses, which they pay no attention to both because they do not understand them, and because they do not care to understand. They only come into the temples to worship holiness; thus there are many places of this kind everywhere.
837. But holiness is of two kinds, namely, of those who put on an outer holiness in order to deceive people, and of those who so doing think themselves holy, believing this because they are so persuaded and completely ignorant of other matters. There are intermediate kinds besides, countless in number, the above-mentioned being the two extremes.
838. A certain one appeared to me who believed himself to be holy and had persuaded those who were overhead to call themselves holy. But he was cast down from them, and presently they began to chant "holy, holy," in a melodious voice, and nothing else but "holy," for a full half hour, until he wearied of hearing it.
839. Such are those who love only a general holiness, who in the other life, chant "holy" until all feeling of holiness is gone and afterwards nothing living is left - only a bare term, in which they nevertheless place piety. Thus they worship something dead, in the same way as those who place piety in prayers and praying, even when their mind is far away. With this type they are somewhat comparable.
840. Near them there was a spirit being spun around, so that his nakedness appeared in an indecent manner, who portrayed a saint whom they adore in that holy state. The spirit was turned around and around, until his private parts showed. Such is the adoration of those who only worship holiness.
841. Moreover, someone naked also appeared, flame-colored, or like a flame, on bent knees and with his palms toward the Lord. Who he was, I was not told; I suppose that those are of his kind who believe they deserve salvation merely for their prayers, the flaming color meaning that they want to justify themselves, like [the Pharisee] in the temple [Luke 18:9-14], by their own merits. 1748, 18 February.
842. Mankind is completely unaware of being led by spirits, and by means of spirits
It is ever so clear, and known to everyone, that people are not conscious of being led by spirits, and by means of spirits. But that they are nevertheless so led, and quite obviously, is evident from manifold experience - for I have seen, perceived, heard, how one spirit was led by others, and then by still others as a group, and yet the spirit knows absolutely no otherwise than that he is leading himself, entirely like a person on earth.
It can be recognized what kind, or particular sort of spirit is leading another spirit, though not by that spirit being led. Spirits also can be led in the same way by a person on earth when in the spirit, as I have sometimes been given the ability to do. I then know it, and the spirits in company with me know, perceive, and more or less see [it happening], while the spirit who is being led is quite unaware of it, thinking that he is speaking on his own. This has sometimes been done by myself, and I was amazed that the spirit did not notice it, for it was obvious to me. 1748, 18 February.
843. About a city on this side of Gehenna
To many there also appears a large city, with tall buildings, situated in front of Gehenna [751], where many seem to themselves to dwell. Some who were there told others that they are in a calm city, where they do nothing but kindnesses to one another, and all things are done fairly, so that one does not harm another, but wants what is right. Such are allowed to stay in that city, but not others.
844. The city also appeared to me. The buildings are tall, sometimes with dark streets because of the tall buildings, nevertheless such that the whole length of the streets appears, and the sky shines through, showing the city's skyline, as in other large cities. Presently, when one could just make out its streets, then the closed in city appeared, and an unbroken line of very high buildings was displayed to me, the roofs of which I did not see, perhaps because they ended in the clouds. They had many windows, covering a square area on two sides. The color of the buildings on the outside was almost brick-like, or dark brownish.
845. This city and these buildings were almost joined together, and not divided up into houses, so that the city was all together, or like one building stretching out to all sides, and I was told that their rooms were also joined together, so that they could pass on the inside from room to room, thus throughout the whole city, as through a building covering a large area.
846. The rooms also were shown to me. The interiors were [built] of grayish colored boards joined together - single boards, but made into a one, only the joints in between being slightly visible. There was also something black portraying a fireplace. Their rooms are like this throughout the whole city, except for some varieties not shown to me; for the different types come forth according to the souls' fantasies, to which they correspond, presenting the same elements, and presenting them entirely true to life in the world. I spoke with some who were finding out for the first time that they were fantasies. They soon acknowledged that it was so: thus those who see, agree. 1748, 18 February. # #
Turn the page, and this is continued*
* This appears in the original at the bottom of the page.
847. # # Continuation about the city in front of Gehenna
The rooms, as said above [845-46], are connected, and inside of a grayish color. As soon as they see little black clouds on the wall of a room, or black stripes like a cloudy black belt, then they at once leave that room for another, and so it goes on. Thus, to their delight, do the scenes keep changing.
848. Now and again, the vision of the city even fades away. Before this happens there commonly appears something like a large back stretched out in the room, or a voluminous form like the human back, which raises itself, stretched out, even to the roof. The roof then appears, with beams joined together in the form of a triangle, as roofs usually are in cities of the world, and up to it that back or voluminous form raises and stretches itself; and then it appears as if there is an opening at one side, of a sky blue color, yet in such a way that the beams of the roof are still visible. Then the illusion of a city passes away.
849. They who live there, or seem to live there, had said they live justly and fairly, and that they do not harm one another, but rather perform for each other civil kindesses. Some are even distinguished by a little flame on their caps, indicating that they want to justify themselves, or are self-righteous.
850. Moreover, there are also displayed to them many scenes with city buildings, such as arcades at ground level, long entryways, courts laid out along the arcades, and indeed, very magnificently, because the courts are joined together, communicating with and opening upon one another. Thus there are countless scenes, depending on the fantasies of each individual.
851. And although they sometimes seem to be living together, the city does not appear the same to one as it does to another, but according to each one's fantasized righteousness, or merit from self-righteousness, this being because the one is unable to see the other's fantasy or portrayal of the city, or to tell how it differs.
But the things which have been told about the city are common features; the various scenes cannot so well be described, but they relate to the same common features, as particulars. The outer and inner profiles are common [to all], as well as the height of the buildings, etc.
852. It seems that this city is the judgment of Gehenna [Matt. 23:33], for they want to live self-righteously. Thus [the city] seems to be able to condemn all to Gehenna who, according to their fantasy, do not behave and live righteously. From this attitude we find out what they are like, that is, those who think themselves most righteous from their own fantasy, not from true belief; hence this city is called the judgment of Gehenna.
1748, 18 February.
See the continuation *
* Two circles with crosses beneath appear here.
853. [*] Continuation on the city in front of Gehenna, and on the view of Gehenna from there
That city is on almost the same plane as Gehenna, but somewhat, only a little, higher; so there also appeared to me a bridge leading from the city toward Gehenna. The bridge was of the same color as their rooms, namely, gray, but was raised on either side, so that it was quite safe to cross. The bridge was rather pretty, but at the city end of it, I saw a black spirit.
He was said to stand there so that they would not cross over; for they hate what is black, and shy away from it, while gray, which is a combined color, namely, white mixed with black - the color they also usually paint the ceilings of their rooms - symbolizes self-righteousness. For white is [the color] of righteousness. But black, although it is in their white, they shun, thinking it right and even devout to do so, thus damning others from their fantasy. And so they evaluate and examine the lives and the belief of all. Indeed, all the heretics who damn to Gehenna everyone who does not believe, think and act as they do, are like this.
* Two circles with crosses beneath were inserted here by the translator.
854. Such are the ones who tarry there. The black [configurations] that prompt them to go off into different rooms [847], are fantasies, which they get rid of one by one; for that is the purging process some undergo, and indeed, it can take a long time. If they fail to get rid of them, something violent slips in and strikes terror, so that whenever they go back to the same fantasies, they are secretly frightened, and thereby also purged. But those who think it is calm there [843], and who love such dwellings, are purged the most slowly.
855. On the other side of the bridge mentioned above, there appeared the kind of glow that shines out in the sky from a huge fire, at no great distance from the other end of the bridge; and there, it was said, was Gehenna.
856. About a certain plane in man as to his feelings
There is in man something like a plane, which is portrayed as a soft substance lying beneath the outward, callus-like part of a person produced by bodily and worldly elements. This underlying plane or substance becomes visible when the superinduced exterior is removed. Yet I cannot rightly say how it is removed - only that the matter is portrayed in this way, that when it has been cast aside, something like a round, soft body or brain is portrayed, and that the person subsequently, when living from this body, now acts in accordance with his or her inward character, by which they govern their outward elements.
But because the outward elements are heaps of the individual's personal [qualities of life], they cannot be governed by the gentle inward body in such a way that it shines forth, except by a constant reflection upon one's actions and life, these being the criteria from which the wise will usually judge a human character.
That beneath this there is again a similar substance, still softer, I cannot doubt, because inside are the remains [of goodness] that are preserved by the Lord, and which the Lord Alone knows of. 1748, 18 February.
857. About a Spirit who confessed one God the Creator of the universe
A certain spirit came forth boldly and confidently, and during a conversation with others in which we were speaking about the Lord, asked self-confidently, so that I could at first suspect nothing else but that he believed, "Who is the Lord about whom you are speaking?" I said that He was Jesus Christ. He said that he did not know who this was, and that he had not heard of him, but that he only believed in the One God the Creator of the universe.
When I wanted him to inform me where he came from - whether he was from among the inhabitants of this earth, from India, Japan, Africa, or elsewhere - but was unable to find out, I could therefore not yet reply to these words, because spirits must be instructed according to the circumstances of their belief during earthly life. Therefore he moved on, saying that he wanted others to tell him who else was Lord, other than the one Creator of the universe.
2] But I was still able to speak with him, and said that no one can be saved without true belief; whereupon he asked what belief is, and how a person can be saved by belief - this also self-confidently. Finally I told him that anyone who does not believe in the Son, cannot believe in the one God, Creator of the universe, because all power has been given to the Son in the heavens and on the earth [Matt. 28:18].
In the end he was also unwilling to learn what the Son of God is, and that He is, because he cannot understand it; and he said he would never be able to understand that anyone was God's Son. Then I answered, that matters of belief are mysteries to the believers, which we should believe, even if we do not understand; and if we do not believe in the Son, it cannot be avoided that such are damned to hell [Mark 16:16]. But he insisted that he did not understand, therefore did not believe.
But I found out that there was a league of evil spirits for which he had served as a medium, and that he had been sent out to play this part, when yet he had known very well. Meanwhile these spirits, or this league, were as usual inspiring this same faith in general, and it was as if the whole realm were half-filled with that same opinion, or falsity.
858. When, therefore, he had self-confidently expressed surprise that anyone believed something he did not understand, it occurred to me to bring forward something on the worldly and bodily plane that he believed, even though he did not understand it, namely, first, whether # #
859. # # Continuation on the spirit confessing God the Creator of the universe
he understood how people on the antipodal side of the earth can walk, when, from our point of view, their heads point down. (For when this is portrayed in a spiritual manner, and a person is placed in the opposite region of the globe, spirits almost detest it, and suddenly vanish, because they do not understand it, as has sometimes happened.)
Then he denied any such thing, but when I convinced him that nothing is truer, as all experience testifies and proves, then this is what he had to admit: that he did not understand it, even though it is true, and he therefore ought by all means to believe it.
860. Later I said to him, "Do you believe you are a human being, dressed in clothes, and thus a person on earth?" And he touched what seemed to be his clothing he thought he had on, he touched his hands, which he believed he had, and I asked where he stood, whether he had feet; he said that he did. But when he was asked what ground it was that he was standing on, whether it was not in a realm above the earth, he acknowledged that it was, so I brought him to realize whether these things are only fallacies of the senses, and illusion, because he was a spirit.
Being thus convinced, he wanted to flee away, and said that he had been persuaded by the others to behave in this way. So he was able to recognize that they were mere sensory fallacies, of which there are thousands, all false; so that if we only believed what we understand, we would believe only things that are false, to speak only of worldly and bodily matters. How then could anyone say that he wants to believe nothing in regard to spiritual and heavenly matters, which he does not understand, when they are very far, in fact the farthest removed from the senses - [knowing] also that unless a person believes those things which are true, and is thus in the way of truth, he can by no means be admitted into heaven? 1748, 18 February.
861. Consequently, since the human understanding is so full of fallacies arising from the bodily senses that it is formed by nothing else but fallacies, and into nothing but fallacies, so that there is only darkness in it, therefore it is amazing if anyone of sound mind, wanting to think aright, would decide or maintain that he would by no means believe matters of faith, or of light, or of heaven, or even more, which are Divine, unless he understood them.
862. About the callus, or the bodily and worldly elements which form the callus
It is remarkable that that heap which is built up of bodily and worldly elements [see 856] is pictured as a hard callus, or as an outer crust. In some, this callus appears thicker and harder; in some it does not appear, but it is nevertheless there. That callus is a heap of fallacies of the senses, consequently of falsities glued together by the loves of self and of the world, which must indeed be softened, but not broken, for it has its roots from the inward parts, and this callosity from the more inward.
When the removal of this callus is being pictured, such as it appears by a spiritual display in the realm of spirits, then an underlying medullary substance is seen, almost such as exists in a person on earth, in whom the callous substance is depicted by bony skull, and the inward parts by medullary brain tissue.
864. Hence it can be evident that the Lord permits these same interspersed elements to be taken away from people in the world, that is, to withdraw themselves toward the inward parts, for many reasons spoken of in His Word. But as soon as they were restored, they returned to their original state of belief. 1748, 18 February.
865. Calluses in which elements savoring of deceit are mingled, as in those who had tried to cheat their neighbor, cannot readily be softened and dissolved, for which reason this is done by means of the punishment of being pulled apart by opposites, spoken about previously [404, 515]. The person is placed between two contrary actions, or spirits working at cross-purposes, unable to get away from them and so, is being pulled apart with the greatest of pain. The like happens to those, especially business people, who, without conscience and at every opportunity - when not prevented for various reasons, such as the laws, profit motives, etc. - try cunningly to take away their neighbors' goods, thinking that this does no harm to the conscience. There are also others having the same intention, who may not have carried it out, but had wanted to, and only place and circumstance had prevented them from proceeding to the act. 1748, 18 February.
866. Philosophical studies so limit the human mind that in the end, they can see nothing [see 609, 767]
Philosophical studies have, since their first centuries, and for about a thousand years now, consisted only in terminology and syllogism. And because what [philosophers] avidly dwell upon are only terms, such as what "form" is, what "accidents" are, what "modes," and so forth, it cannot but turn out that their mind is bounded only by ideas without any life, because without light. For they do not connect them to rational elements, and those they do so connect are nevertheless mere terms. In arguing for these terms, they are like one who is learning the words of a language, not for the sake of expressing the meaning of a thing, but only for the sake of talking. Thus they so confine and restrict universal elements of the mind into that which has no life, or which is only material, and so doing, form such a dark callus, that no light can pass through.
It is similar also with syllogistic philosophy. It so encloses the ideas of the mind, that there is hardly a crack for the light [to enter]. Wise people of this kind are consequently much more blind, even more stupid, in spiritual and heavenly matters, than the least person in the crowd, or than farmers. 1748, 18 February.
867. On the torture of spirits who want to be high
There are some spirits, or troops of spirits, who wander around, periodically arriving back at the same places. [I was told] that souls and spirits are extremely afraid of them, for they torment them with a certain kind of torture.
I was afterwards instructed that these are they who portray the inner basal lining or upper part of the bladder in general, that is, the parts which there insert into the bladder, such as the umbilical ligaments, the muscles, the nerves, which spread out from there and come together towards its sphincter.
These same ones who were with me today, therefore, are those who relate to the sphincter of the neck [of the bladder], or the entrance to the urethra; for their torture is like strangury, and indeed, from the beginning even to the outlet of the urethra.
868. Those troops of spirits return periodically, because they portray how that sphincter must operate periodically, or at its own proper times, and in the meantime must be at rest until those substances have been collected which are to be cast out and evacuated. A similar process occurs in the realm of spirits or souls with regard to falsities.
869. When these troops of spirits come, they apply themselves to the back side, down low, almost at the tailbone. Their presence is noticed from their operation; otherwise they do not appear.
870. Their method of working and torturous twisting is rapid, consisting of quick back and forth motions, which no one can hold back. It is even accompanied by sound; and they direct their quick binding and tightening motion upwards, above the forehead. Their operation appears like a cone coming to a point upwards, and anyone who comes within this cone, especially toward its apex, is pitiably squeezed together, and twisted in every least joint of the body; so that in the spirit being thus tortured, there is nothing but a twisting of all parts, back and forth.
The torture was visible to me, especially that of the joints of the arm, and that of the rest of the joints of the body below the head. This twisting back and forth appears cruel, and spirits told me that it is crueler than anyone could ever conceive. When one of them has thus been twisted, others follow, as many of those present as have accumulated such urinous elements. They have to be cast out, for they are fantasies engendered by falsities, to which urine in the material world corresponds.
But they do not twist the region of the head, because there are situated the calluses engendered by desires. By the joints of the arms and of the chest or thorax are portrayed fantasies resulting from reasoning, so they have to do with spiritual matters, and belong to the spiritual class, as do all those who assist [in this torture]. For there had been some who assisted from above, which displeased me, so they were indeed sent in, and they were those who composed the province of the kidneys, and thence of the ureters, because these insert into the bladder, and assist. Also they stood at the side like the ureters, which come in at the side, but, as said, from above, while those who had worked the sphincter and portray it, did so from below. They say that the torment is severe, and annoying.
871. Those are inserted [within that cone] who are puffed up by their fantasies and, on account of delusions engendered by their [false] reasoning, consider themselves to be above others. This is clear from the location where the torture takes place. 1748, 19 February.
Some others, also wanting to undergo the same tearing apart, were just below the left foot, and they said that they had never felt anything so painful, or believed it to be possible. 1748, 11 September.
872. About a spirit who desired most intensely to come into heaven
A certain spirit from among those of Jupiter came to me and earnestly requested that I intercede on his behalf, so that he could come into heaven. He described his own state: that he was unaware of having committed evil, that he merely threatens the inhabitants of the region, and afterwards instructs them. He was one of those at the left side, below, who speak as if they had a forked tongue. These have been discussed earlier [570].
873. He also had the ability to arouse pity, so that I could not answer him in any other way than by telling him I cannot bring about anything, and that if deserving, he, like other worthy people, may have hope of coming into heaven. But when he was sent back among the good spirits of that earth, they said later on that he cannot remain in their company, because he is not like them.
874. Again he came to me, and from an innermost longing, he begged them earnestly, saying that he desired heaven most intensely; and he would not stop. When this was heard, he was received into the company of good spirits from our earth, but these declared that he could by no means remain in their company. He was called by spirits of his own earth a skorstensfejare,* meaning that in his bodily life he had cleaned chimneys, causing him to be of a black color, though he himself says that he is brown.
* Swedish for "chimney sweep."
875. All this leads me to conclude that it is spirits like these who constitute the province of the seminal vessels, where the good seed gathers, together with the liquid it combines with so that it will be fit to be emitted, and later broken down in the neck of the womb; for the seminal vessels store up this substance.
His desire to go to heaven indicates his desire for regeneration, or to enter the womb so that he can be reborn a new man. In spite of his having this kind of outer form, it is by virtue of the inner form that he longs for, or desires outwardly, nothing but heaven; and it is for this reason that he was able to arouse pity. Such a desire is indeed characteristic of the particles contained in the seminal vessel.
876. His function, that of threatening somewhat, indicates the same thing, because it is the duty of such spirits to do so, though not as severely as others. But thereupon he instructs them as to how their life should be improved, thus outwardly, how a person should be made ready so as to have truths, since the knowledge of truths serves that purpose. So if he were allowed to teach about heaven, he would also want to do so, but he is not permitted to because he is still among spirits of that kind and has that outer form.
877. After this form is put aside, like the calluses spoken of previously [862-65], then the new or inward person arises, who is prepared by the Lord Alone. This is portrayed in the world by little worms being transformed into nymphs, and presently, with the wings given them, flying in their own heaven, or joy, or in the air - having their own heavenly [lives], suited to their nature, and playing amongst themselves, laying eggs, and gathering delightful foods from the flowers appointed for them; besides other circumstances that pertain to them, unknown to us. 1748, 19 February.
878. About some rooms belonging to good spirits of the female sex
Rooms belonging to certain spirits of the female sex were shown to me, which are fashioned for them, and which they see as clearly as people on earth see theirs. There are entryways that open into their longer sides. They sit in the room to the side of the entrance, so as not to be gazed at. The walls are designed in many patterns, with floral combinations and similar lovely displays spread out across the wall; but I cannot describe the various scenes because they are countless, following in turn one upon another, with now brighter now lesser degrees of light, in different colors, sprouting forth delight.
879. The room is lit up, sometimes more than things illuminated by our own daylight, but sometimes the scenes following one upon another are rather dim; and when these imaginative pictures vanish, then something that seems to depict a window appears on the wall and grows wider and wider. Yet it is still dark, and no light enters, [the rooms] being for the most part dark in color. After a while some sky appears, with a cloud in it, and far off, little stars. In this way their rooms are changed into more pleasant ones.
880. Those virgin spirits, who had been here for some time, began to burn with the desire to return to their own chambers, saying that they have their greatest enjoyment when they are there, because the scenes are so delightful; and they cannot possibly tell otherwise than that they are real. They are telling me now with assurance that they are - something I too can affirm, only in the sense that the imagery with which they are portrayed is so vivid. For I have seen things like these so many times, with closed eyes, in their own light - altogether as in daylight - that nothing has now become more familiar to me. In fact, all things whatsoever in the inward realm can be shown in such a vivid way, that nothing seems out of the ordinary: even written material can be placed right under my eyes, so that I can read the writing as if from an open book - and this when I am in a wakeful state, at the same time engaged in lively discussion with spirits.
881. About a bare arm shown to me [see 1754]
Again an arm was shown to me, but a bare one, bent forward. Then I was given to know that arms depict strength; for such arms convey the fear for power - as on a previous occasion, when I was frightened [cf. 541]. The force of that arm is so great that if it were allowed, it would break the bones of a living person. This is true, even though no one can believe it except from experience, frequently spoken of elsewhere sporadically.
882. Another property of this arm was, that a kind of warmth exhaled from it, which I felt, and was told about. 1748, 19 February.
883. Angels can improve to infinity, that is, to eternity, yet never become perfect
I spoke with the spirits around me about the fact that no one is perfect but the Lord Alone. The angels are not perfect, for Heaven is not holy before the Lord [cf. Job 15:15]; nevertheless, the angels can improve more and more, and even to eternity, yet never become holy in themselves, or as to what is their own.
Because this struck spirits as odd when it had been pictured in a spiritual manner, it was therefore illustrated by similar occurrences in nature, specifically, that there are things approaching infinity, as they call it, yet which never reach it, like the asymtotes of a hyperbola;* but we may pass over these examples, since many do not understand them. Universal principles fall more readily under [the view of] the understanding.
It was shown, moreover, that angelic minds are only instruments for receiving the beliefs of religion, and must therefore be developed; hence, that they grasp only the most general principles; but the details, which are infinite, even in every least object, can be filled in, although never completely, but only as to the most general ones, since the angels are finite instruments. So those details, when they are as it were inscribed by the Lord on their general principles, are what more and more perfect the angel; and because they can be filled in even to infinity, and the angel thus developed and perfected to infinity, he can never arrive at perfection, and therefore not at [a state of] holiness, so that heaven can never be holy in the Lord's sight. 1748, 19 February.
* The manuscript has "parabola," but see Divine Providence 335.
884. About the spirit longing for heaven
The same spirit spoken of earlier [872], who so ardently longed for heaven, came to me once more, and was dressed in I think even shabbier clothing. He said that he was really burning with desire to come to heaven; but he was still seemingly reproachful, being among those spirits of Jupiter who are eager to punish. This time he showed me a new action he had not known of before, namely, a kind of gently pulsating one around the part of the back above the hipbones, where a motion occurs like that of shaking at the knees; and he explained that he was now in this condition. I told him that this was a sign of shortly coming into heaven, for the reason that I knew him to be one of the sort who correspond to the genital vessels, where the generative particles are clothed with something like crusts, membranes or mantles, so that they can safely tarry there and eventually be safely transferred into the womb, there to be broken down gradually until the enclosed spiritual elements find their way to the ova.
His new kind of clothing told that he was now prepared for the exit; his action, that the moment was now at hand, for this is how the generative particles in the seminal vessels behave, when the time is at hand. His garment was now more crude, and in fact, having been told to cast off his clothing and thus come into heaven, he from his strong desire cast off his clothing so quickly that nothing could have been done more quickly. But this happened only for the sake of testing him, and of teaching me what the desires are like of those who relate to the seminal vessels in the other life. But he could not be received, as said [873-74], so he returned into his original state. Now he spoke with a forked tongue even worse [than before, 570], and was below the region where he had been before, being now in a shabbier condition on the outside. Those who later reach the point of passing from these bodily conditions to inward ones, and then on into what is heavenly, are brought by a way at the back, then between the knees, and are so raised up. 1748, 20 February.
885. About the determination of souls toward definite goals, as well as their development in the other life, and about the inward memory
Such as people have developed in their bodily life, and such as they therefore are at the point of death, so they remain. They first of all encounter the circumstances that had existed at the point of death, and during the terminal illness, or final period of life. Next they are introduced into different groups made up of good spirits, whose place it is to discover what their natural inclinations are like. This duty they perform as if it were their own [judgment], scarcely knowing otherwise [628]. So, depending on how they are found to be, they are either received into better circles, or they are received into worse circles, as befits their natural character. So this is done by a method of consent, or of love and aversion, all and the least details of which are arranged by the Lord.
These things I have learned through manifold experience, and I have seen, heard and sensed them. They have told what [the souls being examined] are like in this state, what they are like in that. For of course, they are at first carried along largely by opinions and convictions they had adopted [in the world]; but experience teaches [the examiners] whether they are of this nature, or that. Meanwhile they are in their element, and almost their very life, when they can test the spirits coming up to them by their own and diverse methods. The reasons for this are many, in addition to the dominating one among spirits, namely, that they are curious, and eager to know what others are like, and what is what. Enlightened knowledge in general is spiritual food, wherefore these longings and desires [to know] correspond to the bodily appetites for eating and drinking. For this reason, higher knowledge is also called spiritual food, and hence come the deeper meanings of bread, grain, wheat, milk, water, and so on.
886. Moreover, I have observed that when souls are kept in a universal, indefinite state, they are thinking almost nothing, but dwelling upon something general without any clear idea, almost as people on earth do when they seem to themselves to be thinking nothing. Nevertheless, this what might be called general contemplation has its own focusses and consequently, changes, unfamiliar to man, but recognized in heaven.
However, in this state I was able to realize, as was also corroborated by spirits, that as a result, a soul cannot be reformed as to outer life, before he is brought back into a state where his mind is directed toward mental images familiar to him, or dominant in him during his life. Then for the first time, [thoughts] conducive [to his reformation] can be inspired and take hold.
887. The memory of spirits or souls is, as has been said, an inward one, but not a memory of personal affairs, like that of a person on earth. For a memory of personal matters is useful to one on earth, meeting the needs that living in the body and the world dictate.
But the memory of spirits is an inward one, unfamiliar to [recently arrived] souls, so that whenever I have spoken about it with souls, they thought it did not exist - which happened quite often, for during their life they had been unaware of it. Yet their reveries, and like phenomena, which they love, pertain to that memory, and their passions are the result of an imaginary harmony in fantasies, comparably as some enjoy instruments that are not harmonious, but harsh sounding and out of tune; while others enjoy only those which harmonize rightly and well.
888. As for that inward memory, and how spiritual knowledge is instilled into spirits, this cannot be understood except from things that take place in the life of the body, as that a person from early childhood learns to speak, learns to think, and this little by little, and does not know at all how these abilities, still less the faculties of understanding, thinking, judging, forming conclusions, are instilled into us. Likewise, an adult person in learning languages; or, as I have noticed in my own case, that I have been instructed in this same way in the duties of my office, so that they became fixed in my mind by experience alone, without any memory of particular [methods]. (The latter instance is mentioned only so that it can be understood what the nature of that memory is, not so as to insert something about myself.) 1748, 20 February.
889. Continuation on the inward memory
The deeper memory develops like the disposition, or the native character, and like the understanding, as well as many other human faculties (see above [888]). For whatever gives the memory of personal matters its ability, is directly due to the inward memory, but [ultimately,] that power, regarded in itself, is a property of life.
a] That there is a deeper memory, and what it is like, can be understood from the fact that in dreams, where the memory of personal matters is not so active as when one is awake, people normally appear with all their features, and every characteristic of their body, their speech, having the same walk, etc., more than the person [dreaming] had ever known from the memory of personal matters, nor could describe in such an abundance [of detail]. Similarly, we recognize people's moods or changing states of mind from their facial expressions, also from their eyes and the surrounding region, as well as from their tone of voice, and many more details beyond description. And people do not know where they learned to do this, except only from practice, without [previous] knowledge.
890. So that these facts might be portrayed to me in a living manner, a spirit of the kind who can be persuaded of anything whatever came to me; for there are very many such spirits. They themselves know absolutely no otherwise than that they are the very ones [whom they impersonate]. Therefore, different persons can be produced through them, almost as in real life. Consequently, lest anyone with whom spirits speak be misled, let it be known that this phenomenon is most common and familiar in the realm of spirits.
The spirit in question was examined by many, so that they might find out who of my acquaintances he had been during his bodily life. Finally, there was a certain person - whether he had died I do not know, about a half a year ago he was alive - whom they took him to be, because his personality could be put on so precisely. So he came into the company of spirits who could find out from me what that acquaintance was like, since, as just said, they are gifted with a cognition of inward properties. So that very person was portrayed as vividly as if it were he himself, in most respects. They are still convinced that it is he, and this, to them, amounts to the same thing as if this [persuasion] were being induced on me, as I said before. Nevertheless, I kept saying it could be that he is that person, but that I did not feel convinced, since such phenomena do occur. 1748, 20 February.
891. Moreover, even good spirits were not able to tell but that it was that same person, because all and the least details can be counterfeited so as to corroborate it. Inward angels, however, know [the truth], as I was told and shown.
891[a].* He who is led by the Lord, sees in every least thing he does whether it is [merely] permitted, whether consent is given and the thing is pleasing [to Him], in short, whether it should be done
There is with those who are being led by the Lord a certain inward sight or consciousness in regard to things that are to be done, especially in the act of doing them. This sight is so clear to those who are led by the Lord, that they do not do any least thing unless it is either by the Lord's good pleasure, or by His consent, or by His permission. These are distinct from each other, and the person is also given to see them distinctly, but this fact cannot be understood by anyone except by such a one.
