Earths In Our Solar System Which Are Called Planets, and Earths In The Starry Heaven Their Inhabitants, And The Spirits And Angels There
by Emanuel Swedenborg · English · Gutenberg #16044 · 293,030 chars · public domain (US)
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Earths In Our Solar System Which Are Called Planets, and Earths In The Starry Heaven Their Inhabitants, And The Spirits And Angels There
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States,
you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located
before using this eBook.
Title: Earths In Our Solar System Which Are Called Planets, and Earths In The Starry Heaven Their Inhabitants, And The Spirits And Angels There
Author: Emanuel Swedenborg
Release date: June 12, 2005 [eBook #16044]
Most recently updated: December 11, 2020
Language: English
Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16044
Credits: Produced by Juliet Sutherland, William Flis, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EARTHS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM WHICH ARE CALLED PLANETS, AND EARTHS IN THE STARRY HEAVEN THEIR INHABITANTS, AND THE SPIRITS AND ANGELS THERE ***
Produced by Juliet Sutherland, William Flis, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
EARTHS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
WHICH ARE CALLED PLANETS
AND
EARTHS IN THE STARRY HEAVEN
THEIR INHABITANTS, AND THE SPIRITS AND ANGELS THERE
FROM THINGS HEARD AND SEEN
_FROM THE LATIN_
OF
EMANUEL SWEDENBORG
SWEDENBORG SOCIETY (Incorporated) 20-21 BLOOMSBURY WAY, LONDON, W.C.1
1962
* * * * *
_The issues of this volume in a demy 8vo edition by the Swedenborg
Society have been:--_
_First Edition_ 1860
_Second Edition_ 1875
_Third Edition_ 1894
_Reprinted_ 1909
" 1931
" 1940
" 1962
_For other editions, see "A Bibliography of the Works of Emanuel
Swedenborg"_ (JAMES HYDE).
_Printed in Great Britain by Morrison & Gibb Ltd., London and
Edinburgh_
* * * * *
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
NOS.
EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE, 1-8
THE PLANET MERCURY, 9-45
THE PLANET JUPITER, 46-84
THE PLANET MARS, 85-96
THE PLANET SATURN, 97-104
THE PLANET VENUS, 105-110
THE MOON, 111, 112
REASONS WHY THE LORD WILLED TO BE BORN ON OUR EARTH, AND NOT ON
ANY OTHER, 113-122
EARTHS IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, 123-126
THE FIRST EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, 127-137
THE SECOND EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, 138-147
THE THIRD EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, 148-156
THE FOURTH EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, 157-167
THE FIFTH EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, 168-178
PAGE
INDEX OF SUBJECTS, 101
INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES, 106
* * * * *
EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE.
1. Inasmuch as, by the Divine mercy of the Lord, the interiors which
are of my spirit have been opened in me, and it has thereby been given
me to speak with spirits and angels, not only with those who are near
our Earth, but also with those who are near other earths; and since I
had an ardent desire to know whether there were other earths, and to
know their character and the character of their inhabitants; it has
been granted me by the Lord to speak and have intercourse with spirits
and angels who are from other earths, with some for a day, with
some for a week, with some for months; and to be instructed by them
respecting the earths from and near which they were, and concerning
the life, customs, and worship of their inhabitants, besides various
other things there that are worthy of note. And since it has been
given me to become acquainted with these matters in this way, it is
permitted me to describe them from the things which I have heard and
seen. It is necessary that it be known that all spirits and angels are
from the human race[a], and that they are near their own earths[b],
and are acquainted with what is upon them; and that a man may be
instructed by them, if his interiors are so far opened as to enable
him to speak and be in company with them: for man in his essence is
a spirit[c], and is in company with spirits as to his interiors[d];
wherefore he whose interiors are opened by the Lord, is able to speak
with them, as man with man[e]. It has now been granted me to enjoy
this privilege daily for twelve years.
[Footnote: _From the_ ARCANA COELESTIA: _in which work these and
subsequent articles, which are inserted below the line, are explained
and shown._]
[Footnote a: There are no spirits and angels who are not from the
human race, no. 1880.]
[Footnote b: The spirits of every earth are near their own earth,
because they are of its inhabitants, and of a similar genius; and they
are meant to be of service to them, no. 9968.]
[Footnote c: The soul, which lives after death, is the spirit of man,
which in a man is the man himself, and also appears in the other life
in a perfect human form, nos. 322, 1880, 1881, 3633, 4622, 4735, 6054,
6605, 6626, 7021, 10594.]
[Footnote d: Man, even during his abode in the world, is, as to his
interiors, consequently as to his spirit or soul, in the midst of
spirits and angels who are of such a character as he himself is, nos.
2379, 3645, 4067, 4073, 4077.]
[Footnote e: Man is capable of speaking with spirits and angels, and
the ancients on our Earth frequently spoke with them, nos. 67, 68, 69,
784, 1634, 1636, 7802. But at the present day it is dangerous for man
to speak with them, unless he be in a true faith, and be led by the
Lord, nos. 784, 9438, 10751.]
2. That there are many earths, and men upon them, and spirits and
angels from them, is very well known in the other life; for in that
life, every one who from a love of the truth and consequent use
desires it, is allowed to speak with the spirits of other earths, so
as to be convinced that there is a plurality of worlds, and informed
that the human race is not from one earth only, but from numberless
earths; and so as to be informed, besides, of what genius and life
they are, and of what character their Divine worship is.
3. I have sometimes spoken on this subject with the spirits of our
Earth, and it was said that a man of sound understanding may conclude,
from many things which he knows, that there are more earths than one,
and that there are human beings upon them. For it is an inference of
reason, that such huge bodies as the planets are, some of which exceed
this Earth in magnitude, are not empty bodies, created only to be
carried and to rotate around the sun, and to shine with their scanty
light (_lumen_) for the benefit of one earth only; but that they must
needs have a nobler use than this. He who believes, as every one ought
to believe, that the Divine created the universe for no other end
than the existence of the human race, and of a heaven from it (for
the human race is the seminary of heaven), cannot but believe that
wherever there is an earth, there are human beings. That the planets,
which are visible to our eyes, being within the boundaries of this
solar system, are earths, may be clearly seen from the following
considerations. They are bodies of earthy matter, because they reflect
the sun's light (_lumen_), and, when seen through the telescope,
appear, not as stars shining from their flame, but as earths
(_terrae_) variegated with dark spots. Like our Earth, they are
carried round the sun and advance progressively through the path of
the zodiac, which motion causes years, and seasons of the year, which
are spring, summer, autumn, and winter. They likewise rotate upon
their own axis, just as our Earth does, and this rotation causes days,
and times of the day, that is, morning, mid-day, evening, and
night. And moreover, some of them also have moons, which are called
satellites, which perform their revolutions around their globes in
stated times, as the moon does around ours. The planet Saturn, because
it is so very far distant from the sun, has also a great luminous
ring, which supplies that earth with much, although reflected, light.
How is it possible for any one who is acquainted with these facts, and
thinks from reason, to assert that such bodies are uninhabited?
4. I have, moreover, spoken with spirits [to the effect] that men may
be led to believe that there are more earths in the universe than one,
by considering the immensity of the starry heaven with its innumerable
stars, each of which, in its own place, that is, in its own system, is
a sun, and like our sun, but differs in magnitude. Any one who rightly
weighs these facts must conclude that so immense a whole cannot but be
the means to an end which is the final end of creation, and that this
end is a heavenly kingdom, in which the Divine may dwell with angels
and men. For the visible universe, that is, the heaven resplendent
with such an innumerable multitude of stars, which are so many suns,
is merely a means for the existence of earths, and of human beings
upon them, from whom a heavenly kingdom [may be formed]. From these
considerations a rational man cannot but think that a means so immense
to an end so great was not provided for a human race, and a heaven
from them, from one earth only. What would this be to the Divine,
who is infinite, and to whom thousands, yea, myriads, of earths,
all filled with inhabitants, would be but a little thing and almost
nothing!
5. Besides, the angelic heaven is so immense that it corresponds to
each single part in man, myriads [of angels corresponding] to each
member, and organ, and viscus, and to each affection of them; and
it has been given me to know that this heaven, as to all its
correspondences, cannot possibly exist except from the inhabitants of
very many earths[f].
[Footnote f: Heaven corresponds to the Lord, and man, as to all things
in general and particular, corresponds to heaven; and hence heaven,
before the Lord, is a Man in a large effigy, and may be called the
Grand or Greatest Man, nos. 2996, 2998, 3624-3649, 3741-3746, 4625.
Concerning the correspondence of man, and of all things pertaining to
him, with the Grand Man, which is heaven, in general, from experience,
nos. 3021, 3624-3649, 3741-3751, 3883-3896, 4039-4055, 4218-4218-4228,
4318-4331, 4403-4421, 4523-4533, 4622-4633, 4652-4660, 4791-4805,
4931-4953, 5050-5061, 5171-5189, 5377-5396, 5552-5573, 5711-5727,
10030.]
6. There are spirits whose sole study is the acquisition of knowledges
finding in them their only delight. These spirits are therefore
permitted to wander about, and even to pass beyond this solar system
into others, and procure knowledges. They have stated that there are
earths in immense numbers, inhabited by human beings, not only in this
solar system, but in the starry heaven beyond it. These spirits are
from the planet Mercury.
7. With regard, in general, to the Divine worship of the inhabitants
of other earths: all there, who are not idolaters, acknowledge the
Lord to be the One only God; for they adore the Divine, not as an
invisible Divine, but as visible, for this reason, besides others,
that when the Divine appears to them it is in the Human Form, as He
formerly did to Abraham and others on this Earth [g]; and all who
adore the Divine under the Human Form are accepted by the Lord [h].
They also say that no one can worship God rightly, and still less be
conjoined with Him, unless he comprehends Him by some idea, and that
God cannot be comprehended except in the Human Form; and that if He
be not thus comprehended, the interior sight, which is that of the
thought, concerning God, is dissipated, as is the sight of the eye,
when looking into the universe with nothing to limit the view; and
that then the thought cannot but fall into nature, and worship it
instead of God.
[Footnote g: The inhabitants of all the earths adore the Divine Being
under the Human Form, consequently the Lord, nos. 8541-8547, 10159,
10736, 10737, 10738. And they rejoice when they hear that God actually
became Man, no. 9361. It is impossible to think of God except in the
Human Form, nos. 8705, 9359, 9972. Man is able to worship and love
that of which he has some idea, but not that of which he has no idea,
nos. 4733, 5110, 5663, 7211, 9167, 10067.]
[Footnote h: The Lord receives all who are in good, and who adore the
Divine under the Human Form, nos. 9359, 7178.]
8. When they were told that the Lord assumed the Human on our Earth,
they pondered for awhile, and then said that it was done for the
salvation of the human race.
THE EARTH OR PLANET MERCURY, AND ITS SPIRIT AND INHABITANTS
9. That the entire heaven resembles one man, who is therefore called
the Grand or Greatest Man (_Maximus Homo_), and that all things in
general and particular in man, both his exteriors and interiors,
correspond to that man or to heaven, is an arcanum as yet unknown in
the world; but that it is so has been shown in many passages[i].
But to constitute that Grand Man, those who come from our Earth into
heaven are insufficient, being comparatively few; they must come from
many other earths: and it is provided by the Lord that as soon as
there is in any part a deficiency in the quality or quantity of the
correspondence, those who may supply it shall be immediately summoned
from another earth, in order that the proportion may be preserved, and
heaven by this means maintain its consistence.
[Footnote i: See note f.]
10. It has also been disclosed to me from heaven, what the spirits
from the planet Mercury have relation to in the Grand Man, namely,
that they have relation to the memory, but to the memory of things
abstracted from earthly and merely material things. As, however, it
has been given me to speak with them, and this for many weeks, and to
learn of what character they are, and to examine how the inhabitants
of that earth are circumstanced, I wish to adduce the experiences
themselves.
11. Some spirits came to me, and it was stated from heaven that they
were from the earth nearest to the sun, which on our Earth is called
the planet Mercury. Immediately on their coming they sifted out of my
memory the things that I knew. This, spirits can do most skilfully,
for when they come to a man they see in his memory all the particulars
it contains[j]. While passing in review the various things, and, among
others, the cities and places where I had been, I observed that they
had no wish to know the temples, palaces, houses, and streets, but
only the things I knew to have been done in them, also the things that
related to the government there, and to the genius and manners of the
inhabitants, and other similar things; for such matters are closely
associated with the places in a man's memory, so that when the places
are called to mind, these matters also suggest themselves. I was
surprised to find them of such a character, and therefore inquired
why they disregarded the magnificent objects of the places, and only
inquired into the facts and transactions connected with them. They
said that they had no delight in regarding material, corporeal, and
terrestrial things, but only things that are real. Hence it was proved
that the spirits of that earth, in the Grand Man, have relation to the
memory of things abstracted from material and terrestrial things.
[Footnote j: Spirits enter into all things of man's memory, and do
not [insinuate anything] from their own [memory] into the man's, nos.
2488, 5863, 6192, 6193, 6198, 6199, 6214. The angels enter into
the affections and ends, from which and for the sake of which a man
thinks, wills, and acts in such or such a manner in preference to
every other, nos. 1317, 1645, 5844.]
12. I was told that the life of the inhabitants of that earth is such,
namely, that they do not concern themselves about terrestrial and
corporeal things, but only about the statutes, laws, and governments
of the nations there; and also about the things of heaven, which are
innumerable. I was further informed, that many of the men (_homines_)
of that earth converse with spirits, and that thence they have
knowledges respecting spiritual things and the states of life after
death, and that thence also they have a contempt for corporeal and
terrestrial things; for those who know for a certainty, and believe,
that there is a life after death, are concerned about heavenly things,
as being eternal and blessed, but not about worldly things, except so
far as the necessities of life require. Such being the character of
its inhabitants, such also is that of the spirits who are from it[k].
[Footnote k: The spirits who are with man are in possession of all
things of his memory, nos. 5853, 5857, 5859, 5860.]
13. How eagerly they search for and imbibe the knowledges of such
things as pertain to the memory raised above the sensual things of
the body, was made manifest to me from the circumstance that when they
looked into the things which I knew respecting heavenly subjects, they
ran over them all, and kept on stating the nature of each. For when
spirits come to a man, they enter into the whole of his memory, and
call forth from it what suits themselves; nay, what I have often
observed, they read its contents as from a book[k]. These spirits did
this more skilfully and quickly, because they did not linger over such
matters as are heavy and sluggish, and confine and consequently impede
the internal sight, as is the nature of all terrestrial and corporeal
things, when regarded as ends, that is, when alone loved; but they
devoted their attention to things themselves; for those matters to
which terrestrial things do not cling, carry the mind (_animus_)
upwards, and so introduce it into a wide field [of view], whereas
merely material things drag the mind (_animus_) downwards, and thus
limit and imprison it. Their eagerness to acquire knowledges
and enrich the memory was further evident from the following
circumstances: Once, when I was writing something concerning things
to come, and they were at a distance, so that they could not look into
those things from my memory; because I was unwilling to read them in
their presence, they were very indignant, and, contrary to their usual
demeanour, they were disposed to inveigh against me, saying that I
was the worst of men, and other like things; and, to show their
resentment, they caused a kind of contraction, attended with pain, on
the right side of my head as far as the ear; but such treatment did me
no harm. As, however, they had done evil, they removed themselves to
a still greater distance, yet kept stopping, being desirous of knowing
what I had written. Such is their eager desire for knowledges.
14. The spirits of Mercury, more than other spirits, possess the
knowledges of things, both of those which are within this solar
system, and those which are beyond it in the starry heaven; and
whatever things they have once acquired they retain, and recollect
them as often as similar ones occur. From this also it may manifestly
appear that spirits have memory, and that it is much more perfect than
that of men; and further, that spirits retain what they hear, see, and
apperceive, and especially such matters as they are delighted with, as
these spirits are with the knowledges of things; for things that are
matters of delight and love flow in as it were spontaneously, and
remain; other things do not enter, but only touch the surface and pass
by.
15. When the spirits of Mercury come to other societies, they try
to discover from them what they know, and when they have ascertained
this, they depart. There is also such a communication among spirits,
and especially among angels, that when they are in a society, if they
are accepted and loved, they communicate or share all they know.[l]
[Footnote l: In the heavens there is a communication of all goods,
inasmuch as heavenly love communicates all its possessions to others;
and hence the angels derive wisdom and happiness, nos. 549, 550, 1390,
1391, 1399, 10130, 10723.]
16. The spirits of Mercury, on account of their knowledges, are more
conceited than others; wherefore they were told that, although they
know innumerable things, there is yet an infinity of things which they
do not know; and that even were the knowledges with them to increase
to eternity, they would still be unable to attain to so much as an
acquaintance with the generals of all things. They were told that they
were conceited and elated of disposition, and that this character
is unbecoming; but they replied, that it is not conceit, but only a
glorying on account of the capacity of their memory. Thus they have
the art of excusing their faults.
17. They are averse to verbal speech, because it is material;
wherefore, when I conversed with them without intermediate spirits, I
could only do so by a kind of active thought. Their memory, because it
is a memory of things, not of purely material images, brings nearer
to the thought its proper objects; for the thought, which is above the
imagination, requires for its objects things abstracted from those
of matter. But notwithstanding that this is the case, the spirits
of Mercury excel but little in the faculty of judgment. They take no
delight in the things which pertain to judgment and to conclusions
from knowledges; for their delight is in the bare knowledges.
18. It was suggested to them, whether they did not wish to make any
use of their knowledges; for it is not enough to be delighted with
knowledges, because knowledges have respect to uses, and uses ought
to be their ends; that from knowledges alone no use results to
themselves, but to others with whom they are willing to share or
communicate them; and that it is not at all meet for a man who wants
to become wise to stand still in knowledges alone, inasmuch as
these are only instrumental causes, meant to be serviceable for the
investigation of matters which ought to belong to the life. But they
replied that they were delighted with knowledges, and that to them
knowledges were uses.
19. Some of them, also, wish to appear, not as men, like the spirits
of other earths, but as crystalline globes. Their wanting to appear
so, although they do not, arises from the circumstance that the
knowledges of immaterial things are in the other life represented by
crystals.
20. The spirits of Mercury differ entirely from those of our Earth,
for the spirits of our Earth concern themselves not so much about
[immaterial] things as about worldly, corporeal, and terrestrial
things, which are material. For this reason the spirits of Mercury
cannot be together with the spirits of our Earth, and therefore
wherever they meet them they flee away, for the spiritual spheres that
are exhaled from both are almost contrary. The spirits of Mercury have
a common saying, that they do not want to look at the sheath, but at
things stripped of their sheath, thus at interior things.
21. There appeared a flame of considerable brightness, which blazed
cheerfully, and this for about an hour. That flame signified the
advent of some spirits of Mercury who, for penetration, thought, and
speech, were prompter than those who preceded them. When they were
come, they instantly ran over the things that were in my memory,
but, owing to their promptness, I was unable to apperceive what they
observed. Immediately afterwards, I heard them say that the matter
was thus and thus. With regard to the things which I had seen in the
heavens and in the world of spirits, they said that they knew them
before. I perceived that a multitude of spirits who were consociated
with them, was behind, a little to the left, in the plane of the
occiput.
