Both in heaven and in the world there are four quarters, east, south,
west, and north, determined in each world by its own sun; in heaven
by the sun of heaven, which is the Lord, in the world by the sun of
the world. And yet there are great differences between them. In the
first place, in the world that is called the south where the sun is
in its greatest altitude above the earth, north where it is in its
opposite position beneath the earth, east where it rises at an
equinox, and west where it then sets. Thus in the world it is from
the south that all the quarters are determined. But in heaven that is
called the east where the Lord is seen as a sun, opposite to this is
the west, at the right is the south in heaven, and at the left the
north; and this in whatever direction the face and the body are
turned. Thus in heaven it is from the east that all the quarters are
determined. That is called the east [oriens] where the Lord is seen
as a sun, because all origin [origo] of life is from Him as a sun;
moreover, so far as angels receive heat and light or love and
intelligence from the Lord He is said to arise [exoriri] upon them.
For the same reason the Lord is called the East [Oriens] in the
Word.{1}
{Footnote 1} In the highest sense the Lord is the east
[oriens], because He is the sun of heaven, which is always
rising and never setting (n. 101, 5097, 9668).
142. Another difference is that to the angels the east is always
before the face, the west behind, the south to the right, and the
north to the left. But since this cannot be easily comprehended in
the world, for the reason that men turn the face to every quarter, it
shall be explained. The entire heaven turns itself to the Lord as to
its common center; to that center do all the angels turn themselves.
Also on the earth, as is well known, there is a directing of all
things towards a common center; but there is this difference between
this directing in the world and that in heaven, that in heaven the
front parts are turned to the common center, but in the world the
lower parts of the body. In the world this directing is called
centripetal force, also gravitation. The interiors of angels are
actually turned forwards; and since interiors manifest themselves in
the face it is the face that determines the quarters.{1}
{Footnote 1} In heaven all turn themselves to the Lord (n.
9828, 10130, 10189, 10420). Nevertheless, it is not the angels
that turn themselves to the Lord, but the Lord turns the angels
to Himself (n. 10189). It is not that the angels are present
with the Lord, but the Lord is present with the angels (n.
9415).
143. It is still more difficult to comprehend in the world that in
every turning of their face and body the angels have the east before
the face, since man according as he turns, has every quarter before
his face. This shall also be explained. Although angels, like men,
turn and direct their faces and bodies in every direction, they
nevertheless have the east always before their eyes. But the turnings
of angels are unlike the turnings of men, because they are from a
different origin. They appear alike, but they are not. The origin of
these turnings is their ruling love, and from this all directions
with angels and spirits are determined, for, as just said, their
interiors are actually turned towards their common center, which in
heaven is the Lord as a sun; consequently their ruling love is always
before their face, because their love is always before their
interiors, and the face has existence from the interiors, for it is
their outward form; and in the heavens this love is the Lord as a sun
because it is from Him that they have their love.{1} And as the Lord
Himself is in angels in His love, it is the Lord who causes them to
look to Him whithersoever they turn. This cannot be explained any
farther now; but it will be made clearer to the understanding in
subsequent chapters, especially where representations and
appearances, and time and space in heaven, are treated of. That the
angels have the Lord constantly before their faces it has been
granted me to know and also to perceive from much experience; for
whenever I have been in company with angels I have noticed the Lord's
presence before my face, not actually seen, and yet perceptible in a
light; and angels have often testified that this is so. As the Lord
is constantly before the faces of the angels, so it is said in the
world of those who believe in the Lord and love Him that they have
God before their eyes and their face, and that they look to God, and
see God. These expressions have their origin in the spiritual world,
from which are many things in human speech, although their source is
unknown to men.
{Footnote 1} In the spiritual world all constantly turn
themselves to their loves; and the quarters there have their
beginning in the face and are determined by it (n. 10130,
10189, 10420, 10702). The face is formed to a correspondence
with the interiors (n. 4791-4805, 5695). Therefore the
interiors shine forth from the face (n. 3527, 4066, 4796). With
angels the face makes one with the interiors (n. 4796, 4797,
4799, 5695, 8250). The influx of the interiors into the face
and its muscles (n. 3631, 4800).