Others, no matter how well the matter is explained, along with all the circumstances, still do not believe it, because they do not understand. For example, even spirits who are quite intelligent still cannot be convinced that it is so. They who know it, and do not want to think from themselves, and are therefore in the way of truth, acquire such a sight. The main reason why others cannot believe this is that they think they would then be deprived entirely of their own free will in doing and thinking what they love, supposing they would thus be as if dead. I said to them, however, that then they are alive, because living from oneself is rather death, because there is nothing of good from what is one's own. Therefore no one should be surprised if someone says he sees what should be done; because this is truth, and it is part of faith. 1748, 20 February.
* In the original, the number 891 is repeated here and 892 does not occur. It is left unchanged here because it is referred to in the index.
893. About those who relate to the pancreatic duct, the hepatic duct, and the gall bladder*
There are spirits relating to these three members, who, while distinct among themselves, are nevertheless brought together in relation to the state of those spirits whom they work upon. Especially, they stand by at chastisements and punishments, which they want to direct, so to speak; and the worst of them are so stubborn that they never let up, unless compelled by punishments, or things that frighten them, whereupon they promise they will no longer do all those things. But immediately thereafter, they return to the same nature.
They are those who had clung to their own opinions and illusions very tenaciously, yet who do not act out of hatred, but out of a natural perverseness. (Such appear as little old women of the kind who grow old in their passions, stubbornly holding on to them.) In their normal state, they think about and dwell on nothing else - and I do not know whether they take pleasure in anything else - than being allowed to engage in such activities, and to chastise, whip, bite, and the like cruel behavior, just as do those biles, especially the gall. All they want is to be engaged in their foul [practices]. 1748, 20 February.
* In the original, the number 891 is repeated here and 892 does not occur. It is left unchanged here because it is referred to in the index.
894. About the speech of angels of the inward heaven*
Today angels spoke among themselves, for quite a while, but their speaking was not at all understandable to me. I perceived it only as a gentle, wave-like motion overhead, up and down. The spirits around me can also perceive the same thing, but can understand nothing.
Moreover, they also speak clearly amongst themselves, saying many things simultaneously in one connected utterance, which I could make out from the fact that many things were said on a certain quite lengthy subject, and it was done in a matter of moments, as has also happened several times before.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
895. Some may be surprised at this, but when a written text is being read, and the reader is not paying attention to or understanding the words written, then the meaning and understanding of the subjects rises up to the angels more clearly than when the earthly human mind participates. When the meaning of something has to be grasped more clearly, then it is as if the bodily senses must be withdrawn from the inward mind. The result is that the mental image always becomes clearer, because freed of hindering objects. It is like when the mind does not dwell upon words or expressions, which are the body of speech.
This may seem amazing, and thus paradoxical, namely that the angels understand the meaning of something written, even if the person [reading it] does not understand it; nevertheless, it is most true, for it was proven today by experience. From this one may infer that when little children are reading the holy Bible, angels understand and see the meaning of the Word more clearly than when grownups are reading it, as has also been told to me before. 1748, 20 February.
896. Souls have a memory of personal circumstances when these are displayed to them spiritually
Whenever any soul who had been known to me during his bodily life came up to me, not knowing that he was in the other life, but thinking he was still in the body, or the world, and I then displayed to him by spiritual mental images, as if they were actual, persons, places, cities, houses, rooms, where he had been or which he had seen in bodily life, then he recognized all things, just as they were.
Thus souls can have such personal matters recalled to their mind by others, although they cannot do this of themselves. But it can be done by a person with whom the soul is, and in this way also he may learn that he is in the other life, as well as by various questions, such as Where does he suppose himself to be, in what place? 1748, 20 February.
897. About inward sight and conviction
Souls and spirits can never understand that a person can see and be convinced from the Lord, what should be thought, spoken and done; for they do not believe any other insights are possible than those which spring from themselves or from what is their own. Thus they never wanted to acknowledge that such inner sight exists - even those who were quite sharp, or clever, in the life of the body, and in the afterlife, and seem to themselves able to penetrate and to understand every single subject.
Whenever this sight and conviction came under discussion, they could not conceive otherwise than that if their own or proper self were absent, then they would no longer exist, but that it would be someone else who was thinking, speaking, doing, so that one would be like a kind of implement, in which there was nothing living, like a wooden machine or something of that kind. For they cannot conceive of any life other than the life that is their own, thinking that if this were taken away, they would either not be alive at all, or, as one is now saying, be too stupid ever to be a soul or spirit.
898. Those souls or spirits, however discerning they may be in other matters, and receptive of understanding, nevertheless cling so hard to these ideas that they do not doubt them, but deny [any other life]. The reason for this is, as said, that when their own or proper self is taken away, then they think there is nothing left but something they reject. And I told them that the difference of life between those who do not have this inner sight and conviction [and those who do], is like that between something very faint - so faint as to be nothing - and heaven, or such as the difference between darkness and light, or indeed between what comes forth from man's lowest parts or rectum, and what descends from the universal heaven. In fact, a kind of vat was portrayed to me, almost like the infernal one [285], thus it is just like the difference between this tub - where hellish spirits imagine that they possess the whole heaven (for they think that the vat or tub is the universe, under their sway) - and the universal heaven with its flames and light.
899. For there are two routes to the human understanding, namely the way through the senses, that is, the lower way, by which the human understanding is born, and there is the way through heaven from the Lord, which is the higher way. Whatever is born by the lower way is bodily and material, while what is born by the higher way is spiritual and heavenly. Unless the higher door is opened by the Lord, it can never be believed that such communication exists that one may see and be convinced. Yet from this source, there is conscience in many people. However, this conscience for the most part regards actions, and consists of a recognition of those things considered as matters of worship and duty; so it is not a true conscience, except faintly in some good people and spirits. But in angels it is clear, so that they know, perceive, understand that a thing is so, and that there is no life without that manifest conscience and conviction of realities, made manifest in various ways.
900. They were extremely surprised whenever I have said that I can do nothing from myself, when yet they had often seen how many duties had been done, from me. And when I repeated that these had not been done by me, but through me, so that I seem to myself to have performed them, when yet I had not performed even the least particle from myself, but it was the Lord, then they were still more surprised. It struck them as a paradox, whereas it is a truth that can never be contradicted, and is not contradicted by any of the angels, but corroborated. And after they had heard the corroborations from heaven, they seemed to themselves to believe it is so. But they do not believe it, because they neither see, nor understand.
901. Besides the corroborations from heaven, other confirmations were also added from experience, of which there are very many. When they then directed their minds to them, they were able to understand that it is true, because, by a spiritual method, revealing experience was set right before their eyes. But as soon as the experience had passed, together with its reality, or light of understanding, they slipped back into their former ignorance, and could not grasp that this can exist, and that this is life. This is because they consider a mere earthly glow, in itself darkness, to be light, and to them, light cannot appear as anything but darkness. But where, and of what kind the darkness is, can only be seen in the light, or by those who are in light, the Lord Alone enlightening and revealing it. 1748, 21 February.
902. Such inward seeing and conviction can never be obtained without belief in the Lord; for it is His, and therefore His gift, and not one whit thereof belongs to man, soul, spirit, or angel.
903. About spiritual harmony, and happiness
There are heavenly, and there are spiritual elements, which are distinct both in people on earth and in the heavens. Those who are spiritual are allotted their own provinces in the human body, and those who are heavenly theirs. Everything related to the lungs pertains to spiritual elements, and everything related to the heart to heavenly ones, and so with the rest.
904. The spiritual have their own proper types of happiness that differ from those of the heavenly, as the gladness of the spiritual does from the joy of the heavenly.
In order that spiritual types of gladness or happiness may be understood, an idea of them can be gotten from the harmonies of sounds, as well as from visual harmonies. Harmonies of sound, including speech, especially the meanings of speech, pertain to spiritual harmony, and the gladness resulting therefrom is spiritual gladness, due to which the music of the Church of old, and due to which singing in the heavens, is so delightful. Likewise, visual harmony, and the various forms of beauty therefrom, which touch the mind - and beauty in general, such as that of pleasure gardens and all things of that kind, or of buildings - these also pertain to spiritual gladness. More deeply, so does [the beauty] of understanding, hence the love of truth itself, or of truths, and consequently of enlightened knowledge. Spiritual gladnesses are the forms of heavenly qualities, which are - or if they are not, yet should be - their very essence.
905. The remaining senses, however, such as touch, taste, and smell, belong to the provinces of the heavenly, for they are not spiritual enjoyments. From this, the difference between spiritual and heavenly happiness can be learned, as well as what a person would be like if deprived of this or that sense.
906. An angel was telling others by an angelic method how many kinds of happiness there are in the inward heaven.* He did this by an enumeration and an angelic portrayal of them to the clear sight of the angels. But that display was not visible to me except in the form of wave-like motions, and from them I was able to learn in a general way that only the kinds of happiness of the inward heaven were being gone through. Those enumerated and vividly portrayed during the first 4 to 6 minutes amounted to 478, thus almost 500; so I would put it at 500.
Since there are that many kinds of happiness in the inward heaven, one can infer from this how many species there are, since countless species exist in each kind, and in turn how many individual types of happiness there are, since a countless number of these exist in each species. And there are many further subdivisions, such as particulars of the individual types, when each of these in turn is taken as a species or as a whole kind, lower or higher, as it is within a society where that specific or individual type of happiness abides.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
907. It can also be inferred from this how numberless, and how ineffable, are the things that can be told and displayed by an angel within one minute, which would take such a long time to describe in spoken words, and even then cannot be described. 1748, 21 February.
908. About the greedy, and their life after death [see 384]
There are many kinds of greed, and many species. Those who are stingy, and thus by frugality have gathered and heaped up money and wealth, are penalized in a different manner after the life of the body than those who exercise greed by cheating others and acquiring wealth by any means, right or wrong. Here we refer only to the kind of greed in those who amass riches, setting the heart upon them, and placing the happiness of life therein, even though they do not do so by unlawful means.
909. So that their life might be described, a dark room appeared to me, which I do not remember [seeing before], and leaving it was a person who, during his life, had been the kind who could get hold of the goods of others by cunning or trickery. For wherever something profitable was to be expected, there his mind was; so that he placed himself in many such situations where he might, on some plausible pretext, carry off something.
This kind dwell almost where the worst deceitful hellish spirits are, at one side of hell, at man's back somewhat toward one side, verging toward the left flank. For deceits are of many varieties, these having gain as their object. They are about at the level of the shoulder blade.
910. I heard a heavy rumbling, like that of a huge mill. It was nearly at my left side, above me, but I did not know what it was. Presently, someone was lying near me at the left side, around the same region, who, as if in sleep, said nothing but "I am nothing, I am no one, I am no one, jag ar ingenting."* I supposed that this was the kind of purging, or desperation, that occurs before they are raised up from the lower earth; it must also be another way of expressing that he ought to be pitied.
When he sensed that I was near him, I began to speak with him, and I was able to find out that he was from that crowd that pile up riches, keeping their mind on them and deriving their deepest thrills from them, especially if there is silver and gold in their strongboxes - without having done anything deceptive or unlawful in acquiring them. I further realized that such spirits speak this way from a kind of anxiety, namely, because there are in the vicinity those who covet what belongs to others and want to acquire it deceitfully, or by trickery, and are able to justify this on various pretexts by which they cover themselves, not at all fearful for eternal life.
These [covetous spirits] being in the vicinity, trouble them, and for this reason they thus lie on their strongboxes or riches, wondering whether such are present, for they are very often molested by them. Therefore they cry out amongst themselves loudly enough that the robber will hear them, that they are nothing, that they are pitiable, and will refrain from plundering them. Such are the miserable lives of those who get their deepest joy from silver, gold and riches.
That mill, or sound like the grinding of a mill, consisted of the murmurings, each in his own way, of many such spirits, fearing that their riches might be seized.
* Swedish for "I am nothing."
911. Moreover, because these had not acquired their money and wealth by deception or by any indiscriminate means, fair or foul, inwardly within that lamentation that they are nothing and that they are to be pitied lies something good into which later, after some time, those sayings on account of the robbers that they are nothing and are to be pitied, are gradually changed. Afterwards, when they forget the robbers and the money, they only fear spiritual robbers, and acknowledge themselves to be nothing because they can do nothing in their own defense. Then also they cry out, that the Lord may have pity on them. Thus insanity is turned into this kind of quality. 1748, 21 February.
912. The evil spirits also have stars around them
An evil spirit from the earth Jupiter, and also evil and even treacherous spirits from this earth, often have stars about them, and a view of heaven as well. This symbolizes the spiritual element that flows into their reasonings, and also the fact that they are able to understand something of faith. 1748, 21 February.
913. About those who depict the funnel* in the brain
First a face appeared to me at the top of a sky blue window, which soon withdrew inside; then a little star appeared in the vicinity of my left eye; presently, farther away from me and higher up, some tiny little stars, twinkling. These were spiritual stars, because they sparkled with white (som brillianter**). Then I saw walls, but not a roof, the walls being only at the left side, then a starry sky, with many stars. Because this was at a somewhat lower location, on a level with my arm, and near the quarter where treacherous spirits are, I was thinking that something horrible would meet my sight. But soon the wall and the sky vanished, and a well appeared to me, out of which issued what seemed like a bright mist, or vapor, like a hardly visible smoke. It also seemed as if some substance was being pumped out of the well.
* The Latin word, "infundibulum," is also the English term.
** Swedish for "like diamonds."
914. When I asked what these things mean, or depict, I was told that this is how the infundibulum* in the brain is portrayed, the nature of which is patent from the term that describes it, namely, that it receives solute spirits from the blood that have been moistened along the way by a suitable liquid so as not to escape through the pores, and so they are carried down along many paths into the large ventricles, and from there through their foramen under the pineal gland into the cleft, or third ventricle, and from there into the funnel, and so into the pituitary gland. There a separation takes place, and by certain routes they are brought down to the ends of the sinuses and into the jugular veins.
Thus do the [animate] spirits resolved from the blood globules and joined there in the cortical beginnings with new spiritual essences travel, brought down through their own tissues into the ventricles, and then through the funnel into the blood, so as to vivify the dry and lifeless blood at the ends of the sinuses, and to be brought then to meet the chyle just arriving from the body, and to be combined with it in the heart, thus vivifying the blood stream in the heart.
All these details, and the whole process, so lengthy to describe, were told by angels to other angels, and took but a moment, or about one second.
* The Latin word, "infundibulum," is also the English term. See 913.
915. So that it might be plain to me what those spirits are like who constitute the province of that funnel in the heavenly body, there was a company of them, acting as one person. He heard me speaking, and [although] I did not manage to speak with him, nevertheless he either applied to himself whatever was said, thinking it was being said about him, or he became indignant, constantly scurrying toward me and away from me - in imitation of that fluid in the ventricle, which is constantly being driven back and forth from the vertex to that horn of the funnel. They are quite impatient and cannot be held down, are quick, attentive to details. Whether they are bound by definite principles, cannot be determined. Thus they are also among the inward excremental materials - cowardly, inconsistent, suspicious.
916. Now such spirits, and others also, since they are organs, relate to the same organs in the human body, but the fluids of the internal organs reflect the elements in us such as our reasonings, fantasies, and the like, which behave in the same way, activating us and making our life. However, there is a life deeper than those fluids, for they have vital substances stored up within them, which are liberated whenever they are to serve some use. 1748, 21 February.
917. Such spirits are in the region of the forehead, forward at the same level. They run forwards, sometimes to quite a distance, and then back again, reporting everything that happens, and what they hear.
918. There are many kinds of these spirits, and consequently, still more species, for similar fluids exist in almost any internal organ, though they differ as to function. Every internal organ has its own excretions, which are not cast out, but put to a use; and their nobility should be evaluated on the basis of their uses. 1748, 21 February.
919. Their lot after life is restless. They can have no peace, and they are also annoying to others; wherefore they must by all means be brought back, through suitable anxieties, into better states.
919 1/2. Those discussed here are of the sort that is intermediate between the good lymph and the waste lymph of the brain. Relating to the waste lymph, are those who draw spiritual truths down into earthly things and thereby defile them, so that they end up in filth, as has just been shown to me. These are in front at a distance, rather high up, at the right side of the nose. They have the habit of taking spiritual and heavenly truths, and drawing them down toward earthly filth.
920. Those who relate to bones, on which vital motions come to rest as on their fulcrums
There are some in bodily life, or after bodily life in the other life as well, who, for special reasons, think only in a general manner, or do not keep their thought directed toward anything definite. Thus they are withdrawn, as if they were not in the body.
Spirits of this kind brought to me a similar general mental image, without objects to which the thought might be directed. Such are those who relate to bones in man. They are also slow and dull-witted, nor can anything become fixed in their memory, nor, consequently, drawn forth from it, except in a focussed state.
There is in them not only a sluggishness in performing their functions, but also an inertia in coming to judgment and action - yet no disquietude. For worries do not really penetrate [to them], but disperse so to speak into a generality, and pass away. And they are not malicious.
921. About the examination of souls, as to their various states
It has been explained previously [867-71] that when [newly arrived] souls come among spirits, or among those souls who wander freely in the lowest heaven, as if in a second world, the latter examine them to the best of their ability.
There are some who examine only the cruder states of mind in a soul, and can be quite mistaken. They get him to say only what they have planned and have put to him, and if he responds agreeably to the discourse of those who are leading the soul to speak as he does, then they at once make up their minds that the soul is of a certain character, when yet he is not. For they induce upon him a state like their own, and in that state, he speaks affably with them, as one of them, so they think he is like that.
Sometimes, inducing evil things, they condemn him out of prejudices or opinions they have adopted - as they did in the case of certain persons known to me in life, about whom I was not always able to think in fairness, because I did not know them so well; and so they judge them on that basis.
922. This is the judgment of those who search out only the cruder aspects of a soul, or are permitted to search for the grosser qualities of a person. And even though they are influenced by bad opinions and are thus abusive toward the soul, it is nevertheless conducive to his welfare and betterment, for nothing else is permitted by the Lord.
923. Indeed, when spirits like these examine, they do not see things except crudely, and thus do not see the inward quality of the other's speech. [For] as I was able to observe, it was not very sympathetic and harmonious - something that is seen quite plainly by good spirits, and especially by angels.
924. Those examiners belong to the kind that constitute the province of the human secretory organs, such as the kidneys, the ureters, the bladder, for these parts likewise do nothing else but examine every single element that comes their way, which in fact they seize and carry off, as is known.
925. In general, all those who examine souls and spirits, and are eager to do so, and take pleasure in it, belong to the provinces of the secretory organs; so that there are as many kinds of them as there are human internal organs. For there is no organ that does not in one way or another perform a secretory function; and thus there are countless kinds and species, existing in great abundance, because all the glands, of which there are two kinds, are of this nature. 1748, 22 February.
926. About the examination of souls
In addition to this, there is a still more subtle examination, for there are yet more subtle spirits, who see more deeply into human souls, or into their more universal feelings, that is, those that are more dominant and that people conceal in different ways. In this examination, the spirits cannot be so mistaken as were the former spirits in theirs.
927. I was also enabled to see how their dispositions then become apparent. There is a certain kind of aura emanating [from each soul], and in this case that aura, not being harmonious with my thought, immediately turned mine into the thought which the soul had, without the soul knowing it. For instance, when I thought the soul was in that place behind me, then at once, without his thinking and planning beforehand, that is, without premeditation, he made his way forward, so that I was scarcely aware but that he was in front below, whereas he was in back below.
This was because he had been such in his life, that he did not want anyone to know on which side he stood, because then he would not be able to be in their company and know what they were planning, and would thus be deprived of opportunities (to profit [from them]), as the saying goes, or (to gain) honors and riches.* He behaved the same way in every case, unconsciously and unpremeditatedly distorting my more universal thoughts - so skillfully, that I hardly knew otherwise than that I was of this character - causing indignation in me, at being held in such a base feeling. And so it was in numerous instances that I have forgotten.
In this way, their prevailing, or more universal, passions could be discovered; but the angels identify them easily.
* The parentheses are in the original, for what reason we do not know.
928. Such is the examination of the dominating passions in a person, for one is subjected to it by spirits relating to some human secretory function, some gland or other. But who these were at that moment, I do not know - whether they related to the head, to the lungs, or to the body. I only know that twice, bright streaks appeared in front of my eyes, like curved streaks of lightning, but very thin.
929. At times, something like very sharp little spikes appeared to me, threatening the head of this soul, so that I feared he might be hurt, for such things usually bring on pain, generally fright, as if sharp points or the tips of swords should fall on someone's head. This means that such souls are thinking something different than they would like to say, as I was also told, for everything that is sharp symbolizes deceit, or cunning. 1748, 21 February.
930. Thus they can also be examined to find out what kind of an idea they had had about the Lord, about heaven, about the life after bodily life, and such matters, and others having to do with society in general and in particular. There is a kind of field emanating [from them], and quite actively working so as to distort or change the thoughts of another, persuading [the soul] upon whom they are acting that [their thoughts] are his or hers.
Their action is stronger or weaker, depending upon what has taken root in someone by actual deeds aimed to achieve more or less their desired goals. Thus the goals one had set for oneself can also be determined, because of the means employed. Spirits who are weaker, and those susceptible to the operations of another, can easily be brought to believe that they are like the other, whose condition is induced upon them. But such conditioning does not work on angels. 1748, 22 February.
931. This cannot be illustrated in any other way than by comparison with an aura of effluvia emanating from the body, being such that when anything strikes against it, it either repels it, or changes it to agree with its own character or nature. So they themselves do not know that they are like this, and have this effect.
All spirits are surrounded with this kind of aura, such as those who frighten, or strike with fear, and the like. Nothing is allowed to enter within that aura that is repugnant, or opposes, unless it is an aura having a stronger action, in which case it causes pain, because the person and the aura make one. However, enlightened knowledge that does not approach with passion is able to enter it, and to be received. 1748, 22 February.
932. Continuation on the examination of spirits
The more difficult for spirits to examine are souls who can actually be brought into a state of benevolent feeling, as is usual even with the wicked in the world. When they are engulfed by misfortunes, sadness, temptation, sickness, at such times they seem as though they have changed completely, but if their former character is still there, they readily fall back into it. Therefore, with souls also, such states of mind can be created, and when they come into them, they appear to be different, as I was taught today by actual experience in the case of one who had been cunning in bodily life.
But if they take on a stance of goodness out of cunning, the pretense immediately becomes apparent before the angels, as if seen in broad daylight, but not so before cruder spirits, whom they can fool by brilliant simulations. Pretense does occur among souls, for they bring this with them from their bodily life, thinking nothing else than that they can fool spirits in the same way; but their pretenses show plainly. And if those pretenses are natural to them, they are punished as though their inward and outward elements were being split apart [from each other], by [various] kinds and species of [the process of] being torn apart described before [404].
933. Souls who have a strong action through their aura [931], and who change and distort the aura of thought belonging others, doing this because of tendencies ingrained in their character, not only as it were twist goodness around into something agreeable with their nature or aura. They also, sometimes and if circumstances invite it, twist evil into what is good, but with the purpose of deception, and also because [in life] they had liked to twist everything in order to hide what they were after. 1748, 22 February. These are cases based on experience.
934. Swords and sharp points appear whenever souls are speaking differently than they are thinking
When souls speak differently than they think, as, for instance, if one says something good for the reason that it seems the right thing to say, then a sword appears, [or] as told before [929], sword points [appear] overhead, which look as if they would fall on the head of the one speaking. And even when we are not deceitful, but it just somehow seems to us that we should say so because we realize it is true - while yet our feeling does not agree with it, but dissents - then a sword appears behind the back, indicating danger. Thus do swords or their points threaten in various ways, depending on what kind of discrepancies there are between thought and speech. 1748, 22 February.
939.* About those who constitute the province of the mammillary processes in the brain
The mammillary processes are those appendages which absorb the phlegm of the inward or medullary substance of the brain through their own interstices, and secrete it as phlegm into the nostrils, casting it out as the entirely useless waste that the mucus of the nostrils is. For it is not discharged into the throat, where it would besmear the foods, and spoil the appetite.
* 935-38 were written, and properly belong, after 948, where we have placed them.
940. They who constitute that province are those who persist in hatred, and are obstinately revengeful once they have conceived hatred against someone. But the malignity of hatred differs according to its reasons. Hatred and revenge has its reasons, or motives, which can infect [the whole] person, and so take root.
941. Such spirits are in front, a little toward the left, at the level of the face but at a distance. And when they come in sight, a large and wide brown-colored vat appears, in which they are confined because they are infernal; for they imagine that from there, they rule the universe [cf. 285, 898].
942. When these spirits speak, they do so with wavy tones sounding like ocean breakers; for so they want to be perceived, and are therefore heard in this way. There is a large gathering of them there.
943. Those, however, who [had harbored hatred] for some better, and what seemed to them good reason, do not dwell so far distant, but near the face, in a similar [tub-like place]. But they are within a wall that is curved at the front and, in fact, is white, as if coated with plaster, and has beautiful carvings in plaster - because their reason for contracting hatred and vengefulness had appeared beautiful to them.
A wall like this appeared to me, near my face. It was snowy white, with beautiful carvings, and it grew wider, the carvings being erased, and at the same time higher, so that eventually I could not see the top. It became less white in color, but on the inside verging toward a kind of sky blue. So it is for those who cling to such a feeling, not for an evil reason, but for some other, looking to the common good, and finally to heavenly good.
This flat wall went up and raised itself upwards, offering me the opportunity to look at it on the inside also, and I was told that in it, at the bottom, are snakes and dragons - which, however, I did not see - symbolizing hatred and revenge, which are then dispelled.
944. Grievous punishments of revenge
Those who have adopted a spirit of revenge for reasons that appear good, such as that it would be princely, and dignified, also having taken it to be just, are grievously punished so that they may realize what meanness and filth it is.
945. As for the first punishment, it is so filthy that it cannot be described, and so also is the second; for body and face are so disfigured thereby that nothing human is left, but the face appears like a raw, round, wide cake, and all that is human perishes, together with everything that is worthy of man.
946. Thus disfigured, the person, with seemingly outstretched arms, is whirled around, the arms extended and motionless - which are not arms, only rags, slightly white, stretched out in this way. And as his body keeps being spun around, he is carried toward heaven, and it is proclaimed in front of all that he is of this [revengeful] character, so that the deepest shame may seize him. Thus he must become a supplicant, pleading [for forgiveness], and it is dictated to him what he must say in his plea.
947. After this he is brought toward Gehenna into the miry swamp and there rolled in the mud, and sunk into the mud as though he were to be suffocated, so that he becomes like mud. Such punishments exist for those who persist in their revenge; and unless they refrain from it, these punishments continue, time and again, though it be to eternity. 1748, 23 February.
948.* These things concern myself, such as I had been, and someone else whose name is here withheld, because he had been of this character from early childhood, and in fact, against me, whom he had seen in a dream and had burned with murderous hatred, but did not know that it was I.**
* 949 is lacking in the original, and 939-48 have been placed after 934.
** See 6110 1/2, and footnote.
935.* About the punishment of revenge and hatred, continued
The punishment of revenge is such as you see it described on the whole page visible here [939-48], because there is within revenge the most filthy meanness, that is so portrayed - namely by bodily parts thus turned hideous.
Such hideousness and meanness, therefore, are latent in revenge and hatred, and it is unavoidable that punishments of this kind result from them. And for such spirits there is a muddy swamp to the left of Gehenna, in a place lower than the feet [see 938, 947]. * 935-38 were written, and properly belong, after 948, where we have placed them.
* 935-38 were written, and properly belong, after 948, where we have placed them.
936. Later there appeared the head of a dragon, with large jaws and rows of teeth, altogether fiery inside, so that he was all fiery flame in his gullet. This punishment is afterwards inflicted, thus it is a "consuming fire." Into such jaws they are then cast.
937. About those who punish hatred and revenge
It is a most wicked spirit who punishes revenge. He can impersonate anyone. Now he takes the guise of this person, now of another, so that one can scarcely tell who he is. He counterfeited many when he punished. He is one of the most wicked spirits, pitch-black, from the region of the colon.
938. The spirits who punish in the miry swamp, are wicked women, being from the province of the bladder.
950. Goodness is not credited to a person who is evil; and evils are blotted out when a person is good*
This was clearly shown to me today in a mental image, that is, that goodness is the Lord's, and cannot be credited to evil people, because they are immersed in evils and, ascribing goodness to themselves, think that it is their own, which can never be. To a good person, however, goodness is accounted, and evils are then blotted out. These matters can be more clearly seen in a mental image than described [in words]. 1748, 23 February.
* 949 is lacking in the original.
951. Angels are able to examine a person's mind as if it were separate from the person
Now once again [see 542], it was as if a part of the skull had been raised up toward heaven, and looked into, and as if it had been read what the person had been like, both what he had been like in regard to his desires, and then also what he had been like in his early childhood, what he had had in mind or intended; likewise, what thoughts he had had, and what dreams.
In fact, two faces were shown to me bearing the same expressions they had when they had appeared to him in his boyhood. They resembled those against whom he had burned with rage. One of the faces was said to be like mine, although I could not recognize it; the second face was certainly a man's, but attractive like that of a rather adult virgin.
In short, nothing in a mind being examined that the Lord allows to be disclosed, is left uncovered - neither thoughts, nor character acquired by deeds, nor anything else.
952. However, there yet remains with that same man a softer kind of substance, like medullary brain, but harder, from which the person keeps on speaking and thinking, but differently. By this means they can search out what his slightly deeper person is like, compared with the outward one. 1748, 23 February.
953. Angels see people's pretenses, even those which seem to them most hidden
When a soul or person on earth tries to pretend, to think one thing and say another, it can become as obvious before the angels as a large black cloud before the eyes. There are indeed some who can pretend with their thought, as if they had a double thinking, as I do, and they imagine they can simulate so well as to deceive even angels, as one of them said. But I was enabled to learn that such [deception] is also seen - by myself and by spirits as a thin vapor, but by angels as a cloud, or as smelly smoke.
Thus things which are very hidden to man, are this visible to angels of only the inward heaven.* By angels of the very inward heaven, they cannot even be noticed, due to their grossness - only if there is something more deeply hidden that does not agree with them, or like circumstances. 1748, 23 February.