22. At another time I saw a multitude of such spirits, but at some
little distance from me, in front a little to the right, and they
spoke with me from thence, but through intermediate spirits; for their
speech is as quick as thought, which does not fall into human speech,
except by means of other spirits; and what surprised me, they spoke
in a body, and yet as promptly and rapidly as possible. Their speech,
being of many together, was apperceived as undulatory, and, what was
remarkable, it glided towards my left eye, although they were to the
right. The reason was, that the left eye corresponds to the knowledges
of things abstracted from material things, thus to such as belong to
intelligence, while the right eye corresponds to such as belong
to wisdom[m]. With the same promptness with which they spoke, they
perceived the things that they heard, and formed their judgment upon
them, saying of one thing that it was so, and of another that it was
not so, their judgment being as it were instantaneous.
[Footnote m: The eye corresponds to the understanding, because
the understanding is the internal sight, and the sight of things
immaterial, nos. 2701, 4410, 4526, 9051, 10569. The sight of the left
eye corresponds to truths, consequently to intelligence; and the sight
of the right eye corresponds to the goods of truth, consequently to
wisdom, no. 4410.]
23. There was a spirit from another earth, who was well qualified to
converse with them, being a prompt and rapid speaker, but who affected
elegance in his discourse. They instantly formed their judgment
concerning whatever he spoke, saying of one thing that it was too
elegantly, of another that it was too learnedly expressed; so that the
only thing they attended to was, whether they heard from him anything
which was not known to them before, rejecting thereby such things as
obscured the subject, which are chiefly affectations of elegance in
expression and of erudition; for these hide the things themselves and
in their place substitute expressions, which are the material forms
of things; on these the speaker keeps his mind (_animus_) fixed, and
wants to draw attention to his expressions rather than their meaning,
by which the ears of his auditors are more affected than their minds
(_mens_).
24. The spirits of the earth Mercury do not tarry in one place, or
among assemblies of the spirits of one system, but wander through
the universe. The reason is that they have reference to the memory
of things, which requires to be continually enriched; therefore it is
granted them to wander about, and everywhere acquire knowledges.
If, while travelling in this manner, they meet with spirits who love
material, that is, corporeal and terrestrial things, they shun them,
and betake themselves to where they do not hear such things. From this
it may appear that their mind (_animus_) is elevated above sensual
things, and thus that they are in interior light (_lumen_). This it
was also given me actually to perceive when they were near me and were
speaking with me. I observed then that I was withdrawn from sensual
things to such a degree, that the light (_lumen_) of my eyes began to
grow dull and dim.
25. The spirits of that earth go about by companies and phalanxes, and
when assembled together they form as it were a globe. They are joined
together in this manner by the Lord in order that they may act as a
one, and that the knowledges of each may be communicated to all, and
the knowledges of all to each, as is the case in heaven[l]. That they
wander through the universe in quest of the knowledges of things, was
made manifest to me also from this fact, that once, when they appeared
very remote from me, they spoke with me from thence, and said that
they were then gathered together, and were going beyond the sphere of
this system into the starry heaven, where they knew there were such
as had no concern about terrestrial and corporeal things, but about
things elevated above them, with whom they desired to be. It was
stated that they themselves do not know whither they are going, but
that under the Divine auspices they are conveyed to where they may
be instructed concerning such things as they had previously been
unacquainted with, and which are in agreement with the knowledges they
already possess. It was also stated that they do not know how they
meet with the companions with whom they are conjoined, and that this
also is effected under the Divine auspices.
26. As they journey through the universe in this manner, and are thus
enabled to know more than others about the systems and earths beyond
the sphere of our solar system, I have spoken with them on this
subject also. They said that in the universe there are very many
earths, with human beings upon them; and that they wonder at its being
supposed by some, whom they called men of little judgment, that the
heaven of the Omnipotent God consists only of the spirits and angels
who come from one earth, when these are so few that, relatively to the
Omnipotence of God, they are scarcely anything, and this would be the
case even if there were myriads of systems with myriads of earths.
They said, moreover, that they knew of the existence of earths in the
universe exceeding in number some hundreds of thousands; and yet what
is this to the Divine, who is Infinite!
27. The spirits of Mercury, when they were with me while I was writing
and explaining the Word as to its internal sense, and who perceived
what I was writing, said that the things which I wrote were very
gross, and that almost all the expressions appeared as material. But
it was given to reply, that the men of our Earth nevertheless look
upon the things that have been written, as subtle and elevated, and
that many things they do not understand. I added, that very many on
this Earth do not know that it is the internal man that acts on the
external, and causes it to live, and that from the fallacies of the
senses they persuade themselves that the body has a life of its own,
and that in consequence the evil and unbelieving are in doubt as to a
life after death. Also, that that in man which is to live after death
they do not call the spirit but the soul; and that they dispute about
what the soul is and where its abode is, and believe that the material
body, although dispersed to all the winds, must be again conjoined to
it, in order that man may live as a man; besides many other things of
the same kind. When the spirits of Mercury heard these things, they
asked whether such men could become angels. To this it was given to
answer that those who have lived in the good of faith and charity
become angels, and that then they are no longer in external and
material things, but in internal and spiritual things; and that when
they come into this state, they are in a light superior to that in
which the spirits from Mercury are. In order that they might know that
this was so, an angel who had come into heaven from our Earth, and who
had been such while he lived in the world, was allowed to speak with
them; which circumstance will be detailed below [at no. 37].
28. Afterwards there was sent me by the spirits of Mercury a long
paper of an irregular shape, consisting of several papers stuck
together, which appeared as if printed with types such as are used on
this Earth. I asked whether they had such among them; but they said
they had not, but that they knew that there were such printed papers
on our Earth. They were not willing to say more; but I perceived that
they thought that the knowledges on our Earth were on papers, and not
so much within the man himself, thus derisively insinuating that the
papers, so to speak, knew more than the man. But they were instructed
as to the real state of the case. After some time they returned, and
sent me another paper, which also appeared printed with types like
unto the former one; not, however, like it, stuck together and untidy,
but symmetrically shaped and neat: they said they had been further
informed that on this Earth there were such papers, and books made of
them.
29. From the facts that have now been stated, it clearly appears, that
spirits retain in the memory the things that they see and hear in the
other life, and that they are equally capable of being instructed as
when they were men in the world, consequently, of being instructed in
those things that are of faith, and thereby of being perfected. The
more interior spirits and angels are, the more promptly and fully do
they imbibe, and the more perfectly do they retain [what they hear],
and as this [capacity remains] for ever, it is evident that wisdom
is continually growing with them. With the spirits of Mercury, the
science of things is continually growing, yet not therefore wisdom,
because they love knowledges, which are means, but not uses, which are
ends.
30. Furthermore, the character of the genius of the spirits who are
from the planet Mercury may still further appear from the following
facts. It must be known that all spirits and angels without exception
were once men, for the human race is the seminary of heaven; and that
spirits are altogether such as to their affections and inclinations
as they had been when they lived as men in the world, for every one's
life follows him[n]. This being the case, the genius of the men of
every earth may be known from the genius of the spirits who are from
it.
[Footnote n: Every one's life remains with him and follows him after
death, nos. 4227, 7440. The externals of life are kept closed after
death, and the internals of life are opened, nos. 4314, 5128,
6495. All things in general and particular of thought are then made
manifest, nos. 4633, 5128.]
31. Since the spirits of Mercury in the Grand Man have relation to the
memory of things abstracted from material things, therefore when
any one speaks to them of terrestrial, corporeal, and merely worldly
things, they are absolutely unwilling to hear; and if they are forced
to hear of those things, they transmute them into others, and for the
most part into contrary things, so as to avoid them.
32. In order that I might know for certain that such was their genius,
it was allowed to represent to them meadows, fallow-lands, gardens,
woods, and streams. To represent such things is to exhibit before
another in imagination those things which, in the other life, appear
to the life. But they instantly transmuted them; they darkened the
meadows and fallow-lands, and by representations filled them with
snakes; the streams they turned black, so that the water no longer
appeared limpid. When I asked why they did so, they said they did
not want to think of such things, but of realities, which are the
knowledges of things abstracted from terrestrial things, especially of
such as exist in the heavens.
33. I afterwards represented to them birds both large and small,
such as exist on our Earth; for in the other life such things can be
represented to the life. On seeing those birds represented, they at
first wanted to change them, but they afterwards were delighted
with them, and became quiet; the reason was, that birds signify the
knowledges of things, and the perception of this fact then flowed
in[o]; they therefore abstained from transmuting them, and so from
turning away the ideas of their memory. Afterwards it was permitted
me to represent before them a very pleasant garden full of lamps and
lights; they then paused and their attention was fixed, because lamps
with lights signify truths (_veritates_) which shine from good[p].
From this it was evident that they could be detained in the
consideration of material things, provided only that the signification
of those things in the spiritual sense were insinuated at the same
time; for the things which belong to the spiritual sense are not
abstracted from material things to the same extent, inasmuch as they
are representative of these.
[Footnote o: Birds signify rational things, intellectual things,
thoughts, ideas, and knowledges, nos. 40, 745, 776, 778, 866, 988,
993, 5149, 7441. And this with variety according to the genera and
species of the birds, no. 3219.]
[Footnote p: Lamps with lights signify truths (_veritates_) which
shine from good, nos. 4638, 9548, 9783.]
34. Moreover, I spoke with them about sheep and lambs, but they were
not willing to hear of such things, because they were perceived
by them as terrestrial things; the reason was, that they did
not understand what innocence is, which lambs signify; this was
apperceived from the circumstance that, on my saying that lambs, when
represented in heaven, signify innocence[q], they said that they did
not know what innocence was, but only knew it by name: the reason is,
that they are affected with knowledges only, but not with uses, which
are the ends of knowledges, consequently they are unable to know, from
internal perception, what innocence is.
[Footnote q: Lambs in heaven, and in the Word, signify innocence, nos.
3994, 7840, 10132.]
35. Some of the spirits of the earth Mercury came to me, being sent by
others, in order that they might hear what was going on near me. These
were told by one of the spirits of our Earth, to tell their [friends]
not to speak anything but what was true, and not, as they were wont,
to present opposite things to their questioners; for that if any of
the spirits of our Earth were to do so, he would be punished. But
immediately the company from which those spirits had been sent
forth, and which was at a distance, made answer, that if they must be
punished on that account, they must all be punished, inasmuch as, from
continual practice, they could not do otherwise. They said that when
they speak with the men of their own earth, they also do likewise,
not, however, with any intention to deceive, but to inspire the desire
of knowing; for when they present opposite things, and conceal things
in a certain manner, the desire of knowing is excited, and thus from
the zeal of exploring those things, the memory is perfected. I also,
on another occasion, spoke with them on the same subject, and, as
I knew that they spoke with the men of their earth, I asked in what
manner they instructed their inhabitants. They said that they do not
instruct them fully as to how a matter is, but keep insinuating some
apperception of it, in order that from this the desire of exploring
and of acquiring knowledge may be nourished and grow; for if they were
to answer all their questions, the desire would perish. They added,
that they suggest opposites for this reason also, that the truth
(_veritas_) may afterwards appear the better; for all truth appears
from relation to its opposites.
36. It is their custom not to tell another what they know, but still
they want to learn from all others what is known to them. With their
own society, however, they communicate everything, insomuch that
what one knows all know, and what all know each one in the society
knows[l].
37. Inasmuch as the spirits of Mercury abound in knowledges, they are
in a certain kind of conceit; hence they imagine that they know so
much that it is almost impossible to know more. But it was told them
by the spirits of our Earth, that they do not know much but little,
and that the things which they do not know are comparatively infinite;
and that the things which they do not know, are, relatively to those
they do know, as the waters of the largest ocean to those of a very
small fountain; and further, that the first step towards wisdom
consists in knowing, acknowledging, and perceiving that what one
knows, is, compared with what one does not know, so little as hardly
to be anything. In order that they might know that it is so, it was
granted that a certain angelic spirit should speak with them, and tell
them generally what they knew and what they did not know, and that
there were infinite things which they did not know, and that eternity
would not suffice for their acquiring even a general knowledge of
things. He spoke by means of angelic ideas much more readily than they
did, and as he disclosed to them what they knew and what they did not
know, they were struck with amazement. Afterwards I saw another angel
speaking with them, who appeared at some height towards the right; he
was from our Earth. He recounted very many things which they did not
know; and afterwards he spoke with them by means of changes of state,
which they said they did not understand. He then told them that every
change of state, and also every smallest part of such change, contains
infinite things. When they heard this, as they had been conceited on
account of their knowledges, they began to humble themselves. Their
humiliation was represented by the sinking downwards of the compact
body (_volumen_) which they formed (for that company appeared at the
time as a compact body, in front towards the left, at a distance,
in the plane of the region below the navel); but the compact body
appeared as it were hollowed in the middle, and raised at the sides;
an alternating motion was also observed therein. They were also told
what that signified, that is, what they thought in their humiliation,
and that those who appeared elevated at the sides were not as yet in
any humiliation; and I saw that the compact body was separated, and
that those who were not in humiliation were sent back towards their
earth, the rest remaining.
38. There once came some spirits of Mercury to a certain spirit from
our Earth, who, during his life in the world, had been most celebrated
for his learning,--he was Christian Wolf--desiring to receive
information from him on various subjects. But when they perceived that
what he said was not elevated above the sensual things of the natural
man, because in speaking he thought of honour, and wanted, as in the
world (for in the other life every one is like his former self),
to connect various things into series, and from these again and
continually to deduce others, and so form several chains of such,
which they did not see or acknowledge to be true, and which therefore
they declared to be chains which neither cohered in themselves nor
with the conclusions, and called them the obscurity of authority, they
ceased to question him, inquiring only _what this was called and what
that_. And because he answered these questions also by material ideas,
and not by any that were spiritual, they departed from him. For in the
other life every one speaks spiritually, or by spiritual ideas, so far
as in the world he had believed in God; and materially, so far as he
had not believed. As an opportunity here offers, I may relate how the
case is, in the other life, with the learned who acquire intelligence
by their own meditation kindled by the love of knowing truths for
the sake of truths, thus for the sake of uses apart from worldly
considerations; and how the case is with those who acquire
intelligence from others without any meditation of their own, as is
the practice of those who desire to know truths merely for the purpose
of acquiring a reputation for learning, and of thereby attaining
honour or gain in the world, and consequently not for the sake of
uses apart from worldly considerations. I may here relate a certain
experience concerning men of this character. There was apperceived a
certain sound penetrating from beneath near the left side as far as
the left ear: I observed that there were spirits who were attempting
to force their way there, but I could not ascertain of what character
they were. When they had forced their way, however, they spoke with
me, saying that they were logicians and metaphysicians, and that they
had immersed their thoughts in such [sciences] without any other
end than that of acquiring a reputation for learning, and thus of
attaining to honours and wealth: they lamented that they now led a
miserable life, because they had studied these sciences for no other
end, and thus had not cultivated their Rational by means of them.
Their speech was slow and muffled. In the meantime there were two
conversing above my head, and when I asked who they were, I was told
that one of them was of the highest distinction in the learned world,
and it was given me to believe that he was Aristotle. Who the other
was, was not stated. He was then let into the state in which he had
been when he lived in the world, for every one can easily be let into
the state of life which he had had in the world, since every state
of his life remains with him. I was surprised to find that he applied
himself to the right ear, and he spoke there, hoarsely, indeed, but
still sensibly. From the purport of what he said I apperceived that he
was of quite a different genius from those Schoolmen who first arose,
namely, that he hatched what he wrote from his own thought, and from
the same source produced his philosophical system, so that the terms
which he invented, and applied to subjects of thought, were forms of
expression by which he described interior things; also that he was
excited to such pursuits by a delight of the affection, and by a
desire of knowing the things that belonged to the thought and the
understanding; and that he followed obediently whatever his spirit
had dictated. This was the reason he applied himself to the right ear,
differently from his followers, who are called Schoolmen, and who do
not proceed from thought to terms, but from terms to thoughts, thus by
a contrary way; and many of them do not even proceed to thoughts, but
stick fast entirely in terms, their application of which, when they
make any, being to confirm whatever they want to, and to invest
falsities with an appearance of truth, according to their eagerness
to persuade. Consequently for them philosophy is rather a means of
becoming foolish than a means of becoming wise; and therefore they
have darkness instead of light. Afterwards, I conversed with him
on analytical science, saying that a little child, in half an hour,
speaks more philosophically, analytically, and logically, than he
could describe in a volume, because all things of human thought and
consequently of human speech are analytical, and the laws thereof are
from the spiritual world; and that he who wants to think artificially
from terms is not unlike a dancer who wants to learn to dance from
a knowledge of the motory fibres and muscles; if he were to keep
his mind (_animus_) fixed on that knowledge whilst dancing, he would
hardly be able to move a foot, and yet, without that knowledge, he
sets in action all the motory fibres that are scattered throughout the
whole of his body, and, in due measure, the lungs, diaphragm, sides,
arms, neck, and all the other parts, to describe all which volumes
would not suffice; and that the case is just like this with those who
want to think from terms. He approved of these observations, and
said, that if one learns to think in that way one proceeds in inverted
order: adding, that if any one wants to be foolish, he has only to
proceed in that way; and that one should constantly think of use, and
from what is interior. He next showed me what idea he had had of the
Supreme Deity. He had represented Him to himself as having a human
face, and encompassed about the head with a radiant circle; but he now
knew that the Lord is Himself that Man, and that the radiant circle is
the Divine [proceeding] from Him, which inflows not only into heaven
but also into the universe, disposing and ruling both. He added, that
He who disposes and rules heaven, disposes and rules the universe
also, because the one cannot be separated from the other. He also
said, that he believed in only one God, whose attributes and qualities
men distinguished by names as numerous as the gods they worshipped.
A woman appeared to me who stretched out her hand, desiring to stroke
his cheek. When I expressed my surprise at this, he said, that while
he was in the world such a woman had often appeared to him, and as it
were stroked his cheek, and that her hand was beautiful. The angelic
spirits said that such women sometimes appeared to the ancients, and
that they called them Pallases; and that the one who appeared to him
was from spirits who, when they lived as men in the ancient times,
were delighted with ideas and indulged in thoughts, but without
philosophy; and as such spirits were with him, and were delighted with
him because he thought from what is interior, they representatively
exhibited such a woman to his view. Lastly, he told me what idea he
had had concerning the soul or spirit of man, which he called Pneuma,
namely, that it was an invisible vital [principle], like something
of the ether. He said that he knew his spirit would live after death,
since it was his interior essence, which cannot die, because it can
think; and moreover that he could not think clearly concerning it,
but only obscurely, because he had not possessed any knowledge on the
subject except from himself, with a little also from the Ancients.
Aristotle, it may be remarked, is among sane spirits in the other
life, but many of his followers are among the foolish.
39. I once saw that some spirits of our Earth were with some spirits
of Mercury, and I heard them conversing with one another; and on this
occasion the spirits of our Earth asked them, among other things, in
whom they believed. They replied that they believed in God. But when
they inquired further concerning the God in whom they believed, they
would not say, since it is their custom not to give direct answers
to questions. Then the spirits from the earth Mercury, in their turn,
asked the spirits from our Earth in whom they believed. They said that
they believed in the Lord God. The spirits of Mercury then said they
perceived that they believed in no God, and that they had contracted
a habit of professing belief with the mouth when yet they do not
believe. (The spirits of Mercury have an exquisite perception, in
consequence of their continually exploring, by means of perception,
what others know.) The spirits of our Earth were of the number of
those who in the world had made profession of faith according to the
doctrine of the church, but still had not lived the life of faith;
and those who do not live the life of faith, in the other life have
no faith, because it is not in the man[r]. On hearing this they were
silent, because, by an apperception then given them, they acknowledged
that the case was so.
