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 a.s.sist 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 a.s.sist 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 chast.i.ty, 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 gra.s.s, 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 a.s.sented 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 a.s.sociate 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 pa.s.sages on the subject of our Saviour"s Pa.s.sion, 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 Pa.s.sion, 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 ma.s.ses, 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 encompa.s.ses 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 princ.i.p.al 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 circ.u.mstance, 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 ent.i.tles 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 G.o.ds. 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 ill.u.s.trate 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 h.e.l.l, 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 chastis.e.m.e.nt 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 pa.s.sed 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 (_h.o.m.o_). 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 a.s.sistance, 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 const.i.tute the province of the SEMINAL VESICLES in the Grand Man or Heaven; for in those vesicles the s.e.m.e.n 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 s.e.m.e.n 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 surpa.s.sed. 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 pa.s.sed through their vile state, are changed into chrysalides and then into b.u.t.terflies, 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 circ.u.mference 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 circ.u.mstanced 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 hors.e.m.e.n 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 pa.s.s 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 s.p.a.ce 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 pa.s.sed 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.