* See 262 and footnote 3.
954. About those who constitute the province of the mammillary processes
This only is to be added [see 939-43], that those who constitute the province of the mammillary processes, when they come up - which is to the face, not to the body - emanate heat. Because revenge is fiery, or is portrayed by fire, therefore heat came from them.
Thus from the heat, and the quality of it, as well as from its place and distance, and every circumstance connected with its location and with the objects around them, it can also be learned of what character a soul is. 1748, 23 February.
955. Angels accurately know natural truths, so that scarcely a detail is missing
Only as a matter to be borne in mind, not as a proposition, it should be mentioned that when I read several items from my writings on a certain internal organ of the body, together with the hypotheses inferred from them, angels were able to tell very well whether a thing was the truth or not, which I in turn was enabled to learn from them. Thus they know in anatomical, in physical, in philosophical material, what is true, and correctly developed, and this without previous knowledge through the sciences. 1748, 23 February.
956. A quite profound acuteness of thought can sometimes exist in those who are corrupt
No one can judge about anyone's life by the sharpness of their thinking and penetration in various matters, for the evil may be sharper than the rest, rather than the good. For example, swindlers, even the worst ones, and thieves, can better penetrate the thoughts and intentions, and the feelings, of others, than any; if not, they are not diligent thieves. But they direct all [their sharpness] to falsehood, evil, deception, or to whatever is consistent with their desires. Thus devils in the other life are so sharp, and so occupied in contriving treachery, that no one could ever be brought to believe it.
Those who are praised for their acuteness, therefore, are not on that account to be praised for their life, for no one can hope for any reward in the other life because of a capacity for sharp thinking. 1748, 23 February.
957. In the other life, they abuse their acuteness and corrupt goodness into evil so skillfully, and so instantaneously, that one could never believe it. For during their bodily life, such persons are like snakes, whose eyes are almost every moment watchful to see how they can do harm.
958. About the hardness or softness of calluses
The calluses that are taken out, and by which they examine the souls' outer or bodily qualities brought with them after bodily life [862 ff., 951], are harder or softer, depending upon the state of the actual life they have led.
Those that are hard must be softened, which is done by various punishments. Before they soften, the better outer qualities cannot be joined with inner ones, nor can evil qualities, together with their associations, be as it were blotted out. These must be torn out, so to speak, by a spiritual method.
Those having harder calluses suffer great, in fact tremendous, pains, and deeper torments, because the roots are affected; while those having softer ones, do not suffer such pains, as I was taught by experience when this same requirement, or [action of] being pulled apart, was performed on me, as on anyone else [404, 932]. 1748, 23 February.
959. Those who constitute the province of the Kidneys, ureters and bladder like to examine
Whenever any soul comes along and is met by those who constitute the province of the kidneys, ureters and bladder, these are at hand to examine, or explore, hoping to have grounds [for punishing] and anxiously seeking to find them wherever they can; for they like to explore for the sake of chastising and punishing - a passion in which they take great pleasure.
But they only examine those things which the soul has taken along with him from the body; for the kidneys, ureters and bladder only discharge the worn out and defiled elements from the blood, thus from the bodily parts. 1748, 23 February.
960. Those who are in the province of the kidneys and the adrenal glands, divert grosser elements into themselves, and thus purify those which must be very pure
It may be known that both the urinary Kidneys and the suprarenal glands divert unclean elements into themselves, the Kidneys specifically, unclean elements of the serum, and the suprarenal glands the more unclean elements of the spirit of the blood. It is for this reason that the spermatic vessels descend from the organs devoted to waste.
961. When the purer thoughts are raised up from a person, then bodily and thus more unclean elements also follow along in double file, or like pace. Those elements are compatible with [the spirits] who constitute the province of the Kidneys, and who bring them into it. Those in that province therefore concentrate their mind on them, and thus draw them away from the purer elements, so that the purer elements are raised up toward heaven without an unclean companion.
962. Therefore, the suprarenal glands remove the impurities in the blood spirits, and the Kidneys the impurities in the blood serum, accomplishing this in more or less the same way. They work by a process of attraction, this being the way the organ functions.
In like manner do the spirits in that province work, because that is their nature. No sooner does a corresponding [spiritual] condition arise in the purer realm, whereby bodily elements a person or a soul brings along cannot be separated, those spirits, by a cooperative force that works in proportion to the outreach of their field of energy, join in. They arouse and attract [those bodily elements], and thereby free the better and purer elements from the more impure - in fact filthy and rotten ones.
It is evil spirits, therefore, who wipe them away. But they do not become the worse for it, but are obliged to perform such functions before they become better, or are reformed.
963. When spirits keep their imaginations fixed upon elements of this kind [961], and if this is portrayed before spirits' eyes, it appears as though something were being lifted up, like the bodily callus you may see spoken of earlier [862, 958]. But it is simply a concentration of their minds on these elements, so that they quiet down and cannot act together with inward elements. When they are no longer visible, then a substance like the interior medulla appears. But because they are keeping their eyes upon outward elements as their goal, therefore that something appears to be lifted up before their eyes, thus brought under their sight.
964. That there is this kind of attraction is quite evident from the attraction that has become familiar to me from various and manifold experience, when they drew up my skull [see 542], causing quite a marked sensation, sometimes pain. The noticeably painful feeling was nothing but the clinging of their inner sight to outermost elements, so that inward ones might be visible to the better spirits, and so on.
965. Also, when consent is given to angels to look into anyone's spiritual and heavenly elements, then something quite similar appears, which is raised up into heaven, but it is nothing but the concentration of angelic minds upon those things which are harmonious with them. 1748, 24 February.
966. The suprarenal glands, then, draw toward themselves the fluid of the [animate] spirits, or of the purer blood. They do this by fixing their inner sight on the elements that are not so grossly unclean, but inwardly unclean - they attract them because they fix their inner sight on them, and thereby the purer elements, freed of them, are raised up unimpaired, and so on.
This method is one of the cherubim, [guarding] lest the more unclean things should reach the Lord; so that He in His Divinity may thus be in the heavenly and spiritual regions, and from these as from centers, rule the universe. 1748, 24 February.
967. The Tongue belongs to the spiritual and heavenly parts
By a vivid experience, it has become known to me that the Tongue belongs as well to the spiritual as the heavenly regions, and that through it a passage stands open in both directions, namely, from the spiritual to the heavenly, and the reverse, on which account also it is at the forefront of both the lungs and the cardiac system. This appears more clearly from the double function of the tongue, in that it belongs to spiritual parts through speech, and to heavenly parts through taste; so that those who constitute the province of the Tongue are the kind through whose midst one passes from spiritual to heavenly regions. 1748, 24 February.
968. On those who constitute the province of the renal capsules, a continuation
The function of the suprarenal glands prevails throughout the fetus, because at that stage they perform the duty of many of the internal organs that meanwhile go without a function. But later, they have the function of attracting the purer blood when it is about to circulate, so that it will not be absorbed by the spermatic vessels, and of urging it, through a short circle, into the vena cava, and so into the heart, thus enlivening the blood from its direction, as the brain does from above. But this occurs only so long as the spermatic vessels, or genital parts, are not strongly active; but when they are strongly active, seizing the better elements of the blood, then the renal capsules are deprived of this vital blood, and so the purer serum is taken away from them.
969. This, too, I have learned from actual experience, for there are also some who constitute the province of these capsules and perform the duty belonging to them. This is to draw the purer reasonings to themselves and pass them on, so to speak, although it seems to them that they keep them. But they are still communications with heaven.
Consequently, when my thoughts were of the kind to be directly taken up by heaven, some female spirits from this province said that they were moved with great anxiety, and they did not know its source. Yet is was caused by the fact that in this case, they were not drawing to themselves the spiritual and heavenly elements and communicating them, as before, and for this reason, were feeling an unusual anxiety.
970. They who constitute this province are chaste virgins, very prone to anxiety, afraid they might be shaken from their condition. They lie quiet at the left part of the side, almost inside but at the side, about where the suprarenal glands are located. They anxiously fear that there might be a [direct] admittance into heaven; for they think that if deprived of their function they would perish, being without any use. So they are among the best, heavenly spirits, who work in silence; and if there is the least thought about their being deprived of their function, they immediately sigh, and are worried.
I have felt this several times, and wondered where it came from. Their anxiety, having now been communicated to me also, shows itself clearly as a kind of holy shiver, which I even openly witnessed, when communication was taken away [from them] and diverted directly to heaven. Beyond this they do not speak at all.
They sometimes said that they felt as if they were being deprived of their function when I came to writing down matters contained in the Word, because they thought that then a direct communication was taking place, thus not through them, so that they were deprived of their spiritual food. 1748, 24 February.
mThey are those undergoing a purging process, as I realized today, who despair of ever being able to come into heaven. For this reason, these female spirits are extremely troubled at the least thought about heaven, and do not know why. I have spoken with them about this. They easily become tearful. 1748, 12 September.n
971. When my thoughts were drawn to little children, how their tender little bodies were governed, which takes place through the agency of the Liver and these glands, then those female spirits felt a special comfort and inward joy, as one of them openly declared.
972. When something is being thought in which there is nothing heavenly, then also these same virgins are distressed. This, too, was clearly apparent, and was pointed out, as when I was thinking about earthly matters.
It is also reflected in those capsules, for example, if the productive or good element is taken away from the blood by way of the spermatic vessels. After an excessive seizure of this by the spermatics, sadness usually ensues, which may also be caused by this, as well as by the fact that at such a time the better blood to be brought to the heart becomes deficient in the blood stream. 1748, 24 February.
972 1/2. How in the earliest Church they spoke in different languages [see Acts 2:4, 10:46]
Because the world is such at this day that it does not want to believe anything but what it understands, and because such things do not occur today as they did in the case of those who spoke in strange languages, I have had occasion to converse with them and question them, and thus to be informed.*
* See A.W. Acton's footnote, Spiritual Diary, vol 1, p. 269.
973. Around spirits, particularly around angels, there are not only fields of energy or power, which are the movements of substances like those that occur in the physical body, but there are also fields of all kinds of feelings, both spiritual and heavenly. These fields also change, in exact response to changes in their state of mind; yet all states go back to their one, own proper state.
974. From that one state, all the other states of mind, which are its innumerable variations, make up families, and these families make up houses, cities, nations. So they have their own blood and marriage relationships amongst themselves, which must by no means be confused.
975. Therefore, all the states in humankind and in spirits come into view by this comparison, but only for one who is gifted with discernment. Also, by the same token, intermediate goals [go back] to one predominant goal. These relationships vary, depending on the feelings.
976. Fields are present in nature's threefold kingdom in no other form than all those energies that make up such fields, producing wonderful effects or phenomena, and indeed, beyond number. One could never attain to a knowledge of the causes of these phenomena except by deeper knowledge of fields made up of energy. For these constitute a kind of universe, the attributes of which are determined by its form and its formal attributes. This is true throughout nature.
977. In the case of an animate body, these fields have the character of invisible effluences around people, which are such that even if they were explained, no one would understand. This is quite evident in nature from experience with an imperceptible emanation, the existence of which is established by so many documented records.
978. But in the spiritual world it has also been demonstrated to me what an extension of this field there is. I saw how the moods and feelings of one were communicated with another, even at a great distance, without any alteration whatever, not to mention other amazing communications, interactions, discords and harmonies.
979. Each soul thus holds together strictly because of harmonizing substances, by means of tiny harmonizing fields which, once having been linked together, can never to eternity be disjoined without being reunited-even if they were a universe apart. For the Lord, Who is Love and therefore Conjunction, does this, working from the innermost regions.
980. Thus also, those who are in harmony in the other life are joined together in a social atmosphere, according to the likeness of their dispositions and minds. So souls are brought together into societies and groups on the basis of similarities, something quite familiar in our human society also, but occurring here in a very unrefined manner.
981. But souls do not know to whom they are joined, and they cannot be joined to good spirits, still less to angels, until their malignant qualities, which cause alienation, have been gotten rid of or moderated.
982. But this is such a vast field of knowledge that just the broad generalities would fill countless sheets of paper. 1748, 25 February.
983. About spirits who relate to the outer Ligaments
All the internal organs of the body whatever, have their own outer ligaments or bindings. Obviously, these provide for communication not only with the inner parts, even the very smallest, but also with those outside, especially those which function conjointly.
The bindings for the internal organs in the body, such as the peritoneum, the pleura, the diaphragm, the mediastinum, the pericardium-all represent general principles. But [to describe] these connective parts and the respective communications and responses they provide for, would be a very large task.
984. Among spirits, there are likewise those who function more or less like the ligaments in the body. Those relating to the inner ligaments are spirits nearby, who stood beside me. Some were put there so that societies at a distance from me would be aware of the thoughts within me as if they were present.
This is very common among all spirits, and they know instinctively how to get hold of their own emissaries, who station themselves around the region of the head. Then whatever comes in or is thought, they see as if they themselves were there. In this way communications are established with those who are a great distance away, even if they might be in a different universe.
985. Those, however, who relate to ligaments between angels and people on earth are spirits who have been arranged by the Lord in such an order that through their mediation, men's thoughts-even the reasons and principles behind the thoughts-can be raised up, and then pass from the inward heaven* to the very inward one. The Lord Himself is in all people, and needs no intermediaries whenever He so wishes.
986. Outer ligaments are spirits who run back and forth, so to speak, and whenever they hear anything at once almost fly to their society and blurt out in a loud voice what the person had said. Several times I have learned this by experience. And there are those in the life of the body who love to do this-that is, to be able to make out what others are thinking, or who think they can, and whatever they hear they cannot keep to themselves, but are carried away by some deep urge to announce it to others in whose circle they are, and who keep them in their company just for this reason. There are spies like this on a larger scale, as well as in particular groups. They hurry around this way in the other life, and are admitted for that purpose, believing they are loved for it; but they are loved as means are to an end. 1748, 25 February.
987. On the communication of human mental images with spirits
Human thought is communicated to some spirits by speech, or by thought reduced to words and then to mental images from which a meaning arises. For some, the meaning is richer through words, that is, it is richer using the mental image conveyed by a word, for others [through] thoughts just like those in a person who visualizes them imaginatively, as when we direct our mind to any subject, and picture many points to ourselves as if they were at the same time visual objects, about which we afterwards speak or write.
This whole composite idea, or imaginative portrayal, is normally communicated in its entirety to spirits, but its impact varies with the abilities of the individual spirit-for the angels grasp simultaneously what is in the mental image, and what is inside of the mental image. 1748, 26 February.
988. Those who relate to the Peritoneum
There are also spirits who relate to the peritoneum in the human body; but what they are like can be better known from experience.
989. Some spirits came to me, I noticed, but they were silent and did not want to say anything. I suppose they were considering in what place they were, and exploring it.
990. Later those spirits did speak with me, but they spoke as one spirit. He told me that he had known and been able to speak several languages, as they did in the very early Church [see 972q/s], and he wanted to explain how this was done-which he did, convincingly. But whether it was right, I am doubtful.
He behaved in this way because these spirits want to know all things, and are eager to explain them in terms of their illusions. They convince themselves that they are right. So they are the type of people who imagine they know the causes of all things, and are convinced and therefore believe that they came about in that way.
991. Afterwards, the spirits who constitute the province of the kidneys [367, 959-66, 968-72] wanted to explore and examine him, beginning in their usual way to suspect those spirits of evils. But he remained unruffled, saying that he did nothing of himself, but from others. Thus he did not seem to have provoked or attacked them in any way, so that even I rebuked them; but they still kept on.
Then he began to swell up and to become so large, like a giant Atlas, that his body almost reached to heaven. In his hand was a spear, but he did no harm with it. Moreover, he had a bearing such as to strike one with terror, as the arms do [that were shown to me, see 881-2]. At this, those spirits, very frightened, took flight, admitting their fear and terror, because they had never seen anyone so big. This is caused by such people becoming swollen with their own knowledge and magnifying themselves before others.
992. He had wooden shoes, which he threw at the [fleeing] spirits. This symbolizes the fact that such people look with scorn on final achievements, and throw them at those who constitute the province of the kidneys, because the kidneys evacuate the more unclean watery substances.
993. It is similar with those who constitute the province of the large intestine, who are hellish, and also swollen up-nor do they like the possibility of being frightened. These spirits, puffed up like the colon with its gas, wanted to attack him, and jump over their wall, but a new wall was always put in the way so that they could not get at him.
It is the same in the human body in regard to the large intestine and the peritoneum, and also the bladder and the peritoneum, as well as the ureters and peritoneum. These organs are enfolded and restrained by the peritoneum and kept in compliance, while it casts unclean elements, the phlegm, into the ureters.
994. When he was being attacked by the renal spirits, he said he did nothing of himself, but from others. This he said repeatedly, meaning that they had no cause for troubling him. The peritoneum also, which is a passive membrane, behaves in this way.
995. There was another spirit too, who darted between his feet from front to back, two or three times. Then there was also another one pursuing the fleeing renal spirits in order to frighten them even more, to strike them with greater terror of him. This is because the kidneys are enveloped by the peritoneum. 1748, 25 February.
995 1/2. Such a spirit also appeared just now,* and swelled up higher than my head, terrifying the spirits of the kidneys, ureters and bladder with his great size, so that they took flight; yet he was almost silent.
This is how they behave when looked upon by the angels, and thereby it is recognized who they are and what they are like. 1748, 12 September.
* Note the date following this paragraph. At this time, the author was working on the index.
996. Truth frightens
In the other life, such terror can strike people that they almost melt away, even those who during their life had not experienced any terror. Actually, the terror results from truth devoid of goodness, or mercy. This terror then penetrates to the marrows, and almost breaks the bones. For truth condemns, and indeed, to the lowest hell, and without any end in sight.
But this terror did not come over these spirits; for truth, or the terror of truth, invaded only one, who had been the kind that thought he could never be frightened. But afterwards he admitted that all his courage had been taken away, and he had been brought very low. In the same way terror is also brought on by an arm, a naked one, spoken of earlier [881-2]. 1748, 25 February.
997. There are spirits who know absolutely no otherwise
than that they are the people [they are with];
also, that they are the souls of others
When spirits are with people on earth, they generally do not at all realize that they are not those people. This I know from the corroboration of much and frequent experience.
Several times, also, spirits did not realize they were not the people being talked about, or thought about, so they completely take on the personalities of such people, whether living or dead. They so thoroughly convince themselves, that later, when the true person or the true soul is revealed, they feel ashamed.
When some spirit is [with me], thinking, there are even some who believe they are that spirit. One of them speaks out his thoughts, convinced at the time that he is that [thinking spirit]. He expresses those thoughts in the same way he expresses those of the more subtle type of spirits, who keep silent and only think.
In this way entirely different spirits can take on the conviction of being those people, or others, not realizing what is happening.
998. About little stars
Sometimes evil and black spirits approach with an abundance of stars, indeed, even displaying a whole starry sky. I had always considered this to be a sign of understanding, because stars depict the intelligent, but from these black spirits I saw, and being so instructed, realized, that stars also symbolize the insane. The difference is that when they portray the insane, they are twinkling and shifting out of their places, while when they portray understanding, they are fixed. In brightness and magnitude, the two types of stars hardly differ. 1748, 25 February.
999. About the provinces of the renal spirits
It is known that there is a whole series of secretions of the blood's liquid components occurring in the general region from the kidneys to the bladder, and that the ducts called renal pelves widen out. It is also known that these secretions of liquid components range in series from the smallest particles of that kind, to the medium ones, to the last ones-those in the ureter, where a cortical-like tissue passes into a striated one. Through these substances the medium liquid components are discharged.
999 1/2.
Because the secretions follow like this in a series, those spirits who are in the renal provinces do likewise. Those relating to the medium liquid components are near the side, below the elbow, and speak with a rather harsh, cracked voice. They also try to make their way inside, but it is only an attempt, the act does not follow. They do nothing but think, reviewing the things in their experience that they have observed in other souls and spirits, whom they picture to themselves in recognizable mental images, thereby portraying them as if they were those very souls and spirits. In this way, by drawing out their thoughts and examining them, they investigate whether they share anything in common.
1000. And so these spirits are the kind who in their lifetime had liked to search out the yearnings and thoughts of others. So they turn themselves into different shapes like Vertumni, agreeing with everything, but with the purpose of knowing the other's thoughts. There are many who burn with that desire, yet not with the goal or purpose of getting something out of it, but simply of knowing.
So these agree with the characteristic nature of that liquid component, wanting [to go] inwards so as to know the deeper aspects of the person. This is reflected in the fact that they also try to make their way inside, thus to the essences of the blood; but they cannot do this [999 1/2].
1001. They who act the part of the ureters, and in fact, the secretion of the grosser liquid part, you may see discussed earlier [825-7, 867-71, 921-5, 959-66].
1002. But those who portray the bladder are the worst, for they seek out the filthy elements of nature, and like to punish harshly, and insanely-using lukewarm or hot water, which is a hellish punishment. Such is the passion that possesses them.
1003. Their order of succession with respect to the body, is as follows: Those portraying the medium liquid component are at the left side next to the body, below the elbow.* Those portraying the ureters are toward the left, but farther from the body. Those portraying the bladder appear still farther away, and in fact, in front of the left side of the face, at the same level, so they are sometimes very far removed. I could not make out what they were doing, except what was explicitly pointed out to me. Together, therefore, from the left side toward the front, they form a kind of hyperbola [extending] from the quarters to the left, frontwards, thus covering quite a long stretch.
* The word ulna, "elbow," in the ms. was tampered with by B. Chastanier, and erroneously changed to ureter.
1004. Those, however, who separate the innermost essences [of the blood] pertain to the renal capsules, previously discussed [968-72]. They are harmless spirits who carry out a special work in the unborn and in babies. Therefore, they also can be placed on the side of the blood, for reasons spoken of elsewhere [968]. 1748, 25 February.
1005. About the provinces of the Spleen, the Liver, and the Pancreas
As for those who belong to the province of the Spleen, they are almost directly overhead, where the dragon is, so I do not yet know whether it is the function of the dragon or not. It is those who had mixed profanities with things holy, which acts are called abominations, who constitute this province.
1006. They are abominable in the way they operate. They mix holy things with profane ones, using an extremely sinful combining method-about which I would rather remain silent-mingling all the holy things they encounter with their profanities, stirring them, so to speak, into one and the same cauldron. That is how they operate, some in order to become magicians, some to perform a wicked ritual.
1007. The Spleen is also of this nature. For it takes in defiled blood in which is pure blood intermingled as a solvent. Then by their own method of scourging, they twist and tear away the defiled blood-thus not the liquid component-and deliver what is torn away to the veins of the bowels and other parts, also with a view to sparing the liver that labor.
1008. As for the Liver, it works gently, and in fact near to the head-thus almost touching the head, beneath the province of the Spleen. These spirits function in quite gentle spiral motions, and in doing so, separate [the defiled blood]. The gyres in which their operation moves are diversely orbicular.
1009. As for the Pancreas, they work in a kind of sawing motion, or a chafing back and forth accompanied by a buzzing sound like that of sawing. Their province is farther away from the head, not between those of the Liver and the spleen but more to the left, still above the head, that is, above the region of the temples.
1010. These all function as cleansers of the blood, consequently of the passions and such qualities, for being within the peritoneum they belong to the provinces of the heart; whereas the spirits of the kidneys are cleansers of falsities, and are therefore not within the peritoneum even though it enfolds them, at the side [993-5]. 1748, 25 February.
1011. The spirits of the spleen are they who mix profane things with holy; and also separate them. Spirits of the liver do likewise with moral qualities, separating those which are essentially honorable and dishonorable; the pancreas, qualities of propriety-thus the formalities of honorableness-[from the improper]. 1748, 25 February. Whether the pancreas [separates] public and civic qualities, as something apart from qualities of propriety, I do not yet know for sure.
1012. About the gallbladder
Those constituting the province of the gallbladder are located at the back, and those who drift into this province are sent there, or come there unawares, for it is a characteristic of the internal organs to attract the blood, and in the case of the gallbladder, the used blood.
1013. Now these are people who in their life [in the world] utterly scorn anything pious, that is, anything heavenly and spiritual, and consequently the life that goes with it. They so despise it, in fact, that they inwardly, or even openly, cast aspersions on it, each in their own way. These are the ones who are sent, or rather, pushed, into this province at the back, that of the gallbladder, unawares whither they are drifting.
1013 1/2. A spirit approached me, asking whether I knew where he could stay. I considered him an upright one, judging from his speech, and when I told him that he could stay here, he was content. Then the spirits of this province whose role is vexation came up and annoyed him miserably. I was sorry, and tried to stop them, but they kept on, and I was unable to stop them. In this way I was taught that I was now in the province of the gallbladder.
1014. The vexation is like that of being forced to speak faster than one is thinking. For newly-arrived spirits normally speak like people on earth, but here they are forced to speak faster by these vexing spirits, who first more or less pull their speaking away from their thinking, until the thinking is forced to follow. This causes pain and annoyance, until the spirit becomes accustomed to it. Then he is introduced into a faster and faster speaking, and at the same time, into spiral motions-for after a while, this agitation is produced by means of such gyres, at first rather slow ones, afterwards faster.
1014 1/2. But the kind of spirits who are sent here, as said before [1013], are those who scorn spiritual and heavenly qualities, or piety. 1748, 26 February.
1015. About gyres
There are spiral motions into which souls must be introduced in order to be able to stay amongst their companions, thus not only to speak, but also to think together with them, and finally to think rightly, or what is true and good.
There are many kinds of introduction-just as many as there are of agitations of the serum and of the blood in the human body. Of these there are many kinds and species, and there are also levels of them, the lowest level being only that they can be in spiral motions together with their companions. Even evil spirits can be introduced into these and adapted so as to be in the same gyres. For example, evil spirits can speak and feel in a person on earth just as well as good spirits. This takes place in a twofold manner, by spiral motions alone, and by the a forcing of their speech, as just spoken of [1014], to make it agree with their thought.
1015 1/2. There are levels of these agitations and introductions, represented in the body, as far as the blood is concerned, by the agitation of the blood in the gallbladder, by its agitation in the liver, from which comes the hepatic bile, by its agitation outside of the biliferous pores, when the lymph together with the purer blood is carried off into the lymphatic vessels.
1016. After the spirits have been introduced into these spiral motions, especially so that their thinking may agree with their speech, then they are further vexed in regard to their thoughts and mental images, and any elements in them that fit together badly, the vexers dismember by their own methods. And so, those elements that are filthy are as it were banished, and the spirits are united by their better thoughts to better spirits. 1748, 26 February.
1017. Those constituting the province of the hepatic duct
These are overhead, very delicately performing their spiral motions, finally creating almost uninterrupted sounds, and there are those being introduced into these rhythms, or gyres. They are people who had despised the virtues of a moral life. But in this matter also, the general discussion of gyres [1015-16] should be kept in mind. They are up above, not far from the head, and in fact, to the left and to the right, depending on their types.
1018. At the left side of the head or skull are those who during their bodily life had despised or harassed goodness, or everything relating to affection; at the right side, those who had done the same to truths, which are the deeper knowledge of what is good and true.
As a result of falsities born from the thinking process and resulting conclusions, the brain is said to harden. Someone told me this and said that he now and then saw hardenings of this kind in me due to some slight cause, in other locations as well [as the brain]. I also experienced the pain resulting from their being softened, which varied from dull to sharp, depending on the kind of falsity that caused them. 1748, 26 February.
1019. Those constituting the province of the Lymphatics
Their spiral motions are so weak, and fast, that hardly any gyration can be felt; it is like something watery flowing.
So there are three levels of gyration, of introduction into gyres, and of agitation, i.e., the first belonging to the gallbladder, the second to the hepatic duct, and the third to the lymphatics. 1748, 26 February.
1020. About the Mesentery
Afterwards they are brought to places which they said portray the Mesentery, which was described as being like a labyrinth, because they are gathered together there in order to serve a use, just as the substances in the mesentery serve in the preparation of the chyle.
1021. But there are numerous other paths, some leading through many years of chastenings, and repeated agitations lasting many years, in fact centuries and thousands of years. Some have winding courses long in distance and time, as do [the foods] that pass into the human mouth: some essences are carried quickly into the brain by a short route; some [foods are taken up] by the veins in the mouth and thence into the blood, some from the stomach, some from the intestines. But these latter, which come into the blood through the chyle, are constantly being chastened, dissolved, and again united.
1022. The quickest are little children and young ones, who are portrayed by those foods that enter through the taste buds.* These are carried by the shortest route to the brain and introduced into the cortical substance. 1748, 26 February.
* The Latin here is per cuticulas.
1023. About calluses
The parts of the left eye interact with those
of the right side of the brain
At the left side of the brain, or in its left hemisphere, are located those falsities that relate to the feelings; at the right side those that relate to indoctrination. Or, at the left side is all that looks toward goodness, and at the right, all that looks to what is true. In souls, therefore, hardenings of the callus or skulls show up accordingly.
These incrustations are something that must soften. This takes place in various ways, by such means as enlightened knowledge-by being educated in what is true-as well as by bitter surges of truth, bringing on pain; after this has occurred, by an actual process of dismemberment, which is painful. It is the more painful according to the nature of the falsities and the consequent hardenings. So the process is repeated, and still there remain hardenings; for a hardening softens by stages and degrees, both as a whole, and part by part. Hardenings also cling to the inner marrows.
1024. Outward hardenings pertain to the physical and earthly, or outward, elements of a person. These make up a kind of skull with its hairy scalp. The inward ones have to do with the inward falsities acquired through a person's inward thoughts. These falsities harden into such crusts. Those hardening the skull are earthly falsities, those hardening the medulla, spiritual ones.
1025. They appear visibly as crusts, and are even felt, because the fantasies bring on pain; but they are only portrayals of crusts. See above [1018].
1026. Moreover such hardnesses cannot soften, so to speak, unless one makes a definite choice of truths, since it is falsities that cause them. For then truths will loosen them, and will bring in softness and fluidity. By means of truths, all things flow in their own proper spiral motions; while falsities bring them to a standstill, inducing properties of cold, density, and weight, as we can observe in the elements of nature, where simply the conditions determine their forms-hard, cold, heavy, and soft, warm, light.*
* This sentence is emphasized in the original by the symbol NB. Written twice in the margin.