[Footnote r: They who make profession of faith from doctrine, and
do not live the life of faith, have no faith, nos. 3865, 7766, 7778,
7790, 7950, 8094. And their interiors are contrary to the truths of
faith, although in the world they do not know this, nos. 7790, 7950.]
40. Certain spirits knew from heaven that a promise had once been made
to the spirits of the earth Mercury, that they should see the Lord;
they were, therefore, asked by the spirits about me whether they
recollected that promise. They said that they did recollect it; but
that they did not know whether the promise had been made in such a
manner as to preclude all doubt respecting it. While they were thus
talking together, the Sun of heaven appeared to them. (The Sun of
heaven, which is the Lord, is seen only by those who are in the inmost
or third heaven; others see the light which proceeds from it.) On
seeing the Sun, they said that this was not the Lord God, because they
saw no face. Meanwhile the spirits were conversing with each other,
but I did not hear what they said. Suddenly, however, the Sun again
appeared, and in the midst of it the Lord, encompassed with a solar
circle: at this sight the spirits of Mercury humbled themselves
profoundly, and bowed down. At that time also, the Lord appeared out
of that Sun to certain spirits of our Earth, who, when they were men,
had seen Him in the world; and they, one after another, and thus many
in succession, confessed that it was the Lord Himself; and they made
this confession before the whole assembly. At the same time also the
Lord appeared out of the Sun to the spirits of the planet Jupiter, who
declared with a clear voice, that it was He Himself whom they had seen
on their earth when the God of the universe appeared to them[s].
[Footnote s: The Lord is the Sun of heaven, from which proceeds all
the light there, nos. 1053, 3636, 4060. And the Lord thus appears to
those who are in His celestial kingdom, where love to Him reigns, nos.
1521, 1529-1531, 1837, 4696. He appears at a middle height above the
plane of the right eye, nos. 4321, 7078. Therefore in the Word the sun
signifies the Lord as to the Divine Love, nos. 2495, 4060, 7083. The
sun of the world does not appear to spirits and angels, but in its
place as it were a dark something behind, opposite to the Sun of
heaven or to the Lord, no. 9755.]
41. After the Lord had appeared, some were led towards the front parts
to the right, and as they advanced, they said that they saw a light
much clearer and purer than they had ever seen before, and that a
greater light could not possibly be seen: and it was then the time of
evening here. Those who said this were many[t].
[Footnote t: In the heavens there is great light, which exceeds, by
many degrees, the noon-day light on earth, nos. 1117, 1521, 1533,
1619-1632, 4527, 5400, 8644. All light in the heavens is from the Lord
as the Sun there, nos. 1053, 1521, 3195, 3341, 3636, 3643, 4415, 9548,
9684, 10809. The Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Good of the
Lord's Divine Love appears in the heavens as light and constitutes all
the light there, nos. 3195, 3222, 5400, 8644, 9399, 9548, 9684. The
light of heaven illuminates both the sight and the understanding of
the angels, nos. 2776, 3138. Heaven being said to be in light and
heat, signifies in wisdom and in love, nos. 3643, 9399, 9401.]
42. It should be known that the sun of the world does not appear at
all to any spirit, nor does anything of the light from it. The light
of this sun is, to spirits and angels, like thick darkness. This sun
remains in the perception with spirits only from their having seen it
when they were in the world, and it is exhibited to them in idea as
an exceedingly dark something, and situated behind at a considerable
distance, at a little height above the plane of the head. The planets
which are within the system of this sun appear according to a fixed
situation in respect to the sun: Mercury appears behind, a little
towards the right; the planet Venus to the left, a little backwards;
the planet Mars to the left in front; the planet Jupiter likewise
to the left in front, but at a greater distance; the planet Saturn
directly in front, at a considerable distance; the Moon to the
left, at a moderate height: the satellites also appear to the left
relatively to their own planets. Such is the situation of these
planets in the ideas of spirits and angels. Spirits also appear near
their own planet, but apart from it. With regard to the spirits of
Mercury in particular, they do not appear in any particular quarter,
or at any particular distance, but they appear sometimes in front,
sometimes to the left, sometimes a little to the back; the reason is,
that they are allowed to wander through the universe for the purpose
of procuring knowledges.
43. Some spirits of Mercury once appeared to the left in a globe, and
afterwards in a compact body (_volumen_) extending itself lengthwise.
I wondered whither they were bent, whether to this or to some other
earth, and I soon observed that they turned towards the right, and,
rolling along, approached the earth or planet Venus towards the
quarter in front. But when they reached it, they said that they would
not remain there, because the inhabitants were evil; wherefore they
turned round to the back part of that earth, and then said they would
remain there, because the inhabitants of that part were good. While
this was taking place I was sensible of a remarkable change in the
brain, and of a powerful operation from it. From this it was given me
to conclude that the spirits of Venus who are from that part of the
planet, were in concord with the spirits of Mercury, and that they had
relation to the memory of material things which is in concord with
the memory of immaterial things, to which the spirits of Mercury have
relation; hence a more powerful operation was felt from them when they
were there.
44. I was desirous of knowing what kind of face and body the men
(_homines_) on the earth Mercury have, and whether they are like the
men (_homines_) on our Earth. There was then exhibited before my eyes
a woman exactly resembling those who are on that earth. Her face was
beautiful, but smaller than that of the women of our Earth; she was
also more slender in body, but of equal height: her head was covered
with some linen stuff, arranged without art but still in a becoming
manner. A man (_vir_) also was exhibited. He, too, was more slender in
body than the men (_viri_) of our Earth; he was clothed in a
garment of dark blue fitting closely to his body, without folds or
protuberances anywhere. Such, I was told, were the personal form and
clothing of the men (_homines_) of that earth. Afterwards there were
exhibited some kinds of their oxen and cows, which did not, indeed,
differ much from those on our Earth, except that they were smaller,
and approximated in some measure to the stag and hind species.
45. They were also questioned about the sun of the system, how it
appears from their earth. They said that it appeared large, and larger
there than from other earths; they said that they knew this from the
ideas of other spirits respecting the sun. They said further that they
enjoyed a middle temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. It was
then given me to tell them, that it has been so provided for them by
the Lord, in order that they might not be exposed to excessive heat
from the circumstance of their earth being in greater proximity to the
sun than the other earths, since heat does not arise from nearness to
the sun, but from the height and density of the aerial atmosphere, as
is evident from the cold on high mountains even in hot climates; also,
that heat is varied according to the direct or oblique incidence of
the sun's rays, as is evident from the seasons of winter and summer in
every region. These are the particulars which it has been given me to
know respecting the spirits and inhabitants of the earth Mercury.
THE EARTH OR PLANET JUPITER, AND ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS.
46. It has been given me to have longer intercourse with the spirits
and angels of the planet Jupiter than with the spirits and angels
from the other planets; and I can therefore relate more particulars
respecting their state of life and respecting that of the inhabitants
of that planet. That those spirits were from that planet, was evident
from many circumstances, and was also declared from heaven.
47. The earth or planet Jupiter itself does not indeed appear to
spirits and angels: for in the spiritual world no earth is ever
visible to any one, but only the spirits and angels who are from it.
Those who are from the planet Jupiter appear in front to the left, at
some little distance, and this constantly (see above, no. 42): there
also the planet is. The spirits of every earth are near their own
earth, because they are from its inhabitants (for every man after
death becomes a spirit), and because they are thus of a similar
genius, and can be with the inhabitants and be of service to them.
48. They related that in the region of their earth where they had
lived when in the world, the multitude of human beings was as great
as the earth could support; that it was fertile, and abounded in all
things; that the inhabitants desired no more than sufficed for the
necessities of life, and that what was not necessary they did not
regard as useful; and that therefore the multitude of human beings
was so great. They said that their principal care was the education of
their children, and that they loved them most tenderly.
49. They further related that on their earth they are distinguished
into clans, families, and households, and that all live together with
their own, separate from the others, and that therefore their habitual
intercourse is confined to their kindred: also that no one ever
desires another's goods; nor does it ever enter the mind (_animus_) of
any one to covet any of the goods of another, much less to obtain them
by any artifice, and still less to attack and plunder them; this they
consider a crime contrary to human nature, and horrible. When I wanted
to tell them that on this Earth there were wars, depredations, and
murders, they turned away, and refused to hear. It has been told me by
the angels that the Most Ancient inhabitants of our Earth dwelt in the
same manner, that is to say, distinguished into clans, families, and
households, and that all in those times were content with their own
goods; and that it was an entirely unknown thing for one to enrich
himself with the goods of others, or to assume dominion from the love
of self; and that on this account the Ancient, and especially the Most
Ancient times, were more acceptable to the Lord than those which have
succeeded them; and that, as their state was such, innocence then
reigned, and, together with innocence, wisdom; that every one then did
what was good for the sake of good, and what was just for the sake of
justice; that they did not know what it was to do what was good and
just with a view to their own honour, or for the sake of gain; and
that in those times they spoke nothing but what was true, and this not
so much from truth as from good, that is, not from the Intellectual
separate [from the Voluntary], but from the Voluntary conjoined with
the Intellectual. Such were the Ancient times. Angels then could
therefore have habitual intercourse with men, and carry their minds,
almost separated from corporeal things, into heaven, and could even
lead them about there, and show them the magnificent and goodly
things there, and also communicate to them their own happinesses and
delights. These times were also known to ancient writers, who called
them the Golden, and likewise the Saturnian times. The reason why
these times were such was, as has been stated, that men then lived
distinguished into clans, clans into families, and families into
households, and every household dwelt by itself; and that it then
never entered into any one's mind (_mens_) to seize upon another's
inheritance, and thus acquire for himself opulence and dominion: the
love of self and the love of the world were then far away; every one
rejoiced in his own, and not less in another's good. But in the course
of time this scene was changed and totally reversed, when the lust
of exercising dominion and of possessing many things invaded the
mind (_animus_). Then the human race, for the sake of self-defence,
gathered themselves into kingdoms and empires; and because the laws
of charity and conscience, which had been inscribed upon the heart,
ceased to operate, it became necessary, in order to restrain deeds of
violence, to enact [external] laws, of which the rewards were honours
and gain, and the punishments were the deprivation thereof. When the
state was thus changed, heaven itself became removed from man, and
this more and more even to the present ages, when the very existence
of heaven and hell is unknown, yea, is even denied by some. These
statements have been made in order to show clearly by the parallel,
what is the state of those who are on the earth Jupiter, and whence
they have their goodness of disposition and also their wisdom, of
which more will be said in the following pages.
50. By long-continued intercourse with the spirits of the earth
Jupiter, it became manifest to me that they were better disposed than
the spirits of many other earths. Their approach when they came to me,
their stay with me, and their influx at the time, were so gentle and
sweet as to be inexpressible. In the other life the quality of every
spirit manifests itself by an influx, which is the communication of
his affection. Goodness of disposition manifests itself by gentleness
and sweetness; by gentleness, because it is afraid to hurt, and by
sweetness, because it loves to do good. I could distinguish very
clearly between the gentleness and sweetness of the influx proceeding
from the good spirits of our Earth, and the gentleness and sweetness
of the influx from the spirits of Jupiter. They said that when any
slight disagreement arises among them, there appears as it were a thin
dazzling white ray of light, like that of ordinary lightning or like
the little swath which encompasses glittering and wandering stars; but
the disagreement among them is soon adjusted. Glittering stars, which
are at the same time wandering signify what is false; but glittering
and fixed stars signify what is true; thus the former signify
disagreement.[u]
[Footnote u: Stars in the Word signify the knowledges of good and
truth, consequently truths, nos. 2495, 2849, 4697. And in the other
life truths are represented by fixed stars, but falsities by wandering
stars, no. 1128.]
51. I could distinguish the presence of the spirits of Jupiter, not
only by the gentleness and sweetness of their approach and influx,
but also by this circumstance, that their influx was for the most
part into the face, which they rendered cheerful and smiling, and this
continually as long as they were present. They said that they in the
same way dispose the faces of the inhabitants of their earth,
when they come to them, being desirous thus to inspire them with
tranquillity and delightsomeness of heart. The tranquillity and
delightsomeness with which they inspired me, sensibly filled my breast
and heart: at the same time the longings and anxieties about the
future, which cause disquiet and wretchedness, and agitate the mind
with various passions, were removed. From this it could be made
apparent to me what was the character of the life of the inhabitants
of the earth Jupiter; for the inborn disposition of the inhabitants is
known from the spirits, since every one carries his own life with him
from the world, and lives it when he becomes a spirit. It was observed
that they had a state of still more interior blessedness or happiness.
This was observed by its being perceived that their interiors were not
closed, but open to heaven; for the more open to heaven the interiors
are, the more capable are they of receiving Divine good, and with it
blessedness and interior happiness. It is quite otherwise with those
who do not live in the order of heaven; with them the interiors are
closed, and the exteriors are open to the world.
52. It was also shown me what kind of faces the inhabitants of the
earth Jupiter have; not that I saw the inhabitants themselves but
spirits with faces similar to those they had when they dwelt on their
earth. But before this was shown me, one of their angels appeared
behind a bright white cloud, and gave permission. Two faces were then
shown. They were like the faces of the men of our Earth, fair and
beautiful; sincerity and modesty shone forth from them. When the
spirits of Jupiter were with me, the faces of the men of our Earth
appeared smaller than usual: this was owing to the circumstance that
there inflowed from those spirits the idea they had that their own
faces were larger. For when they live as men on their earth they
believe that after their decease their faces will be larger, and round
in form; and this idea, being impressed upon them, remains; and when
they become spirits, they appear to themselves to have larger faces.
The reason why they believe that their faces will be larger is that
they say the face is not the body, because they see, hear, speak,
and manifest their thoughts by means of it, and because the mind thus
shines through it; hence they have an idea of the face as the mind in
form. And as they know that they will become wiser after their life in
the world, they believe that the form of the mind, that is, the face,
will become larger. They also believe that after their decease they
shall perceive a fire which will communicate warmth to their faces.
This belief arises from a knowledge possessed by the wiser amongst
them that fire, in the spiritual sense, signifies love, that love is
the fire of life, and that from that fire the angels have life[x].
Such of them as have lived in heavenly love also have their wish
gratified, and feel their face grow warm, and then the interiors of
their minds are kindled with love. For this reason the inhabitants of
that earth frequently wash and clean their face, and also carefully
protect it from the sun's heat. They have a covering made of the inner
or outer bark of a tree, which is of a bluish colour, and with this
they encircle the head, and thus protect the face. With respect to the
faces of the men of our Earth, which they saw through my eyes[y], they
said that they were not beautiful, and that such beauty as they had
consisted in the outward skin, but not in the fibres from within. They
were surprised to see that the faces of some were covered with warts
and pustules, or otherwise disfigured, and said that no such faces
are ever to be seen among them. Yet there were some faces that pleased
them, such, namely, as were cheerful and smiling, and such as were
slightly prominent about the lips.
[Footnote x: Fire in the Word signifies love in both senses, nos.
934, 4906, 5215. Sacred and heavenly fire is Divine love and every
affection which is of that love, nos. 934, 6314, 6832. Infernal
fire is the love of self and of the world, and every concupiscence
belonging to those loves, nos. 934, 1861, 5071, 6314, 6832, 7575,
10747. Love is the fire of life, and life itself is actually derived
from that fire, nos. 4906, 5071, 6832.]
[Footnote y: Spirits and angels do not see the things that are in this
solar world but they saw through my eyes, no. 1881.]
53. The reason they were pleased with the faces that were prominent
about the lips was, that their speech is effected mostly by means of
the face, especially by the part about the lips, and also because they
never counterfeit, that is, never speak otherwise than they think, so
that they do not constrain their face, but give it free play. It is
otherwise with those who from childhood have learned to counterfeit:
with these the face is, in consequence, constrained from within, lest
anything of the thought should shine forth from it; nor has it free
play from without, but is kept in readiness to relax or constrain
itself, as cunning may dictate. The truth (_veritas_) of this may
appear from an examination of the fibres of the lips and surrounding
parts, for the series of the fibres there are manifold, complicated,
and interwoven, having been created, not only for mastication
and verbal speech, but also for expressing the ideas of the mind
(_animus_).
54. It was also shown me how the thoughts are expressed by means of
the face. The affections which belong to the love are manifested by
means of the countenance and its changes, and the thoughts therein by
variations as to the forms of the interiors there: it is impossible to
describe them further. The inhabitants of the earth Jupiter have also
verbal speech, but not so loud as with us. The one speech aids the
other, and life is insinuated into the verbal speech by the speech
of the face. I have been informed by the angels that the very first
speech in every earth was speech by the face, and from two origins
there, the lips and the eyes. The reason this kind of speech was the
first is, that the face was formed to effigy forth whatever a man
thinks and wills; in consequence of which the face is also called the
effigy and index of the mind (_animus_). Another reason is, that in
the Most Ancient or primeval times sincerity prevailed, and no one
cherished or wanted to cherish a thought which he was not willing
should shine forth out of his face. In this way, also, the affections
of the mind (_animus_), and the thoughts from them, could be exhibited
to the life and in fulness; thus also they even appeared to the eye
as very many things together in a form. This speech was therefore as
superior to the speech of words as sight is to hearing, that is, as
the sight of a landscape surpasses hearing about it and forming an
idea of it from the verbal description. They added, that such speech
was in agreement with the speech of the angels, with whom men in those
times also had communication; also, that when the face speaks, that
is, the mind through the face, angelic speech is with the man in its
ultimate natural form, which is not the case when the mouth speaks by
words. Every one can also comprehend that verbal speech could not have
been used by the Most Ancient people, since the words of a language
are not imparted immediately, but have to be invented and applied to
objects; which it requires a course of time to effect[z]. So long as
sincerity and rectitude prevailed among men, such speech continued;
but as soon as the mind began to think one thing and speak another,
which was the case when man began to love himself and not the
neighbour, verbal speech began to increase, the face being either
silent or deceitful. Hence the internal form of the face was changed,
became contracted, and hardened, and began to become almost devoid
of life; while the external form, inflamed by the fire of the love of
self, appeared before the eyes of men as if alive; for this absence of
life, which is underneath, does not appear before the eyes of men,
but it appears before the eyes of the angels, since the angels see
interior things. Such are the faces of those who think one thing and
speak another; for simulation, hypocrisy, cunning, and deceit, which
constitute modern prudence, produce such effects. But the case is
different in the other life: there, no one is allowed to speak one way
and think another. There, also, the variance is clearly perceived in
each single expression, and when it is perceived, the spirit in whom
there is such variance is expelled from society, and punished. He is
afterwards by various methods brought to speak as he thinks, and to
think as he wills, until his mind is one, and not divided. If he is
good, he is brought to will good, and to think and speak the truth
from good; and if he is evil, he is brought to will evil, and to think
and speak falsity from evil. Until this is effected, a good spirit is
not raised into heaven, nor an evil one cast into hell: and the object
of this is, that in hell there may be nothing but evil and the falsity
of evil, and in heaven nothing but good and the truth of good.
