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.]