1027. Further, the eyes interact with the hemispheres of the brain, and, in fact, in such a way that the left eye interacts with the right hemisphere, and the right eye with the left hemisphere; for the fibers also are so oriented, as well as the fibers in the optical nerves. I was told that this is the case. They portray the spiritual realm, that is, the left eye or right side of the brain understanding of truth, and the right eye together with the left side of the brain, understanding of goodness.
1028. The hardness of calluses, the coldness and heaviness, are certainly brought on as a result of falsities, but these in turn are caused by the yearnings of self-love and the love of the world. These desires twist all truth and goodness into falsities, as anyone can observe. So there are degrees of desires that produce calluses; yet they do not construct them, but create conditions. Hence the conditions mentioned above [1026]. 1748, 26 February.
1029. Superficial calluses are brought on by the bodily memory, and the more tightly they hang on to that memory, the more solid and thick the calluses are. But the things which do not stick in that memory are wiped away. This is actually caused by the very inward elements acting on it, which reshape it in their own image.
1030. About introduction into gyres
When spirits are being introduced into spiraling gyres, so that their outward qualities may agree with their inward ones, that is, so that their speaking may agree with their inner feeling, called thinking, then the spirit in question is driven to speaking faster and forced to have the thinking follow. Yet because he is not used to having his thinking follow his speaking, this is done reluctantly, and consequently painfully.
1031. When he is introduced, he is carried into a fourfold meter, sounding like a four-footed animal, with distinct beats that are later observed in the faster gyration, spoken of before [1014]. This first introduction can be likened to straightforward speaking.
1032. There is also an introduction that is done in a double meter, ending in a long pair; but see what was written earlier [1015-15q/s] about the distinct kinds of gyres.
Agitations, and thus purifications, are countlessly many
1033. The modes of agitation and thus introduction into spiral movements are innumerable, some lasting for thousands of years, and they portray the chyle, which flows into the blood in a crude condition. This blood is dissolved and recombined, a process that goes on for a long time. There are innumerable elements that must be softened, so to speak, and then dispelled.
1034. They are like those in the body: there are as many agitations and purifications as there are internal organs, consequently a very great range of types, as many as there are viscera.
1035. They are also comparable to the case of the aliments or foods ingested into the stomach; for [newly-arrived] souls represent the things that are put into the stomach and broken up there. Some must be agitated roughly in the stomach, then in the intestines.
Other souls are absorbed straightway into the veins, and thus easily purified; others go into the lymphatics. Some upon first entering the mouth, before passage into the stomach, are taken up by the veins and exhale into the brain, and immediately begin a purer circulation, the purer ones of them being carried through imperceptible vein-like fibers toward the brain.
There are, besides, those souls who, being drawn out of the air by the lungs, fly directly to the brain. These are the purer foods of the brain. There are also some who are drawn imperceptibly through the tunics of the whole body, and then carried up toward the brain, such as little children [see 1022], some from the air, some from the ether-thus there are countless varieties.
But those who are agitated by the urinary spirits, and those of the colon and gallbladder, must endure a longer stay, because their gross elements cling so tightly. 1748, 26 February.
1036. The blood seems to move in similar spiraling gyres
When the red blood cells are tender, soft, solute, fluid, it seems that they are then able to move in similar spiral paths to that of spirits introduced into a society, and likewise in fourfold measures [1031]. The blood cells seem in this case to flow, or at least to endeavor to flow, in similar gyres, as is evident from their shape. And anyone who does not, or cannot, move in the same gyres, is banished from the company, or from the circle, and is agitated as spoken of earlier [1015-16, 1033-5]; for the gyre is not a simple gyre, but a whirling circle.
1037. The purer blood [moves] likewise, but into purer gyres; and this blood is similarly agitated, dissolved, recombined, this going on continually.
1038. Afterwards, its vital essences follow, which cannot, I suppose, be agitated in this way before the initiament of those gyres, which are their embodiments.
1038 1/2. A comparison can be drawn of the gyres with the [movement of] the blood cells, so that it may be clear what they are like. For cells that do not rightly fit in are hard, generally differing from the rest in shape, in size, as well as in weight, hardness, and heat. Therefore, because new blood is constantly being formed, all the globules that do not harmonize with the better blood are cast out. 1748, 26 February.
1039. On the difference between punishments and purgings
All punishment in the other life is given with a view to the spirit's betterment. The punishments are of such a nature that they almost take away evils, or furnish the ability to do good. So all punishments are intrinsically purgings, because they purge away evils by imparting the powers to speak truth and do good. But that ability is something supplementary-a gift of the Lord. For if evils were simply taken away, without the gift of abilities to do good, nothing would be left of the person, because there is nothing but evil in man.
1040. But all punishments entail pain, or resistance.
1041. There are also purgings that are carried out without resistance, rather with consent, so that [the soul] wants it. Some are led in this way until they have been purged, thus without resisting-such as the woodcutters [151, 271, 330] and many others. But this depends upon their faith, so there are many varieties.
1042. But whether any purging of evil takes place without some feeling of pain or unpleasantness, I do not know. For those who are being introduced into heaven are sometimes led to extreme despair, which despair is the deepest of spiritual pains. 1748, 26 February.
1043. Evil spirits and devils are the causes of all evils
This can indeed be the sure conclusion, based on their constant effort to destroy man, for they desire nothing more eagerly. So when they are released to their freedom and passion, as if unbridled they rush with enjoyment to destroy mankind and their fellow spirits. But they are held in bonds.
From this we may also conclude that just as the Lord is the source and cause of all goodness, it follows that the evil are the source of all evils. But this is still not very plain except on the basis of quite continuous experience. They have tried constantly to cast me into dangers, even when I was not at all aware of it, as when they tried to throw me under carriages [253]. It became plain to me by their wanting almost to force me, but it was in vain. Likewise when I would be walking along water. The effort always persists, but it is restrained by the Lord.
It is the same in many other instances, namely, that they try to obstruct everything good, and when they are permitted to do so, any resulting misfortune and evil comes from them, thus evils [brought on] either directly, or more remotely. When more remotely, they deny that they are the causes, yet they confessed it was so on demonstration, such as was done today by a kind of experiment. Their fields of energy [see 973-82], or of working evil, are of such a nature that they sometimes strive unconsciously against good, for their field is repugnant to every effort of good. It is for this reason also that unless they are told, they do not know they are the origins [of the evil].
1044. About demons who are recognized by their different odor
Sometimes what spirits are like is also recognized by their odors, yet not more often than when it is permitted. This odor points up plainly enough the character they brought with them from their life in the world.
1045. Those who have indulged in pretending affection, so that it has become second nature, and also those who during their lives had devoted themselves to adulatory poetry containing nothing but verbose inventions, and thus a mixture of falsehood and truth, solely for the sake of flattering themselves and others-their smell is like vomit, like the odor that comes from the stomach after vomiting. It is a foul smell, sickening to others, that contracts the nostrils.
But there are different kinds of these. In the first place, those in general who like to pretend with complimentary words, and so play the pretender; also those who do so in writing and verse, among whom are those who like to pretend with a view to their own glory and profit. I have smelled that smell when such people as those mentioned above were present.
1046. I also smelled another odor, namely that of bread, either baked or toasted. This odor symbolizes those who work hard at being eloquent in various ways, and who nevertheless present truths; so they are influenced at the same time by a desire for admiration. It was the odor of bread, because bread symbolizes truth and good. So this odor varies according to the genius of each, even to a great number.
1047. I also smelled a sweet wine-like aroma, and this is the odor of those who from some acceptable love flatter those whom they love. Thus there is sincerity in it, but clothed in a formal beauty. From this comes the wine-like odor, varying according to qualities. This and the previous one, I have smelled. 1748, 27 February.
1048. Some among the most upright spirits who, while not judging
about things that happen, yet cannot help speaking
out quickly how something is
There are some very upright spirits who sense, almost gently, what others are like-not sharply, by brooding inwardly on their characters. And fairly quickly they declare that something is not good, not right, or all right, and often, "It should not be so, not like that, but like this," speaking out according to the various things they sense in others to whom they wish well. About the wicked, if they are with them, they do not express themselves in this way.
These have an inner sense which was not sharpened during their life in the body by brooding thoughts. As little children they had been dull, so to speak, and hard to teach; but in the course of their life they had learned quite well on their own and from their own character about the goodness of a thing, though not so much about the truth of a thing.
mI was also given to realize that in these spirits there is something childlike, a tender simplicity, giving them an ability to sense what is good and true. 1748, 14 Sept.n
1050. On spiritual methods of portraying things
Those who portray things to others only by words, and thus by combining scattered mental images, that is by speaking, as most people on earth do, cannot at all understand how spirits communicate their thoughts among themselves. And they can understand it all the less, the more they dwell on words and their own personal ideas. Neither can those who stick only to the most obvious meaning of words, or only to matters of the material memory, since only personal details are stored up in it. But they, rather, who have more universal mental images, withdrawn from material ones, can somewhat understand it.
1051. To make this subject understandable, since it is possible to grasp it to some extent only by an example, let this be mentioned: when someone asserts that there can be no shame unless there is also reverence within it, then the usual course would be that one holds forth on these topics, both what shame is and what reverence is, with many hours of talking and many sheets of writing, investigating what shame is, into what different types it can be categorized in general and particular; likewise, what reverence is in all its many aspects. Then countless conclusions can be drawn according to each person's grasp of the subject and state of development.
All these matters are seen by a spirit and communicated to others in an instant, at a single spiritual glance, without any description or any foreknowledge of details. Thus angels go from one general to the next, then to the specifics, seeing them distinctly and simultaneously, thus knowing the conclusions at once. This is how spirits communicate things among themselves. Souls come directly into that ability after death, but it varies greatly according to the life of their passions. Those come into it better who have not blinded their rational sight with fantasies.
1052. That such is the case, every person is capable of understanding for himself; yet it is seen so faintly, that there are extremely few on the whole globe who understand. If there are any, they must be among the uneducated; but among the learned, or scholars, as they call themselves, there is scarcely anyone. 1748, 27 February.
1053. Earthly, reasoned knowledge ought to be completely
submissive toward very inward things
This fact is made clear by a single example, namely, that the human body with all its members, viscera, organs, has been built in accordance with all of nature's arts and sciences, indeed, the deepest secrets of all the sciences, however many there are, or can be: and all and every one of these parts are entirely submissive to the soul and to the will, so that they know nothing else than obeying and serving.
If this is true of the body, and yet the body is something to be valued as nothing-that will die, will become a corpse-then what are the learned sciences but nothing in comparison with those within the body! 1748, 27 February.
1054. Why some who are not angels are at times permitted
to enter into heaven
Sometimes, and in fact quite often, evil spirits are permitted to slip cunningly into heaven, that is, into the company of angels-for this is being in heaven, since heaven is not a separate place but rather societies having a heavenly character and heavenly intelligence. Sometimes, and when angels of the inward heaven are in certain states of mind, evil spirits gain admittance by imitating goodness, and so putting on the appearance of being angels; for angels gladly let them in. But when they are discovered, which happens because of their disharmony, then they are cast out of heaven.
The reason for this is that also the angels are thereby tempted and tested as to whether they are as heavenly beings ought to be; for their dregs are ever clinging to them, and must in the course of time be put aside.
So the angels are led astray, and their blemishes exposed. Evil spirits are like a ferment that stirs up evil. If the angels then let themselves be misled, then they too are banished from heaven for a time, and undergo the appropriate kinds of chastening, after which they are again let in. So I have heard several times. 1748, 27 February.
1055. All knowledge is spiritual food, but its quality is known
from the purpose [for which it is sought]
All spirits hunger and thirst, so to speak, to know things, or to imbibe knowledge, which is to them as food and nourishment; but especially that knowledge which suited to their character. For spirits are for the most part curious, wanting to know everything that meets their senses. In fact, when anything is withheld or hidden from them, they are indignant, even grow angry, and seek assiduously and anxiously to ferret it out. When they have an abundance of knowledge, it keeps their lives enjoyable, though they do not realize this as good spirits do.
1056. But still, it is the purpose for which they want and long for knowledge that tells what kinds of food are suited to them. Evil spirits eagerly hope to learn anything that causes evil to befall others; so nothing good can be said about that food, since that is their purpose. The purpose, why they want to know, determines by what foods they enjoy being nourished. 1748, 27 February.
1057. About a portrayal of spiritual things, and their distinct
difference from heavenly ones
There are many spiritual methods of understanding things, some of them obvious, others almost secret, but still becoming evident enough. Spiritual qualities are depicted spiritually by rather sharp, but glittering shapes, by linear and back-and-forth flowing motions, by stripes, by white and shining things-but when the heavenly quality is reigning [in them], by brilliant shining things-and the like.
1058. In the human body and its internal organs, especially in the cerebrum and cerebellum, as well as in both medullas, likewise in the liver, and kidneys, spiritual qualities are depicted by their striated, almost marrowy bodies, especially those which are white. Coarser spiritual qualities are depicted by the more visible ducts, so connected and situated that they still relate to the striate body, thus by all ducts in which any liquid is secreted, except the blood vessels. Such striped bodies are therefore also white; and if very finely striped, they are transparent.
1059. From this it becomes clear that the cortical substances relate to the heavenly qualities. How this is so, can be evident especially from the cortical substance of the brain, and in the body, from the cortical-like substance of the kidneys. These substances are therefore the beginnings, where the [animate] spirits are formed. Spiritual qualities go back to them as their origin, i.e., they are the beginnings of spiritual qualities, because the spiritual comes forth from them. They are also of a different color, like the color of the blood, a bright red.
1060. The membranes of the body also, as well as the muscular tissues, should therefore be placed in the class of spiritual qualities. 1748, 28 February.
1061. In heaven, then, spiritual and heavenly qualities are likewise distinguished from each other. How they are distinguished can become clear from the depictions mentioned [1057-8]. According to what was established from creation, the masculine sex belongs to the class of spiritual qualities, while the feminine belongs to that of heavenly qualities. Hence the commandment of the first marriage that he must cleave unto his wife [Gen. 2:24], that is, that matters of understanding must be coupled with heavenly qualities, so that they make one body.
1062. About those who constitute the province of the colon
As is known, the colon has a large extension. Likewise, those spirits who relate to the colon also cover quite a distance, but still in both quarters, that is, to the left, as said before [see 1003]. There are, however, those who are still more to the left, who are worse, and so it goes on toward hell. So the province of the colon extends to hell, or the hellish sewer, just as the colon extends to the rectum, which is [like] the hellish sewer.
1063. But from the description of the spirits in that place it can be evident who are in that province and what they are like, namely, that they are devoid of compassion, wanting without any conscience to destroy the human race, to kill and plunder, not caring whether those who resist them are men, or boys, women, or little children. Thus they are those who mercilessly long to destroy and devastate the human race and everything belonging to it, and have a vicious disposition, as do many soldiers and their commanders. They were the kind of spirits who, on being let loose, as they had been in the body-not during the battle, but after the battle, when plundering the cities and villages, and whatever lay in their path-would be aroused to such fury that they would rush most eagerly to the massacre of everyone, and could not be held back.
Meanwhile, I spoke with spirits about what people are like when left to themselves and are permitted to live without law. They are much more fierce than the worst animals, which do not rush in this way to slaughtering their own species. (It is a different matter when they are defending themselves against their enemies, and when wild animals exert ferocity on other animals left to them as food. It should not be considered as anything but justified defense when they are attacked by those who are like enemies, and when they slay animals fit for eating.)
Heavenly beings also observed this and were horrified that the human race of this earth was like this, for if they had not had this view of it, it would have seemed unbelievable to them. And I discussed with them the question how such souls can ever be brought into heaven, where love, compassion and peace reigns. Would they not still harbor the same intent of wiping out everyone, if the freedom were just given them and they were driven by love of self and the world? Then I added that such people are only happy at heart, and feel proud, when they see armies of corpses scattered about, to the number of many thousands, and hear their moanings of misery, and see streams of blood throughout the battlefield, themselves and their swords spattered with human blood. Then they are elated, thinking themselves heroes, yes, and then they also sing "Te Deum laudamus!"* And yet they call themselves Christians. 1748, 28 February.
* "We praise Thee, Oh God!"
1064. One might ask, therefore, whether this is heavenly, or diabolical, or, if you prefer, whether this is human, or animal.
1065. People abhor executioners, who are only punishing criminals and condemned persons. But those who are much worse than executioners and who slaughter, burn, and plunder the innocent, without any compassion or conscience, they praise, respect, and raise to high positions. This I also said to the spirits.
1066. Continuation about those who constitute the province of the colon
Those spirits or souls, therefore, who thus rush to the destruction of the human race, have their own province, a place not far from hell, for there is nothing human in them. But any who do have anything human, such as a sense of justice-for the reason that they do not want people to consider them wild animals and tyrants-but who for bodily reasons still control themselves and moderate their rage, they are among those who are held within the wall, spoken of earlier [993]. Nor is there any compassion in them, either, but only love of self, which is still hatred of the human race. So they are also situated at various distances from hell, just as the colon starting from the small intestines is distant from the rectum.
1067. But among these also there are many varieties, which cannot as yet be enumerated. But in any case, they have their own places determined by the qualities that make them different.
1068. In those who have something they judge to be good, like something considered by the world to be good or noble, this is portrayed in them by little stars, almost fiery, but not shining white.
1069. How it is to be understood that we can do nothing
to better ourselves by our own power
A great many spirits, almost all, cannot understand the saying that they can accomplish nothing toward their own betterment. As a result, they think they should omit trying to will, and to act-which, of course, is false. Both man and spirit can always try, and exert will power, when not being given reflection by the Lord on the fact that they can do nothing by their own powers. When not so reflecting, they seem to themselves to be acting on their own, when yet it is from the Lord, Who also gives the ability to try. But when the reflection is given, then they should acknowledge that this effort also is given by the Lord. 1748, 28 February.
1070. About whoremongers who entice virgins to whoredom by tricks
There are some in the world who like nothing more than to entice virgins, wherever they are, as in convents, in families with their parents, or anywhere, and they slip into their favor by various methods of flattery, and entice them to whoredom, and thus take pleasure in variety. Such spirits belong to the province of the genital members, but they are outside of them.
As souls and spirits, they also have the same things in mind, as well as the ability to slip into groups. But when they have slipped in during the first period after the death of the body, because their thoughts are exposed they are then recognized; for such recognition follows them because the better spirits, and the angels, know.
Then they wander, and wherever they come they are refused, and if they have slipped in, they are expelled and penalized, for their allurements are treacherous. So finally, they are not let into any societies.
But these [punishments] are according to the different intentions, which are very numerous. Some deceive innocent girls and abandon them, taking pleasure in variety; then there are those who by similar slippery methods try to entice the wives of others away from their husband, thus breaking off marriage love. Therefore, the kinds and species of punishments are many and vary, and the time of being purged in solitary places, longer or shorter. 1748, 28 February.
1071. On the punishment of one who wanted to do everything of himself,
as if it were he alone; and who was deceitful as well
A certain spirit, who is present even now at a distance almost above the forehead, wanted to manage all things by himself, and speak as if it were he alone. So he was not anxious whether there were other spirits [involved], but indeed wanted to arrange every detail from his own brain. At the same time, he was also adept at mixing, and he was permitted to slip into several societies of the inward heaven. For he had been in the habit of mixing in with married partners in order to seduce the wives or unwed daughters, so his social mixing was deceitful as well.
1072. When this spirit was rejected several times by societies of the inward heaven, he seemed to speak and act with authority, as if he were above the spirits; but because these were tricks, and at the same time arrogance, he was punished, and in fact, severely, the punishment lasting a half hour, more or less.
1073. Evil spirits forced him, by the method of dismemberment, first to the province of the generative members, afterwards lower and lower down. Especially the regions of his mouth, of his gums, were severely torn apart, then that of his head, and indeed, so severely that he was miserably torn to pieces. He was driven into back-and-forth vibrations, then into spiral motions, the usual ones, but always with resistance on his part every least interval and moment.
Resistance was rendered constantly, causing the pain to increase, and meanwhile, nothing was detracted from his mental clarity, so he could think just as well as he could outside of the punishment; hence the feeling of pain. Neither was he given the ability to say something contrary to his true feeling, so he could not attempt to deceive by falsehoods.
Moreover, he was not permitted to go to his knees too quickly, that is, to come around and repent because of the punishment; but to struggle the more obstinately, and feel [the pain] by degrees, so that the punishment would last longer. Thus this dismemberment process differed from other punishments inflicted by this method. They are varied according to the character and nature of the evil acquired.
1074. While these punishments do not actually take away the evil, they do have this effect, that when a spirit is about to do it again, he recalls [the punishment]. Thus he is scared off. So either fear or shame keep him from carrying out the evils-but when the fear and shame are removed, such spirits are the same as before.
A punishment inflicted just once does not work with these spirits, but it is repeated many times, so that it tames something in them each time. This usually happens over many years, and many times. 1748, 28 February.
1075. From the cortical and striate substances of the internal organs,
conclusions can be drawn regarding the differences between
spiritual qualities and heavenly ones in spirits*
The universal distinction among spirits is between those who are spiritual and those who are heavenly. Then there are intermediate differences.
Every part or internal organ of the body is like this. In each and every one there are its own proper tissues, which come forth from the blood vessels in different ways. So, for example, in the eye: the vitreous humor is (I assume) cortical substance, but not striated. In the crystalline lens there are striae, but rather hard ones.
There are striae in other internal organs likewise [see 1058]. In the intestines are similar striae in their tunics, where there are labyrinthine, winding vessels; and elsewhere besides. The very capillaries, as they are called,** also derive their nature from those beginnings, so they reflect the beginning in their every point.
This is true also of the spiritual quality, or reasoning power: if the beginning is not thus continued in them so that they are extensions of the beginnings,*** then the spiritual quality is of no importance or use; it becomes numb, and disjoined, not to mention many other consequences. 1748, 28 February.
* In the index at Cerebrum and Fibra, this paragraph is summarized as follows: "The origins of the tissues in the brains and individual internal organs relate to heavenly qualities, and the tissues themselves to spiritual qualities."
** The Latin is capilli, "hairs."
*** I. e., the cortical substances; see 1059.
1076. On government of the whole and of the least parts
I just spoke with spirits about the Lord's universal government, saying that a universal cannot possibly exist unless it is in the very least parts, and that the universal consists of the very least parts, just as a general of particulars. Without the very least parts, therefore, the universal cannot possibly exist, for thus the universal entity would be nothing.
This was demonstrated in a spiritual way by a general view of the soul's government in every least point of the body. If its government were not in every least part, to put each least part to its own duties and to its own work, then all things could not possibly be under its universal auspices.
Even though this seemed so clear from demonstration by a spiritual view that it could not possibly be denied, yet when many spirits began to entertain doubts arising from a memory of their own particular ideas, a general darkness at once came over them. It was just like what would happen if the things just told and demonstrated were said to some present-day scholar. His doubts, gathered from many considerations, such as the souls of brute animals and such, as well as his own notions about the soul and the body, would bring on a similar, and even thicker cloud.
And if some doubts arose spontaneously, then the mind would be turned away from a universal, clear idea and directed toward a particular doubt, putting all and the least thoughts in confusion, and would end up in denial; and so it would go with the rest of the doubts also.
These words were said and written in the presence of a multitude of souls and spirits, and they could not bring up a single objection, because they see that the matter is as stated. For they are being withheld from raising their private doubts. 1748, 28 February.
1077. On the memory of material matters
While we live [on earth], we do not know there is any other memory than that of material events, because we have not reflected on anything to do with the inward memory; nor on the fact that without an inward memory, we could not possibly reason. Much less have we reflected on a very inward memory, without which a person could never understand what is true and good.
About the memory of material events, and the inward memory, I have spoken several times with spirits, who are in a position to know about the subject better than man. For [the inward memory] can be shown to them, as it can to me, by ocular demonstration when the memory of material matters is so to speak taken away. Then the inward one comes to view, like a very soft, snow-white substance; see elsewhere [856, 862-5]. Moreover, spirits learn from this that they do not possess any memory of material matters, which is like a clinging callus. Nor is that memory allowed to come into use, for many reasons.
This is why spirits have so many privileges beyond what someone on earth has-which they could not possibly have if they spoke from that bodily memory. They speak from the inward memory, but in so doing, seem to themselves to be speaking from none other than their own memory of material things. For they speak using the personal memory belonging to the one they are with, obtaining complete possession of it. This enables them to draw out of the person's memory anything he or she had ever thought or done. See elsewhere [276, 796-7].
1078. Furthermore, also philosophical [thoughts] concerning universal principles belong to the personal memory, as do also even spiritual and heavenly truths. It is only the understanding of them that belongs to the inward memory. 1748, 28 February.
1079. The memory of earthly specifics can be called the bodily memory, or that of material mental imagery. The inward memory can be called the memory of a person's nature, or the memory of one's spiritual nature; the very inward memory, the spiritual memory; and what is innermost is the heavenly quality. This latter is brought forth by the Lord Alone, from Whom also is the very inward or spiritual memory, the source of understanding.
1080. How filthy loves are made known to some in the heaven of spirits
Suddenly, in quite clear light, a man dressed in whitish-blue clothing appeared to me, and on his knees there was another, who was like a half-devil. Then, suddenly, the sight of it brought on a kind of horror. This actually was seen above the region of the forehead, at some height from it.
1081. His being dressed in whitish-blue clothing meant that he was an upright spirit; but his having such a spirit on his lap means that he cherished some filthy love that resembled it. I was given to realize that it symbolized a filthy love also because it sat on his knees.
1082. Afterwards, when the man dressed in light blue saw this thing, he fled away, crying out that he did not want to have the image of such a love. In this way, by an actual experience of this kind, it is sometimes made known to spirits, especially upright ones, what filthy loves they cherish-which they then detest. 1748, 29 February.
1083. On those who claim to be the Christ
There are those who claim to be Christ, as spoken of in the Gospels and Revelation [Matt. 24:5, 23-4; Mark 13:6, 21-2, Luke 21:8, cf. Rev. 19:20]. In the other life, these people are clearly marked, and in fact, by a flame that makes their cheek light up, so that at a distance there appears only a mouth, or fiery cheek, or flame. I have seen this and been told that it is such persons. No face was visible to me except a dark one, verging on blackness, and small. A cap or (mossa*) of black [cloth] was wound around the head like the white headdress of the Turks. This cap (mossa) and the flame of the mouth identifies them for what they are in the other life. So spirits shun them, and they cannot be brought into the company of anyone, except their wicked like.
* Swedish for "cap."
1084. Those, however, who recognize such spirits as Christ, are distinguished from others also, both by their caps, which are black but square-shaped, flat on top, and also by their muscular body, naked to the waist, but black, as if darkened by sweat mixed with something black. Moreover, when they approach, they make with their hands circle-like motions over the other's head, as though they were sprinkling some kind of water.
In this way spirits are identified, for such is their appearance whenever they are revealed to others, who may then know from their looks alone, who they are and what they are like. 1748, 29 February.
1085. Nothing from evil spirits can stream into heavenly societies,
or into heaven; but the spirits, on realizing this, flee away
I was in a certain heavenly society, but nevertheless among spirits. And during the time I was in that society, the communication of the spirits who had spoken with me earlier and whose operations were quite obviously streaming in, was then perceptibly dulled-so much so, that nothing of their operations could enter the field I was in. I plainly saw this. There was a kind of sluggish uncertainty when a spirit tried to pour in his powers by communication. On this account, the spirit even wept, saying that he was now able to accomplish nothing, and at the same time, he was indignant, and wanted to flee away.
So there cannot be [direct] communication of evil spirits with any heavenly society. Nevertheless, whenever it pleases the Lord, such communication is granted by means of spirits of an in-between character. 1748, 29 February.
1086. There are symbolic displays that cannot possibly be described in words
There are also symbolic displays, as well as branchings off of the displays into any other matter, or subject, that cannot possibly be described because they cannot be conceived of by the earthly mind. And when I thought of describing them in words-such as the things that happened to me last night, they were beyond my grasp. Yet at the time when they occur, they are so meaningful and striking, that one would think them just as understandable and expressible as earthly ones. But as soon as the mind awakens and concentrates upon them, one does not know at all what they were like, nor what they were.
This kind of displays occurs mainly in sleep, as well as just when one is waking up-at a time when the material imagery of objects of the senses are far removed from the mental processes. 1748, 29 February.
1087. About decorations resembling the rainbow
Decorations, seemingly heavenly, were also portrayed, in many colors. They were not just as those of the rainbow, yet they can be called rainbow-like. For they are heavenly arches, with color combinations. The colors blend and follow one into another, as those in the sky.
This is the origin of the decorations that appear before those who are in the heaven of upright spirits, being the variegations of their moods, or of their lower minds, so portrayed before those who are upright. So the varieties of such decorative displays are as numerous as are their moods-and are distinct from the decorations of the spiritual, spoken of elsewhere [see 711]. For these arches, fashioned in this way, are in the sky, stretching out overhead, while the spiritual ones appear on the walls. 1748, 29 February.
1088. On Foresight and Providence
It is a fact beyond doubt that the Lord governs the universe, and this government is called Providence. But because evils are not provided, but foreseen,* so also are permissions. But to make it understood how this matter stands: foresight pertains to evils, and providence is the disposal of evils toward good outcomes.
However, there is no such thing as chance, that is, evil happening by chance, but all evils are controlled in a way that not a single one of them is permitted to happen to a person on earth or to a soul that does not lead to good. Furthermore, nothing is permitted to happen that has not been foreseen, for otherwise it cannot happen. Consequently, all evils are bent in such a way that just those, and not any others, do happen, because it cannot be helped in view of the so corrupt state [of mankind].
So it is providence alone that governs, for foresight is thus turned into Providence, and then those evils are provided which result in good. If the evils planned by evil spirits were permitted, it would be to the destruction of mankind and of [departed] souls. Therefore the doings intended by the wicked are limited to the kind that have to be permitted. 1748, 29 February.
* The Latin is, alliteratively, non provisa sunt, sed praevisa.
1089. About those who constitute the province of the ear
Those who constitute the province of the ear adhere tightly against the head, about in the middle region of the head, a little to the left. Some of them even try, it seems, to lick that part of the head with their mouth or lips. But they differ according to their distance from that part of the head. They are also a little toward the front, extending almost to the left ear. They cling to the head tightly.