[Footnote z: The Most Ancient people on this Earth spoke by the face
and lips by means of internal respiration, nos. 607, 1118, 7361. The
inhabitants of some other earths have a similar speech, nos. 4799,
7359, 8248, 10587. Concerning the perfection and excellence of that
speech, nos. 7360, 10587, 10708.]
55. The spirits who were from that earth informed me about various
other particulars relating to its inhabitants, as, about their gait,
their food, and their dwellings. With respect to their gait, they do
not walk erect like the inhabitants of this and of many other earths,
nor do they creep like animals, but as they advance they assist
themselves with their hands, and alternately half raise themselves
on their feet, and at every third step they face about sideways and
behind them, and at the same time also bend the body a little, which
is done quickly; for among them it is [considered] unbecoming to be
looked at by others except in the face. While walking in this manner
they always keep the face raised as we do, so that they may look at
the heaven as well as at the earth. They do not hold it down so as to
look at the earth; this they call accursed. The basest among them
do so; but if they do not get accustomed to raise the face, they are
expelled from their society. When, however, they sit, they appear,
like the men of our Earth, erect as to the upper part of the body, but
they sit with the feet crossed. They are extremely cautious, not only
when they walk, but also when they sit, not to be seen behind, but
in the face. They also gladly desire that their face should be seen,
because their mind appears from it, for they never show a face at
variance with the mind, nor have they the power to do so. Those who
are present, therefore, see clearly what is their disposition towards
them--which indeed they do not conceal--especially whether their
apparent friendliness is sincere or forced. These facts were made
known to me by their spirits, and confirmed by their angels. For the
above reason also, their spirits are seen, not like others, to walk
erect; but almost like swimmers, to assist their progress with their
hands, and by turns to look around.
56. Those who live in their hot climates go naked, except for a
covering about the loins; nor are they ashamed of their nakedness for
their minds are chaste, and they love their own consorts only, and
abhor adulteries. They were greatly surprised that the spirits of our
Earth, on hearing of their manner of walking and of their being naked,
should deride and think lasciviously, without in the least attending
to their heavenly life, but only to such details. They said that this
was a sign that they cared more for bodily and earthly things than for
heavenly things, and that indecent thoughts occupied their minds. They
were told that nakedness is no occasion either of shame or scandal to
those who live in chastity, and in a state of innocence, but that it
is to those who live in lasciviousness and immodesty.
57. When the inhabitants of that earth lie in bed, they turn their
faces forwards or into the chamber, but not backwards or towards the
wall. This was told me by their spirits, who said that the cause was
that they believe that they thus turn their face to the Lord, but that
if they turn it backwards they turn it away from Him. The like has
sometimes happened to myself when in bed, but I had not previously
been aware of its origin.
58. They take pleasure in prolonging their repasts, not so much from
delight in feeding as from delight in conversing then. When they sit
at table, they do not sit on chairs or benches, nor on raised seats of
turf, nor on the grass, but on the leaves of a particular tree. They
were not willing to say of what tree the leaves were; but when I
guessed at several, they at last assented when I named the fig tree.
They informed me besides, that they do not prepare their food to
please the palate, but chiefly for the sake of use; they added that to
them the food which is wholesome is savoury. A conversation took place
on this subject among the spirits, and it was urged that it would be
well for man to observe this rule, for thus he would ensure having a
sound mind in a sound body. It is otherwise with those with whom the
taste rules: the body hence becomes diseased, at least it becomes
inwardly feeble, consequently so does the mind; for the mind comports
itself according to the interior state of the recipient parts of the
body, as sight and hearing do according to the state of the eye and
ear; hence the folly of placing all the delight of life in luxury
and pleasure; from this too comes dulness in such things as belong to
thought and judgment, and acuteness in such as belong to the body and
the world. By this man acquires the likeness of a brute animal, with
which indeed such persons not inappropriately compare themselves.
59. Their dwellings were also shown me. They are lowly dwellings
constructed of wood; but within they are lined with bark or cork of a
pale blue colour, and the walls and ceiling are spotted as with stars,
to represent the heaven; for they are fond of picturing the visible
heaven with its constellations in the interiors of their houses, the
reason being that they believe the constellations to be the abodes
of the angels. They have tents also, which are rounded off above
and extended in length, spotted likewise within with stars on a blue
ground. They retire into these in the day-time, to prevent their
faces suffering from the heat of the sun. They bestow much care on
the fashioning of these tents of theirs, and on keeping them clean. In
them they also take their repasts.
60. The horses of our Earth, when seen by the spirits of Jupiter,
appeared to me smaller than usual, although they were pretty robust
and tall; which appearance arose from the idea those spirits had
concerning the horses on that earth. They informed me that among them
there are also horses like ours, though much larger, but that they
are wild or in the woods, and that when they come in sight they strike
terror into them, although they are quite harmless; they added that
their fear of them is innate or natural. This gave me occasion to
think of the cause of that fear. For in the spiritual sense, a horse
signifies the Intellectual formed from scientifics[aa]; and as they
are afraid of cultivating the Intellectual by worldly sciences, from
this comes an influx of fear. That they do not care for scientifics,
which are of human erudition, will be seen in the following pages.
[Footnote aa: The horse signifies the Intellectual, nos. 2760-2762,
3217, 5321, 6125, 6400, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148. And the "White Horse"
in the Apocalypse denotes the understanding of the Word, no. 2760.]
61. The spirits of that earth are not inclined to associate with the
spirits of our Earth, because they differ in disposition and manners.
They say that the spirits of our Earth are cunning, and are quick
and clever in the contrivance of evils, and that they know and think
little about what is good. Moreover, the spirits of the earth Jupiter
are much wiser than the spirits of our Earth; they also say of ours
that they talk much and think little, and that therefore they cannot
interiorly perceive many things, and that they cannot even perceive
what good is. They conclude from this that the men of our Earth are
external men. It was also once permitted the evil spirits of our Earth
to act by their wicked arts, and to infest the spirits of Jupiter who
were with me. The latter endured them for a very long time, but
at length confessed that they could do so no longer, and that
they believed that there could not be worse spirits, since they so
perverted their imagination, and also their thought, that they seemed
to themselves as it were bound, and incapable of being extricated from
this bondage, and set at liberty, except by Divine aid. While I read
from the Word some passages on the subject of our Saviour's Passion,
some European spirits uttered dreadful scandals, with the intention
of seducing the spirits of Jupiter. Inquiry being made as to who
they were, and what their profession in the world had been, it was
ascertained that some of them had been preachers, and many of them
were of those who call themselves Members of the Society of the Lord,
or Jesuits. I remarked that these, during their life in the world, by
their preachings on the subject of the Lord's Passion, had been able
to move the common people to tears. I also added the cause, that in
the world they had thought one way and spoken another, thus that they
had entertained one sentiment in their hearts and professed another
with their lips; but that now they are not allowed to speak thus
deceitfully, for, on becoming spirits, they are compelled to speak
exactly as they think. The spirits of Jupiter were exceedingly
astonished that there could be such a variance between the interiors
and exteriors belonging to a man, that is to say, that it should be
possible to speak one way and think quite another way, which would
be impossible for them. They were surprised to hear that many who
are from our Earth even become angels, and that they are of quite a
different heart. They had supposed that all on our Earth were like
those [evil ones who were then present], but they were told that many
are not of this character, and that there are also some who think from
good, and not, like these, from evil, and that those who think from
good become angels. In order that they might know that this was the
case, there came from the heaven of angels from our Earth choirs, one
after another, who glorified the Lord together with one voice, and
with harmony[bb]. These choirs affected the spirits of Jupiter
who were with me, with such intense delight, that they seemed to
themselves as it were caught up into heaven. This glorification by the
choirs lasted about one hour. The delights which they experienced from
this were communicated to me, and I was enabled to feel them sensibly.
They said they would relate this occurrence to those of them who were
elsewhere.
[Footnote bb: It is called a choir when many spirits speak at once
and unanimously, concerning which see nos. 2595, 2596, 3350. In their
speech there is harmony, concerning which see nos. 1648, 1649. By
means of choirs in the other life an inauguration into unanimity is
effected, no. 5182.]
62. The inhabitants of the earth Jupiter place wisdom in thinking well
and justly on all things that occur in life. This wisdom they imbibe
from their parents from childhood, and it is successively transmitted
to posterity, and goes on increasing from the love they have for it
as existing with their parents. Of the sciences, such as exist on our
Earth, they know nothing whatever, nor have they any desire to know.
They call them shades, and compare them to clouds which come between
[the earth and] the sun. They were led into this idea concerning
the sciences by the conduct of some who had come from our Earth,
who boasted in their presence that they were wise by reason of the
sciences. The spirits from our Earth, who thus boasted, were such as
placed wisdom in such things as are matters of the memory only, as in
languages, especially the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, in the noteworthy
publications of the learned world, in criticism, in bare experimental
facts, and in terms, especially philosophical ones, and other similar
things, not using them as means for becoming wise, but making wisdom
to consist in those very things. Such persons, in consequence of not
having cultivated their rational faculty by the sciences as means, in
the other life have little perception, for they see only in terms and
from terms, and, for those who see in this way, those things are as
little formless masses, and as clouds before the intellectual sight
(see above, no. 38); and those who have been conceited of their
learning from this source perceive still less. But those who have used
the sciences as means of invalidating and annihilating the things
that belong to the church and to faith, have entirely destroyed their
Intellectual, and see in the dark like owls, seeing falsity for truth
and evil for good. The spirits of Jupiter, from intercourse with such
persons, concluded that the sciences occasion shade and blindness; it
was told them, however, that on this Earth the sciences are means of
opening the intellectual sight, which is in the light of heaven; but
because of the dominion of such things as belong to merely natural
and sensual life, the sciences, to those [who are such], are means of
becoming insane, that is to say, of confirming themselves in favour of
Nature against the Divine, and in favour of the world against heaven.
The sciences, they were further informed, are in themselves spiritual
riches, and those who possess them are like those who possess worldly
riches, which likewise are means of performing uses to oneself, one's
neighbour, and one's country, and are also means of doing evil
to them. They are, moreover, like dress, which serves for use and
adornment and also for gratifying pride, as with those who would
be held in honour for that alone. The spirits of the earth Jupiter
understood this perfectly; but they were surprised that, being men,
they should stand still in the means, and prefer to wisdom itself such
things as only lead to it; and that they did not see, that to immerse
the mind in these, and not raise it above them, is to becloud and
blind it.
63. A certain spirit ascending from the lower earth came to me, and
said that he had heard the things that I had spoken to the other
spirits, but did not understand anything of what had been said about
spiritual life and its light. Being asked whether he desired to be
instructed on the subject, he answered that he had not come with that
intention, from which I could conclude that such subjects did not come
within his comprehension. He was exceedingly stupid. It was stated by
the angels that, when he lived a man in the world, he had been among
the most celebrated for his learning. He was cold, as was sensibly
felt from his breath; which was a sign that he had no spiritual, but
merely natural light (_lumen_); consequently that by means of the
sciences he had not opened but closed up for himself the way to the
light (_lux_) of heaven.
64. As the inhabitants of the earth Jupiter acquire intelligence
for themselves by a different way from that followed by those of our
Earth, and as, besides, they are of a different natural disposition
in consequence of their life, they cannot be together long, but either
shun them or remove them. There are spheres, which are to be called
spiritual spheres, which continually emanate, nay, pour forth, from
every spirit; they flow from the activity of the affections and
the consequent thoughts, consequently from the very life[cc]. All
consociations in the other life take place according to the spheres;
things that are in agreement are conjoined according to the agreement,
and things that disagree are removed according to the disagreement.
The spirits and angels who are from the earth Jupiter have relation,
in the Grand Man, to the IMAGINATIVE [PART] OF THOUGHT, and thus to
an active state of the interior parts; while the spirits of our Earth
have relation to the various functions of the exterior parts of
the body, and when these desire to have the dominion, the active or
imaginative [part] of thought from the interior cannot flow in. Hence
the oppositions between the spheres of the life of the two.
[Footnote cc: A spiritual sphere, which is the sphere of the life,
flows forth and pours forth from every man, spirit, and angel, and
encompasses them about, nos. 4464, 5179, 7454. It flows forth from the
life of their affection and consequent thought, nos. 2489, 4464, 6206.
In the other life consociations are effected according to the spheres,
and so also are dissociations, nos. 6206, 9606, 9607, 10312.]
65. With respect to their Divine worship, its principal feature is
that they acknowledge our Lord as the Supreme Being who governs
heaven and earth. Him they call the One only Lord; and because they
acknowledge and worship Him during their life in the body, they seek
Him after death, and find Him: He is the same with our Lord. Being
questioned whether they knew that the One only Lord is Man, they
replied that they all know that He is Man, because in their earth He
has been seen by many as a Man; and that He instructs them concerning
the truth (_veritas_), preserves them, and gives eternal life to those
who worship Him from good. They said further, that it is revealed to
them by Him how they ought to live, and how they ought to believe; and
that what is revealed is handed on by the parents to the children, and
thus the doctrine spreads to all the families, and thus to the whole
clan that is descended from one father. They added, that it seems to
them as if they had the doctrine written on their minds; which they
conclude from the circumstance, that they instantly perceive and
acknowledge as of themselves, whether what others say concerning the
life of heaven with man is true or not. They do not know that their
One only Lord was born a man on our Earth; they said that it does not
concern them to know this, but only to know that He is Very Man, and
governs the universe. When I said that on our Earth He is named the
Christ Jesus, and that the Christ signifies the anointed or the king,
and Jesus, the Saviour, they said that they do not worship Him as
a king, because kingship savours of what is worldly, but that they
worship Him as the Saviour. The spirits of our Earth having injected
a doubt whether their One only Lord was the same with our Lord, they
removed it by recollecting that they had seen Him in the sun, and had
acknowledged that it was He Himself whom they had seen on their earth
(see above, no. 40). Once also there inflowed with the spirits of
Jupiter who were with me, a momentary doubt whether their One only
Lord was the same as our Lord; but this doubt, which inflowed in a
moment, was also dispelled in a moment; (it had inflowed from some
spirits from our Earth;) and then, what surprised me, they so blushed
with shame for having doubted on this point, though but for a moment,
that they told me not to make it public, lest on account of it they
should be charged with any incredulity, when yet they now knew it more
than others. These spirits were greatly affected and rejoiced when
they heard it declared that the One only Lord is the only Man, and
that all derive from Him what entitles them to be called men, and,
indeed, that they are only so far men as they are images of Him, that
is, so far as they love Him and the neighbour, consequently so far
as they are in good; for the good of love and of faith is the Lord's
image.
66. There were some spirits of the earth Jupiter with me while I was
reading the seventeenth chapter of John, relating to the Lord's love
and His glorification. On hearing the things that are written there,
a holy influence filled them, and they acknowledged that all things
therein were Divine. But then some spirits of our Earth, who were
infidels, kept insinuating scandals, saying that the Lord was born an
infant, lived a man, appeared like another man, and was crucified
and other like things: but the spirits of the earth Jupiter paid no
attention to those things. They said that such are their devils,
whom they abhor; adding, that in their minds there abides absolutely
nothing that is heavenly, but only what is earthly, which they called
dross. They said that they had also ascertained this to be the case
from the fact, that when they heard that on that earth they go naked,
obscenity instantly occupied their thoughts, and that they gave no
thought at all to their heavenly life, of which they also heard at the
same time.
67. In how clear a perception on spiritual subjects the spirits of
Jupiter are, was made evident to me from their representation of how
the Lord converts depraved affections into good ones. They represented
the intellectual mind as a beautiful form, and imparted to it the
activity of a form fit for the life of affection. This they did in a
manner which cannot be described in words, and so skilfully that they
were highly commended by the angels. There were present at the time
some of the learned from our Earth, who had immersed the Intellectual
in terms belonging to scientifics, and had written and thought much
about form, substance, the material and the immaterial, and the like,
without applying them to any use; these could not even comprehend that
representation.
68. On their earth the greatest care is taken to prevent any one
falling into wrong opinions respecting the One only Lord; and if they
observe that any begin to think wrongly respecting Him, they
first admonish them, then deter them by threats, and at length by
punishments. They said they had observed, that any family, into which
any such thing had crept, is removed from amongst them, not by the
punishment of death inflicted by their fellow-men, but by spirits
depriving them of respiration and consequently of life, after first
threatening them with death. For in that earth spirits speak with the
inhabitants and chastise them if they have done evil, and also if they
have intended to do evil; of which more will be said in subsequent
pages. Therefore, if they think ill concerning the One only Lord, and
do not repent, they are threatened with death. In this way the worship
of the Lord, who to them is the Supreme Divine, is preserved on that
earth.
69. They stated that they have no holy days, but that every morning at
sunrise, and every evening at sunset, they perform holy worship to the
One only Lord in their tents; and that they also, after their manner,
sing sacred songs.
70. I was further informed that in that earth there are some who call
themselves Saints, and who, under penalty of punishment in case of
disobedience, command their servants, of whom they have great numbers,
to address them as lords. They also forbid them to adore the Lord of
the universe, saying that they themselves are mediatory lords, and
that they will convey their supplications to the Lord of the universe.
The Lord of the universe, who is our Lord, they do not call the One
only Lord, as all the others do, but the Supreme Lord, for the reason
that they call themselves lords. They call the sun of the world the
face of the Supreme Lord, and believe that He has His abode there;
wherefore they also adore the sun. The other inhabitants hold them
in aversion, and are unwilling to have intercourse with them, both
because they adore the sun, and because they call themselves lords,
and are worshipped by their servants as mediatory gods. Their
head-dress was shown me by spirits: it was a high crowned hat of a
dark colour. In the other life such appear to the left at some height,
where they sit like idols, and at first are worshipped by the servants
who had formerly been with them; but these, too, afterwards hold them
in derision. What surprised me, their faces there shine as from fire:
this arises from their having believed themselves to be saints; yet,
notwithstanding this fiery appearance of their faces, they are cold,
and intensely desire to become warm. From this it is evident that the
fire from which they shine is the fire of the love of self, and an
_ignis fatuus_. In order to acquire warmth they seem to themselves
to cut wood, and while cutting, under the wood appears something of a
man, whom at the same time they try to strike. This arises from their
attributing merit and holiness to themselves: those who do this in
the world, in the other life seem to themselves to cut wood, as was
likewise the case with some from our Earth, who have been spoken of
elsewhere. To illustrate this subject, I may here adduce my experience
concerning these:[A] "In the lower earth, under the soles of the feet,
are also those who have placed merit in good acts and works. Many of
them appear to themselves to cut wood. The place where they are is
very cold, and they seem to themselves to acquire warmth by their
labour. With these also I have spoken, and it was given me to ask them
whether they had any desire to get out of that place: to this they
replied, that they had not as yet merited it by their labour. But when
this state has been accomplished they are taken out from thence.
These [spirits] are natural, because wishing to merit salvation is not
spiritual, for it comes from the proprium and not from the Lord; and
besides, they prefer themselves to others, and some of them despise
others; and if they do not receive more joy than others in the other
life, they are indignant against the Lord; wherefore when they are
cutting wood, it appears as if something of the Lord were under the
wood. This arises from their indignation."[dd]
[Footnote A: _Arcana_, no. 4943. See also nos. 1110, 8740.--TR.]
[Footnote dd: Merit and righteousness belong to the Lord alone, nos.