144. This turning to the Lord is among the wonderful things in
heaven. There may be many together in one place, some turning the
face and body one way and some another, and yet all see the Lord
before them, and have everyone has the south at his right, the north
at his left, and the west behind him. Another wonderful thing is
that, although the angels look only to the east they have also a look
towards the other three quarters; but the look to these is from their
interior sight, which pertains to their thought. And it is yet
another wonderful thing that in heaven no one is ever permitted to
stand behind another and look at the back of his head, for this would
disturb the influx of good and truth from the Lord.
145. The Lord is seen by the angels, and the angels are seen by the
Lord in another way. Angels see the Lord through their eyes; but the
Lord sees the angels in the forehead, and this for the reason that
the forehead corresponds to love, and it is through love that the
Lord flows into their will, while it is through the understanding, to
which the eyes correspond, that He causes Himself to be seen.{1}
{Footnote 1} The forehead corresponds to heavenly love;
therefore in the Word the "forehead" signifies that love (n.
9936). The eye corresponds to the understanding, because the
understanding is internal sight (n. 2701, 4410, 4526, 9051,
10569). For this reason "to lift up the eyes" and "to see"
signifies to understand, perceive, and observe (n. 2789, 2829,
3198, 3202, 4083, 4086, 4339, 5684).
146. The quarters in the heavens that give form to the Lord's
celestial kingdom differ from the quarters in the heavens that give
form to His spiritual kingdom, for the reason that He is seen by the
angels in His celestial kingdom as a sun, but by the angels in His
spiritual kingdom as a moon; and where the Lord is seen is the east.
The distance there between the position of the sun and that of the
moon is thirty degrees, and there is a like difference in the
position of the quarters. That heaven is divided into two kingdoms,
called the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom, may be seen
in its own chapter (n. 20-28); and that the Lord is seen in the
celestial kingdom as a sun, and in the spiritual kingdom as a moon
(n. 118). But it does not follow that the quarters of heaven become
confused on this account, for neither can the spiritual angels ascend
among the celestial angels, nor the celestial descend among the
spiritual, as may be seen above (n. 35).
147. This makes clear the nature of the Lord's presence in the
heavens, that He is every where and with everyone in the good and
truth that go forth from Him; consequently He is with angels in what
is His own, as has been said above (n. 12). The perception of the
Lord's presence is in their interiors; and it is from these that
their eyes see, and it is by this continuity that they see the Lord
outside of themselves. This shows what is meant by the Lord's being
in them and they in Him, according to His own words:
Abide in Me and I in you (John 15:4).
He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood abideth in
Me and I in him (John 6:56).
"The Lord's flesh" signifies Divine good and "His blood" Divine
truth.{1}
{Footnote 1} In the Word "the Lord's flesh" signifies His
Divine Human, and the Divine good of His love (n. 3813, 7850,
9127, 10283). And "the Lord's blood" signifies Divine truth and
the holy of faith (n. 4735, 4978, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7846, 7850,
7877, 9127, 9393, 10026, 10033, 10152, 10210).
148. All in the heavens have their own places of abode in accordance
with the quarters. Those who are in the good of love dwell towards
the east and west, those who are in clear perception of it towards
the east, and those who are in obscure perception of it towards the
west. Those who are in wisdom from the good of love dwell towards the
south and north-those who are in the clear light of wisdom towards
the south, and those who are in obscure light of it towards the
north. The angels of the Lord's spiritual kingdom and those of His
celestial kingdom dwell in a like order, but differently as their
good of love and light of truth from good differ; for in the
celestial kingdom the love is love to the Lord, and the light of
truth therefrom is wisdom; while in the spiritual kingdom there is
love towards the neighbor, which is called charity, and the light of
truth therefrom is intelligence, which is also called faith (see
above, n. 23). The quarters differ also in the two kingdoms by thirty
degrees, as has been said just above (n. 146).
149. In like order the angels in each society in heaven dwell in
relation to one another-towards the east there those who are in
greater degree of love and charity, towards the west those who are in
less degree; towards the south those who are in greater light of
wisdom and intelligence, and towards the north those who are in less.