1090. This seems to be the same as the sound province within the hard membrane, where the jugular vein and insertion of the acoustic nerves are, so that the jugular vein is like that little mouth that they thus press with the lips; and so the nerves going toward the ear insert themselves.
1091. They do not speak, but are silent. And they are not so much among the spiritual, but among those who are midway between the spiritual and the heavenly beings. 1748, 1 March.
1092. About the state of the dying, and of those being raised up from the dead
I was let this morning into the condition of those who are dying, so that I might know what their state of mind is while they die, and following their death. I was, of course, not dead, but came into a kind of unconsciousness as to bodily sensation, my inward life remaining intact, so that I could be aware of and retain in my memory what happens to those who are dying. For my breathing was not taken away, and as long as breathing remains, a person has sensation-and if it is the kind of breathing I had, has sensation from within, but not from the objects of the senses or from without.
1093. And so that communication [of spirit and body] might be somewhat broken off, even the breathing was silent, or unconscious.
1094. First my heart was taken possession of, and I seemed to be joined in the heart to heavenly beings. At length I was so united with them that hardly anything of myself remained, and this continued for several hours.
1095. The first state of the dying, therefore, is that I did not hear the spiritual or speaking [spirits] except as if I were far away from them. So there was almost no communication, or very little, with spirits, who at other times spoke with me. I did, of course, hear them, but in this way, almost without communicating. Nor did the spirits know otherwise (for I heard them talking) than that I had died and thus departed the life of the body. This happened to me, but the same does not happen to other dying people who are not, as I am, speaking with spirits.
1096. Heavenly guardian spirits then took possession of the province of my heart, so that I would not be left exposed to spirits. In addition, some were seated at my head, who were also good, heavenly guardian spirits. So this is the usual way, that at that time heavenly beings are seated at the head, as we read of the angels of the Lord at the sepulcher. This happens to everyone who dies.
1097. It is characteristic of the heavenly [angels] to say nothing, but only to signal their thoughts, or what is within themselves by communicating with one's face. On it, they superinduce the same faces as they have, so that the person's face can feel the other faces upon it quite clearly, just as I twice felt another face induced upon me, and it was said in their own way of speaking that it was the faces of those heavenly ones seated at my head; so there were two faces. This is how they learn whether a person has died or not. For if their induced faces are recognized as theirs, then they know that the person is dead.
1098. Besides this, they also induced some changes in the region around my mouth, whereby they could speak with me in their way, and signal their thoughts. For it is common with the heavenly to speak by means of the region of the mouth, the language being understood because it is a heavenly one.
1099. And so, when people die, heavenly beings are at once present, and seated near their head. And indeed, they are present constantly, guarding them so that evil demons may not be there; and this happens to everyone. The heavenly [angels] remain for quite a long time, and even longer than it takes for a person's soul to be released from the bodily elements.
It makes no difference whether the person dies in bed, or in battle, or some other way. For even if parts of the body were scattered over a distance of 1000 miles, the vital parts of the person are nevertheless gathered in an instant, and are all together, and the person's vital part becomes the same as before.
1100. Moreover, the heavenly beings, by means of spirits, also smell an aromatic odor, as when a corpse is embalmed, which I, too, was allowed to smell clearly, in fact on two occasions. This happens because the heavenly [angels] are there. At that time not a cadaverous odor is smelled, but an aromatic one, nor do evil demons dare to come near, still less spirits. There was even an odor like that of human dung, and yet it was not an unpleasant one, for the same reason, namely, that the heavenly beings are there.
1101. Meanwhile, as to the inward regions of my body, the province of the heart, I was closely united with the heavenly beings. My pulse at the time was regular, as I felt with my finger.
1102. It was said to me that the thoughts a person entertains at the point of death persist and are retained, namely, those that are holy and devout. This was also shown to me because of certain thoughts of mine which were retained in the same way. They ask especially, as I was told, about eternal life, but few about salvation or happiness. It is mainly eternal life that is kept in mind, and they are held in that thought by the heavenly [angels].
1103. They remain in this state after death for a shorter or longer time, depending on the character of their life, before they are left by the heavenly [angels] and come among spirits, that is, are taken into the company of spiritual [angels]. When brought into their company, they live exactly as they had lived in the body, not knowing otherwise than that they are living in the world.
1104. Moreover, as soon as the inward parts of the body become cold, the vital substances in the person are separated from the person, wherever they are, even if enclosed within a thousand labyrinthine passages; for such is the working and power of the Lord's resurrection, that is, of His mercy, that it is nothing but an actual, powerful attraction. For the force of His mercy is its desire to draw all into eternal happiness, thus to Himself. This actual drawing force I also felt once so clearly that I can tell unequivocally that it exists, and also what it is like. Therefore, nothing of the vital substance in the bodily and material parts can remain, but must all be drawn out. For this purpose also, the heavenly beings are at once present with a dying person; for this task is accomplished by heavenly [angels], nor can an evil demon even come near at that time. 1748, 1 March.
1105. For quite a long time, several weeks, heavenly [angels] were present with me, occupying the region of my head. They did not speak, but were only thinking, which in fact they did so silently that I knew nothing of what they were thinking, except that they regarded all the fallacies, falsities, thus nonsense, of those who are spiritual as nothing-not at all ridiculing, but simply treating them as nothing, and remaining in their calm state of mind, yet all the while thinking.
They seldom speak, but still I was clearly aware of their presence-indeed, more clearly than I could possibly express. They even spoke with me just now, yet not as the spiritual [angels], but inwardly, without any sound. It is a language-if anyone can grasp this-like a speaking without the accompanying sound; and, in fact, they are now even speaking words, which rarely happens. This is a sign that they do actually begin to speak with souls after their death in this way, and do not abandon them, but stay close by them in the vicinity of the head.
1106. When the time has come when they must be brought into the company of the spiritual, and live a life like their bodily life, then for the first time, spirits come who attend the province of the outer part of the eye, or of the tunics that wrap around the eye. In fact, they are located between the left eye and the upper side of the nose, and seem to try to roll away the tunics or coverings from the eye, to cause it to see. This is a sign that the soul is about to come among the spiritual.
These same spirits were also with me, and showed how they roll off the tunics so that the eye appears, but because I was alive, they tried, but could not. And so, when the membranes have been rolled off, the soul is granted the use of light.
1107. When the soul is beginning to mix with the spiritual, he is first brought into the company of good spirits who do not as yet know what he is like, and they show him every kindness, as described elsewhere [815]. But when they find out that he is not the kind that can be in their company, he is then welcomed by others, and so his association changes according to the character he has acquired during his life. Finally, the soul comes into a stage of being chastened, about which a great deal has been told elsewhere [244, 363, 392-3, 427, 437, 662, 692, 854, 1039-42].
1108. The language of the heavenly [angels], when they are speaking from heaven through spirits, is gently flowing, with nothing harsh or bumpy-that is, loud.
1109. When spirits are speaking from the heavenly [angels], then one can very distinctly hear whether they are speaking from heaven, or whether they are saying something at the same time from themselves. When it is from heaven, their speech flows without pause, in a stream, but as soon as anything is in it or joined to it that is bumpy, or not so fluid, as well as a distinguishing feature not expressible in words, it is not harmonious, nor does the spirit then recognize it as genuine, but notices the discrepancies at once. Whatever is discrepant is from the spirit. 1748, 1 March.
1110. Those who for some selfish reason want to kill innocent people,
or hurt them in any way, are hurrying along the road to hell
There were spirits whom I took to be good, because they were in company with good ones. From some covetous desire to claim for themselves things belonging to good and innocent people, which was their intent while they were still in company with the good, they suddenly hurried onto a road at the back, toward hell. I was surprised at this, because I had suspected no such thing.
I was told that every attempt and intention of this kind, namely, of grabbing innocent people's life and rightful possessions away from them, has hell within it. This is the reason they hurried onto a road toward hell. 1748, 1 March.
1111. About the life after death-souls did not believe it was like this
Souls from among those who had been my acquaintances during their lifetime often confessed that they had never believed that this kind of condition existed in the other life, when they were undergoing so many changes, and so many punishments, and the like.
They also confessed they had never believed that those in the life of the body had believed things so false, admitting that the doctrine of faith alone as saving is false; especially so when they [now] observe that there is nothing in themselves, or that they say on their own as if from themselves, that is not criminal, and that only what is from the Lord is good and true. Besides all this, [they said] that almost all of them had never believed that the Lord Jesus Christ rules the universe, both heaven and earth; as well as countless other points which, because they had been unheard of in bodily life, likewise now strike them as incredible. 1748, 1 March.
1112. About the pleasure of the heavenly angels
Just as the heavenly are set apart from the spiritual in other respects, so they are also in their feeling of joy. Heavenly joy is a pleasantness that cannot be described, still less understood except by those who are given by the Lord to experience it. It fills the whole body with its pleasantness, which I have been given to feel for some time. It is a clear sensation of the whole body, as if coming from the heart and spreading itself gently throughout all the tissues, not unlike that supreme pleasantness of married partners in their joy, but spreading from the smallest simple tissues to the more complex.
But one must carefully distinguish between pleasure coming from the innermost regions, and pleasure existing merely on the outside. On this subject, see earlier [379, 903-4]. 1748, 1 March.
1113. The Lord governs the universe Spirits of the planet Jupiter
Spirits of the planet Jupiter stayed with me for many weeks, having their own emissaries who occupied the region of my head. I was always clearly aware of their presence, for they are heavenly, and speak little or not at all, but only think, reflecting quite accurately on the faithlessness of the inhabitants of our earth, which they nevertheless completely disregard.
When they had been in that realm for a while, a bit of doubt arose for a moment, whether our Lord is their One Only Lord-yet only for a moment. But immediately I asked them whether, during the time they had been here, they had had a different Lord, or had sensed anything indicative of a different Lord. When they immediately felt themselves affirming this, they at once sup-ported it. But all this happened in only an instant, and they do not want me to make it known, lest they be charged with disbelief, when yet they know it better than others, as they now dictate to me. 1748, 1 March.
Their language has an inward, rolling quality, yet also rolling into words. It evades description.
1114. What a small number of people there would be in a span of
6000 years, even if there were thousands of worlds
The inhabitants of the planet Jupiter saw that I had thought about the number of people or souls, if there were a thousand planets filled with inhabitants, such as our earth, over a period of 6000 years. I then figured for them that the populace of a thousand planets over 6000 years would not fill the space that their planet appears to us to contain.
Taking one generation as 35 years, in 6000 years 171 3/7 generations would arise from it. Therefore, if the people living today on this earth multiplied 171 3/7 times, they would not fill up a thousandth part of the surface of that planet. And then if the space to the center of the planet were counted as living-space, one might conclude that if there were thousands of planets, even tens of thousands, in the universe, then to our eyes, a globe of so many tens of thousands would not appear as large as the globe of their earth. Yet still it is such a small quantity as to be almost nothing compared to the universe. Moreover, if the universe were filled [with people] from one end to the other, [their number] would still be as nothing to the infinite Lord. 1748, 1 March.
1115. Continuation on the state of the dying
When the spirits belonging to the province of the eye, who are good, have seemed to roll off the little membranes of the eye toward the narrow part of the nose [1106], then something shining appears to the soul, but dimly, as when a person while first waking up, looking through his eyelids, sees a kind of brightness. Nevertheless, he now lies in a state like that between waking and sleeping because he is guarded by the heavenly [angels]. So he is in a calm state of mind, because their state is a calm one. When there is this looking, as if through the eyelids, there appears something shady, of a heavenly color, with a little star; but this occurs in various ways.
1116. Afterwards, just as something seemed to be gently rolled off of the eye, in the same way something is rolled from off the face, meaning that the soul is shedding [earthly] humanity. This is done so gently, that the very same spirits, who are now present here, are keeping me with all their might from using any hurtful word, showing that they are fearful lest at this time anything be felt but what is very gentle. For they love everyone they are with, and thus every soul they attend.
So, when it looks and feels to the subject as if the facial membrane has been rolled off, then the realization of being a spirit is brought upon him or her-as it also was to me [on this occasion], and several times before.
1117. Hereafter, however, a different life begins, at first quite a cheerful and happy life, for the soul seems to have arrived in everlasting life. This was depicted to me a by a beautiful bright yellow light, symbolizing his or her first life, as being a heavenly and spiritual one.
1118. Soon a spiritual life ensues, meaning that the soul is welcomed by spirits into their society-first by good spirits. This was depicted to me by a young person seated on a horse, but the horse's head was facing the zones of hell, where [the rider] was trying to guide the horse, but could not move it a step-in spite of every effort being kept in place. This symbolized the fact that this soul at that time, if the reasoning mind were given reins, would rush straight toward hell, and is therefore kept in place, and reined in. A young person was portrayed because the soul at that time seems to have regained the flower of youth.
1119. Then, unable to move the horse out of its place, the next phase of the soul's life was depicted to me by this young person dismounting the horse and going by foot, and in fact, toward the place where I was-symbolizing the acquisition then of enlightened knowledge of truth and good so as to know what is true and what is good, which is imparted in various ways; for when such souls are about to undergo punishments, they should be aware, from a knowledge of what is true and good, what they themselves are like, and what kind of a life they have led.
1120. Thereafter the soul is led more and more toward heaven, and this is portrayed by sloping paths leading gently upwards. Spiritual knowledge, now as always, has the effect that one not only knows, but also admits, that there is no good whatever in oneself. And unless one admits this to oneself, or acknowledges it, no one can be led toward heaven, where all societies have the truth and goodness that comes with belief in the Lord. For without inner acknowledgment, there is no healing. 1748, 2 March.
1121. Everything whatsoever in the whole body serves a use
to the least part
It is still a secret lying hidden within the human body, that whatever any internal organ or part of an organ, even the smallest part, requires for its nourishment and thus conservation, it gets from the whole body. It gets [what it needs] both in the fluids, that is, the blood stream, and in the non-fluids, which must jointly come to its aid, from near and far.
Thus the whole exists for the least parts, wherever they may be in the body; and the least parts do not regard anything as their own, but for the common cause when some other part requires it for that use. This is a secret in the animate body, but it comes to light in innumerable things, and it can be demonstrated, because it is true.
1122. Likewise in the grand body, the Kingdom of God the Messiah, in spiritual and heavenly beings: whatever one of them needs for a use, those nearest, then those farther away, even those farthest away, consequently, the whole, join together in varying and manifold ways to supply it. Such is the Kingdom of the Lord.
1122 1/2.
Just as the whole and the individual parts join to promote the correction and improvement of each, following the order continually and forever laid down by the Lord, so they do to promote each one's happiness. But how these things take place, books by the volumes would not be enough to describe; nevertheless it is the everlasting truth. This [was written] in front of spirits and angels, quietly affirming it. 1748, 2 March.
1123. About the speech of this earth-it is hardly understandable
to the spirits of the planet Jupiter
Mankind's language is understood, to be sure, by every spirit wherever born, even by those from the planet Jupiter. But because they are heavenly beings and [communicate by] thinking, they therefore have a kind of mental pictorial language that they do not even express by words, but only by more or less panoramic mental images. Whereas our speech, broken up into words, has to be gathered like scattered pieces, and then shaped into a continuous mental image.
This is the reason it was said that this speech is hardly understood, because words outline a general mental image in such a scattered manner, while the spirits of Jupiter cover more in a moment than we do in many moments, including things that [to us] are hardly expressible. It is as when a person is concentrating on the thoughts [of someone speaking]-he can understand better than one who holds his thought on the language, only on the words, or, as they say, on the lips, which is the outside. 1748, 2 March.
1124. When those who are only speaking spirits wanted to copy those who only think, however, they were not able. All their thought is on the language, both when they are talking and when they are hearing others talking. They made an attempt to think, and not to speak, that is, to do as the spirits of the planet Jupiter, but they were not able. Their thought came out in a kind of murmur.
1124 1/2*
In addition, there are those who both think and speak, but when the speaking disagrees with the thinking, this is quite clearly noticed in every single word and every single sound. Disagreements between thoughts and speech that became habitual in the life of the body are so conspicuously exposed by spirits that they are aware of them at once, from every sound of the voice. As a result, they are thrown out of the companies of good spirits and they under-go heavy punishments, of long duration. For no disagreement between thought and speaking can be tolerated in the heaven of good spirits, still less with angels.
Therefore the foremost need is that they be united, by various methods of torture. For it is preferable for a spirit to be completely depraved than to be self-contradictory in this manner, for therein lies deception, that he tries to fool a companion for his own benefit, or for the sake of profit. They are permitted at times to slip into circles of good spirits, even of angels, but they are quickly ejected from them like foam, and punished. 1748, 2 March. This is how the evil are reduced to their own falsities, and purged, so that there may be no contradiction within them, and they may be of one mind.
* The original has 1125 1/2, as does the index at Loqui, Loquela.
1125. About those who are brought into heaven first
Those who are brought into heaven must also pass through their own series of stages, progressing from one society to another. This applies both to those in the class of the spiritual and those in the class of the heavenly.
Those in the class of heavenly [souls], let in first, come into a society of serious [angels], because now, right after undergoing their chastening, they love nothing more than serious thoughts, and when other things interrupt, they reject them for the time being. Consequently, they have an extremely contented attitude, like people who love to dwell on serious matters. Those things which are joys to others they do not regard as joys, but find their own joy, or highest good, in serious meditations. Also, their meditations are focused on essentials. From these they feel obligated not to depart because they are essentials, so they do not stray from them.
These words were written with them present, and in fact also with them as the guiding agency, and from their style it is evident that their minds adhere to essentials and do not stray from them.
1126. The one thing they think at that point, as they have repeatedly told me, is eternity. I wanted to learn from them how their thought can be fixed upon eternity alone, unless at the same time on life, that is, eternal life; but they said that at that time they could meditate on nothing other than eternity, and that it involves the same thing as eternal life.
They tried to induce their own state of mind, or the state of their society, on my face, as well as my mind, but because I was more filled with thoughts of life than they were, they said, surprised, that they were not able to induce it.
But afterwards, into their general notion [of eternity] are sown, one by one, thoughts of life, what it is, and its qualities. So they are like little children, who take up first general notions, then less general, then more particular ones. In this way a life of joy is imparted. 1748, 3 March.
1126 1/2.
Those very serious spirits were said to operate in the inward left side of the nose. The septum of the nose is like an axis to the remaining parts of the face as peripheries, on which they suspend.
1127. About those who make up the province of the chyle reservoir
and the beginnings of the thoracic duct,
and similar functions elsewhere
There are demons as well as spirits who, when they are in action, work and speak with a fourfold sound, meaning that there are four beats, like the sound of threshing. Their conversation and the sound [of their action] tramp along to this, so to speak. With some it goes more slowly, with others faster. When it goes still faster, it falls into step with the quickest fourfold or four-footed sounds of those mentioned here and there before [1031, 1036]. By this kind of sound, therefore, one can tell them apart from other demons and spirits.
1128. They are distinguished from other demons and spirits by causing a kind of suction or pulling in the head, even to the point that the place where the pulling or suction occurs almost hurts. The feeling of suction is as distinct as if the membranes were actually being sucked on. Whether others could stand the pain, there is room for doubt; but because I have long ago gotten used to the pulling actions of spirits and demons, indeed, to quite strong ones, I bore up under these also, without pain.
1129. The specific location of this suction is in the middle of the head, almost under the zenith; there the suction is centered. But they spread it out also toward the region of the left ear, as well as the territory of the left eye, but with a less painful sensation. Those working toward the ear are demons, those working toward the eye are spirits. They also work together, as I heard from their conversation.
These are the ones who make up the province of the chyle reservoir, which they copy by a syringe-like pull resembling that which draws the chyle from the intestines, and, to temper the chyle, draws the lymph from the other internal organs by way of the lymphatic vessels and glands. This supports my opinion that the internal organs of the body, by a kind of pulling action, draw to themselves everything that is suitable for their use, as the chyle reservoir draws the chyle and lymph.
1130. There are others besides, who work within the head in almost the same way, but not with such an obvious force of suction-for instance, those in the vicinity of the left inner ear, who were also so working for quite a while. I was told they were the ones who almost in the same way draw the spirituous chyle from the brain and guide it toward the heart, so that it may join with the body's chyle. So they constitute what answers to the jugular veins, which likewise have a drawing power. It is a known fact that the jugular vein descends to the region where the body's chyle rises up through the thoracic duct, with the purpose of joining the cerebral spirits* with the body's chyle, to form the blood.
Those who were working within were those constituting that province or region where the jugular vein is, above the thoracic duct, as well as those making up the upper part of the duct. Into this also run some ducts carrying lymph.
* I. e. the "animate spirits" or "the soul's spirits," being the purest substance of the blood.
1131. Those who work from the outside with a four-footed sound, I first saw at the front part at a short distance, a little toward the left, but later higher up to the left. So their region is from the left septum of the nose toward the left ear, but rising upwards.
1132. As for their way of working, the fact is that they join themselves to a spirit, as they did to me, and continually search out what he is thinking, and what he is like at the time. They grasp an object of thought, or some idea that comes up, and hold onto it tightly and do not withdraw until something else shows itself, which again they seize together with the former thought.
So they more or less draw the thoughts of a spirit or a person on earth to themselves, and watch what else they are thinking about the same matter, joining it with the former thoughts, and so on, until they have found out the attitude of the person they are with. For they do not let the spirit or person on earth wander from their mental image, because what is put in front of us commands our consciousness, so when kept in the same idea, or confronted with the same object, all related thoughts cannot but come forward. Furthermore, they not only draw in this way whatever a person or spirit is thinking, but also what they are hoping for. So they constantly try to find out their desires; but this is not so much permitted. Every man and spirit is evil, and when on their own, their life is made up of mere desires.
1133. But this not being enough, when they notice some person close to the heart of the earthly human, or the spirit, they then also mingle that person in with those ideas, holding their thoughts fixed on that person in order to find out the other's feelings. In this way they also habitually disturb those with whom they are associated, stirring up and bringing back many whom they come across in the person's mental image. Their only desire is to learn what is going on in that circle.
1134. I inquired who and what kind of people those are who become spirits like these, who disturb spirits in the other life this way. I was told they are those who try to elicit from others what they are thinking and find out what lies they have told about people about whom it is [especially] forbidden to speak falsely, such as kings, princes, important people, friends, and the laws. And when they find out these things, they make malicious use of them by keeping the person as if in chains, and under their own will, for the sake of some profit. They also want to know what people's passions are, and what evils they have committed, and then they hold them even more tightly fettered. But because they actually hate the people and only keep them chained to themselves for the sake of filthy gain, therefore this is not allowed, just as it is not in bodily life-except for those passions which are accepted, such as striving for honors and riches, and other things not considered disgraceful.
1135. It was also observed that these same demons and spirits pulled not only on the upper region of the head, but also on the soles of the feet. They draw the soles of the feet very noticeably, and this means that just as the chyle reservoir attracts the still somewhat crude nutriments, so do those same demons and spirits draw things which occur naturally, or without forethought. For a deceitful person, when fishing out things that others have said, especially picks up on, or draws, and remembers, thoughtless utterances, that is, crude ones. For later, with forethought, the same person normally says things differently, and also explains the words that had slipped from his mouth so that nothing bad may come of it. This [forethought] is just what those demons and spirits do not want.
The correspondence of the chyle with these spirits and demons can thus be amply established. They are joined to people and spirits who are like them, and in this way all their thoughts are exposed in front of the circle they are in.
1136. What their punishments are, I have not yet happened to find out. They were among the wandering spirits who are still granted this kind of freedom.
1137. As for the inner spirits [1130], they are not evil. From some desire they do try to discover people's thoughts, but not so much their falsehoods and evils, but their good qualities. This they do so as to attract the person to be with them in their society. For they constitute that province which guides the [cerebral] spirits* that they marry to the chyle. So they interpret all things favorably, even if they are not good, with the result that there is friendship.
* I. e. the "animate spirits" or "the soul's spirits," being the purest substance of the blood.
1138. In addition, there is the kind of spirits who constitute the province of the spermatic vessels. There also there is a drawing action, but of the purer blood, by the whole province of the parts devoted to generation, such as the testicles, the prostate, the vesicles, and more. 1748, 3 March.
1139. About spirits who do not want to hear and open their minds to the
inward and very inward content of the Word
There are spirits who are good except for the fact, due to which they cannot yet be let into heaven, that they do not want to hear, or open their minds to, the inward and more inward contents of the Word. Consequently, they have thought evilly against me, and given them a wrong interpretation.
They who do not assent to inward things cannot learn about the inward and more inward person [in us], because they do not know that inward things exist, much less very inward things, such as regard the works of faith done in obedience to the Word. They call those works good that are done by the good, from a good heart. But if it is said that good works ought to be works of charity, and charity is from compassion, and thus from the Lord the Savior, they admit to this, but have not thought about it very deeply. Therefore, those who are such and do not let these things enter, cannot as yet be let into the inward heaven by the road of spiritual knowledge.
1140. Moreover, those who do not want at all to hear and open their minds to inward and more inward things, remain outside of heaven, and they cannot help entertaining a kind of hatred of them, because they are inward and very inward things, and also of those who teach them.
I expect there will be many on earth in the future who hate the inward things of the Word, and the very inward things even more, because these touch the life of their loves too closely, confronting them with what they see as insurmountable difficulties. So they much prefer that the way toward inward things be closed off than that they should favor them with assent. Besides, they do not want to be bothered by such things as they are not capable of understanding.
1141. How often such spirits as these have spoken with me, and said abusive things to me-how very often, because these things struck them as paradoxes. Some also came today who were like this, and who had therefore thought badly of my life's activities. Well, the heaven of spirits is almost full of such people, but all who are in heaven think differently.
1142. Those spirits were portrayed to me in a vision as being like an old woman with an unsightly, yet snow-white face. Her face was irregular, anything but lovely-in short, it was ugly, even though shiny white.
1143. After this, however, spirits who hear, open their minds to, and love inward things, were depicted to me by a girl dressed in shining white, at the threshold of young womanhood, playing a musical instrument. For this is how spirits' clothing becomes shining white, and they are brought back into the flower of youth [adorned] with garlands and heavenly decorations.
1144. Afterwards, how inward things are to be unfolded was symbolically pictured by the rolls of a rolled up carpet, such as normally lies under the feet. The carpet was rolled up as long as inward things are not as yet opened up, but have to be unrolled; and it was shown that now they have been unfolded more than halfway. 1748, 3 March.
1145. Moreover, I spoke with them [see 1141-2], because they were wearying me [with objections] because I was writing on the subject of inward and admittedly unfamiliar matters, such as philosophical ones relating to the inward organic parts of the human body. These matters being such as they are, and it is the truth, therefore one must not be silent about them simply because there is hardly one in a thousand who understands them-for instance, all that I saw and heard today about the chyle reservoir. Since this is how things are, and since it cannot be clear what the condition of spirits and angels is without knowing about them, these circumstances must not be left untold.
For there are people who understand and love these things, and there are those who assent to them even though they do not understand them, who see them supporting universal truths. These things have therefore been written for such people only, not for others.
To this I can testify, that the angels so exquisitely understand these [inward] matters, which I have sought to support by anatomical and philo-
1145 1/2. sophical truths, that on the basis of conditions in heaven, they fully recognized and grasped that such things exist in the human body. Indeed, they grasp countless more particulars, which, if written down, no one of those living in the body would be capable of understanding. For the angels penetrate to the very least points and see whether they are true, as I can testify from clear experience. These subjects that are so complicated for human minds, to them are common knowledge, child's play as they call them, surprised they do not fall within everyone's grasp, as they now dictate, for they are guiding my thought to writing these words.
Moreover, the conditions of spirits and angels in all their variations cannot possibly be understood without a deep knowledge of the human body; for the Kingdom of the Lord is an image of the Human Being. And without this Kingdom, which is likened to the true Human being, because the Lord Alone is Human, and is His Kingdom, no person could live at all. For all things in heaven conspire toward the conservation of the least things in the body. This can be clearly demonstrated. And if you wish, you will hear even deeper secrets:
1145 1/3.
if there were not incalculably many worlds or planets, which go together to make up this Human being, the souls of one world or planet would never be enough; because there must be limitlessly many varieties, and in each part of it there must be innumerable souls to establish it. 1748, 3 March.
1146. About angelic language
Although angels do not manifest themselves to mankind by means of speech, nevertheless, so that I might understand how they, like we, express their thoughts in language and conversation, I have heard them speaking. However, I was then transferred into a state not unlike that of good spirits, so that I would realize that angels spoke through them, but in agreement with their ways of thinking.
Their talking is quick, flowing smoothly like water, and while consisting in words, these are as if uninterrupted, or rather, in continuous mental images, like a stream of thought that comes down into words with me, but quickly. In short, it is like a river of mental imagery to which the words correspond but do not adhere. When I answered, I noticed that my own speaking was broken and disconnected by the words, having a different sound [than theirs], not flowing, and so, not heavenly. Consequently, I at once stood out as not being like them.
Therefore, articulated angelic speech is the sense that simultaneously fills the words, in those [matters] which words are inadequate to express. 1748, 3 March.
1147. The words into which the meanings come down are also flowing. Words with many consonants are not allowed because these retard the stream, as certain consonants do. For example, right now I am not permitted to write flumen, but fluvium.* So in other cases.
* This refers to the word fluvium, translated "stream," in the previous sentence. Both fluvius and flumen mean "river" or "stream."
1148. When spirits were speaking afterwards, that is, by a speech of distinct words, it was so different that they were overcome with shame and did not dare to speak. Their mental imagery, and consequently their words, were scattered, and [their speaking] was very different from that continuous and flowing speech.
When they were then helped by angels to speak in company with the angels, then it was like a river* rushing around them, and they were unable to follow with their own speech. So they complained that they were not speaking, or were not being allowed to speak. 1748, 3 March.
* The word here is flumen.
1149. About those who like to speak quietly, as if [whispering]
into the ear
There are spirits, who have spoken with me many times, but by murmuring, and in fact near my left ear. They were trying to speak into my ear so that no one would hear. I was allowed to tell them that that kind of whispering was not proper in heaven. It meant they had been gossips in their lifetime, watching for the faults and blemishes of others and telling on them to their comrades when no one was listening, or if in their presence, whispering into their friends' ears. They had viewed all the faults of others unfavorably, even if they were not [really] faults.