9715, 9975, 9979, 9981, 9982. Those who place merit in works, or want
to merit heaven by the good deeds which they do, in the other life
want to be served, and are never contented, no. 6393. They despise
their neighbour, and are angry with the Lord Himself if they do not
receive reward, no. 9976. What their lot in the other life is, nos.
942, 1774, 1877, 2027. They are of those who in the lower earth appear
to cut wood, nos. 1110, 4943.]
71. It is common on that earth for spirits to speak with the
inhabitants, and to instruct them, and also to chastise them if they
have done evil. As many particulars on this subject have been related
to me by their angels, I will recount them in their order. The reason
that spirits there speak with men is, that they think much about
heaven and the life after death, and are comparatively little
solicitous about the life of the world; for they know that they shall
live after their decease, and in a happy state according to the state
of their internal man that has been formed in the world. Speaking with
spirits and angels was common on our Earth also in ancient times, and
for the same reason, namely, that they thought [much] of heaven and
little of the world. But in course of time that living communication
with heaven was closed, in proportion as man, from being internal,
became external, or, what is the same, as he began to think much about
the world and little about heaven, and especially when he ceased to
believe in the existence of heaven and hell, or in the existence in
himself of a spirit-man that lives after death. For at this day it
is believed that the body lives from itself and not from its spirit;
wherefore unless man now cherished the belief that he is to rise again
with his body, he would have no belief in the resurrection.
72. With reference specially to the presence of spirits with the
inhabitants of the earth Jupiter, there are spirits who chastise,
spirits who instruct, and spirits who govern them. The spirits who
chastise apply themselves to the left side, and incline themselves
towards the back; and when there, they draw out of the man's memory
all the things that he has done or thought: this is easy for spirits
to do, for when they come to a man they enter into all his memory[j].
If they find he has done evil, or has thought evil, they reprove him,
and also chastise him with pain in the joints of his feet or hands,
or with pain about the region of the belly; this, too, spirits can do
skilfully when it is permitted. When such spirits come to a man, they
inspire him with a horror accompanied by fear, by which the man is
made aware of their coming. Fear may be excited in any person by evil
spirits on their approach, especially by those who, during their life
in the world, had been robbers. In order that I might know how
these spirits act when they come to a man of their own earth, it was
permitted that such a spirit should approach me. When he was near,
horror accompanied by fear manifestly seized hold of me; yet it was
not inwardly that I shuddered, but outwardly, because I knew it was a
spirit of such a character. He also came in sight, and he appeared as
a dark cloud, in which were wandering stars; wandering stars signify
falsities, but fixed stars signify truths. He applied himself to my
left side towards the back; and he also began to reprove me for deeds
and thoughts which he drew out of my memory, and on which he put
a wrong construction; but he was checked by the angels. When he
apperceived that he was with one who was not a man of his own earth,
he began to speak to me, saying, that when he comes to a man, he
knows all things in general and particular that the man has done and
thought, and that he severely reproves him, and also chastises him
with various pains. At yet another time such a chastising spirit came
to me, and applied himself to my left side below the middle of the
body, as the former spirit had done; he also wanted to punish me;
but he, too, was restrained by the angels. He showed me, however, the
kinds of punishments which they are permitted to inflict on the men
of their earth, if they do evil, or harbour the intention of doing
it. These were, besides the pain of the joints, a painful contraction
about the middle of the belly, which is felt like compression by a
tight belt; a deprivation of respiration at times even to suffocation;
also a prohibition to eat anything but bread for a time; and, lastly,
the threat of death, if they do not discontinue doing such things,
with the deprivation, at the same time, of conjugial, parental, and
social joy; grief on this account is then also insinuated.
73. The spirits who instruct also apply themselves to their left side,
but more in front. They, too, reprove, but mildly, and then teach
them how they ought to live. They also appear dark, yet not, like the
former, as clouds, but as if clothed with sackcloth. These are
called Instructors, but the former, Chastisers When these spirits are
present, angelic spirits are also present, sitting at the head, which
they fill in a peculiar manner: their presence there is also perceived
as a gentle breathing, for they fear lest their approach and influx
should cause man to perceive the least pain or anxiety. They govern
both the chastising and the instructing spirits; the chastisers, lest
they treat the man more hardly than is permitted by the Lord, and
the instructors, that they may teach the truth. While the chastising
spirit was with me, angelic spirits were also present, and kept my
face continually cheerful and smiling, the region about the lips
prominent, and my mouth slightly open. This the angels easily effect
by means of influx, when the Lord permits. They said that they induce
such a countenance on the inhabitants of their earth, when they are
present with them.
74. If a man, after chastisement and instruction, again does evil, or
thinks to do evil, and does not restrain himself in accordance
with the precepts of truth, he is more severely punished when the
chastising spirit returns; but the angelic spirits moderate the
punishment according to the intention in the deeds, and the will in
the thoughts. From these facts it may appear, that their angels who
sit at the head have a kind of judicial power over man, since they
permit, moderate, restrain, and influence. It was said, however, that
it is not they who judge, but that the Lord alone is Judge, and that
all things which they enjoin on the chastising and instructing spirits
inflow into them from Him, and that it appears as if it were from
them.
75. Spirits there speak with man, but man in his turn does not speak
with the spirits, except the words, when instructed, _that he will
do so no more_. Nor is he allowed to tell any one that a spirit has
spoken to him; if he does so, he is punished afterwards. Those spirits
of Jupiter, when they were with me, at first supposed that they were
with a man of their own earth; but when I in my turn spoke with them,
and also when I thought of publishing what passed between us, and so
relating it to others, then, because they were not allowed to chastise
or instruct me, they discovered that they were with a stranger.
76. There are two signs which appear to those spirits when they are
with man (_homo_). They see an old man (_vir_) with a white face; this
is a sign to speak only what is true, and to do only what is just.
They also see a face in a window; this is a sign to them to depart.
This old man has also appeared to me; and a face has also appeared in
a window, on seeing which those spirits immediately departed from me.
77. Besides the spirits who have already been mentioned, there are
spirits who urge contrary things. They consist of those who, during
their life in the world, had been banished from the society of others
because they were evil. When they approach there appears as it were
a flying fire, which descends near the face. They place themselves
beneath at the posterior parts of the man, and from thence they speak
towards the higher parts. They say things that are contrary to what
the instructor-spirit teaches from the angels, namely, that men
should not live according to instruction, but according to their own
inclination, and in licentiousness, with other similar things. They
generally come after the other spirits have departed; but the people
there know who and what those spirits are, and therefore pay no
attention to them. Still, they learn in this way what evil is, and
thereby what good is; for by means of evil one learns what good is,
inasmuch as the quality of good is known from its opposite. Every
perception of a thing is according to reflection relative to its
differences from things that are contrary in various ways and degrees.
78. The chastising and instructing spirits do not come to those who
call themselves saints and mediatory lords, and who have been treated
of above (at no. 70), as they do to others on that earth, because
they do not suffer themselves to be instructed and are not amended
by discipline; they are inflexible, because they act from the love of
self. Spirits say they know such by their coldness, and that when they
apperceive the cold they depart from them.
79. Among the spirits of Jupiter there are also some whom they call
chimney-sweepers, because they appear in garments like those of
chimney-sweepers, and with the face smeared with soot; who and of what
character they are I am also permitted to describe. One such spirit
came to me, and anxiously entreated me to intercede for him, that he
might come into heaven. He said he did not know that he had done evil,
only that he had rebuked the inhabitants of the earth: he added that,
after rebuking, he had instructed them. He applied himself to my left
side under the elbow, and spoke as if with a double voice; he could
also excite pity. But I could only say in reply that I could not
render him any assistance, and that this was possible for the Lord
alone; nor could I intercede for him, because I did not know whether
it would be of any use; but that if he were worthy he might have hope.
He was then sent amongst some well-disposed spirits who were from
his own earth; but they said that he could not be in their company,
because he was not of the same character. But as he still importuned
with intense desire to be let into heaven, he was sent into a society
of well-disposed spirits of this Earth; but they, too, said that he
could not be with them. In the light of heaven he was also of a black
colour, but he said that he was not of a black, but of a murrhine
colour. I was told that of such a character at first are the spirits
who afterwards are received amongst those who constitute the province
of the SEMINAL VESICLES in the Grand Man or Heaven; for in those
vesicles the semen is collected, and is enclosed in a covering of
suitable matter fit to preserve the prolific quality of the seed from
being dissipated but which may be put off in the neck of the uterus,
so that what is reserved within may be serviceable for conception, or
the impregnation of the ovulum. Hence, also, that seminal matter has
an endeavour, and as it were a burning desire, to put itself off, and
leave the semen to perform its use. Something similar to this appeared
with that spirit. He again came to me in mean raiment, and again
said that he had an ardent desire to enter heaven, and that he now
apperceived that he was such that he could go there. It was then given
me to tell him that perhaps this was a sign that he would soon be
received. The angels then told him to cast off his raiment, which,
from the ardency of his desire, he did with a quickness that could
scarcely be surpassed. By this was represented the character of the
desires of those who are in the province to which the seminal vesicles
correspond. It was said that such spirits, when prepared for heaven,
are stripped of their own garments, and clothed with new shining
garments, and become angels. They were likened to caterpillars, which,
having passed through their vile state, are changed into chrysalides
and then into butterflies, when they are given other clothing, and
also wings of a blue or yellow, a silver or golden colour. Then, too,
they are given the freedom to fly in the open air as in their heaven,
to celebrate their marriages, and lay their eggs, and so provide for
the propagation of their kind; then also there are given to them sweet
and pleasant food which they suck from the juices and odours of the
various flowers.
80. In what precedes nothing has been said as to the character of the
angels who are from that earth; for those already mentioned (no.
73), who come to the men of their earth, and sit at the head, are not
angels in their interior heaven, but are angelic spirits or angels
in their exterior heaven. And as it has been disclosed to me what the
character of those [interior] angels is, it is permitted me to relate
what it has been given me to know concerning them. A certain one of
those spirits of Jupiter, who inspire fear, approached my left side
beneath the elbow, and spoke to me from thence. His speech was harsh,
and his expressions were not very distinct and separate from each
other, so that I had to consider a long time before I could gather
the sense; and while he was speaking he inspired some degree of fear,
admonishing me in this way to receive the angels well when they came.
But it was given me to reply that this did not depend on me, but that
with me all were received according to what they themselves were.
Soon after this the angels of that earth came, and it was given me to
perceive from their speech with me that they differed entirely from
the angels of our Earth; for their speech was not effected by means
of words, but by means of ideas which diffused themselves through my
interiors from all sides: and for this reason also they had an
influx into the face, so that the face accorded with each particular,
beginning at the lips, and proceeding towards the circumference in
every direction. The ideas, which were in place of verbal expressions
were discrete from each other, but in a very small degree. Afterwards
they spoke with me by means of ideas still less discrete, so that
hardly any interval was perceived: in my perception it was like the
meaning of words with those who attend only to the sense abstractedly
from the expressions. This speech was more intelligible to me than the
former, and it was also fuller. Like the other, it inflowed into the
face, but the influx was more continuous according to the character of
the speech; it did not, however, like the former, begin at the
lips, but at the eyes. Afterwards they spoke in a manner still more
continuous and full; and now the face could not accord by a suitable
motion; but it was felt that the influx was into the brain, and that
this was acted upon in like manner. Lastly, they spoke in such a
manner that the speech fell only into the interior understanding; its
fluency was like that of rarefied air. I was sensible of the influx
itself, but not distinctly of the particulars. These several kinds of
speech were circumstanced like different fluids--the first kind was
like flowing water; the second like water of less density; the third
like the atmosphere respectively; and the fourth like rarefied air.
The spirit already mentioned, who was on the left side, sometimes
interposed, chiefly admonishing me to behave modestly towards his
angels; for there were spirits present from our Earth who suggested
such things as gave displeasure. He said that he did not [at first]
understand what the angels were speaking about, but that he afterwards
did, when he had moved to my left ear. Then also his speech was not
harsh as before, but like that of other spirits.
81. I afterwards spoke with the angels respecting some of the
remarkable things on our Earth, especially the art of printing, the
Word, and the various doctrinals of the church from the Word; and
I stated that the Word and the doctrinals [of the church] were
published, and were thus learnt. They wondered exceedingly that such
things could be made public by writing and printing.
82. It was given me to see how the spirits of that earth, after having
been prepared, are taken up into heaven, and become angels. On such
occasions there appear chariots and shining horses as of fire, by
which they are carried away like Elijah. The reason why chariots
and shining horses as of fire appear, is that in this way there is
represented that they are instructed and prepared to enter heaven; for
chariots signify the doctrinals of the church, and shining horses, an
enlightened understanding[ee].
[Footnote ee: Chariots signify the doctrinals of the Church, nos.
2760, 5321, 8215. Horses signify the Intellectual, nos. 2760, 2761,
2762, 3217, 5321, 6125, 6400, 6534, 7024, 8146, 8148, 8381. The White
Horse in the Apocalypse signifies the understanding of the Word, no.
2760. By Elijah in the representative sense is meant the Word,
nos. 2762, 5247. And since all the doctrine of the church and the
understanding thereof are from the Word, Elijah is called "the
chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof," no. 2762. On this
account he was taken up by a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, nos.
2762, 8029.]
83. The heaven into which they are carried away appears on the right
towards their earth, consequently separated from the heaven of the
angels of our Earth. The angels who are in that heaven appear clothed
in resplendent blue, spotted with little stars of gold, and this
because they were fond of that colour in the world, and also believed
it to be the most heavenly colour, especially because they are in that
variety of good of love to which this colour corresponds[ff].
[Footnote ff: Blue originating in red or flame corresponds to the good
of celestial love; and blue originating in white or light (_lucidum_)
corresponds to the good of spiritual love, no. 9868.]
84. There appeared to me a bald head, but only the topmost part of it,
which was bony. I was told that such a bald head is seen by those who
are to die within a year, and that they then prepare themselves. They
do not fear death there, except on account of leaving their conjugial
consorts, their children, or their parents, for they know that they
shall live after death, and that they do not quit life because they
go to heaven; wherefore, they do not call death dying, but being
heaven-made. Those on that earth who have lived in truly conjugial
love, and have taken such care of their children as becomes parents,
do not die of disease, but tranquilly as in sleep, and so pass from
the world into heaven. The age of man there is generally thirty years,
according to the years of our Earth. It is of the Lord's Providence
that they die within such a short space of time, lest the number of
men should increase beyond what that earth can support. And as, when
they have completed those years, they do not suffer themselves to be
led by spirits and angels, like those who have not yet completed them,
spirits and angels seldom attend those who have passed that age. They
also come to maturity sooner than on our Earth. They also contract
marriages in the first flower of early manhood, and then their
delights consist in loving their conjugial partners and taking care
of their children. Other delights they indeed call delights, but
relatively external ones.
THE EARTH OR PLANET MARS, AND ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS.
85. Of all the spirits who come from the earths of this solar system,
those of Mars are the best, being for the most part celestial men, not
unlike those who were of the Most Ancient Church on this Earth[gg].
When they are represented as to their quality, they are represented
with the face in heaven and the body in the world of spirits; and
those of them who are angels are represented with the face towards the
Lord and the body in heaven.
[Footnote gg: The first and Most Ancient Church on this earth was a
celestial church, which was the chief of all, concerning which, see
nos. 607, 895, 920, 1121, 1122, 1123, 1124, 2896, 4493, 8891, 9942,
10545. A church is called celestial wherein love to the Lord is the
principal thing, but spiritual wherein the principal thing is charity
towards the neighbour, and faith, nos. 3691, 6435, 9468, 9680, 9683,
9780.]
86. In the idea of spirits and angels, the planet Mars, like the
planets elsewhere, appears constantly in its own place, which is to
the left in front, at some distance, in the plane of the breast, and
thus outside of the sphere where the spirits of our Earth are. The
spirits of one earth are separated from those of another, because the
spirits of each earth have relation to some particular province in the
Grand Man[f]; and are, therefore, in other and different states;
and this diversity of state causes them to appear separate from each
other, either to the right or to the left, at a greater or lesser
distance[hh].
[Footnote hh: Distances in the other life are real appearances, which
are exhibited to the sight by the Lord, according to the states of the
interiors of angels and spirits, nos. 5604, 9104, 9440, 10146.]
87. Spirits from thence came to me, and applied themselves to my
left temple, where they breathed their speech upon me, but I did not
understand it. As to its flow it was very soft: I had never before
perceived any softer; it was like a very gentle breeze. It breathed
first upon the left temple, and upon the upper part of the left ear;
the breathing proceeded thence to the left eye, and by degrees to the
right, and flowed down afterwards, especially from the left eye,
to the lips; and when at the lips it entered through the mouth, and
through a way within the mouth, and, indeed, through the Eustachian
tube, into the brain. When the breathing arrived there, I understood
their speech, and was enabled to speak with them. When they spoke with
me, I observed that my lips were moved, and my tongue also slightly,
which was owing to the correspondence of interior with exterior
speech. Exterior speech is that of articulate sound which impinges
upon the external membrane of the ear, and it is conveyed from thence,
by means of the small organs, membranes, and fibres, which are within
the ear, to the brain. From these facts it was given me to know that
the speech of the inhabitants of Mars was different from that of
the inhabitants of our Earth, in that it is not sonorous, but almost
tacit, insinuating itself into the interior hearing and sight by a
shorter way; and that, being such, it was more perfect, and fuller of
the ideas of thought, thus approaching nearer to the speech of spirits
and angels. Among them the very affection of the speech is also
represented in the face, and its thought in the eyes; for with them
thought and speech, and affection and the face, act in unity. They
account it infamous to think one thing and speak another, and to will
one thing and show another in the face. They know not what hypocrisy
is, nor fraudulent simulation and deceit. The same kind of speech
prevailed amongst the Most Ancient inhabitants of our Earth, as it has
been given me to learn by conversation with some of them in the other
life; and to elucidate this subject I may relate what I have heard
respecting it, as follows: "It was shown me by an influx which I
cannot describe, what was the character of the speech which prevailed
amongst those who were of the Most Ancient Church[gg]. It was not
articulate, like the vocal speech of our time, but tacit, being
effected, not by external, but by internal respiration, consequently
it was a cogitative speech. It was given me also to apperceive the
character of their internal respiration. It proceeded from the navel
towards the heart, and so through the lips without sound when they
spoke. It did not enter the ear of another by an external way, and
strike upon what is called the drum of the ear, but by a certain
internal way, and indeed by what at this day is called the Eustachian
tube. It was shown me, that by such speech they could express the
feelings of the mind (_animus_), and the ideas of thought, much
more fully than can possibly be done by articulate sounds or audible
expressions, which speech is likewise directed by respiration, but
external; for there is not a vocal sound, yea, there is nothing in a
vocal sound, which is not directed by applications of the respiration.
But with them this was done much more perfectly, because by the
internal respiration, which, because more interior, is also more
perfect, and more applicable and conformable to the very ideas of
thought; besides, [it is done] also by slight motions of the lips, and
corresponding changes of the face; for, as they were celestial men,
whatever they thought shone forth from their face and eyes, which were
conformably varied, the face as to form according to the life of the
affection, and the eyes as to light. It was quite impossible for
them to present a countenance which was not in agreement with their
thoughts. As their speech was effected by internal respiration, which
is that of the human spirit itself, they could have communion with
angels, and speak with them." The respiration of the spirits of
Mars was also communicated to me[ii], and it was perceived that it
proceeded from the region of the chest towards the navel, and thence
flowed upwards through the breast, with an imperceptible breathing
(_halitus_) towards the mouth. From these facts, and also from other
experiential proofs, it was made evident to me that they were of a
celestial genius, consequently, that they were not unlike those who
belonged to the Most Ancient Church on this earth.