This arrangement prevails because each society represents heaven, and
is a heaven in a smaller form (see above, n. 51-58). The same
arrangement prevails in their assemblies. They are brought into this
order by virtue of the form of heaven, from which everyone knows his
own place. The Lord also provides that there be in each society those
of every kind, for the reason that in form heaven is every where like
itself; and yet the arrangement of the whole heaven differs from the
arrangement of a society as what is general from its parts, since the
societies towards the east surpass those towards the west, and those
towards the south surpass those towards the north.
150. Because of this the quarters in the heavens signify such things
as pertain to those that dwell in them,--the east signifying love
and its good clearly perceived, the west the same obscurely
perceived, the south wisdom and intelligence in clear light, and the
north the same in obscure light. And because of this signification of
the quarters in heaven they have a like signification in the internal
or spiritual sense of the Word,{1} since the internal or spiritual
sense of the Word is in entire accord with what is in heaven.
{Footnote 1} In the Word the "east" signifies love clearly
perceived (n. 1250, 3708); the "west" love obscurely perceived
(n. 3708, 9653); the "south" a state of light, that is, of
wisdom and intelligence (n. 1458, 3708, 5672); and the "north"
that state in obscurity (n. 3708).
151. The reverse is true of those in the hells. Those who are there
do not look to the Lord as a sun nor as a moon; but they look
backward away from the Lord to that dense darkness that is in the
place of the sun of the world, and to the darkness that is in the
place of the earth's moon. Those that are called genii look to that
dense darkness that is in the place of the world's sun, and those
called spirits look to the darkness that is in the place of the
earth's moon.{1} It has been shown above (n. 122) that the world's
sun and the earth's moon are not seen in the spiritual world, but in
place of that sun a dense darkness over against the sun of heaven,
and in place of that moon a darkness over against the moon of heaven.
For this reason the quarters with those in the hells are opposite to
the quarters of heaven. The east to them is where that dense darkness
and darkness are, the west is where the sun of heaven is, the south
is to their right, and the north to their left, and this also in
every turning of their bodies. Nor can they face otherwise, because
the whole bent and consequent determination of their interiors tends
and strives that way. It has been shown above (n. 143) that the bent
and consequent actual determination of the interiors of all in the
other life are in harmony with their love. The love of those in the
hells is the love of self and the world, and these loves are what are
signified by the world's sun and the earth's moon (see n. 122); and
these loves are opposite to love to the Lord and love towards the
neighbor;{2} and this is the cause of their turning themselves
backwards away from the Lord to this dense darkness. Moreover, those
in the hells dwell likewise in accordance with their quarters, those
who are in evil from love of self dwelling from their east to their
west, and those who are in the falsities of evil from their south to
their north. But more will be said about this below, where the hells
are treated of.
{Footnote 1} Who and what those are who are called genii, and
who and what those are who are called spirits (n. 947, 5035,
5977, 8593, 8622, 8625).
{Footnote 2} Those that are in the loves of self and of the
world turn themselves backwards from the Lord (n. 10130, 10189,
10420, 10702). Love to the Lord and charity towards the
neighbor make heaven, while love of self and love of the world
make hell, because the two are opposite (n. 2041, 3610, 4225,
4776 6210, 7366, 7369, 7490, 8232, 8678, 10455, 10741-10745).
152. When an evil spirit comes among good spirits the quarters are
usually so confused that the good scarcely know where their east is.
This I have sometimes seen take place, and have also heard about it
from spirits who complained of it.
153. Evil spirits are sometimes seen turned towards the quarters of
heaven; and they then have intelligence and perception of truth, but
no affection for good; but as soon as they turn back to their own
quarters they have no intelligence or perception of truth; and then
they declare that the truths they heard and perceived are falsities
and not truths, and they wish falsities to be truths. In respect to
this turning I have been told that with the evil the intellectual
part of the mind can be so turned, but not the voluntary part; and
that this is provided by the Lord to the end that everyone may have
the ability to see and acknowledge truths, but that no one can
receive truths unless he is in good, since it is good, and never
evil, that receives them; also that man has a like ability to the end
that he may be made better by means of truths. Nevertheless, he is
made better only so far as he is in good; consequently a man can in
like manner be turned to the Lord; but if his life is evil he
immediately turns himself back and confirms in himself the falsities
of his evil, which are contrary to the truths he had understood and
seen; and this takes place when he thinks in himself from his
interior states.