There are many such people, who watch every least move, interpreting them unfavorably. They not only have in them something deceitful in wanting to mock their friends, but they are also putting themselves above others-so they can in no way be admitted into a circle of heavenly beings. They are cast out at once, as if by their own weightiness, for such things are sensed immediately. Furthermore, such talking is heard at a greater distance, and more loudly, than outright talking. 1748, 3 March.
1150. Persecution of innocent people brings out the stench of wall lice
At times I have smelled the stink of filthy wall lice when yet there were no such creatures present, as I very well knew. But when I realized that that smell was spread by some form of corruption of spirits, I was taught by actual experience, corroborated [by angels], that that bad smell portrays the persecution of innocence. For there were some present who had persecuted little children, and were trying to chase them away; as a result, that stench arose immediately. 1748, 3 March.
1151. About the life of robbers after death, both on land and at sea
A certain spirit in the lower region I perceived as if within myself, for so they appear to be, wherever they are on the globe. This means that those belonging to this or that province of the body appear nowhere else but right there, outside the person or inside the person.
1152. This spirit was then called forth out of me to my right side, but he was not readily visible, and made no reply. He was being accused by others of having been a robber. Meanwhile some spirits occupied my head, but he did not answer at all. Later he flew out from under my cap (mossa*), then for a moment again stood at my right, then my left. Because he was being accused of robbery and made no reply, besides behaving in an inconspicuous manner, I cannot think otherwise than that he had been such a person-someone who tried to conceal himself.
* Swedish for "cap."
1153. Moreover, I was told that at the slightest provocation or whim, they are very daring, and at the slightest danger, very fearful. I plainly saw that this spirit was very much afraid, and that out of fear,* he was being compelled to admit something. To confess from fear is to say everything the other spirits order.
Now again he is at my side, trying to steal away my memory of things.
* The original has non ex timore, where the non was to have been deleted. This is confirmed by the index at Dolus, where it is said: "he was not easy to examine, for he spoke whatever the spirits told him to say."
1154. Such spirits actually have charge over the urinary canal, and over the entire function of urination. That spirits are assigned to that duty, I was taught by an experience lasting several days, as well as by the effect of their withdrawing, when the emission of urine entirely stopped. And when these spirits tensed [the sphincter, 867], then they indignantly repeated the action, which seemed to me to be dangerous for the neck of the bladder. These workings were made so plain to me that there can be no doubt. Others cannot feel them, for reasons spoken of elsewhere [1145-45 1/2].
1155. All this leads me to conclude that this person had been a robber during his life, and indeed, a busy one, practiced in concealment, now escaping to the right side, now to the head. For if robbers are not wily, they are not robbers for long. He also now admits this, so it is corroborated. He is present in the region of my left temple.
His function is urination. This appears from indications at that time and now, for he works into the bladder, even though he does not like to.
1156. Besides these there are other robbers not so busy, such as those who are of the disposition that they want to commit robbery and therefore attach themselves to the busy ones. One of this sort was later shown to me, at my right side, below the arm. He did not say anything at all, but only grated his teeth, as plainly as when a person on earth grates his teeth with an offensive sound. This he did for a while, so audibly that I thought it was something else making the sound, and I looked for it. He also appeared at the left side, not far from the ear. It is such spirits who are in charge of liquid wastes, or the urine.
1157. I was also shown how the face of these spirits looks. It was not a face at all, but only a dark, black-bearded something, so there was nothing except a black, entirely untrimmed beard. One who appears like this is a robber.
At the same time, their rows of teeth were shown to me. A kind of skin being lifted at the mouth, there were rows of teeth on both sides. So the inward parts of their face were only teeth, of an ivory color-just teeth.
1158. The other spirit, who behaved inconspicuously and was busy [1152-5], was also shown to me. He was dressed in sky blue. His face indeed resembled a human face, but it was wicked. The power to remember further particulars, he has wrested from me, perhaps because they are not worthy of mention. 1748, 4 March.
1159. The same one is working into both my eyes and bringing out a pungent, urine-like liquid into both eyes. If they had not stopped, I would not have been able to see, or write, for the pain. So wherever they are, they arouse urine-like humors, just as now, because he is overhead, a urinous liquid is flowing into my eyes.
So these spirits are charged with the gathering of urine, and it follows from this that above all other liquids, they love foul and fetid urine, and live in urinous places. Thus they are spirits of hell belonging to the class of the spiritual and love to live in such places as, for example, urinous swamps; while the hellish ones who constitute the province of the colon love excrement, and like to dwell where it is.
1160. This same spirit now admits that he would rather live in foul urinous places than in the clearest waters, and that it is the odor of urine that delights him above all others. He says that he wants to stay in sewers, but smaller ones, and make his home there. It is the same spirit who is so busy who is admitting this.
1161. The spiritual dislike butter
The spiritual, or spirits constituting the spiritual class, dislike butter. This was evident from the fact that although I had always enjoyed butter, yet for quite some time I have ceased to like it, and when I ate it, it lacked its usual taste and consequently the enjoyment it had for me before, and this lasted for several months.
1162. That spiritual spirits caused this, because they dislike butter, is clear to me from an instance when a certain heavenly spirit was present, and I was stirred by a desire for butter. So I ate some really good butter, whereupon spiritual spirits aroused the smell of butter from my mouth into my nostrils, so as to confront me with its odor. And so I was taught that the spiritual dislike butter.
1163. Yet the spiritual do like milk quite a bit, especially raw milk, for when I drank milk, I could hardly describe how delicious it was. So Milk pertains to the spiritual, but butter to the heavenly. It is not that they enjoy them as foods, but because of what they portray and symbolize. 1748, 3, 4 March. This arises from the agreement [of the odors] with their auras, which are also portrayed by odors.
1164. A person could never make good and salutary plans
unless he believes that the Lord provides for all
and the very least details
By quite a lot of experience I have been taught that a person can start and make many plans believing them to be good and salutary, when yet they are not. He can even lead spirits and angels to feeling the same way, for they look only at the good intention, going along with whatever supports it. So good spirits and even angels can be led to believe that the plan is good and salutary, when yet it is not. I have been taught this by much experience, when good spirits and even angels are persuaded to agree, even to the point of changing their minds in view of the circumstances (as, for instance, in the matter of how many copies to print).
1165. But our Lord alone knows what is true and good, what will come to pass, everywhere, thus all and the very least details at the same time. So unless we leave our plans to the Lord's Providence, how greatly mistaken we can be!-especially if we are trying to do good on our own. 1748, 4 March.
1166. One who is absorbed in worldly cares, slips into an
entirely different state of mind
For almost three years now, or 33 months, I have been in that state where my mind, actually withdrawn from bodily matters, has been able to be in societies of spiritual and heavenly beings, while yet I have been just like anyone else in earthly society, without any difference. The spirits also have been surprised at this.
Yet in spite of this my thought was at times intensely absorbed in worldly matters, as when I had to worry about monetary needs, and when I wrote a letter today, keeping my mind somewhat concentrated on them. Then I slipped into a bodily-like state of mind, so that spirits could not speak with me. They even told me that it was as if they had been absent from me, almost as it had been before.
From this I can tell that spirits are unable to speak with a person who is extremely busy with worldly and bodily matters. For bodily concerns so to speak pull down the mental images of the higher mind and immerse them in bodily ones. 1748, 4 March.
1167. The difference of condition between men and spirits
in regard to societies
Mankind cannot readily be straightened out. This can be seen from the fact that [those of] the human race are in such a corrupt condition that a person joins a group, becomes enslaved to it, and can only with difficulty withdraw from it. Then whatever the society is like, such for the most part is the person.
The state of those who are in heaven as to the spirit is different. For them it is the same as for a spirit or soul: one can be inserted into various different societies of spirits, even of angels, and whatever the society of spirits is like, such is the person or spirit.
The contrary takes place with the human race, namely, whatever the society of people is like, such for the most part are the spirits by whom they are led.
However, in the true Church, where all are brothers and sisters, it is different. There societies can likewise vary, for they are led like spirits, and do not seek societies from motives of self-love and profit, but only for the sake of the faith and friendship. In this way, according to the order established by the Lord, they can be arranged more directly than can groups living in a corrupt state. 1748, 4 March.
1168. There are spirits who can speak just as fluently and quickly
as heavenly spirits, and yet are evil
One spirit was with me today, speaking with me for a while, who during his life in the body had been brought up with no faith, and had not believed in life after death. He was thought by the busy robbers to be one of them [see 1155]. This spirit was able to speak as one of the heavenly spirits, that is, as fluently as a stream [see 1146], and yet he was evil.
So one cannot conclude from a spirit's speaking and its flow that he is heavenly. One knows that he is heavenly from the fact that he loves to speak about matters of belief, thus that he understands matters of faith. But this spirit, when anything was said about the Kingdom of the Lord, could not follow the conversation but seemed to draw back. Then one hears immediately what he is like. 1748, 4 March.
1169. Such spirits slip into anyone's feelings, by pretending even an affection for good. Then they speak flatteringly into the person's ears, as this spirit did, thinking he could even lead angels astray. They bring an instinct for this with them from actually having behaved in this way, cunningly talking to everyone in agreement with his or her feeling, even about matters of faith.
But still, they cannot help showing their nature in the other life, for something of it is sensed in every word, every idea. In a mental image, whatever departs from truth and goodness is seen quite clearly. Consequently, anyone who thinks that because they did this successfully in the life of the body, they will also succeed in the other life, is very much mistaken. Before the angels of only the inward heaven, this deceitful quality so acquired in the life of the body stands out so lucidly that they notice [it in] whatever he says.
The same spirit being discussed is now present, but remains silent. For they are able to be silent and think in a way that I cannot perceive his thoughts. 1748, 4 March.
Such are they who speak in one way and think in another, thinking badly of the neighbor, and speaking well, and doing so very busily. So they deceive their companions, even friends, for the sake of themselves and profit. There is a great multitude of them.
1170. Moreover, this spirit being discussed was among those who are devoted to urine, for not only did he infuse a urinous liquid into my eye [1159], but he even loved urine to the point of being eager to drink it. Then he also brought on a painful tightening or cramping of the lower stomach, as well as other symptoms by which his character could be recognized.
1171. But a person is known by the purpose he had in bodily life, whether it be snobbery or profit-making. But I heard that [in this case] it was especially sensual pleasure for which he had applied himself to this activity, that is, of being able to know almost instinctively what was on all other people's minds, turning to them and flatteringly joining in with them to win their affection.
Spirits of this kind, because the purpose they had in view was not as bad as the others [mentioned above], are able to be among good spirits. It is different when this is done out of self-love and love of the world.
1173. Such people are almost equally busy, no matter what they apply themselves to in life. But because he had applied himself to things that are wicked, these too cleave to his mind after death. This is also why he was devoted to urine, and why he loved urine, as well as greenness. 1748, 4 and 5 March.
1174. But the light green dwellings of this kind, and the clouds shining whitish green, are created by filthy fantasies such as those of the lowest type of people. Moreover they love puddles of stale urine, and that foul liquid dung of different kinds, such as that of cows, sheep, or humans. Nor is it far from the truth to say that they live in such swamps (as I told those who are present), and are thrilled with the mere idea of dung. And because they are carnal to the lowest degree, they even seem to themselves to live in such swamps. 1748, 6 March.
1175. About the balancing of outer spirits by inner ones
Around me there was a large crowd of spirits, milling about in a disorderly fashion and also complaining that all is lost. I also heard the grumbling of many, as though there were no coming together, no companionship, no society. So they felt themselves threatened with destruction.
1176. But from in their midst I caught and heard a gentle sound, angelic, sweet, containing nothing but orderliness. The angels were on the inside, but the crowd of spirits on the outside. This angelic stream continued for a while, was repeated several times, and I was told that in this way the Lord governs disarrangement and disorder pressing in from round about.
For He works from inner peacefulness, and in a peaceful way, so that everything outside or peripheral must necessarily be brought back into order, each component, out of the erring course of its own acquired nature. So He governs the human race, as well as its outer elements, which are the fantasies that determine people's actions and conversation at this day.
Thinking to myself, I compared the disarrayed conditions of the spiritual crowd to a storm in the sky, and to the clouds and dust flying through the then unbalanced atmosphere. But the purer atmosphere, the ether, remains throughout in a state of calm, working with a hidden and silent balancing force upon that turbulent atmosphere, bringing it back into equilibrium and rest.
1176 1/2. The same thing also exists in the individual whom outer emotions upset, when yet the inner ones are peaceful. The same principle applies to many other circumstances. 1748, 5, 6 March.
1177. About the gang in the inward heaven
In my head, around the region of the inward palate, I was seized as if by some spirit who had gotten such control of me that I plainly felt I could hardly think differently than he did in me, or speak differently, for he forced me into a state of mind like his own.
However, as long as there were others outside of my head, even though they occupied [only] the left side of the head or the region of the left temple, he had no such power. This shows that those on the outside were different from those within, having a different kind of control.
Now when I was hardly able to think differently than according to that spirit's control and state of mind, and hardly speak differently, although under compulsion, this was more obvious to others than to myself. Afterwards I heard that when a person is obsessed inwardly, he cannot help behaving and speaking according to the state of mind and the whim [of the spirit]. This went on, I think, for two hours or more.
1178. But I have heard that it was not a spirit working in me, but some habitation of angels of the inward heaven, who dwell, in respect to the person, at a distance toward the front but to the left, somewhat higher than the person's forehead. They are spirits who cannot stand very inward qualities, but want to stay back with only inward qualities.
Take, for example, when it is said that the Lord governs the universe, and that there is no good in man, but that all good is the Lord's own; or when it is said that man, spirit and angel can do nothing of themselves, but are only instruments of life. They cannot stand this, but also want to act on their own, thus crediting themselves, too, with powers of doing good. They also take the credit for themselves for good deeds they had done by the Lord's power during their life, thus for part of His righteousness, and they want to mention this now. The very inward qualities of this kind, and others, angels of the inward heaven in a certain habitation [cannot bear].
1179. But then I said to them, if I were to quote something from their mouth and say that their words contained very deep secrets, and if I praised their wisdom, saying that such things were hidden within their conversation, then would they perhaps laugh? But they remained silent.
However, I realized that such talk was agreeable to them, because it flattered their nature; so one can sense that they are tainted with self-love. But the reason why they are in the inward heaven is too profound to be disclosed.
1180. They are also afraid that if very inward matters were to be disclosed, it would be over with them. For they realize that within themselves they do not possess the very inward qualities the rest of the angels do, who, even if they do not know certain very inward truths, nevertheless, on hearing them, embrace and love them, and in the same way, by the Lord's power, can likewise bring forth very many similar truths.
1181. Those angels who reject the very inward qualities, even shunning them, were the ones who were working inwardly in me, namely, at the upper region of the palate, and inducing and forcing me to think and speak according to their thoughts; and in order to strengthen the condition, they also brought me into almost the same state of mind. I even spoke from them, raising all kinds of objections to the points that I had to write about, to the effect that they were full of difficulties, that perhaps no one on earth would understand them, or that they would be of no use to people without a direct revelation by the Lord regarding every word. Further, that in this way the human race would become worse, since they might distort inward [truths]; for the more inward something is that is distorted, the worse it is for those who distort it; and other such arguments.
1182. Now when I had been obsessed by this spirit, and also even had some misgivings regarding the inward heaven, namely that those might also be in danger of being led astray who do not believe very inward [truths]-then it was made clear to me that it was a habitation of that kind of angels which was thinking in this way, and that they were putting their own thoughts into me, and so, keeping me obsessed. These same spirits do not readily acknowledge anything that is the Lord's, except what comes directly from Him. For example, [they do not readily acknowledge] that I have been told about things to come, or about things far away.
1183. And when those angels could not restrain themselves from such thoughts, even when urged to stop, they were finally removed from their habitation-in fact, to a greater distance off, a little toward the left. They had turbans such as women wear on their heads, but beautifully wound.
Now when they had gone some distance-looking perhaps, I realized, for a different Lord, or a different heaven, where, as they were told, they might work more restfully than in this heaven-something golden appeared in front of them, at which they were jubilant, for everything they saw had a golden, radiant splendor. Besides this they saw other beautiful things and artistic objects which greatly delighted them, as well as beautiful women. But they were told that all these are only the products of fantasies, and could therefore not entertain them for long. Presently they were let into a dark chamber, and now they are hoping to come back. As yet I know no more. 1748, 6 March.
1183 1/2.
I was also shown how they work. They do not work in gyres or circles like the rest, but by seemingly linear back-and-forth motions, yet streaming. The reason for this, I was told, is because they bring in what must be thought and spoken, and at the same time, what must be answered. For they think they possess the whole person, and control him or her by their own power, even if they do not deny the Lord's higher rule. Thus they consider the people on earth as nothing but their instruments for operating in the world, and therefore completely disdain and reject them as trash when they cannot make use of them as slaves, and flattering them for the sake of their services. They are concerned only with themselves and care nothing for others. And because they bring in both thoughts and answers, their action is back-and-forth in this manner, but streaming.
# # Continuation
When these spirits were removed from their habitation, they then worked into the left knee and the part above the knee, from the front, where the knee[cap] is, as well as a little under the sole of the right foot. But I do not as yet know what this means [see 1189].
* According to the author's instructions, we are placing 1185-1189 here.
1186. When they are removed in this way they are no longer angels, but spirits. When I later spoke with them in that place, they said they know no otherwise than that they are I, in person, and that they are in my body, thinking. When I asked how they could be this, because there are many of them, they were surprised, but did not reply.
1187. Moreover, they not only give themselves up to worldly cares, but are especially concerned with the future, worrying about things to come. I was held persistently in their company, for they put on a person's thoughts tenaciously.
1188. Now since they shun very inward qualities, those who were with them in the same habitation, but remained there, said they were now aware of their errors, namely, of simply thinking that the outer things exist, but hardly ever that there is something deeper, that is, spiritual, coupled with what is earthly. What is devoid of an earthly quality they do not allow is anything, nor do they know otherwise but that it is of earthly origin.
I was prompted to tell them that in the very least earthly mental imagery there are countless indescribable elements, to which they close their minds when they do not admit to the existence of more inward qualities. And because these are ineffable, they do not easily come down into an earthly mental image.
I was also allowed to portray this to them in a spiritual manner, by opening up a single mental image, which first appeared like a black dot, but when it was opened up it stretched out like a universe, leading to the Lord. So I said that in every single mental image that is induced by the Lord, there is an image of the entire heaven, because it is from Him Who is Heaven. 1748, 6 March.
1189. They were occupying the upper region of the palate [1177], because there physical elements ascend as blood to the brain, and there they also descend. That location is therefore like an inn, for which reason they even called their room to which they had been removed [1183] an inn. From there, earthly elements [so ascend], which accompany the blood right to within the skull, nor is the blood purged of earthly dregs, except in the brains.
Those spirits then occupied the left knee also [1185], because the loves of such things as pleasures are symbolized by the left thigh and the left knee, and the sole of the right foot symbolizes those bodily things to which they cling. 1748, 6 March.
1184.* About angels who enjoy more inward matters,
but do not like man to enjoy them
There are good angels, in front a little toward the right, at some distance, who speak in a streaming and pleasant manner. I observed nothing wrong about them except that they thought a person on earth ought not to enjoy more inward matters because they themselves would then lose the enjoyment they had from them.
* According to the author's instructions, 1185-89 have been placed after 1183 1/2.
1191. After this a girl with a beautiful face appeared to me, passing quickly toward the right, slightly increasing in speed as she went upwards. She was of the blossoming age, not a child, nor a young girl, but becoming an adult. Her clothing was black. So she hurried happily, in light and into light, slightly upwards, obliquely toward the right.
This girl, with her beautiful, bright face, symbolized [the Word's] very inward parts. But her being dressed in black, yet in good taste, is because outward elements, which are clothing, do not appear to very inward beings.
1192. With this maturing girl there was at the same time a girl who did not appear to me, flying toward my right cheek, but not appearing. I only sensed that she was suddenly tending in the direction of the right side of my face. This I sensed, but did not see. She symbolized the innermost parts [of the Word], which do not reach my grasp, yet do reach a kind of inward sense: for innermost things are like that.
1193. Afterwards, there appeared only a face, with a black, untrimmed beard, a long one. The mouth was fiery, and the rest of the face was only black hair, so it was all beard, rather than a face, except for some or a little bit of yellow mouth, verging to a fiery color. This face symbolized the Word's outer meaning, or its letter, which is dead, yet has something living, symbolized by some or a little bit of mouth.
1194. Now when I had sensed with conviction that these were the symbolic meanings of the vision, someone asked, so as to understand, "What difference is there between the several levels of meaning in the Word?" For many do not allow that there is more than one meaning, or an inward one in the New Testament, and to be sure also for the reason that more inward things are said here and there. For the Word is such that in some places it lays open inward [truths] also, as well as very inward, even innermost ones.
To clarify this it was granted me to explain how one can recognize what is an innermost, a very inward, an inward and an outward element, namely, from good works. Good works separate from a true caring of the inward person, are outer acts, and they are like that ugly face [1193].
Inward elements are good works when they come from true caring, so that there is charity toward one's neighbor, and when the works come from that source, and the neighbor is loved. So they come from love, which is something that also exists with unconverted peoples.
Very inward elements, however, are recognized by a caring that issues from compassion, a compassion toward those who are "poor" in the very inward sense. For then it is a caring that comes from the Lord, Who Alone is Mercy.
But there are innermost elements when innocence is within the compassion, so that it is innocence that turns into compassion, compassion that turns into caring that turns into good in one's actions. In this way [the good done] is from the Lord Alone. Then only are works called fruits of faith, for the Lord Alone is Innocence. 1748, 7 March.
1195. About a Rabbi appearing
Some dim spirit appeared, or rather, some dim thing, because it was coming from that region such as the filthy city of Jerusalem, near Gehenna, spoken of earlier [745-54, 843-55]. A sort of gate was opened, and he approached in the light of a starry night, and as he entered by the opened gate, there were wandering stars there, rather dim ones, flying around him, especially on his left.
As he came towards me, I did not take him to be a spirit, but a dark cloud. He approached ever closer and came right up to my left ear, from above, which he touched with his mouth, to speak with me. He did not speak out loud, but as if within himself. Still, I heard him quite clearly.
1196. He said that he was a Jewish Rabbi, and that he had been in that filthy city for a long time, and he was terribly sad that he should have to dwell so long in a city like that, where the streets one had to walk in are nothing but mud and clay, and no other food is eaten than mud. I asked why, since he was a spirit, he wanted to eat. He said that so it seemed to him, that he wanted to eat, and that then nothing else was offered him but mud; so he was very sorrowful.
1196 [1/2]. Consequently, he was asking what he should do, be-cause, he said, he did not find Abraham, nor Isaac nor Jacob-about whom I then told him several particulars. I said he was looking for them in vain, because they can be of no help at all; and some other things about them which are rather secret.
1197. So I said to him that no one else should be sought for but God the Messiah only, Whom they had so scorned during their life; that He governs the universe, both heaven and earth, and that help should be sought from no one else. He asked anxiously, and several times, where He is, so that he could speak with Him. I said that He is everywhere, and that if he wanted to speak with Him, He could be found in every place, wherever he was staying, even in that city. But he insisted he would like to speak with Him in person, but because the rest of the spirits with me suspected him of deceit, he went away. 1748, 7 March.
1198. About the innermost heaven
Later on, I was thinking about the innermost [angels] or the innermost heaven, and the question occurred to me whether they were holy, and therefore the holy spirit. Then a voice came to me from the innermost heaven, through intermediate angels and spirits, speaking from them and saying that they are not holy, but the Lord Alone is holy, Who is their holiness Itself-and now saying that no one is holy from his own power but the Lord Alone, and that they are therefore against being called holy, because in themselves they are filthy.
1199. The voice sent out came from high up, in fact from above the frontal sinciput, being from the innermost regions.
1200. I was also prompted to wonder whether any people born at this day can be let into the innermost heaven, because hereditary evils have so multiplied. But in thought I seemed to have gotten the answer that those born on this planet today cannot come into the innermost heaven, although those from the most ancient Church on this planet had done so. They had, moreover, from other planets, whose inhabitants are innocent beings.
In the very inward and in the inward heaven there are also innocent beings, but not of that kind. The former innocent beings constitute the innermost part, so to speak, of the latter-or it should be called their center, like an axis or a nucleus. Nor can any heaven remain intact unless its center or innermost is innocence, and the rest are arranged as outer edges into which innocence springs forth from the center. For no one can be in the heavens without having something of innocence. Then the innermost heaven also communicates with the very inward one through its center, namely, its innocent beings, and so does the innermost, through the very inward one, communicate with the inward heaven.
From all this it can be understood what the communication is like from innermost beings, and from the Lord, according to the order established by the Lord.
1201. It is through the innermost heaven that the Lord imparts true marriage love, its beginning and origin being from the innermost heaven, and then passing through the center of the lower heavens. From there comes also parental love, because the heavenly beings of the innermost heaven love little children so much, much more than their parents or mothers do. Indeed, they are with little children, and take care of them. I was even told that they are in the mother's womb, caring for their nourishment. So they are in charge of pregnant wombs.
1202. About those who make love without true marriage love,
or the desire to have children
There are many men and women, especially in Christendom, who because they enter late into matrimony, and because they are punished when they conceive and bear offspring out of wedlock, acquire the nature of wanting to make love without any desire for children, thus cutting themselves off from the very central and deepest aspect of it.
1203. Since this is a very harmful thing, they are separated from heaven for just as long. And when toward the end of life, they live immersed in sexual desire alone, without true marriage love, and when they die in this condition, they are gravely punished after this life. For there are spirits who speak in a four beat, pulsating manner [see 1031, 1036, 1127, 1131], but more quickly and fluently than the rest, coming to the provinces of the generative organs in a person or a spirit. They explore to see whether they are like that, and if they are, they sink down from that province together with that spirit or soul, to a middle depth, a little from the middle line in front, opposite to the innermost.
They spoke with me. There they are laid on their back on linen sheets with their head leaning back, and it is as if their chests are opened up, and they are treated cruelly. But I did not see the punishment, only that afterwards they are turned over with their head down, and their outward or bodily elements are drawn out, and a long chain of them appear to be pulled upwards. Their inward elements, however, are led upwards, that is, their spiritual part.
In this way they are divested of that profane passion for having sex only for the sake of lust by itself, without any longing for children. For so they are killed by the spirits who had spoken out saying they want to kill them. It is the intention of these spirits to kill such people, and that is why they lay them face down and seemingly cut them up with knives. The souls do think they are being killed, but in this way they are divested of that passion. 1748, 7 March.
1204. The spirits joined to people are like their fantasies
It is a general principle that such as people's fantasies are, such is the company in which they are kept. Also, that the more inflamed they become by their passion, the larger and the worse the company of such spirits becomes. For the life of corrupt people is fantasy, so one can tell by their fantasies and passions which spirits they are with-as I have come to know by much experience over a long period. 1748, 7 March.
1205. Societies sometimes compete for a person's thoughts,
that is, good societies, and evil ones
I learned today by actual experience how heavenly societies were competing for my thoughts. Spirits worrying about bodily concerns were on the outside, a little overhead, trying to create thoughts and desires from everything that confronted my senses. Sometimes they reach out for everything they see.
A good society within were obviously trying to draw me toward themselves. I felt the pull. Meanwhile they spoke about whether they would win out. 1748, 7 March.
1206. Souls take off their clothes and make themselves naked
when they consider themselves innocent
A certain spirit was being attacked by spirits of the urine, who like to attack everyone and anxiously look for a fault. Then on mere suspicion due to the company he is in, or some action in his present life, they at once judge and prejudge him, hoping to punish him by their own methods.
This is the first judgment [see 1209]. But when the soul considers himself to be innocent, he becomes angry, and he takes off his clothes even to complete nakedness, so they may do to him whatever they like. 1748, 7 March.
1207. About those who are honorable on the outside,
but inwardly grasping
There are some people who outwardly wear an honest expression and live an honorable life, so that no one could suspect such a person of being anything but virtuous. For they make every effort to appear so for the sake of being respected. Then too, if they are trying to get ahead, there is a natural fear of looking anything other than virtuous to anyone, even though such people are inwardly the kind that if they could strip everyone of their property, they would do so with pleasure. But though they do not do so, still they want to, but their respectability and the laws of society, as well as other factors, prevent them from putting their desire into action.
Therefore, if it would not appear plainly to the world, they would do it without conscience, and perhaps even did do it when they could be sure it would not be uncovered. They are even not afraid to do such a thing by using other people, just so the blame falls on those carrying it out, while they themselves do not appear to be to blame.
So it is just as if they had committed the act themselves, and on top of this is added the deception of trying to do it under cover, making use of other people.
1208. In the other life people like this claim to be guiltless, because they say they have committed nothing evil that has been found out, but have lived honorably and without blame. These same ones also will take off their clothes and declare themselves guiltless, but this is while they are in their outer condition.* During their life, such people neither fear the Lord nor think about the other life.
* I. e., before their inner character has been exposed.
1209. However, when they are examined by angels through spirits, it is heard from the least words if they are of this kind. When their life is described, then from every single word it is clearly perceived whether [what they are saying] is right. When the talking flows with ease, it is then in agreement with their actions in life. When it does not flow, then there is immediately something discordant. Therefore, these indications can show their quality quite clearly. Besides, the angels can learn from the Lord exactly what they are like. This judgment is the second one [see 1206], being that of their inward parts, yet it is only a judgment of their moral life, but not their spiritual life.
1210. The people spoken of here, in the other life try without conscience to kill anyone they meet, even companions. They seem to themselves to be holding a knife, or to have a hammer in their hand, and to be beating another spirit lying on his back in front of them. Yet they do not go as far as shedding blood, because they are afraid of their own death. Nevertheless, without conscience they cruelly strike the spirit lying beneath them on his back, unable to cast that tool out of their hand-which they want to do, so as not to be seen for what they are. But they are constantly kept doing this so that the fierceness of their heart may appear before spirits and angels.
1211. Moreover, their face appears to be dotted with many wandering stars. There were so many on his face, in fact, that I was amazed; but this was after he had struck the other. I was told that those wandering stars symbolize the outward appearance of uprightness. 1748, 7 March.