[Footnote ii: Spirits and angels have respiration, nos. 3884, 3885,
3891, 3893.]
88. I was informed that the spirits of Mars in the Grand Man have
relation to the medium between the Intellectual and the Voluntary,
consequently to THOUGHT FROM AFFECTION, and the best of them to THE
AFFECTION OF THOUGHT; hence it is that their face acts in unity
with their thought, and that they cannot simulate in the presence of
anyone. And as this is their relation in the Grand Man, the
middle province, which is between the cerebrum and the cerebellum,
corresponds to them; for with those in whom the cerebrum and the
cerebellum are conjoined as to spiritual operations, the face acts
in unity with the thought, so that the very affection of the thought
shines forth from the face, and the general [character] of the thought
from the affection, and also from certain signs that show themselves
in the eyes. Wherefore, while they were with me, I sensibly
apperceived a drawing back of the anterior part of the head towards
the hinder part, thus of the cerebrum towards the cerebellum[kk].
[Footnote kk: Human faces on our Earth in ancient times received
influx from the cerebellum, and then the face acted in unity with the
interior affections of the man; but afterwards they received influx
from the cerebrum when man began to simulate and counterfeit by the
face affections not his own. Concerning the changes thereby occasioned
to the face in course of time, see nos. 4325-4328.]
89. On one occasion when spirits of Mars were with me, and occupied
the sphere of my mind, spirits from our Earth came and desired to
intrude themselves also into that sphere; but the spirits of our
Earth became as if insane: this was caused by their being quite out of
harmony; for the spirits of our Earth in the Grand Man have relation
to the external sense, and consequently these spirits were in idea
turned towards the world and towards self, while the spirits of Mars
were in idea turned from self to heaven and the neighbour; hence the
contrariety. But some angelic spirits of Mars then approached, and on
their coming the communication was taken away, and so the spirits of
our Earth departed.
90. The angelic spirits spoke with me concerning the life of the
inhabitants on their earth; [saying] that they are not under forms of
government, but are distinguished into greater and lesser societies,
in which they associate themselves with such as agree in disposition,
which they know at once by the face and speech, and in this they are
seldom mistaken; they are then instantly friends. They also said their
consociations are delightful, and that they converse with each other
on what passes in their societies, and especially in heaven, for many
of them have open communication with the angels of heaven. Those in
their societies who begin to think wrongly, and consequently to
will what is evil, are dissociated and left to themselves alone,
in consequence of which they drag on a most wretched life, out of
society, among rocks or other places, for the rest no longer trouble
about them. Some societies try by various methods to compel such
persons to repent; but when this is to no purpose they dissociate
themselves from them. Thus they take precautions lest the lust of
dominion and the lust of gain should creep in, that is, lest from the
lust of dominion any should subject some society to themselves, and
afterwards many others; and lest from the lust of gain any should
deprive others of their goods. Every one there lives content with his
own goods, and every one with his own honour, that of being reputed
just and a lover of the neighbour. This delightful and tranquil state
of mind (_animus_) would perish, unless those who think and will
evil were cast out, and a prudent but severe check given to the first
beginnings of the love of self and the love of the world. For these
are the loves which first led to the establishment of empires and
kingdoms, within which there are few who do not desire to acquire
dominion, and to possess the goods of others, for there are few who do
what is just and fair from a love of justice and fairness, still less
who do good from charity itself, but most from fear of the law, the
loss of life, of gain, of honour, and of reputation for the sake of
these.
91. Concerning the Divine worship of those who dwell on that earth,
they said that they acknowledge and adore our Lord, saying that He is
the only God, and that He governs both heaven and the universe; that
all good is from Him, and that He leads them; also that He very often
appears on their earth amongst them. It was then given me to tell them
that on our Earth Christians also know that the Lord governs heaven
and earth, according to His own words in Matthew, "_All power is given
unto Me in heaven and on earth_" (xxviii. 18), but that they do not
believe it as those who belong to the earth Mars do. They said also
that there they believe that with themselves there is nothing but what
is filthy and infernal, and that all good is of the Lord; nay, they
added that of themselves they are devils, and that the Lord draws them
out of hell, and continually withholds them from it. On one occasion,
when the Lord was named, I saw that those spirits humbled themselves
more inwardly and profoundly than can be described: for in their
humiliation there was the thought that of themselves they were in
hell, and that thus they were utterly unworthy to look to the Lord,
who is the Holy itself. So profoundly were they in this thought from
faith, that they were, as it were, outside of themselves, and in that
thought they remained on their knees till the Lord raised them, and
then drew them as it were out of hell. When they thus emerge from
humiliation, they are filled with good and love, and consequently with
joy of heart. When they humble themselves in this manner, they do not
turn their face to the Lord, for this they dare not do then, but avert
it. The spirits who were about me said that never had they seen such
humiliation.
92. Some spirits who were from that earth were surprised that so many
spirits from hell were about me, and that they also spoke to me; but
it was given me to reply that this was permitted them for the purpose
of enabling me to know their characters, and why they are in hell, and
that this is according to their life. It was also given me to state
that there were several among them whom I had known when they lived in
the world, and that some of them had then occupied stations of great
dignity, and that then they had nothing at heart but the world; but
that no evil spirit, even the most infernal, could possibly do me any
injury, because I was continually protected by the Lord.
93. An inhabitant of that earth was exhibited before me. He was not
indeed an inhabitant, but was like one. His face resembled the faces
of the inhabitants of our Earth, but the lower part of the face was
black, not owing to a beard, which he had not, but to blackness in its
place. This blackness extended to underneath the ears on both
sides. The upper part of the face was ruddy, like the faces of the
inhabitants of our Earth who are not quite fair. They said further
that on their earth they subsist on the fruits of trees, especially
on a certain kind of round fruit which grows out of their earth; and
likewise on pulse. They are clothed with garments which they make of
the fibres of the inner bark of certain trees, which fibres have such
a consistence that they can be woven, and also cemented together by a
kind of gum they have among them. They related further that they know
how to make fluid fires, from which they have light during evening and
night.
94. I saw a certain flaming object, exceedingly beautiful; it was of
various colours, crimson, and also a glowing ruby hue, and from the
flame the colours also glowed beautifully. I also saw a hand, to which
this flaming object adhered, at first on the back of it, afterwards
on the palm or hollow, and from thence it played round about the hand.
This continued for some time. Afterwards this hand with the flaming
object was removed to a distance and where it rested there was a
bright light (_lucidum_). In that bright light the hand disappeared;
and the flaming object was then changed into a bird, whose colours
were at first similar to those of the flaming object, and gleamed in
the same manner; but these colours gradually changed, and with them
the vigour of life in the bird. It flew about, at first about my head,
then forwards into a kind of narrow chamber, which appeared like a
sanctuary, and as it flew onwards its life departed, and at length it
became stony; it was then at first of a pearly, afterwards of a dusky
colour; but although without life, it kept on flying. While this bird
was flying about my head, and still in the vigour of life, a spirit
was seen rising up from below, through the region of the loins to that
of the breast, and from there he wished to take that bird; but because
it was so beautiful, the spirits who were about me prevented his doing
so, for the eyes of all were fixed upon it. But this spirit who had
risen up from below used all his power to persuade them that the
Lord was with him, and consequently that he was acting from the Lord.
Although the most of them did not believe this, they nevertheless no
longer hindered him from taking the bird; but as at that moment heaven
inflowed he was unable to retain it, but immediately, opening his
hand, set it free. When this had taken place, the spirits who were
around me, and who had intently watched the bird and its successive
changes, began talking with each other about it, and they continued
talking for a considerable time. They perceived that such a sight
could not but signify something heavenly; they knew that what is
flaming signifies celestial love and its affections; that a hand, to
which the flaming object adhered, signifies life and its power; that
changes of the colours signify the varieties of life as to wisdom
and intelligence; that a bird has the same signification with this
difference, however, that what is flaming signifies celestial love
and the things that belong to celestial love, while a bird signifies
spiritual love and the things that belong to that love; (celestial
love is love to the Lord, and spiritual love is charity towards the
neighbour,[note gg]); and that the changes of the colours and at the
same time of the life in the bird, till it became stony, signify the
successive changes of spiritual life as to intelligence. They also
knew that the spirits who ascend from below, through the region of the
loins to that of the breast, are in a strong persuasion that they
are in the Lord, and consequently believe that whatever they do, even
though it be evil, they do of the Lord's will. But nevertheless this
did not enable them to know who were meant by that sight. At length
they were instructed from heaven, that the inhabitants of Mars were
meant; that their celestial love, in which many of them still are, was
signified by the flaming object that adhered to the hand; and that the
bird in the beginning, while it was in the beauty of its colours and
the vigour of its life, signified their spiritual love: but that the
bird when it had become as it were stony and devoid of life, and at
length of a dusky colour, signified those inhabitants who have removed
themselves from the good of love, and are in evil, and still believe,
nevertheless, that they are in the Lord. The same thing was signified
by the spirit who rose up and wished to take away the bird.
95. The bird of stone also represented inhabitants of that earth,
who by a strange method transmute the life of their thoughts and
affections into almost no life, on which subject I have learned the
following particulars. There was a certain spirit above my head who
spoke with me, and from the tone of his voice he was apperceived to
be as it were in a state of sleep. In this state he spoke many things,
and with a sagacity (_prudentia_) that he could not have surpassed
when awake. It was given me to perceive that he was a subject through
whom angels spoke, and that in that state he apperceived [their
speech] and produced it[ll]; for he spoke nothing but what was true;
if anything inflowed from any other source, he indeed admitted it,
but did not produce it. I questioned him respecting his state. He
said that to him that state was a peaceful one, and was free from all
solicitude respecting the future; and that at the same time he was
performing uses by which he had communication with heaven. I was
told that such, in the Grand Man, have relation to the _longitudinal
sinus_, which lies in the brain between its two hemispheres, and is
there in a tranquil state, no matter how disturbed the brain may be
on either side. While I was in conversation with this spirit, some
spirits introduced themselves towards the anterior part of the head
where he was, and pressed upon him; wherefore he retired to one side,
and gave place to them. The spirit strangers spoke with each other;
but neither the spirits about me, nor I myself, understood what they
said. I was informed by the angels that they were spirits from the
earth Mars, who have the skill to speak with each other in such a way
that the spirits present could not understand or perceive anything. I
wondered that there could possibly be speech of this kind, since
for all spirits there is one speech, which flows from thought,
and consists of ideas which are heard as vocal expressions in the
spiritual world. I was told that those spirits have a certain method
of forming ideas, expressed by the lips and face, unintelligible to
others, and that they at the same instant skilfully withdraw their
thoughts, guarding particularly lest anything of the affection should
manifest itself, because if anything of the affection were perceived,
the thought would appear, for the thought flows from the affection,
and as it were in it. I was further informed that such speech was
contrived by those inhabitants of Mars,--though not by all,--who make
heavenly life to consist in knowledges alone, and not in the life of
love; and that when they become spirits they retain it. These are they
who were specially signified by the bird of stone; for to produce
a speech by alterations of the face and motions of the lips, with
a removal of the affections and a withdrawal of the thoughts from
others, is to deprive speech of life and make it like an image, and
by degrees to produce the same effect on themselves. But although they
imagine that what they speak among themselves is not understood by
others, angelic spirits nevertheless perceive each and all of the
things they say, the reason being that no thought can be withdrawn
from them. This was also shown them by actual experience. I was
thinking of the fact that the evil spirits of our Earth are not
affected with shame when they infest others. This [thought] inflowed
with me from some angelic spirits who perceived their speech. Those
spirits of Mars then acknowledged that this was the subject they were
speaking of among themselves, and they were astonished. Besides this,
more things, both of their conversation and thought, were disclosed by
an angelic spirit, notwithstanding all their endeavours to hide away
their thoughts from him. Afterwards those spirits inflowed from above
into my face. The influx was felt like fine striated rain, which was
a sign that they were not in the affection of truth and of good, for
this is represented by what is striated. They then spoke plainly with
me, saying, that the inhabitants of their earth speak in the same
way among themselves. They were then told that this is evil, as by
so doing they block up the internals, and recede from them to the
externals, which also they deprive of their life; and especially
because it is not sincere to speak in this manner. For they who
are sincere do not wish to speak or even to think anything but what
others, yea, what all, even the whole heaven, might know. But those
who are unwilling that others should know what they say, pass judgment
on others, and think ill of others and well of themselves, and at
length are led by habit so far as to think and speak ill of the
church, and of heaven, yea, of the Lord Himself. I have been told that
those who love knowledges, and not so much a life according to them,
have relation, in the Grand Man, to the inner membrane of the skull;
but that those who accustom themselves to speak without affection, and
to draw the thought to themselves and withdraw it from others, have
relation to that membrane, when it has become ossified, because, from
having some spiritual life, they come at length to have none.
[Footnote ll: Communications are effected by means of spirits sent
forth from societies of spirits and angels to other societies, and
these emissary spirits are called Subjects, nos. 4403, 5856, 5983,
5985-5989.]
96. As the bird of stone represented those also who are in knowledges
alone, and in no life of love, and as these consequently have no
spiritual life, therefore, by way of appendix, I may here show that
those only have spiritual life who are in heavenly love, and thence
in knowledges; and that a love contains in itself all the power of
knowing (_cognitinum_) which belongs to that love. Take for example
the animals of the earth, and also the living creatures of the heaven,
that is, the birds. These have the knowledge (_scientia_) of all
things that belong to their love. Their loves are, to nourish
themselves, to dwell safely, to propagate their kind, to take care
of their young, and, with some, to provide for the winter. They have,
therefore, all the requisite knowledge, for this is inherent in those
loves, and inflows into them as into its own receptacles; and this
knowledge in some animals is such that man cannot but be amazed at it.
Their knowledge is connate and is called instinct; but it belongs to
the natural love in which they are. If man were in his own love, which
is love to God and towards the neighbour, (this love is man's peculiar
love, by which he is distinguished from beasts, and it is heavenly
love,) he would not only be in all requisite knowledge, but likewise
in all intelligence and wisdom; for these [qualities] would inflow
into those loves from heaven, that is, from the Divine through
heaven. As, however, man is not born into those loves, but into their
contraries, that is to say, into the loves of self and of the world,
therefore he cannot but be born in complete ignorance and want
of knowledge But by Divine means he is brought to something of
intelligence and wisdom, yet not actually into any, unless the loves
of self and of the world are removed, and a way is thus opened for
love to God and towards the neighbour. That love to God and love
towards the neighbour have in them all intelligence and wisdom, may
appear from those who have been in those loves in the world. These,
when, after death, they come into heaven, know and are wise in things
of which they previously knew nothing; yea, they there think and
speak, like the rest of the angels, such things as the ear has not
heard, nor the mind known, which are ineffable. The reason is, that
those loves have the faculty of receiving such things into themselves.
THE EARTH OR PLANET SATURN, AND ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS.
97. The spirits from that earth appear in front at a considerable
distance, below, in the plane of the knees, where that earth itself
is; and when the eye is opened thither, a multitude of spirits come
into view, who are all from that earth. They are seen on this side of
that earth, and to the right of it. It has been given me to speak with
them also, and thereby to know of what character they are relatively
to others. They are well-disposed, and they are modest; and as they
esteem themselves little, therefore also in the other life they appear
small.
98. They are extremely humble in worship, for in worship they esteem
themselves as nothing. They worship our Lord, and acknowledge Him as
the only God. The Lord also appears to them at times under an angelic
form, and thus as a Man, and at such times the Divine shines forth
from His face, and affects the mind (_animus_). The inhabitants also,
when they come of age, speak with spirits, by whom they are instructed
concerning the Lord, and how He ought to be worshipped, and also how
they ought to live. When any desire to lead astray the spirits who are
from that earth, and to draw them away from faith in the Lord, or from
humiliation towards Him, and from uprightness of life, they say they
wish to die. On these occasions there appear in their hands small
knives, with which they seem to desire to strike their breasts. On
being questioned why they do so, they say that they would rather die
than be drawn away from the Lord. The spirits of our Earth sometimes
mock at them on this account, and assail them with reproaches for
acting so; but their reply is, that they are well aware that they do
not kill themselves, but that this is only an appearance flowing forth
from the will of their mind (_animus_) rather to die than be drawn
away from the worship of the Lord.
99. They said that sometimes spirits from our Earth come to them and
ask them what God they worship, their answer to whom is, that they are
insane, and that there can be no greater insanity than to ask what
God any one worships, when yet there is but one God for all in the
universe; and that still more insane are they in not saying that the
Lord is that One only God, and that He governs the whole heaven, and
consequently the whole world, since He who governs heaven must also
govern the world, because the world is governed by means of heaven.
100. They said that on their earth there are some who call the
nocturnal light (_lumen_), which is great, the Lord, but that these
are separated from the rest, and are not tolerated by them. That
nocturnal light (_lumen_) comes from the great ring which encircles
that earth at a distance, and from the moons which are called the
satellites of Saturn.
101. They related that another kind of spirits, who go in troops,
frequently come to them, desiring to learn how things are with them,
and that by various methods they elicit from them whatever they know.
They said of these spirits, that they are not insane, except in this
particular, that they desire to know so much for no other use than
that simply of knowing. They were afterwards instructed that these
spirits are from the planet Mercury, that is, from the earth nearest
the sun, and that they are delighted with knowledges alone, and not so
much with the uses from them.
102. The inhabitants and spirits of the planet Saturn have relation,
in the Grand Man, to the MIDDLE SENSE BETWEEN THE SPIRITUAL AND THE
NATURAL MAN, but to that which recedes from the natural and accedes
to the spiritual. Hence it is that those spirits appear to be carried
away or caught up into heaven, and soon afterwards let down again; for
whatever belongs to spiritual sense is in heaven, but whatever belongs
to natural sense is beneath heaven. Inasmuch as the spirits of our
Earth, in the Grand Man, have relation to natural and corporeal
sense, it has been given me to know from manifest experience how the
spiritual and the natural man, when the latter is not in faith and
charity, fight and contend with each other. Some spirits of the earth
Saturn came into view from afar, and then a living communication
was opened between them and spirits of our Earth who were of this
character. These latter, on thus perceiving the spirits of Saturn,
became as if insane, and began to infest them, infusing unworthy
ideas concerning faith, and also concerning the Lord. While uttering
invective and abuse, they also cast themselves into the midst of them,
and, from the insanity in which they were, endeavoured to do them
injury. The spirits of Saturn, however, were not at all afraid,
because they were secure and in tranquillity; but those spirits of our
Earth, when in the midst of them, began to be tortured, and to breathe
with difficulty, and so rushed out, one in this direction, another in
that, and disappeared. Those who were present apperceived from this
what is the character of the natural man, separate from the spiritual,
when he comes into a spiritual sphere, namely, that he is insane;
for the natural man separate from the spiritual is wise only from the
world, and not at all from heaven; and he who is wise only from the
world, believes nothing but what the senses apprehend, and what he
believes he believes from the fallacies of the senses, which, unless
they are removed by the influx from the spiritual world, produce
falsities. Hence it is that spiritual things are nothing to him,
insomuch that he can hardly bear to hear the word spiritual mentioned;
wherefore such become insane when they are kept in a spiritual sphere.
