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.