1215. Therefore, when and as long as the earthly part dominates, a person can never believe the very inward matters of faith.
1216. About the twelve disciples of Jesus
Inquiry was made among spirits about the disciples, for the purpose of teaching those who were from the planet Jupiter why people of lower condition, such as fishermen, were chosen, but not any from among the intelligentsia. Having heard them [give the reason], I am free to repeat it here. It was because at that time, many were brought up learning a lot of nonsense and foolish ideas, to the point where they were unable to grasp matters of belief the way the uneducated do, who understand, and can believe them better. Therefore, they were chosen in preference to more educated people.
1217. There were twelve for this reason, that each one might portray the same quality as a tribe of Israel. Thus Peter portrays belief based on understanding, James charity, and John the fruits of charity. So with the rest. Therefore, such men were chosen as would resemble those whom they portrayed. 1748, 7 March.
1218. Power is obtained only by chastenings
I spoke with spirits who were undergoing chastening and were losing hope, because they did not want to believe what they were being told-namely, that they can only obtain the power to become angels through chastenings. Before they have gotten as a gift from the Lord the amount of power needed to be able to be led as angels, they cannot be let in. There must be a fullness of power before admission is possible; hence the chastening process.
Moreover, after they have become angels there is also chastening, since there are still very many filthy earthly elements that rebel, causing something like fermentation within the groups. Therefore, while these elements are being thrown off, they are sent away, and then admitted again. Nor can one ever be so filled with power that such elements do not constantly have to be thrown off, and thus the angel must improve.
So spirits are gifted by the Lord with nothing but the abilities to be led in the way of truth and goodness. These are added over and above, and then, when a balance is reached, and they are being led by the Lord in truth and goodness, to themselves it seems that they are good, and that their evils and falsities have been wiped away-which, however, is not the case. 1748, 7 March.
1219. The thoughts and deeds of souls can be uncovered in the same way
as those of earthly humans
They examined souls, but in such a way that I could not find out what they had thought and what they had done in life. But I was told by angels, through spirits, that the souls of [departed] people can be explored as to what they had thought and done in life, equally as people on earth can, by a process I have spoken of here and there.
The method is almost the same, but the reason it is not allowable thus [to examine people on earth] is that they are then among spirits who like both to judge and to punish, without regard to circumstances, and thus indiscriminately; so it is not permitted. 1748, 7 March.
1220. It is allowable to judge a person's inward qualities
in regard to civil behavior
I have occasionally conversed with spirits on the question of whether it is allowable to judge a person's inward qualities, and when they agreed that it is, I said that it is allowable to judge about their civil and moral, but not their spiritual, life. About this the Lord Alone judges, because He Alone knows.
Their civil and moral life it is allowable to explore on the basis of their words and actions, for societies are put together in this world for a variety of reasons and purposes, and one must know whether or not one may join company with them. Otherwise, the state of the world being what it is, people would easily be led astray into evils, and robbed of their every possession. 1748, 7 March.
By moral life is meant all that is respectable in society. But how moral virtues work together with faith, and what someone is like inwardly in regard to faith-about these questions, one cannot judge.
1221. The judgment of spirits
There are spirits who constitute the urinary province. The cruder among them examine every soul they come across, eager to thrash and punish them. But their judgment is such that whatever seems disagreeable to them or that they see as reproachable, they condemn and seek to punish without considering the circumstances.
For they go no deeper than the surface, not caring what the circumstances are. Even if the soul is not to blame, but only appears to be due to the company he is in, as can sometimes happen, they persist in attributing it to him. For this reason, nothing is committed to their judgment, unless unbeknownst to them the person is inwardly to blame.
So unless the Lord governed all people, and every detail, no one of mortals would escape this kind of judgment. They are above Gehenna, extending not far from the face and on its level, toward Gehenna, but above it. This, then, can be called the judgment of Gehenna [Matt. 23:33, see 852].
Their character can be evident from a comparison of their fantasies and life with the operation of the kidneys, ureters, and bladder. 1748, 8 March.
About angelic Language*
It is not easy to describe angelic language, because one has to use words that signal bodily and earthly things, consequently bodily and earthly mental images, [variously] according to each individual's state of mind.
Angelic language is such that if angels were to dictate words, and then they were written, they would understand nothing but the sense of the words apart from any earthly and bodily mental image, while spirits and earthly humans would understand the same in an earthly and bodily way, as mental images corresponding [to the angelic ones] on the inward level.
I was surprised that I could neither think nor speak with the angels except...
* This unfinished and unnumbered article appears to be deleted in the original. See the next article, and also compare 1146-8.
1221 1/2. About angelic Language
I was surprised that I could not think and speak with the angels except through spirits, beyond only being able to know to some extent that it was angelic. And from my innermost feeling, I could sometimes suppose that I was thinking angelically, yet this was not the case.
1222. Angelic speech or thought is about inward matters that spirits do not understand unless they have shed gross earthly elements; nor can they grasp them, because the gross earthly elements cling to them, and they consider them to be everything.
1223. Angels of the inward heaven are likewise unable to understand what angels of the very inward heaven are thinking and saying, because it is withdrawn from and so to speak ridded of the elements that mean everything to those of the inward heaven.
1224. What words contain in their nearest meaning is a mere bodily element-which makes it clear that those who find elegance to consist only in the use of double meanings, as well as in eloquence and poetic style, are merely corporeal people.
1225. In short, what the nature [of angelic language] is cannot be expressed, and if it is expressed, an earthly human can have no idea of it. In every sense of a word, or of words, there are things in unlimited number that angels grasp, while an earthly human or a spirit grasps nothing but bodily and earthly elements.
1226. About those who had pursued only earthly things
in the life of the body
There are many, especially women, who regard proper forms as everything, not thinking more deeply-such formalities, for instance, as the proper preparation of foods, and clothing, manners, conversation, and the like. They are not concerned with essentials, because such formalities are everything to them; nor do they care what eternal life is, or what faith is.
1227. Of course, this is overlooked in women up to a youthful age, but if they continue on in this way into more adult years and the later stages of life, when they are capable of better understanding, when the ardent longing for marriage has passed, then they develop a nature that remains after death.
1228. They then appear with long hair stretching down to the waist, which they like to comb. They take much pleasure in long hair and find it tasteful, for hair symbolizes earthly fashions. Their head and face, however, do not show, because the hair is spread over them, and the face symbolizes essentials. They also appear naked around the middle part of the body, which means that they had loved [worldly graces]* and thought them beautiful. This, then, is how they look to others, so they are at once recognized for what they are, and they cannot associate with any others but their own kind.
* See index at Decorum.
1229. So they are like furies when they have really regarded such things as all-important. Spirits can immediately judge what they had been like in life from the hair-its color, length, the way it is styled, and other details concerning the hair, as well as from their body-its nakedness, how far it is showing, which parts are especially exposed, and which ones they try to hide. From this the souls can also come to know themselves, for they must first learn what they had been like [cf. 1119]. 1748, 8 March.
1230. About people who are continually reflecting on things,
when they come into the other life
There are some who, during their bodily life, had acquired a habit and character of reflecting on everything they hear, for the purpose of discerning the causes. There are people like this, who do not stop at whatever comes along, but think inwardly about what they meet with, not for a bad purpose, nor for a good one, but simply as a pursuit they enjoy.
1231. Such people are allotted a place in the other life rather deep down, forward, a little toward the left. And there they seem to stand still and think, not caring if other spirits try to molest them. They respond thoughtfully, from [a view of] causes and principles. It is granted them to speak truths from the Lord, although they think that they do so of their own power, and that they had gotten them by reflecting.
1232. The place was described by them as lovely, grassy, like the Elysian fields, and they do not want to be disturbed by anyone because they find their enjoyment in thinking. When spirits harass them, they are not particularly afraid, but say they are safe, knowing that the Lord is protecting them.
1233. Certain spirits of the urinary group were trying to harass them there, but were unable to get into that place. Just by coming to the edge of that region, they spread out like a little, fine cloud that moved around the region, at the right side from my viewpoint. This fine cloud curled around, finally [moving] upwards in a spiral or helical form, and withdrew. Meanwhile those spirits began wailing that they had been carried along winding paths and did not know where they were going. Those in that place are safe, and are not permitted to be harassed by that bodily and material judgment [see 1206]. 1748, 8 March.
1234. What it means to want to be the least, and that
one who is, is the greatest
It can be evident from many considerations how this matter stands. One should not want to be the least in order to be the greatest, for in that case, one aspires and hopes to be the greatest.
But this shows what it is-namely, when from the heart one wishes better to others than to oneself, so that one wants to yield the better things to others, and to serve them for the sake of their happiness, from no selfish motive, but from love. 1748, 8 March.
1235. What the goals of a person's life are becomes evident
during illnesses, when death threatens
Whatever people love, they fear to lose. Therefore, during sicknesses especially, when death is near, it can be learned what they have loved, or what someone's goals in life have been. If, for example, they have striven for distinctions, and found in them their highest delight, then they are very afraid of dying. On their deathbed they also talk about their favorite things, and cannot abstain from busying themselves with them. Thus they are still absorbed with themselves.
Likewise in the case of one who has found his or her highest delight in possessions, profits, and other worldly values. They then keep their thought on them, disposing of them at the point of death by making a will and the like; while one who cares nothing for those things considers them of no importance, thinking only of eternal salvation and regarding them as of little value, not worth mentioning-even if it were the whole world [that one possessed].
1236. However, not to want to die on account of the children is quite natural, both for the good and the evil. For even the evil love their children, but for the purposes prevailing in them, such as wanting to stand out with distinctions, and so forth.
1237. The evil also, at the point of death, may consider worldly matters and their own possessions as unimportant, and think only of things eternal. But this happens when they despair of life, when such a person sees no more hope of living. Then one may also speak devoutly, and despise the things of the world, although this is very rarely the case with those who are led by self-love.
1238. There are those, however, who due to self-love do not care about dying so that they may be famous after their bodily life. And at the same time they have no concern for things of the world. Here there is a different reason, with those who want to be hailed as heroes-for then they hope to die. 1748, 8 March.
1239. About inward examiners, or inward judgment
There are those who constitute inward judgment, just as those making up the province of the kidneys and ureters constitute outward judgment. The first-mentioned constitute the province of that part of the brain where its excretions take place. There are many of these in the brain, namely, those within the pia mater between the folds. Then, between the tissues there are those that are pressed out into the mammillary processes, and toward the cribriform layer, and are excreted in living subjects through the openings between the meninges and the bundles of tissues. In the dead these foramina are closed, so there is no excretion. There are also excretions that are channeled into the large ventricles, where there are phlegmy substances together with spirituous ones.
1240. There are spirits who constitute these provinces and who appear almost directly above the middle of the head, at a medium distance. It is their nature to stir up and slip into a person qualms of conscience, so to speak, in any matters where some doubt occurs regarding something they think ought to be done, and thus would be a sin [to leave undone].
They do this in very many instances, and thereby burden the conscience in matters which should not burden them. There are a lot like this in the world, called the "conscientious," but what true conscience is, they do not very well know, for everything that comes along they make a matter of conscience.
For example, if someone travels to foreign countries and spends his money on very expensive articles, then they would burden his conscience with this single objection, that by doing this he deprives his country of his wealth, which ought, however, to remain within it. They do the same in numerous other cases. And once such a scruple has been raised as a premise, supporting arguments to weigh down upon this false conscience are never lacking.
True conscience, opposed to this reasoning, says that if he did not spend the money, the conscience would really be burdened, as all would admit if they knew [the facts]; likewise, if the conscientious doubt is raised about someone spending money for the most useful purposes, yet in doing so depriving the heirs of it, to [whose interests], seen from a legal standpoint, the person must be dedicated. And there are countless similar cases.
People who were of this nature during their life, in the other life make up that province. When they are present, they constantly weigh down the conscience with qualms of this kind, even to the point of causing grief. And because they only take into consideration the factors that support their objections, they regard causes of the greatest usefulness, which ought to outweigh them, as nothing.
1241. These spirits even bring on an anxious sensation in the abdominal area of the body, in the region of the diaphragm, causing a sense of anxiety when they are at work. The same ones also bring on similar anxieties during a person's temptations, and, when they are permitted, unbearable ones. Such anxieties I have suffered during temptation for several days, and at this moment I am also feeling them, but slightly. This anxious feeling comes from them because they have that nature. They lack the ability to stretch their thinking, and to yield to what is necessary and more useful.
1242. Even today I spoke with those who were trying to burden my conscience, and they were unable to listen to reason, but tenaciously held to their own opinion. 1748, 8 March.
1243. On the state of souls, thinking they are in the body
As previously mentioned here and there [207, 364-5, 400], souls think they are nowhere else than in the body, which they call being people on earth. So this is what they think, and unless they are given reflection, they are unable to realize that they are spirits.
On this subject I have just now spoken with two who had thought they were living in the world, for whatever they had in the body, they still keep. They have all their desires with which bodily life gifts them, as well as their appetites, such as the appetite for eating when they see food they had liked in the life of the body-as one of them affirmed just now when he saw me dining. And I told them that they also keep their senses, sight, hearing, smell, and touch, just as keen as in the body, and just like the bodily sense.
I went on to say that they are nonetheless spirits, as they may know upon reflection, and that now there is no need for them to care for their body as they did in the world. Food, clothing and shelter are the cares of people in the world only, and now I am telling them that just for food, clothing and shelter people want to possess the universe, when yet they could be content with very few possessions. And now, in their life as spirits, they have no need of these, so they can now devote themselves to heavenly matters. 1748, 8 March.
1244. About faith and good works
With some who had been learned theologians during their lives I discussed the subject of faith and good works, and their claim that faith alone saves without good works, and that works condemn. I said that such formulas without any explanation are dangerous, especially to the uneducated. For it is faith that saves because there is life in that faith, that is, the Lord, Who alone is life. So He saves through faith, and when there is faith, they cannot but do the works of charity, without which a person is like a tree without fruit, bearing only leaves.
1245. However, when one places merit and righteousness in [good] works, then there is not faith within the works, because it is not a property of faith to believe that anyone can earn salvation of their own doing or that they can be righteous through their works. Therefore, when there is this kind of faith, and it is in the works one does, then it condemns the person because the person's self is in the works, and so is self-love and unrighteousness. 1748, 8 March.
1246. About the hellish gang in the dark Chamber
You may see spoken above [909] about the deceitful hellish gang in that room almost at the back, where they do nothing but plot together how they can trick and cheat anyone who comes along. I spoke with this gang, and some expressed surprise that anyone was allowed to speak with them. But I replied that it was granted me to do this, to speak with even the worst devils, because they cannot hurt me at all. If it were otherwise and they were able to, then I would feel repulsion and fear; but there can be no fear of them in me because I am protected by the Lord. Therefore, it has never been forbidden me to talk with devils, if they wanted to talk with me, so that I might also learn what their life is like and what hell is like. Besides this I was also able to tell them that through my conversation with them, they can learn what they are like. For they, being carnal, do not know otherwise than that they are in the life of the body; so that in this way, they can be taught about themselves. And further, because they are in hell they are rather to be pitied than to have any harm done to them; and if I were to speak harsh words such as some souls have brought along with them from bodily life, then punishments would be added upon punishments for them, and this would be contrary to compassion and true caring. For it is a Christian quality to wish well even to them. And besides, some were people known to me in life, and I had not thought that they would become infernal [spirits].
1247. When they were asking where they were, and still thinking themselves to be the greatest, despising the rest in comparison with themselves, I was inspired to speak to them, saying that they were in a chamber in hell. This was proven to them in various ways. And when they wanted to move on into other societies and not be kept where they were, thus to be free, they were told that they cannot be anywhere else, in fact that if they were allowed to go off wherever they liked, they would still fall back of themselves into the same society, thus into the hellish Chamber. Therefore it is they themselves who cast themselves down there, for they cannot desist from that kind of arrogance and the treachery that goes with it.
So that they would find this out, they were let out to wander around, but immediately they fell back of their own accord. These qualities hold their mind captive, and bring them back. They love to be in the dark, saying it is delightful-but so that no one may hear.
1248. They were also told that if they came into other societies, they would now be recognized at once, and thrown out from them as scum. For after the first period of life after death has passed, spoken of above [1092-1109], and after they have been rejected so many times by societies of other spirits, they then wear a kind of mark, as did Cain [Gen. 4:15], by which they are known wherever they go. They are recognized not only by their treachery and arrogance, but also by other signs. For example, their face no longer looks human, but a greyish lime color, as though they had nothing whatever of life, but were like statues. Others had other characteristics. Even though they do not look like this to each other, but seem to look like human beings, yet they do so to others, variously according to their attitudes-not to mention other indications that they take on one after another, as when they are being punished.
1249. Some arrogant spirits, when they appear, at once show me their arrogant attitude. In other words, they appear large, due to their arrogance, and in comparison with them, all the rest look small and almost like nothing, thus despicable. But when one of them thought that all were nothing compared to himself, he was sent by a spiritual portrayal among those despised, and then he seemed to himself to be small, and the others larger. This made him extremely indignant, yet it enabled him to reflect on what he was like; and then he was let back again among the infernals. 1748, 9 March.
1250. About the spirits within the triangular space
About spirits who frighten others, and slaughter, burn up, and miserably treat them within the triangular space leading to both Jerusalems, that is, about the robbers there, you may see above [728-32, 749-54]. The worst are the ones who wander toward the left at the side verging toward the filthy Jerusalem, spoken of before [748, 750]. In their dreadful fantasies they not only depict people, especially Christians, as slaughtered sheep that they hang head down, dripping blood, and then turn on the spit on which they hang a sheep thus skinned; but they also take delight in this display.
1251. These also do not terrify as much as the robbers of that desert space, spoken of before [761], but in their fantasies they almost take the life away from those they meet. To me it felt as if they were taking away my inward vital breathing so that had I not known better I could almost have been brought to believe they could take away my life. Spirits still living these fantasies hardly believe otherwise, that is, than that they are undergoing the agony of death. 1748, 9 March.
1252. About a multitude of spirits concurring in one single
action of a person on earth
It is remarkable that such a multitude of spirits work together [to produce] only a single action of a person on earth. They think no otherwise than that they are the person, and that it is they who are carrying out the action. For example, in only a single portrayal of my facial expression, I was shown how great a multitude there is. They spoke with me one after another, saying they thought it was their action. They also told what each one contributed, from the top of the forehead right down to the neck, differently from each other. For exactly as they were acting on it, my face was portrayed to me, and they spoke one after another with me, saying that they thought nothing else than that they were doing the action. But from so many, one display resulted, when yet so many spirits were working together.
1253. Some of them said they were working as if on their own power and therefore thought it was they who did it, while others overhead said they were cooperating, not actively, but following along. I told them that still it was not anything but fantasy on their part. For they cannot be my body, and it is my spirit, not theirs, that is equipped with a body. To this they could give no reply.
1254. Furthermore, I also saw plainly that the individual spirits were also the mediums for similar portrayals made by other spirits, so they were never by themselves. Hence they are centers of the working of many. Every spirit was a company, so that as many as there were spirits, so many were the centers of many, each one being such a center.
This may seem amazing to anyone, even unbelievable, yet the same principle exists in every member, muscle, and part of the body, and the same exists in nature, and in the atmospheres, and the same in plant life: that there can never be something that is one, except from many. There is nothing that is not in a social and mutual relation, and separately from companionship they can never do anything, still less contribute to any single cause, and thus to a common cause.
Consequently, people could have known, if they had been instructed in this kind of knowledge, that what has just been said is not unbelievable, and that the heaven of spirits, and of angels, is so interconnected, that is, by mutual ties, that taken together they make up collective shapes [of society], and these in turn the universal one. 1748, 9 March.
1255. Even the evil and unbelievers, when in company with good
spirits, speak truths, and even believe them
I heard two spirits who were from hell and yet spoke truths as if from knowledge and faith, even though they were infernals and normally could not know, much less believe, what they were saying.
I was shown by an actual experience that this happens when they are in the company of good spirits, so that they are speaking from them, as if from themselves. For the evil do not know or like to find out that they do not have anything on their own.
1256. Once also, being in the company of angels, I then had a firm belief in matters that I could not have believed in when outside of the angels' company. So it is easy for the Lord to give belief to anyone, and indeed, so that they think they have faith. But because their inward parts do not harmonize with it, and their life opposes it, this is an extraordinary occurrence. One may also deduce from this how human minds are guided and bent by the Lord. 1748, 9 March.
1257. About a wily and deceitful person, and his life,
and his punishment in the other life
There was a spirit in the hellish Chamber [see 909, 1246-9] together with others, among those who had been deceitful criminals in life. For in that place all they do is concoct intrigues and think up tricks. The objects of their tricks are whatever things present themselves, and they lead the same life there as they lead in the world.
1258. Someone was brought out to me from there and spoke with me, and from many indications I could certainly tell that he was extremely deceitful, from both his cloaked and his obvious schemes, and also from his energy field, by which a spirit is also recognized, spoken of elsewhere [152, 167, 973-82]. However, I was not able to reach any sure conclusion, particularly for the reason that we must not attribute evil to anyone, still less judge them, because no one but the Lord Alone knows a person's inward qualities.
1259. Afterwards this same spirit prayed imploringly to be freed from that hellish prison. This he did quite earnestly, at the same time setting forth several reasons, such as that if he had thought evil thoughts, this could not condemn a person, since he had committed no evil in his life, because he can be reproached by no one, besides other like reasonings. And so he prayed to be admitted into different societies, those of upright spirits.
This was also permitted him, for he thought because he had been able to be in circles of good people in the world, that he could do likewise in that life, and could thus pretend to be a good person as he had in the life of the body, mixing with them and being loved by them.
So he was permitted to enter into a circle of good spirits above the forehead, in whose company he wanted to stay. And he forced himself to be like them, but was not able to do so for long. In every detail, feelings of reluctance were noticeable, so he complained, even begged, that the kind of spirits be joined to him that would make him better able to compel himself to harmonize with them. This too was permitted, yet again he became aware of feelings of reluctance, so he begged to be sent away and to come into different societies, or into some room where he could be alone, and thus be safe.
So he was sent into a long arched room, and there, sitting in a chair, he was swung around. This symbolized that he was changeable, and could not join in any such society. Finally, he returned to me, and because someone wanted to thrust him down again into the hellish chamber, and he insisted that he was innocent, therefore, when he was being sent there, he was whirled around here and there, to the right hand and to the left, and into opposite gyres turning this way and then that. This had the same meaning, namely, that he could stay nowhere, because he considered himself blameless.
Then he was finally sent back into the hellish chamber, and in fact, into the same company as before, but now they did not want to let him in, complaining that he was just the same now as he was before. For he tried to devise tricks with them as before, so they threw him out because he had prayed imploringly and considered himself blameless.
1260. Certain spirits overhead at the time, who are quite up-right, were wanting to pass judgment on him, but were not able because they did not know what he was like.
But it was then disclosed what he was like. He was let down into the lower earth, a little in front of the right foot, quite deeply. There he dug a ditch, like those burying dead people do to throw the dead into. So at once the suspicion arose that he had committed some lethal act in his lifetime.
Then a funeral bier appeared, covered with black cloth. The person placed on it did not show, but shortly afterwards, one arising from the bier came toward me, telling me earnestly that he had died, and judged that he had been killed with poison by that person. He had been with him in the evening and drunk wine, and as soon as he had arrived home, he labored with a deadly illness, and thought he had drunk poison there.
He explained that he had thought this at about the hour of death, yet not knowing whether it was just a suspicion. Speaking quite earnestly, he said that he had been a person of low condition, and that if the other person had done it, then he must have done it so as to try out the poison, with which he perhaps wanted to kill others. So he said nothing bad about him, but was content at being dead, because if he had lived longer, he probably would have committed more sins.
1261. When the spirit heard this, he confessed to having committed that crime in the life of his body, and that he had been tormented by pangs of conscience on account of it. He had not dared to confess it to a priest for the sake of his reputation.
1262. After that confession, this punishment ensued, that he was twice rolled in the black ditch he had dug, thereby becoming a spirit as black in face and body as an Egyptian mummy. Then he was raised up high, flying around, exposed to the angels as the kind of person he had been and the devil that he was. On his approach to me I also felt that he was now cold, and was among the cold hellish spirits.
1263. I was also allowed by communication to feel the painful anguish of his conscience. It was so severe that it affected me considerably.
1264. He said also that he had never liked to look for something good in anyone, but only the bad.
1265. And because he had been of that character, he was also deprived of his rationality.
1266. What stayed with him in the other life was that he especially wanted to kill innocent people, people who had done him no wrong, but good. He had longed for revenge. He was surprised that such matters were exposed after death, since he had thought no one in heaven knew about them, because no one on earth did. But he was told that while he was being tormented by pangs of conscience brought on him by spirits, they knew all about it. He could not answer, but admitted it.
1267. About the Mucus of the nostrils
There are those who relate to the sticky, phlegmy excretions, that is, those that are discharged from the brain through the meninges and bundled tissues into the nostrils, and at the same time into the little glands of the nostril, and which then thicken and cling.
1268. The spirits who relate to the mucus of the nostrils are those who, once they have contracted hatred for another, most stubbornly try to get revenge, refusing to be reasoned with. So they are those in whom reason finds no argument to dispel the hatred, once it has been conceived-a hatred that pants for nothing but the death of the other. For then such people harbor and keep turning over nothing else in their minds. They are that sticky mucus of the nostrils.
1269. The same spirit who was found out to have killed a certain innocent person with poison [1260-6], appears to have been such a one as not to desist for any reason, however true, from the passion for vengeance even unto death. He tarried with me, and he was of the kind that all the reasons told to him were not the least bit valid, and did not even enter his field of vision. They were like nothing, even to the point that when I realized this, I saw that he was not like a human being, who is open to reasons from other people and turns them over in his mind, but like a beast.
1270. Meanwhile, he was inwardly thinking nothing else but revenge, and in fact so covertly that I saw nothing of what he was thinking. He raised up in every one his own subjects. From my mind he raised up whatever he could distort into evil and then into hatred, and so he fed himself continually. He even held the thoughts of other spirits so bound up that they could not get loose from all that he had scattered around. I noticed this in my case also, that is, that he was able to hold my inward thoughts virtually fixed and manipulate them-which is that stickiness of mucus.
1271. While he was still with me, he seemed like a mass with its back up so that nothing reasonable could penetrate, because he so tightly clung to inward hatreds.
1272. His effect on me was that I was tormented very miserably in the belly with cramps that caused a dull inward pain. This lasted for some time, to the point where I threw up foul stomach acid several times. This is the effect they have on the stomach, not unlike that of mucus from the nostrils if it drains in any quantity into the stomach: it sticks to the food and blocks up the pores, preventing digestion.
1273. After that, there was a dully painful cramp at the upper opening to my stomach, from the same cause, that mucus collects there and obstructs.
1274. When he was with me at the left side of my neck, and also when he gradually sank down, he seemed to like sucking out bloody substances.
1275. But afterwards he moved away toward the front. I no longer wanted to speak with him, because he was not open to reason. It was said that his inward thoughts are of the kind that can hardly be described. He revolves so many hatreds at once, spreading them all around, that the spirits round about complained, saying that they too were held by him as if bound up. So he is like mucus. And it was said that they were so enticed by his hatreds that they even cooperated with them, that is, especially those who were not of an unlike breed. Such is the destructive atmosphere of those spirits. 1748, 10 March.
1276. I suppose that he is like this when deprived of his rationality, because he seemed to me to be speechless, like a mass or a stump, in which those hatreds were thus simmering. Therefore mucus, in the spiritual sense, symbolizes tenacious hatreds.
Later it was also discovered that he was not like this outwardly. Then he was quite easy to get along with, but at the time when he was thinking and his thought was full of those hatreds, they did not show in his outermost appearance, with which he was anxious to please the world.
1277. Such spirits, who inwardly constantly dwell on their hatreds, and boil in them, so to speak, are not let into the heaven of spirits, but are kept in a place very deep down from which they cannot get out except at certain times, as many of them did just now, when this spirit became such as he did [1276]. Otherwise he would have been without company. So after that, he spoke as he had previously, and he was surprised to find himself tarrying like that, and the other spirits who had kept him company withdrawing. It was then that some were released and joined to him.
1278. When these spirits were released from that very deep hell, the contents of my stomach were rolled around so much that I was forced to throw up my meal, such a change do they bring about in the spirit realm by their first presence. Because they have with them a kind of poison, they like to pour the poison into someone, the effect of which was throwing up. For just as in life they had wanted to kill people by poisoning, this desire remains rooted in their minds and they strive to do the same. This effect, therefore, was due to them, and not, as on other occasions, due to emetics or overeating. It was the effect of such spirits, I realized.
1279. In that very deep hell, there is such a putrid and cadaverous stink arising from dead bodies that it would offend one's ears to hear it described. Yet they enjoy such smells and prefer them to the most pleasant odors. Indeed, that air, which they bring with them, is poisonous and infectious. Hence it is obvious that such spirits bring with them stenches that turn one's stomach.
1280. When they are put there, they receive a kind of circular object studded with brass points spaced at little intervals. These hoops they grasp with their hands, and whirl around. That is a sign that they are in league with such spirits.
1281. Furthermore, they are [thereby] distinguished from other spirits. For it has been made known publicly, when they become that kind of evil spirits, that they cannot hide themselves from other spirits they run into. For their fantasy brings forth such signs, by which they can at once be recognized, as we read of Cain. But because they are what they are, they strike others with repulsion and fear, and these then flee from them. Thus, like Cain, they are safe [Gen. 4:15].
1282. One of these spirits, whom I had not seen and yet who had been let out of that very deep place, was described as having such a very strong poisonous aura of hatred. He was described by the one who was with me, who was aware of him.
I was told that this one had killed many people with poisons in the life of his body, without any conscience. He thought it made no difference whether they died a few years earlier, or later on. He had practiced these dreadful murders even on innocent people, and anyone he pleased.
Those accessory to these murderers are also with them in that very deep place, but because they only acted on orders, and not with premeditation, they are treated more mildly. They do nothing there except on orders, so that their lot is certainly milder, yet still they are in the midst of the worst infernals.