It is different while they live in the world; then they either think
naturally about spiritual things, or avert their ears, that is, hear
and do not attend. It was also manifest from this experience, that
the natural man cannot introduce himself into the spiritual, that is,
ascend; but that, when man is in faith, and thus in spiritual life,
the spiritual man inflows into the natural, and thinks therein; for
there is spiritual influx, that is, influx from the spiritual world
into the natural, but not contrariwise[mm].
[Footnote mm: There is spiritual influx, and not physical or natural
influx, consequently influx is from the spiritual world into the
natural, and not from the natural into the spiritual, nos. 3219,
5119, 5259, 5427, 5428, 5477, 6322. It appears as if influx were from
externals into man's internals, but this is a fallacy, no. 3721.]
103. Furthermore, the spirits of that earth gave me information
concerning the inhabitants, the nature of their consociations and
other particulars. They said that they live divided into families,
every family apart from the others; thus, a man (_vir_) and wife
with their children; and that these, when they unite in marriage,
are separated from the house of the parents, and have no further care
about it; wherefore the spirits from that earth appear in pairs. That
they are little solicitous about food and raiment; that they live on
the fruits and pulse which their earth produces; and that they are
lightly clothed, being girt with a coarse skin or coat, which keeps
out the cold. Further, that all on that earth know that they shall
live after death; and that on this account they have no care for their
body, except so far as is necessary for the sake of the life which
they say is to endure and to serve the Lord; that for this reason also
they do not bury the bodies of the dead, but cast them away, and cover
them with branches of trees from the forest.
104. Being questioned concerning that great belt which appears from
our Earth to rise above the horizon of that planet, and to vary its
positions, they said, that it does not appear to them as a belt, but
only as a snowy something in the sky in various directions.
THE EARTH OR PLANET VENUS, AND ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS.
105. The planet Venus, in the idea of spirits and angels, appears to
the left a little behind, at some distance from our Earth. It is said,
in the idea of spirits, because to no spirit does the sun of this
system, or any planet, appear; but spirits have only an idea that they
exist. In consequence of this bare idea, the sun of this system is
exhibited behind as a very dark something, and the planets not moving
as in the system, but remaining constantly in their places (see above,
no. 42).
106. In the planet Venus there are two kinds of men, of contrary
dispositions; the first mild and humane, the second savage and almost
brutal. Those who are mild and humane appear on the other side of the
earth, those who are savage and almost brutal appear on the side of
it looking this way. But it should be known that they appear
thus according to the states of their life, for the state of life
determines every appearance of space and of distance there.
107. Some of those who appear on the other side of the planet, and
who are mild and humane, came to me, and were presented to my sight
overhead, and I spoke with them on various subjects. Amongst other
things, they said that while they were in the world they acknowledged,
and now still more acknowledge, our Lord as their One only God. They
added that on their earth they had seen Him, and they also represented
how they had seen Him. These spirits, in the Grand Man, have relation
to _the memory of material things, agreeing with the memory of
immaterial things_, to which the spirits of Mercury have relation:
wherefore the spirits of Mercury have the fullest agreement with these
spirits of Venus; therefore, when they were together, I was sensible
from their influx of a remarkable change, and a powerful operation in
my brain (see above, no. 43).
108. I did not, however, speak with those spirits who are on the side
that looks this way, and who are savage and almost brutal; but the
angels informed me of their character, and the origin of their so
brutal nature: it is this; they are greatly delighted with robbery,
and more especially with eating the prey. The delight they have
in thinking about eating the prey was communicated to me, and was
apperceived to be exceedingly great. That there have also been
inhabitants of a like brutal nature, on our Earth, appears from the
histories of various nations; also from the inhabitants of the land of
Canaan (1 Sam. xxx. 16); and likewise from the Jewish and Israelitish
nation even in the time of David, in that they made yearly excursions,
and plundered the nations, and rejoiced in feasting on the booty. I
was informed, further, that the greater part of those inhabitants are
giants, and that the men of our Earth reach only to their navel; also,
that they are stupid, not seeking to know anything about heaven or
eternal life, their only care being about their land and their cattle.
109. As they are of this character, even when they come into the other
life, they are greatly infested there by evils and falsities. Their
hells appear near the earth, and do not communicate with the hells
of the evil of our Earth, because they are of an entirely different
genius and disposition; hence also their evils and falsities are of an
entirely different kind.
110. But those of them who are such that they can be saved, are in
places of vastation, and are there reduced to the last degree of
despair; for evils and falsities of this kind cannot otherwise be
subdued and removed. When they are in the state of despair, they cry
out that they are beasts, that they are abominations, that they are
hatreds, and thus that they are damned. Some of them, when in such a
state, even cry out against heaven; but for this they are forgiven,
because it proceeds from despair. The Lord restrains them from
indulging in vituperation beyond fixed limits. When they have passed
through extreme suffering, the corporeal [principles] with them being
then as it were dead, they are finally saved. It was also said of them
that, during their life on their earth, they had believed in a certain
supreme Creator without a Mediator; but when they are saved, they are
also instructed that the Lord is the only God, Saviour, and Mediator.
I have seen some of them, after they had passed through extreme
suffering, taken up into heaven; and when they were received there, I
have apperceived such a tenderness of joy from them as drew tears from
my eyes.
THE SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS OF THE MOON.
111. Some spirits appeared overhead, and voices like thunders were
heard thence; for their voices thundered forth just as thunders do
from the clouds after lightnings. I supposed that there was an immense
multitude of spirits, who had acquired the art of uttering their
voices with such a sound. The more simple spirits who were with me
laughed at them, at which I greatly marvelled. The cause of their
laughter was soon disclosed, and it was, that the spirits who
thundered were not many, but few, and were also small as children, and
that on former occasions they had terrified them by such sounds, and
yet were quite unable to do them the least harm. In order that I might
know their character, some of them let themselves down from on high,
where they were thundering; and, strange to say, one carried another
on his back, and the two thus approached me. Their faces appeared not
unhandsome, but longer than those of other spirits. In stature they
were like boys of seven years old, but of more robust frame; so that
they were dwarfs. I was told by the angels that they were from the
Moon. The one who had been carried by the other came to me, applying
himself to my left side under the elbow, and from thence he spoke,
saying, that when they utter their voice they thunder in this manner;
and that by so doing they strike with terror the spirits who would
do them harm, and put some to flight, so that they go safely wherever
they please. In order that I might know for certain that the sound
they make was of this kind, he retired from me to some others, but not
quite out of sight, and thundered in like manner. They showed to me,
moreover, that their voice, being sent forth from the abdomen after
the manner of an eructation, thus resounded like thunder. It was
perceived that this arose from the circumstance, that the inhabitants
of the Moon do not, like the inhabitants of other earths, speak from
the lungs, but from the abdomen, and thus from some collection of air
therein; the reason of which is, that the Moon is not surrounded with
an atmosphere of the same kind as that of other earths. I was informed
that the spirits of the Moon, in the Grand Man, have relation to the
ensiform or xiphoid cartilage to which the ribs are attached in
front, and from which descends the _linea alba_, which is the point of
attachment of the abdominal muscle.
112. It is known to spirits and angels, that there are inhabitants
even in the Moon, and likewise in the moons or satellites which are
about the earth Jupiter and the earth Saturn. Even those who have not
seen spirits who are from them, and spoken with them, entertain
no doubt that there are human beings upon them, for they, too, are
earths, and where there is an earth, there is man; for man is the end
for the sake of which an earth exists, and nothing has been made by
the Supreme Creator without an end. It may be evident to anyone who
thinks from reason in any degree enlightened that the end of creation
is the human race, in order that there may exist a heaven from it.
THE REASONS WHY THE LORD WILLED TO BE BORN ON OUR EARTH, AND NOT ON
ANY OTHER
113. There are several reasons, about which I have received
information from heaven, why it pleased the Lord to be born, and to
assume the Human, on our Earth, and not on any other. THE PRINCIPAL
REASON _was for the sake of the Word, that it might be written on our
Earth; and when written might afterwards be published throughout the
whole Earth; and that, once published, it might be preserved for all
posterity; and that thus it might be made manifest, even to all in the
other life, that God did become Man_.
114. _That the principal reason was for the sake of the Word_, is
because the Word is the Divine Truth itself, which teaches man that
there is a God, that there is a heaven and a hell, that there is a
life after death; and which teaches, besides, how man ought to live
and believe in order that he may come into heaven, and thus may
be happy to eternity. Without revelation, and thus, on this Earth,
without the Word, all these things would have been entirely unknown;
and yet man has been so created, that as to his interiors he cannot
die[nn].
[Footnote nn: By natural light (_lumen_) alone, nothing can be known
concerning the Lord, heaven and hell, the life of man after death,
and the Divine truths, by means of which man has spiritual and eternal
life, nos. 8944, 10318-10320. This may appear from the consideration
that many, and amongst them the learned, do not believe these
things, although they are born where the Word is, and where there is
instruction by means of the Word concerning them, no. 10319. Therefore
it was necessary that there should be a revelation from heaven,
because man was born for heaven, no. 1775.]
115. _That the Word might be written on our Earth_, is because the
art of writing has existed here from the most ancient time, first
on tablets, next on parchment, afterwards on paper, and lastly
publication by printing. This was provided by the Lord for the sake of
the Word.
116. _That the Word might afterwards be published throughout the
whole of this Earth_, is because here there is an intercourse of all
nations, not only by journeys on land, but also by navigation to all
parts of the entire globe; hence the Word, after it had once been
written, could be conveyed from one nation to another, and be taught
everywhere.
117. _That the Word, after it had once been written, might be
preserved for all posterity_, consequently for thousands and thousands
of years, and that it has also been so preserved, is known.
118. _That thus it might he made manifest that God has become man_;
for this is the first and most essential purpose for which the Word
was given; since no one can believe in a God, and love a God, whom he
cannot comprehend under some form; wherefore, they who acknowledge an
invisible and thus incomprehensible [principle], sink in thought into
nature, and consequently believe in no God. Wherefore, it pleased the
Lord to be born on this Earth, and to make this manifest through
the Word, so that it might not only be made known on this globe, but
_might also by this means be made manifest to spirits and angels from
other earths, and likewise to the gentiles from our own[oo]_.
[Footnote oo: The gentiles in the other life are instructed by angels,
and they who have lived well according to their religionism receive
the truths of faith and acknowledge the Lord, nos. 2049, 2595, 2598,
2600-2603, 2861, 2863, 3263.]
119. It should be known that the Word on our Earth, which was given
by the Lord through heaven, effects the union of heaven and the world,
for which end there is a correspondence of all things in the letter
of the Word with the Divine things in heaven; and that the Word in
its supreme and inmost sense treats of the Lord, of His kingdom in the
heavens and on earth, and of love and faith from Him and towards Him,
consequently of life from Him and in Him. Such things are exhibited
to the angels in heaven when the Word of our Earth is read and
preached[pp].
[Footnote pp: The Word is understood by the angels in the heavens in
a different manner from what it is understood by men on Earth, and
the internal or spiritual sense is for the angels, but the external or
natural sense for men, nos. 1769-1772, 1887, 2143, 2333, 2395, 2540,
2541, 2545, 2551. The Word is what unites heaven and earth, nos. 2310,
2495, 9212, 9216, 9357, 10375. The Word, therefore, was written by
strict correspondences, nos. 1404, 1408, 1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709,
1783, 8615, 10687. In the inmost sense of the Word the Lord alone and
His kingdom are treated of, nos. 1873, 2249, 2523, 7014, 9357.]
120. In every other earth, Divine Truth is manifested by word of mouth
through spirits and angels, as was stated in the foregoing pages, in
treating of the inhabitants of the earths in this solar system. But
this takes place within families; for in most earths the human race
dwell distinct according to families; wherefore, Divine Truth thus
revealed through spirits and angels is not conveyed far beyond the
families, and unless a new revelation constantly succeeds, it is
either perverted, or perishes. It is otherwise on our Earth, where the
Divine Truth, which is the Word, remains in its integrity for ever.
121. It should be known that the Lord acknowledges and receives all,
from whatever earth they may be, who acknowledge and worship God under
the Human Form, since God under the Human Form is the Lord: and as
the Lord appears to the inhabitants in the earths in an angelic form,
which is the Human Form, therefore, when the spirits and angels from
these earths hear from the spirits and angels of our Earth that God is
actually Man, they receive that Word, acknowledge it, and rejoice that
it is so.
122. To the reasons that have been adduced above, may be added, that
the inhabitants and spirits of our Earth, in the Grand Man, have
relation to natural and external sense; and natural and external sense
is the ultimate in which the interiors of life close, and on which
they rest, as on their common [basis]. The case is the same with the
Divine Truth in the letter, which is called the Word, and which for
this reason also was given on this Earth, and not on any other[qq].
And as the Lord is the Word, and the First and Last of it, therefore,
in order that all things might exist according to order. He also
willed to be born on this Earth, and to become the Word, according to
these words in John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and God was the Word. The same was in the beginning with
God. All things were made through It, and without It was not anything
made that was made.... _And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us, and we saw Its glory the glory as of the Only-begotten of the
Father_.... No one hath seen God at any time; the Only-begotten Son,
Who is in the bosom of the Father, Himself hath manifested Him"
(i. 1-3, 14, 18). The Word denotes the Lord as to the Divine Truth,
consequently the Divine Truth from the Lord[rr]. But this is an
arcanum which enters into the understanding of only a few.
[Footnote qq: The Word in the sense of the letter is natural, no.
8783; by reason that what is natural is the ultimate, in which
spiritual and celestial things close, and on which they subsist as on
their foundation, and that otherwise the internal or spiritual sense
of the Word without an external or natural sense would be as a house
without a foundation, nos. 9430, 9433, 9824, 10044, 10436.]
[Footnote rr: The Word is the Lord as to the Divine Truth,
consequently the Divine Truth from the Lord, nos. 2859, 4692, 5075,
9987. Through the Divine Truth all things were created and made, nos.
2803, 2894, 5272, 7835.]
EARTHS IN THE STARRY HEAVEN.
123. Those who are in heaven are able to speak and converse not only
with those angels and spirits who are from the earths in our solar
system, but also with those who are from other earths in the universe
beyond this system; and not only with the spirits and angels there,
but also with the inhabitants themselves, only, however, with those
whose interiors have been opened, so that they are able to hear those
who speak from heaven. The same thing is possible for a man to whom
it has been given by the Lord to speak with spirits and angels, during
his life in the world; for a man as to his interiors is a spirit, the
body which he carries about in the world being serviceable to him only
for performing functions in this natural or terrestrial sphere, which
is the ultimate or last sphere. But to no one is it given to speak
as a spirit with angels and spirits, unless he be of such a character
that he can be consociated with angels as to faith and love. Neither
can he be consociated with them, unless his faith and love are
directed to the Lord; for man is conjoined to the Lord by means of
faith in Him and love to Him, that is, by means of truths of doctrine
and goods of life from Him; and when he has been conjoined [with the
Lord], he is secure from the assaults of evil spirits from hell. With
others the interiors cannot be opened to such an extent, since they
are not in the Lord. This is the reason why there are few at this
day to whom it is given to speak and converse with angels; a manifest
proof of which is, that at the present day it is scarcely believed
that spirits and angels exist, and still less that they are present
with every man, and that through them man has connection with heaven,
and, through heaven, with the Lord; and that it is still less believed
that a man, when he dies as to the body, lives a spirit, and in the
human form as before.
124. Since, with many in the church at the present day, there is no
faith in a life after death, and scarcely any faith concerning
heaven, nor concerning the Lord as being the God of heaven and earth,
therefore the interiors that are of my spirit have been opened by the
Lord, so that, while I am in the body, I might at the same time be
with angels in heaven, and not only speak with them, but see the
stupendous things there, and describe the same, lest possibly it might
hereafter be said, Who has come to us from heaven, and told us of its
existence, and of the things that are there? But I know that those
who hitherto have at heart denied heaven and hell, and the life after
death, will still persist in confirming themselves against them, and
in denying them; for it is easier to make a raven white than to make
those believe who have once at heart rejected faith; the reason is,
that they always think about such matters from a negative, and not
from an affirmative, standpoint. Nevertheless, let those facts that
have already been stated, and that yet remain to be stated, concerning
angels and spirits, be for those few who are in faith. In order that
others also may be led to some degree of acknowledgment, it has been
granted me to relate such things as delight and allure the man who is
desirous of acquiring knowledge: of this character are the things that
shall now be related concerning the earths in the starry heaven.
125. He who is not acquainted with the arcana of heaven, cannot
believe that a man can see earths that are so far distant, and give
any account of them from sensuous experience. But let him know that
the spaces and distances, and therefore the progressions, which exist
in the natural world, in their origin and first cause are changes
of the state of the interiors, and that with angels and spirits they
appear according to these changes[ss]; and that through changes of
state they may be apparently translated from one place to another, and
from one earth to another, even to earths which are at the end of
the universe: so likewise may man as to his spirit, his body still
remaining in its own place. This has been the case with me, since, by
the Lord's Divine mercy, it has been given to me to speak with spirits
as a spirit, and at the same time with men as a man. That a man, as to
his spirit, can be translated in this manner, is inconceivable to
the sensual man, since he is in space and in time, and measures his
progressions according to them.
[Footnote ss: Motions, progressions, and changes of place, in the
other life, are changes of the state of the interiors of life, and
nevertheless it really appears to spirits and angels as if they
actually existed, nos. 1273-1277, 1377, 3356, 5606, 10734.]
126. That there are many systems, may appear to every one from the
fact that so many stars appear in the universe; and it is known in the
learned world that every star is like a sun in its own place, for it
remains fixed as the sun of our Earth does in its place; and that it
is the distance that makes it appear in so small a form as a star;
consequently, that, like the sun of our system, each star has planets
around it, which are earths; and that the reason why these do not
appear before our eyes is on account of their immense distance, and
because only the light from their own star reaches us, which light
cannot be again reflected from the planets so far as to reach us. To
what other purpose could so great a heaven with so many constellations
be intended? For the end of the creation of the universe is man, that
from man there may be an angelic heaven; but what would a human
race, and from it an angelic heaven, from one single earth, be for
an Infinite Creator, for whom a thousand, yea tens of thousands of
earths, would not suffice? It has been calculated that, supposing
there were in the universe a million earths, and on every earth three
hundred million men, and two hundred generations within six thousand
years, and that to every man or spirit there were to be allotted a
space of three cubic ells, the sum of that great number of men or
spirits would not occupy a space equal to a thousandth part of this
Earth, consequently hardly the space occupied by one of the satellites
of the planet Jupiter or Saturn: which would be a space in the
universe so small as to be scarcely discernible; for a satellite [of
Jupiter or Saturn] is scarcely visible to the naked eye. What would
this be for the Creator of the universe, for whom the whole universe,
even if it were completely filled, would not be enough, for He is
Infinite. In conversing with the angels on this subject, they have
told me that they have a similar idea of the fewness of the human race
relatively to the infinity of the Creator; but that, nevertheless,
they do not think from spaces, but from states, and that according
to their idea, earths numbering as many myriads as could ever be
conceived in thought would still be as absolutely nothing to the Lord.
The earths in the starry heaven, however, shall now be treated of in
what follows from real experience; from which it will likewise be made
manifest how the translations to these earths were effected as to my
spirit, whilst my body remained in its own place.
THE FIRST EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, AND ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS:
FROM THINGS HEARD AND SEEN.
127. I was led by the Lord by means of angels to a certain earth
in the starry heaven, where it was given me to gaze upon the earth
itself, yet not to speak with the inhabitants of it, but with spirits
who had come from it. All the inhabitants or men of every earth, on
the termination of their life in the world, become spirits, and remain
near their own earth. From them, however, information is obtained
concerning their earth and the state of its inhabitants; for men,
when they quit the body, carry with them all their former life and all
their memory[tt]. Being led to earths in the universe does not mean
being led and translated thither as to the body, but as to the spirit;
and the spirit is led through variations of the state of the
inner life, which appear to it as progressions through spaces[ss].
Approaches, also, are effected according to the agreements or
likenesses of the states of life; for agreement or likeness of life
conjoins, and disagreement and unlikeness disjoin. From this it may
appear how translation as to the spirit is effected, and how it is
made to approach distant regions, while the man, nevertheless, remains
in his own place. But to lead a spirit outside of his own globe
through variations of the state of his interiors, and to cause the
variations to proceed successively until a state is reached which
agrees or coincides with the state of those to whom he is being led,
is in the power of the Lord alone; for there is needed a continual
direction and foresight from first to last, both on the journey
thither, and on the return journey, especially when this is to be
effected with a man who is still as to the body in the world of
nature, and thereby in space. That this has actually been effected,
those who are in corporeal sensual things, and who think from them,
cannot be induced to believe. The reason is that the corporeal sensual
[faculties] cannot conceive of progressions apart from spaces. But,
nevertheless, those who think from the Sensual of their spirit, that
has in some degree been removed or withdrawn from the Sensual of the
body, thus, who think interiorly in themselves, may be induced to
believe and comprehend it, since in the idea of interior thought there
is neither space nor time, but instead of them there are those things
from which spaces and times proceed. Those things, therefore, that
follow, concerning the earths in the starry heaven, are for the use
of the latter, and not for the former, unless they are of such a
character as to suffer themselves to be instructed.
[Footnote tt: Man after death has with him the memory of all his
concerns in the world, nos. 2476-2486.]
128. In a state of wakefulness, I was led as to the spirit by the Lord
through angels to a certain earth in the universe, accompanied by some
spirits from this globe. The progression took place towards the right,
and lasted for two hours. Near the boundary of our solar system, there
appeared first a whitish but dense cloud, and after it a fiery smoke
ascending from a great gulf: this was an immense chasm, separating our
solar system on that side from certain systems of the starry heaven.
The fiery smoke appeared over a considerable distance. I was conveyed
across the midst of it, and then there appeared beneath in that gulf
or chasm very many men, who were spirits (for all spirits appear in
the human form, and are actually men). I also heard them talking with
each other; but whence they were, or of what character, it was not
given me to know. One of them, however, told me that they were guards
to prevent spirits passing without permission from this into any other
system in the universe. That this was the case, was also confirmed;
for when some spirits who were in the company, and who had not
received permission to pass, came to that great interstice, they began
to cry out wildly that they were perishing, for they were like persons
struggling in the agony of death; wherefore they stopped on this side
of the chasm, and could not be conveyed any further; for the fiery
smoke which exhaled from the chasm attacked them, and tortured them in
this manner.
129. After I had been translated across that great chasm, I at length
reached a place where I stopped; and then some spirits appeared to me
above, and it was given me to speak with them. From their speech, and
from their peculiar manner of apperceiving things and explaining
them, I discerned clearly that they were from another earth; for they
differed altogether from the spirits of our solar system. They also
apperceived from my speech that I had come from a great distance.
130. After we had conversed for awhile on various subjects, I asked
them what God they worshipped. They said they worshipped some angel,
who appears to them as a Divine man, for he is resplendent with light;
and that he instructs them and enables them to apperceive what they
ought to do. They said further that they knew that the Most High God
is in the sun of the angelic heaven, and that He appears to their
angel and not to themselves; and that He is too great for them to dare
to adore Him. The angel whom they worshipped was an angelic society,
to which it has been given by the Lord to preside over them, and to
teach them the way of what is just and right; therefore they have
light from a certain flame, which appears like a little torch,
somewhat fiery and yellow. The reason of this originates in their not
adoring the Lord; therefore they do not receive light from the sun
of the angelic heaven, but from the angelic society; for an angelic
society, when permitted by the Lord, can exhibit such a light to
spirits who are in a lower region. I also saw that angelic society,
which was high above them; and I also saw the flame there whence they
had light.
131. In other respects they were modest, rather simple, but still
they thought well enough. The quality of their Intellectual could be
inferred from the light which prevailed among them; for the intellect
is according to the reception of the light which is in the heavens;
since it is the Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun, that
shines there, and enables the angels not only to see but also to
understand[uu].
[Footnote uu: There is much light in the heavens, nos. 1117, 1521,
1522, 1533, 1619-1632, 4527, 5400, 8644. All light in the heavens is
from the Lord as the Sun there, nos. 1053, 1521, 3195, 3341, 3636,
4415, 9548, 9684, 10809. The Divine Truth proceeding from the Lord
appears in the heavens as light, nos. 3195, 3222, 5400, 8644,
9399, 9548, 9684. That light illuminates both the sight and the
understanding of angels and spirits, nos. 2776, 3138. The light of
heaven also illuminates the understanding of man, nos. 1524, 3138,
3167, 4408, 6608, 8707, 9128, 9399, 10569.]
132. I was informed that the inhabitants and spirits of that earth, in
the Grand Man, have relation to something in the SPLEEN: and in this
I was confirmed by an influx into the spleen while they were speaking
with me.
133. When asked about the sun of their system, which illuminates their
earth, they said that it appeared flaming. When I represented the size
of the sun of our Earth, they said that their sun was smaller; for
before our eyes their sun appears as a star; and I was told by the
angels that it was one of the lesser stars. They also said that the
starry heaven is also seen from their earth; and that a star larger
than the rest appears to them towards the west; it was said from
heaven that this is our sun.
134. My sight was afterwards opened, so that I could in some measure
gaze upon that earth itself; and there appeared many meadows and
forests with trees covered with leaves; likewise fleecy sheep.
Afterwards I saw some of the inhabitants, who belonged to the lower
class, clothed nearly like the country folk in Europe. I also saw a
man (_vir_) with his wife (_mulier_). She appeared of handsome stature
and of graceful mien; so did the man; but, what surprised me, he
walked about pompously, with as it were a haughty gait, while the
woman's gait, on the contrary, was humble. The angels told me that
such is the custom on that earth, and that notwithstanding this
peculiarity, the men are loved, because they are good. I was further
told that they are not allowed to have more than one wife, because it
is contrary to the laws. The woman I saw had an ample garment before
her breast, behind which she could conceal herself, and which was so
made that she could put her arms in it, and wrap herself in it, and in
this wise go away: the lower portion of it could be gathered up,
and, when gathered up and folded about the body, it looked like
a stomacher, such as is worn by the women of our Earth. The same
garment, however, also served the man for an article of clothing. He
was seen to take it from the woman and throw it over his own back, and
loosening the lower part, which thus flowed down to his feet like a
robe, he walked about clad in this manner. What I saw on that earth
was not seen with the eyes of my body, but with the eyes of my spirit,
and a spirit can see the objects that are on an earth, when it is
permitted by the Lord.
135. As I know that many will doubt the possibility of a man's being
able, with the eyes of his spirit, to see anything on an earth so
distant, I may state how the matter is. Distances in the other life
are not as distances on the Earth. In the other life distances are
altogether according to the states of the interiors of each one. They
who are in a similar state are together in one society and in one
place. All presence there results from likeness of state, and all
distance results from unlikeness of state. Hence it was that I was
near to that earth when I was brought by the Lord into a state similar
to that of its spirits and inhabitants, and that being then present I
conversed with them. Hence it is evident that earths in the spiritual
world are not distant as in the natural world, but only apparently so
according to the states of life of their inhabitants and spirits. The
state of life is the state of the affections as to love and faith.
In regard to a spirit, or, what is the same, a man as to his spirit,
being able to see the things that are on an earth, I may also explain
how the case therein is. Neither spirits nor angels are able, by their
own sight, to see anything that is in the world; for to them the light
of the world, that is, solar light, is as thick darkness: just as man
by his bodily sight cannot see anything that is in the other life;
for to him the light of heaven is as thick darkness. But nevertheless
spirits and angels, when it pleases the Lord, can see the things in
the natural world through the eyes of a man; but this is not granted
by the Lord with any except those whom He permits to speak with
spirits and angels, and to be together with them. It has been
permitted them to see through my eyes the things in this world, and as
plainly as I myself did; and even to hear men speaking with me. It has
sometimes happened that through me some have seen their friends,
with whom they had been intimate in the life of the body, altogether
present as before, and they have been amazed thereat. Wives also have
seen in this manner their husbands and children, and have wanted me to
tell them that they were present and saw them, and to inform them
of their state in the other life. But it was forbidden me to say and
reveal to them that they had been seen in this way, for the further
reason that they would have called me insane, or have thought my
information ravings of the mind (_animus_), for I was well aware that,
although they affirmed with their mouth, they yet did not at heart
believe in the existence of spirits, the resurrection of the dead and
their living among spirits, and these being able to see and hear by
means of a man. When my interior sight was first opened, and when
those who are in the other life saw through my eyes the world and the
things therein, they were so amazed that they called it the miracle of
miracles, and were affected with new joy that there was thus granted a
communication of the Earth with heaven, and of heaven with the Earth.
This joy continued for months; but afterwards it became familiar, and
now the wonder has ceased. I have been informed that the spirits and
angels with other men do not in the least see the things in the world,
but only perceive the thoughts and affections of those with whom they
are. From all this it may appear, that man was so created that, while
living amongst men in the world, he might at the same time live in
heaven amongst angels, and contrariwise, so that heaven and the world
might be together with man, and act as a one, and that men might know
what passes in heaven, and angels what passes in the world; and
that when men depart this life, they might pass thus from the Lord's
kingdom on earth into His kingdom in the heavens, not as into another,
but as into the same kingdom, in which they had been during their life
in the body. But as man has become so corporeal, he has closed heaven
against himself.
136. Lastly, I conversed with spirits who were from that earth
concerning various things on our Earth, especially concerning the fact
that sciences are cultivated here, which are not cultivated elsewhere,
such as astronomy, geometry, mechanics, physics, chemistry, medicine,
optics, and natural philosophy; and likewise arts, which are unknown
elsewhere, as the arts of ship-building, of smelting metals, of
writing on paper, and likewise of publishing by printing, and thus of
communicating with others on the Earth, and thus also of preserving
what is communicated for the use of posterity for thousands of years;
and that this has been done also with the Word which is from the
Lord, and that on this account revelation is for ever permanent on our
Earth.
137. At last I was shown the hell of those who are from that earth.
Those who appeared from there inspired great terror. I dare not
describe their monstrous faces. Sorceresses also appeared there, who
practise nefarious arts. They appeared clad in green, and struck me
with horror.
THE SECOND EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, AND ITS SPIRITS AND
INHABITANTS.
138. I was afterwards led by the Lord to an earth in the universe
which was at a much greater distance from our Earth than the first one
that has just been treated of. That it was at a much greater distance,
was plain from this circumstance, that I was two days in being led
thither as to my spirit. This earth was to the left, whereas the
former was to the right. As remoteness in the spiritual world does
not, as already observed, arise from distance of place, but from
difference of state, the long-continuance of my progression thither,
which lasted two days, enabled me to conclude that the state of
the interiors which prevailed with them, which is the state of the
affections and of the consequent thoughts, differed proportionately
from the state of the interiors which prevails with the spirits from
our Earth. As I was conveyed thither as to the spirit by means of
changes of the state of the interiors, I was enabled to observe the
successive changes themselves before I arrived there. This took place
while I was awake.
139. When I arrived there, I did not see the earth, but only the
spirits who were from that earth; for, as has already been stated, the
spirits of every earth appear about their own earth, because they are
of a similar genius with the inhabitants, for they are of them, and
are serviceable to them. Those spirits appeared at a considerable
height over my head, and from thence they saw me coming. It must be
borne in mind that they who stand on high in the other life can behold
those who are below them, and the higher they stand the wider is the
extent of their vision; and that not only can they behold them, but
also speak with them. They observed from there that I was not from
their earth, but from some other at a distance; wherefore, addressing
me from thence, they questioned me on various subjects, and to these
questions it was also permitted me to reply. Among other things, I
told them from what earth I came, and what kind of earth it was; and
afterwards I told them about the earths in our solar system; and
then also about the spirits of the earth or planet Mercury, that
they wander about to many earths for the purpose of procuring for
themselves knowledges about various things. On hearing this, they said
that they had also seen those spirits among themselves.
140. I was told by the angels from our Earth that the inhabitants and
spirits of that earth, in the Grand Man, have relation to KEENNESS OF
VISION, and that therefore they appear on high; and that they have
a most penetrating keenness of sight. In consequence of their having
this relation, and of their seeing clearly the things that were below,
in the course of our conversation I compared them to eagles, which fly
aloft, and enjoy a piercing and extensive view of surrounding things.
At this they became indignant, supposing that I considered them like
eagles as to their rapacity, and consequently that I thought them
evil; but I replied, that I did not liken them to eagles as to
rapacity, but as to keenness of vision.
141. Being questioned concerning the God whom they worshipped, they
replied that they worshipped a God visible and invisible; a God
visible under the Human Form, and an invisible God, under no form at
all; and I learned from their discourse, and likewise from the ideas
of their thoughts which were communicated to me, that the visible God
was our Lord Himself, and they also called Him Lord. To this it was
given me to reply, that on our Earth also, an invisible and a visible
God is worshipped; and that the invisible God is called the Father,
and the visible, the Lord; but that both are One, as He Himself
taught, saying, that no one had ever seen the form of the Father, that
the Father and He are One, that whoso seeth Him seeth the Father, and
that the Father is in Him and He in the Father; consequently, that
both Divine [Essences] are in One Person. That these are the words of
the Lord Himself, see John v. 37; x. 30; xiv. 7, 9-11.
142. Afterwards I saw other spirits from the same earth, who appeared
in a place beneath the former: with these also I conversed; but they
were idolaters, for they worshipped an idol of stone, like a man, but
an unhandsome one. It is to be observed, that all who come into
the other life, in the beginning have a worship which is like their
worship in the world, but that by degrees they are removed from it.
The reason why this takes place is, that all worship remains implanted
in man's interior life, from which it cannot be removed and eradicated
except by degrees. On seeing this, it was given me to tell them that
they ought not to worship what is dead, but what is living; to which
they replied, that they knew that God lives, and that a stone does
not, but that they thought of the living God while looking on a stone
resembling a man, and that otherwise the ideas of their thought could
not be fixed upon and determined to the invisible God. It was then
given me to tell them that the ideas of thought can be fixed upon
and determined to the invisible God, when they are fixed upon and
determined to the Lord, who is God visible in thought under the Human
Form; and thus that man can be conjoined with the invisible God in
thought and affection, consequently in faith and love, when he is
conjoined with the Lord, but not otherwise.
143. The spirits who were seen on high were questioned whether on
their earth they live under the rule of princes or kings. To this they
replied, that they do not know what governments are, and that they
live under themselves, distinguished into clans, families, and
households. They were questioned whether they were thus in security.
They said they were secure, since one family never envies another, nor
desires to deprive another of anything. They were indignant at being
asked such questions, as if they had been charged with being at
enmity, or with needing protection against robbers. What, said they,
does anyone need but food and raiment, and thus to live content and
quiet under one's own management?
144. Being further questioned concerning their earth, they said that
they have meadows, flower-gardens, orchards full of fruit-trees, and
also lakes containing fish; and that they have birds of a blue
colour, with golden feathers; and large and small animals. Amongst the
smaller, they mentioned one sort which had the back raised like the
camels on our Earth; nevertheless, they do not feed on their flesh,
but only on the flesh of fishes, and besides on the fruits of trees,
and on the leguminous plants of the earth. They said, moreover, that
they do not live in artificial houses, but in groves, amongst the
leafy boughs of which they make roofs to shelter them from rain and
the heat of the sun.
145. Being questioned respecting their sun, which appears as a star
from our Earth, they said that it has a fiery appearance, and that it
is not larger to the sight than a man's head. I was told by the angels
that the star which is their sun is one of the smaller stars, not far
distant from the equator.
146. There were seen some spirits who were like what they had been
during their abode as men on their earth. They had faces not unlike
the faces of the men of our Earth, except that their eyes and nose
were small. As this appeared to me something of a deformity, they said
that with them small eyes and a small nose are considered a beauty.
A female was seen, clothed in a gown ornamented with roses of various
colours. I asked whence they procured for themselves materials for
clothing on that earth. They answered that they gather from certain
plants substances which they spin into thread; and that they then at
once lay the threads in double and triple rows, moistening them with
a glutinous water to give them consistence. Afterwards they colour
the cloth, thus prepared, with the juices of herbaceous plants. It
was also shown me how they prepare the thread. The women sit down on
a seat, with their backs bent, and twist the threads with their toes;
and when twisted they draw the threads towards them, and work them
with their hands.
147. They said also, that on that earth a husband has only one wife,
and no more; and that they beget from ten to fifteen children. They
added, that there are likewise found harlots on that earth; but that
these, after the life of the body, when they become spirits, are
sorceresses, and are cast into hell.
THE THIRD EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, AND ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS.
148. There appeared some spirits at a distance, who were unwilling
to approach. The reason was, that they could not be together with the
spirits of our Earth who were then about me. From this I apperceived
that they were from another earth; and I was told afterwards that they
were from a certain earth in the universe; but where that earth is,
was not made known to me. These spirits, unlike the spirits from our
Earth, were absolutely unwilling to think about their body, or even
about anything corporeal and material; hence it was that they were
unwilling to approach; yet, after the removal of some of the spirits
of our Earth, they drew nearer, and spoke with me. But then there
was a sense of anxiety arising from the collision of the spheres; for
spiritual spheres surround all spirits and societies of spirits[cc];
and since they emanate from the life of the affections and the
consequent thoughts, therefore where the affections are contrary
collision takes place, and hence arises anxiety. The spirits of our
Earth related, that they dare not even approach them; since, on their
approach, they are not only seized with anxiety, but also appear to
themselves as if they were bound hand and foot with serpents, from
which they cannot be freed till they have departed. This appearance
takes its origin from correspondence; for the spirits of our Earth,
in the Grand Man, have relation to external sense, consequently to the
corporeal Sensual, and this Sensual is represented in the other life
by serpents[xx].
[Footnote xx: The external Sensual of man in the spiritual world is
represented by serpents, because it is in the lowest [parts], and
relatively to the more interior things in man, lies on the ground, and
as it were creeps; and on this ground they were called serpents who
reasoned from that Sensual, nos. 195-197, 6398, 6949.]
149. As the spirits of that earth are such, they appear in the eyes
of other spirits, not in a distinct human form, as others do, but as
clouds, in most cases like a dusky cloud, with the fair human colour
interspersed; but they said, that within they are fair, and that when
they become angels, this duskiness is changed into a beautiful blue;
which was also sho
Showing first 200,000 characters. Full text: gutenberg.org/ebooks/16044