1283. Because this devil showed himself outwardly as innocent, he revealed his true self to me in a vision of a little child, with a not unhandsome face, carrying some kind of container in his hand, but in his right hand he held a dagger. Because of that I was enabled to know at once that his intention was to kill with the poison he carried in the container, and of course, under a guise of innocence. Therefore, such a spirit is immediately exposed, however much he strives to hide himself. In this way it is also known that he is among the worst, like the one having such a strong poisonous aura.
1284. When they are let out, they appear in a rather high place, and the more dreadful they are, the more to the left. Thus did this one appear, and, in fact, in a very black naked body, like a mummy. 1748, 10 March.
1285. About those who think that truly Christian people
must absolutely suffer miseries
One of these said he had thought in the life of the body that he should not pity those professing [Christian] piety who suffered adversities, for the reason that they should be the kind to enjoy misfortune, misery and adversity, in that he thought it necessary for a Christian to suffer such things.
1286. However, I was given to tell him that this is not the case, but that truly Christian people can live, just as well as others, without misery, can eat and drink well, but not luxuriously, dress like others, and enjoy social life like others; and they can also be among the respected and wealthy. But all those bodily and worldly things they should consider as nothing in comparison with heavenly things. Therefore, in the face of persecution, they should look upon them as nothing.
1287. Neither do they need to sell all that they have and give to the poor.
1288. About a very deep hell
The hellish demon or fury who had been here and brought with him such a poisonous aura, and who sent out to me a little child with a dagger and a container of poison [1282-3], and later did the same to someone else, was afterwards removed, to be sent back to his cadaverous hell [1279]. He moved on, somewhat to the left, a little toward the region of the temple, at the same level, and in fact to a great distance, without descending.
Afterwards he sank down, at first into a fire that appeared, then into fiery smoke like that of a furnace. Soon he passed under that furnace-for the place was portrayed as a huge furnace-towards the parts in front where there were caverns sloping downwards and to the sides in every direction. There he sank down into the cadaverous stink, and as he made his way thither, he was constantly thinking up evils and planning bad things, especially against innocent people, without a cause. The spirits around me shuddered and fled away. When he fell through the fire, he wailed miserably. 1748, 10 March.
This hell is under the earth, in the very dark caverns described previously [1246-9, 1257-66].
1289. About a vampire
There was a certain one, so spirits told, who when he died, they told, had thought about vampires and was obsessed with the insane wish, if he should die, to do the same [as they] and thus be raised up by the life [in blood]. He was with me and was trying the same thing where the larger veins flow down along the neck and dorsal spine. But because no evil can befall me, the attempt was in vain.
This happened, they said, because in the hour of death he had thought about sucking blood, and this thought returned to him when he found out that he was with a person living in the body. 1748, 10 March.
1290. The same spirit told me that he had tried this with others, wherever he seemed to have the chance. So that fantasy he had contracted in the hours of death still remained.
1291. It is better to have faith without understanding scientifically
It is plain that they are more blessed who believe and do not see, than those who do not believe unless they see [cf. John 20:29]. Faith without sight is indeed such that it spurns and refuses all proof, just as one who sees an object would do if another went about to prove [the existence] of the object seen.
The same principle applies to faith. Trying to prove that an object is seen, when one sees it, calls it into doubt, for demonstrative proof has this effect. 1748, 10 March.
Therefore, demonstrative proofs are only for those who will not believe anything unless they see it. Lest these remain in their blindness and become more blind, things must be demonstrated to them that ought not to be demonstrated-for example, that there is a God. This everyone ought to believe without arguments to prove it. Nevertheless, as is usual when something is demonstrated, every argument has something of doubt in it, and invites objections and thus stumbling blocks. 1748, 10 March.
1292. About a hell deep under the feet
There is a hell of the greedy, under the feet, and in fact the worst part under the left foot, deep down, yet not under the earth like the one spoken of before [1288], but in a very low region. A kind of smoke was exhaling from it, yet not smoke only, but a steam such as arises in some localities from scraped swine that they put in a trough full of hot water to remove their hairs, as they do in some countries, like Holland. That kind of smoky steam was rising up.
1294. About his being black, they said that he could become as white as they are if he would only have his hairs pulled off in the trough, like the swine, which were also in sight. In this way he would certainly become white. For they had been made white in the same way, they said. But this he did not want, saying that he was not like them.
1295. So there is the homestead of the greedy, who become black and walk in smoky steam, heaping up their riches. And because they are black, they seem to themselves to become white by the same process of scraping off the hairs as swine undergo. Yet still that mark remains, wherever they go.
1296. More about the black murdering spirit
Because that spirit [1293] could not be let down into one of those hells, he was left free in the heaven of spirits, and in fact quite high above the forehead, for in his bodily life he had wanted to become great. But before he did, he died-perhaps because he was well known, and was not of good character. And one's character shows itself to human society, no matter how much it is concealed.
1297. When he was left freely in the heaven of spirits, and was even still in the company of his own hellish spirits-those who killed innocent people with poison-he spread around a poisonous atmosphere. Then whatever he did, those around him were more or less inflated by him and made to think different thoughts. Everyone lamented, also, that he was inspiring them with some of his hatred, secretly distorting their goodness into evil. His aura was such that unless he was prompted to reflect on it, he did not know that it went out from him and thus filled the realm of spirits around me, and even myself, in this way. He enjoyed this, because it magnified him, and put him in charge, so to speak.
1298. Hence it is clear what a poisonous exhalation a spirit like this one has when he is freely allowed into the realm of others, and not kept bound in hell.
1299. Moreover, in the world this person had been considered among the more respectable, except that he was said to be clever, or by others perhaps, wise. He had held a high position, was well thought of, and was engaged in state affairs of great importance. So this shows how a person can, in bodily life, hide his true character and put on the appearance of one who is not evil. 1748, 11 March.
1300. About a certain holy one
A certain person tried to live in a holy manner during his life so that people would consider him holy, and after his lifetime he would be thought a saint and would thus merit heaven. So he led a pious life, devoting much time to prayers, but it was for himself alone, and apart from that, he did not produce any fruits of charity, or contribute anything to the welfare of mankind. He looked out only for himself, not for others, thinking that to become happy in everlasting life, it is enough if each one takes care of himself. He was also examined to see whether he had done anything good to others, and it was found that he did not know what acts of true caring are. He kept saying he had lived in a holy manner, and that was enough.
1301. He was seen by me in a naked human form down to the loins, which did not appear, but shined with a beautiful human radiance, nor did I manage to see his face. He was naked and shined with that radiance due to his own imagination, because he thought himself holy for having lived in that way.
1302. But this spirit afterwards changed into a dark blue, and presently into black. He did acknowledge that he was a sinner, but said that he had suffered by being trampled by others under their feet, as he put it. This he calls Christian suffering. Thus he was the least, so that he would become the greatest in heaven [cf. references at 1234]. So his motive was his own greatness in heaven, and since he looked down on others in comparison with himself, he therefore became blacker than others.
1303. When anyone black comes along, the rest of the spirits flee from them. But blackness is due to a variety of causes, and these causes are carefully distinguished by other spirits. 1748, 11 March.
1304. About punning on holy scripture
Some from habit, some from contempt, have acquired the custom of using words of holy scripture in common conversation in humorous phrases, or jokes, thinking that they are then joking in good taste. But those words are then bound to bodily ideas and bring much harm on them in the other life. For these words brought in due to that custom must be separated in the other life from their worldly and bodily mental imagery, every single one.
This is done by various methods of dismemberment, as I know from experience, so let them beware of mixing holy words with profane, and thus of profaning holy words. For mental images like these return, so that when worldly mental images come up, the holy words cling to them, and when holy mental images come up, profane ones cling to them. So they have to be separated, which may seem surprising to some, especially those who do not grasp how mental images get joined together.
But it is enough to give this warning, for without the use of painful methods of treatment, these disorders can scarcely be healed. 1748, 11 March.
1306. About a certain righteous person
[As said 1301], the spirits who had put on and striven for holiness in life appear as to their body from the neck to the waist with a radiant human color, the remaining parts, as the face and the loins, not appearing.
Similarly, those who had thought themselves righteous in life, having tried to surpass all the rest in their righteousness, appear, not with a radiant human color, but dressed in a beautiful snow-white garment, showing their righteousness. But this later turns, not into black as before [1302], but into a brownish color having the ruddy shade of old blood, at the sight of which other spirits likewise flee from him.
Such a spirit was seen by me, dressed in a beautifully shining linen garment, but I was told [he was one], and the color into which he is turned was portrayed by a dim vision. 1748, 12 March.
1307. Evil spirits are able to think in such a way that their
thoughts hardly reach man's consciousness
People cannot help thinking that they are aware of their own thoughts, because our inward organs are joined with the outward ones so as to give that effect. In fact, they are joined through continuous connections. Nevertheless, they have a thinking still more subtle than they are normally aware of, and in fact, when one is an inward person, one knows there is something deeper, but knows no more than that.
However, there are inwardly very many things that are understood by angels. But this thinking cannot be described easily, and I would assert that it hardly exists except in those who are led by the Lord. From it, they also know and understand within themselves what must be done, such a sense being given in many matters in different ways. They know at the time that the Lord is doing this.
1308. Moreover, also evil spirits think in a certain way, meaning that they only think within themselves, so as not to allow it to pass into merely bodily thought. This kind of thought has not appeared so much to me, for good reasons, because it is wicked. Therefore a certain spirit boasted that he could think in such a way that I would not be aware of it, supposing it would thus be possible for him to speak with angels, as well as to penetrate the thoughts of spirits, and to control that realm of spirits. This, however, was false, for they only think within themselves, which is easier for a spirit than for man, because the connection is not so continuous [see 1307].
1309. But inward or angelic thought is a different matter. It belongs to an inward level, and is not understood by spirits, nor can spirits come into that state of mind unless they so to speak shed lower spiritual elements. It can be likened almost to a person's vivid thought during lively dreams. At such times bodily elements are separated, as well as elements that are nearest to bodily elements and appear as inward ones. 1748, 12 March.
1310. About hereditary and actual evil
It is quite well known that the evils of parents pass over into children and grandchildren, both that we are born evil and from the seed derive an evil nature, and that the disposition of the parents is visible in the descendants. This is obvious from many characteristics, such as love of self, love of the world, love of earthly things, lust. Thus those acquired through actual practice by parents, even from the first, pass over [into descendants], if they are not reformed.
1311. But hereditary evils are of various kinds. In little children, and boys and girls, they seem to be able to be tempered by goodness, just as the colors black, green, blue are tempered by light, producing the kinds of shades that are in a rainbow. It is a different matter if they go on to add evils by actual practice.
The love of self in little children born from parents of that kind, is like black, love of the world like yellow, the love of earthly things like green. These colors, however, being tempered by light take on beautiful appearances, like little children in heaven. 1748, 12 March. Those colors were seen by me faintly, and as if they were one unbroken something; so they can be moderated. It appeared as a watery, rainy atmosphere.
1312. If truths are taken as premises or principles, then countless
confirmatory truths are discovered
It is known that whatever theory a person embraces as a principle, or as a leading truth, many seemingly true confirmations join with it. In this way falsities are finally born, very many from one. But if a truth is taken as a premise, there is nothing that does not confirm it.
Take, for example, what I proposed to spirits: When the truth is accepted that a spirit does not possess the kind of memory that man has, thus does not know what is past and gone, then, because this has been Divinely ordained and established, innumerable affirming truths join with it. For thus his highest happiness is realized, and otherwise no happiness, and no heaven, and everyone would be made anxious by things past, about things to come. He would long for them, and every day be depressed by worries, as those on earth are. Then he would trust in himself, not letting himself to be ruled by the Lord, and [be influenced by] countless other factors contrary to a condition of happiness. Therefore the Lord commanded that man should not be depressed by such cares, by worrying about the morrow [Matt 6:34]*. 1748, 12 March.
* Printed version has 4:34, which is an error.
1313. The Lord God Alone lives
Spirits grow very angry when I say that the Lord God Alone lives, and that no man, spirit or angel lives on his own, or has life on his own, and is merely an instrument of life. Because spirits cannot grasp this, I demonstrated it by several points:
1) That the senses of the body, or the body itself does not live on its own but from the spirit, neither does the spirit on its own, but from its soul, then neither does the soul from itself, but from the Lord.
2) Next that a person assumes nothing else but that his or her body lives, and yet souls after death, or spirits, with whom I have spoken, are still living, even though their body is gone. They had not believed this in life. Also a soul thinks itself living due to the bodily parts of which alone it considers life to consist, when yet souls are familiar with the fact that the bodily element of a soul can be removed and it can still go on living in the same way in an inward life. This was shown before their very eyes, so they do not deny it.
3) [I asked] how they would conceive of the life of man or spirit, whether as anything but an organic form, or whether as a live flame within that keeps sparking life. And as no one can conceive of the latter by a spiritual sight, they could not but agree with [the former]. Whatever people may raise to contradict it is nothing but empty words, as that life produces [a second,] thus independent life.
4) Then also, the better spirits live a more inward life than newly arrived souls, angels of the inward heaven a more inward one than the better spirits, having shed the former life, angels of the very inward heaven a still more inward one, having shed inward life-something which those lower down cannot conceive of, but which all higher up well understand. 1748, 12 March.
No one is able now to utter a single word; they are silent.
1313 1/2. Angels of the inward heaven, then angels of the very inward heaven, then also angels of the innermost heaven, were just now affirming that this is the very truth. A voice came to me through spirits from the heavens, one after another, affirming it. 1748, 12 March.
1314. However, spirits of the middle sort wanted to say that this is not so, but they were not permitted by the heavens, except to say that they did not grasp it. For they simply do not know what life there would be if they were to lose their life that they have as spirits. I will state the reason, namely, that the outward regions are unaware of the inward ones, while the inward regions are aware of the outward ones. The angels of the inward heaven do grasp this fact, from the Lord, through their faith.
So it is not surprising if people on earth do not grasp it, because those middle spirits enjoy a much better faculty of under-standing than man does, and yet when I asked them whether they would not like to become angels, they replied that they would like it, but they did not want to give up anything of their own life; but when I said that then they would receive a better life, they could not see this.
1315. Angels sometimes speak with those in the deepest hell
I have heard angels speaking, through spirits, with those in the lowest hell, but this is done by means of spirits. And even though those who are there are at times let out of their prison for certain purposes, still there is such an abyss between hell and heaven, that they can never cross over. By the abyss [cf. Luke 16:26] is actually meant that it is utterly impossible for an infernal to come into a heavenly society, for they are completely repugnant to each other. 1748, 12 March.
1316. About turmoil in the heaven of spirits caused by a clash
of opinions about truths
Several times earlier a similar turmoil had in fact arisen [see 243], and I did not know differently than that all were in disarray, and thus a last judgment [was at hand]. For it is a kind of mental image of the last judgment, seeming like a chaos, for a jumbled murmur is heard, or a clashing grumble of many, many spirits who also do not know otherwise than that everything was being thrown into confusion. For societies are broken up, and all are under the control of their own opinion, each one thinking independently, and not in association or community of thought, as if they were one spirit, but as many.
Because the opinions differ, therefore due to their unspoken thoughts together with their grumbling talk, that clashing grumble is heard. It is like an image of the last judgment, which the spirits also thought to be at hand, for they could not be ignorant of the fact that they would now no longer be together, harmonize, and have rest. Before this, I had not known what this was and, like the spirits, thought that everything was getting mixed up. It is like the confounding of the lips [at Babel, Gen. 11:7-9], a chaotic mass of opinions about certain truths to which their thoughts are especially directed. Thus a spiritual chaos seems to arise.
1317. This mumbling uproar, the noise of their confused grumblings, were of three kinds. One was all around the head, just a mixture of murmurings, and this at some distance round about. I was told this was nothing but the difference of thoughts and of the clashing grumbles breaking out from them, and thus the confusion of the one not knowing what the other thought and knew, like the sound of a large crowd all talking at the same time and about different things, and thus like that of water making somewhat the same sound, to which it is also likened in the Word, I believe [see Luke 21:25, Rev. 14:2].
1318. The second kind, which followed, was at the left temple, below me, resounding upwards. It was like that of a multitude of carriages and horses, as when one hears that sound of an army of very many chariots and horses on the streets. I was told that this was the clash between reasoned arguments and truths that they were unwilling to believe, for this is how reasoning clashes with truths.
1319. The third kind, which followed next, was above me to the right. It was like a rasping murmur, not too confused, and that rasping sound turned hither and thither, back and forth. This, I was told, is how truths of religion battle with reasonings, for the rasping is one of truths, which [though true,] nevertheless still bend hither and thither, back and forth, because of reasonings.
1320. While these three kinds of sounds were going on, however, there were spirits speaking with me and telling what they meant. They spoke clearly and in unison, and their speaking still broke through between those sounds, telling me what they meant.
1321. The subjects of those reasonings were mainly three, which likewise followed in order. The first was, whether the statement ought to be taken literally that the apostles would sit on 12 thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel [Matt. 19:28, Luke 22:30], as many maintain. Those who take that to be the meaning were embroiled in that confusion, and at the same time they were afraid that heaven was falling to ruin, as they say,* being anxious lest [the apostles] be dislodged from their judgment seats.
Many of the apostles, who were the mediums of those who take that statement literally and defend it, were also there, while some of the apostles were not. For when they are let back into the state of their bodily life, which happens when they are let back from the heaven of angels to the heaven of spirits, they are like that, and defend those words. For in bodily life they had believed no otherwise than that they would judge the 12 tribes of Israel. And because this is entirely contrary to the inward meaning of the words, they become very indignant, demanding that they be judges. Many other spirits who love such uproars and like to arouse the apostles stir them up against the Church, and against the inward meaning, and even more against the very inward meaning.
* Perhaps referring to Matt. 24:35, and the same statement in Mark and Luke.
1322. But they were shown clearly, both by a voice and by a spiritual mental image, that this was mere reasoning, therefore falsity, since they cannot judge even one spirit, except in such a warped and wrong way as those who are in charge of the province of the kidneys and ureters [991, 1221, 1239]. The impossibility of it was made obvious to them, so that they became indignant, admitting they had erred in their opinions.
1323. Besides this, it was shown that the whole of heaven nevertheless seems to exercise judgment, both the heaven of spirits and that of angels. Some do so by way of duty, in accordance with the provinces of the body [assigned to them]. Some do so for the reason that they want or do not want to admit spirits into their company, so they either select or turn away from their companionship. So everyone judges regarding their own society, letting in or rejecting a person.
The heaven of angels likewise judges about the qualities of religious faith symbolized by the 12 tribes, and 12 thrones and disciples. For the angels of the threefold heaven also love to take in those of the faith into their societies-or they do not take them in, and so they judge. Yet they do not judge at all, but the Lord Alone, Who arranges things as a whole and in the least details to turn out as they do, the angels not knowing otherwise but that it is they who are thus giving consent and granting admission, for it does take place by consent.
This, then, is what is meant by the 12 thrones, and the 12 tribes, and the 12 apostles, not that it is they who would judge, which is completely false.
1324. That the Lord Alone judges all was also shown to them clearly by a general spiritual mental image, and they unanimously confessed that they now realized it.
1325. The second subject of their argumentation was whether anyone would be admitted into heaven other than those who had suffered persecutions and miseries in the world, something which the apostles also maintain quite emphatically when they are in the state of their former, bodily life. Then they want to judge, and when they are permitted, only by way of trial, to judge, I was told that they then do not like to admit anyone into heaven but martyrs and those who have suffered persecutions and consequently, miseries. So they again understand the words of the Lord literally, that those are blessed who suffer such things [Matt. 5:11], just as the words say. They therefore also maintain that they deserve heaven, and thus inherit it because of merit. And so they try to close out any others, first wanting to judge them so that they will undergo punishment.
So that is their kind of judgment, as they have said before from time to time, supposing themselves to be preferred because they had endured such things more than others and had published the Gospel throughout the world. On these matters there had often formerly been contention.
1326. But it was shown to them plainly that this is not at all the meaning of the Lord's saying, for if it were, no one at this day could be let into heaven, because now that the Churches have been established, there are no such persecutions in the world, thus neither are there martyrdoms. Besides, if only persecutions and martyrdoms would save them, no matter with what kind of faith, truth, mind, and courage they strive or hope to suffer them, then in the present centuries those especially could lay claim to heaven who suffer for their opinions, also for their heresies, as do the Quakers-indeed, some for worldly causes, among others.
1327. They asserted that they had suffered persecutions for their belief and for the Gospel, but because they were in a state like the one they had been in during their bodily life, they were asked whether they had suffered for their belief, thus for the Lord, or for themselves so that they might sit upon 12 thrones and judge the 12 tribes; and so, whether they had suffered for the Kingdom of the Lord, or for their own Kingdom. Had they suffered on account of believing in the Lord, or on account of religious truth, when yet it is repulsive to truth to suffer for one's own glory or to be saved by one's own merit-a fact which they could not deny believing? But it was proven to them that they had suffered for their own glory, and therefore not for truth, no differently than those who suffer for heresies and suchlike causes.
As to their having believed, when yet it was not true believing, and yet had taught truly, this is quite a common and familiar circumstance. People can preach truths and yet live contrarily. They wanted also to broach the matter of their life, how they had condemned people and had arrogated to themselves the power of excommunicating and liberating, or closing and opening heaven. However, it was not allowable to bring up any of the personal matters of their lives.
And to their assertion that they had not believed otherwise than that they were suffering for true faith and thus for the Lord, they received the reply that everyone lives as they believe, and therefore from their life it may gathered what their real belief is. Many imagine that they believe or have faith, when yet they do not, because their life proves what their belief was. After giving this some thought, they were unable to reply. All that was said was that the Lord has something good in store for those who imagine they have faith, even if they do not.
1327 1/2. They were therefore taught what the inward meaning is of the Lord's words that those will attain the heavenly kingdom who suffer persecution and are miserable, namely, that those suffering persecution, when it is for true faith and in the true faith, are not troubled about bodily and worldly concerns. The "miserable and the poor" mean those who are spiritually miserable and poor, whether they had been rich or poor in the world, or in a high position, or kings, or beggars-thus all who are spiritually miserable and poor, and therefore suffer persecution by falsities and evils, and endure them, as one undergoing temptations. Therefore, they are those who fight against the devil's gang. So all the words [of the blessings] are to be understood in their spiritual meaning.
1328. For if only the miserable, the poor, orphans, and widows were to inherit heaven, then all others would be shut out. Yet the truth is rather that fewer of the beggars, of the poor in respect to bodily nourishment, even of the physically miserable, when they are not miserable spiritually, come into heaven, than of others. How miserable is the life of many sailors, and of many soldiers, as well as many of the lowest class of people, yet who do not think at all about life eternal and heaven, besides other like cases that ought, as I also said, to be more fully aired and explained. It was said that the queen of Arabia should be let into heaven before such people; and I would even venture to guess that she is indeed in heaven.
1329. The third subject that was then discussed-not being one of the false arguments that caused the murmuring-was the question, why it is that those mentioned in the Word of the Lord and otherwise well known persons appear, and not others who are not so famous. Take, for example, the fact that the apostles were present just now and were the subjects of argumentation. Since this happens in heaven, that is, that well known people are present, just as even some that I have known in life, who were there-since it is true that this happens-very many heavenly secrets can be deduced from that fact, such as that the order and mutual sharing of the societies require it, although none come to view unless they are permitted by the Lord and it happens by His grace.
1330. I said, moreover, that there are tens of thousands in heaven more worthy than the apostles, even though they had not so much suffered persecutions and the like. This they could not deny, because the heavens are full of angels, and the apostles are only in the inward heaven.
1331. Nevertheless, so that the apostles would know that they were in heaven-for no one of the angels who is let back into the state of his bodily life, thus becoming a spirit, knows what he or she had done in heaven, for they do not remember, and even doubt both that they are in heaven, and that they possess heavenly life and joy-therefore, so that they would know this, an angel in me spoke with them until they were restored to heavenly life. He spoke in such a way that they were aware of it as spirits and thereby knew not only that they were in heaven, but also how much happier that life was than life as a spirit or in the body.
When the angel was speaking with them and they were touched with heavenly joy, they then spoke out saying that it was happier than they could ever tell, so there was no comparison, as I too now perceive from them-for they do not want any comparison to be made, because there is none.
In this way it was recalled to their remembrance-something granted to few-that they are in heaven, and that they have joy in place of the bodily life they so love when living as spirits! Then they want to find out everything that is being written here and fell judgment regarding it. This they do because of an active habit they acquired during life in the world. 1748, 13 March.
1332. It is remarkable how one spirit was in a middle state, as if alternately on both sides for short intervals, in heaven as an angel, and outside of heaven as a spirit. When in heaven, he said he did not like to live as a spirit, when a spirit, that he did not like to be in heaven, because he at once forgets the previous state.
Hence it can be known what the condition of some who are in heaven is like. Sometimes bodily elements fight with heavenly ones, so that they love neither the one kind nor the other. Therefore, when this gives rise to anxiety, that is, this balancing of heavenly and bodily elements, causing something like fermentation, then that spirit is let back into the state of his previous life, until he feels bored with it. Then this spirit, who had already long ago been gifted with the ability to live among heavenly beings, is once again admitted into heaven, so long as bodily elements do not prevail. For his abilities are then balanced. When the heavenly ability prevails, he is gifted by the Lord with heaven: and this is what is given by the Lord and added over and above his prior life, which is not taken away. 1748, 13 March.
1333. About those who love white garments
Among the spirits there are many who love white clothing, and indeed, with such intense desire that they aroused in me a kind of longing to buy white clothing, and this over a period of several weeks. This means they are especially those who imagine that they deserve heaven by their own righteousness. These are driven by that desire.
1334. But there are differences. There are also some who desire clothing not so beautiful, but very durable. These look to life eternal, although a similar self-righteousness clings to them.
1335. About those who defile the blood
There are certain spirits who love to scurry around, constantly wanting to mock what they do not understand, just as spirits mock inward and very inward [truths]. There was in fact one who continually declared, "That is not right," that is, the Word of the Lord does not mean that, but something else. Thus he could disclaim almost anything said by the Lord and elsewhere in the Word, because he had heard that the meaning of the letter was nothing, as said above about the 12 thrones, and about persecutions and miseries [1321-8]. Therefore, he maintained that nothing must be taken literally, thus ridiculing it and saying it was not right. He did this most consistently, distorting and stretching the words, and thus convincing people.
About him I was told that he related to those elements in the body that defile the blood. For if something bad and noxious flows into the blood, it then pervades the venal and arterial systems and thus defiles the blood stream. So do those who as it were cast insults upon the Word of the Lord for the reason that they do not understand its contents, loving only bodily and material things.
1336. About one who had killed himself
Someone driven to despair by melancholy in his bodily life was pushed by devilish spirits to the point of killing himself by thrusting a knife into himself. He came to me, complaining that he was being treated miserably by evil spirits, and saying that he was in the midst of the furies who constantly provoked him. The place was seen where he was, namely, in the lower earth, a little to the left. I also saw that he had a knife in his hand and was trying to plunge it into his chest. He was struggling terribly with that knife, trying to cast it from him, but in vain.
1337. For whatever happens in the last hour of dying stays with one for a long time, as I was told. 1748, 14 March.
1338. How many of my acquaintances there were, with whom I spoke
Of those who had been known to me in life and died there are about 30 with whom I have spoken, and 30 known to me from the Word of the Lord.
1339. For anything to be perfect, it must also put on a kind of body
I have spoken with souls about the fruits of faith, acts of charity, stressing that works of charity are a kind of body, whose soul is faith; and that nothing in the universe is perfect unless it also relates to something like a body. I also said that there is nothing in human life that does not resemble the human being, nor in the whole of heaven, where the heaven of spirits, as well as each spirit individually, represents a body. So it is in other cases. 1748, 14 March.
I added that the body regarded in itself is nothing in respect to the soul but something obedient and servile, and consequently, the obedient and servile body contains the prior elements, as if it were the soul.
1340. Therefore, since the universal heaven reflects a Human being, as shown before [488, 499], so the heavens in their order reflect the vital parts or souls, but the heaven of spirits a body, which must function in the same way as the human body, in that it must be servile so that its spirits may receive goodness through the heavens from the Lord, Who Alone is Life.
A heaven of spirits which so serves enjoys the good qualities of the heavens. And the heavens then also believe no otherwise than that the spirits are their body, just as the spirits think that the human body is theirs. This was said by way of heaven to angels and spirits. 1748, 14 March.
But there are many, especially spirits, who do not like to be servants, but their own masters. They do not want to grasp those matters, or could not.
1341. When they are subservient, then all the heavens are one, and if the heaven of spirits were, then this would also be one, but this heaven is not yet like that, just as was foretold about the serpent, that it would bruise the heel [Gen. 3:15].
1342. Uninformed spirits think they spoke with me with their lips
When someone known to me in life was speaking with me, it appeared as if he were moving his lips and thus speaking with the lips. When I told him this, he said that he had spoken with me using the lips, but I replied to him that a spirit does not have lips, and so cannot speak with the lips. Yet he kept on insisting, until he was informed by an actual demonstration that it was not so, but that it is a depiction of lips, and it so appears by way of symbolic portrayal proper to spirits. 1748, 14 March.
Consequently, the term "lips" in the Word of the Lord symbolizes mental imagery and thus thoughts.
1343. About sensation and portrayals in the other life
There is a variety of dwellings of the blessed. These are portrayed to them as such, exactly as in life, so that none of their senses perceives any difference. This may of course seem unbelievable, but from everything that has been told and is yet to be told, it should be clear enough. For what is sensation, where do the senses come from-sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell? Do they belong to the body, or to the soul? Do they not belong to the soul, for when the soul departs, no organ or part has sensation? And there is much other evidence as well.
Of course, some will say it is not a real dwelling, because not the same as in the world. But it is enough that a soul, spirit, angel, does not know at all otherwise than that it is real, with every sense. So if he should touch it, he would have the sensation of touch-something more obvious to me than to others. I have had a sense of touch exactly the same as when I am awake, when yet I was a spirit, and with my body separated-in fact, my sense was sharper. (These points may be repeated, together with more demonstrative evidence.)
If this were not so, what would life after death, or the life of the soul be? Without fine sensation there is no life. Even man's mental life must be exquisitely sensorial.