4627. INFLUX, LIGHT [LUX], THE SENSUAL MAN. (He who does not know about the interiors of man, can never know of what nature is the communication of the soul with the body, and this the less, since people have no idea at all of the soul, and know nothing at all of its quality; consequently, it is so entirely unknown that it cannot even be defined, save as being the intellectual and thinking faculty, but of what quality this is, is unknown, whether it is like a something ethereal, or flaming, or vapory, or like a very diminutive living something, as reigning in a hypothetical world of its own, or something else. But very many have no idea thereof, especially when they know theories concerning it; [for] these quite confuse any ideas respecting it. Inasmuch as it is unknown of what quality man is as to his interiors, [let it be stated that] it is the corporeal of man that sees terrestrial things and those things which are of the world, hears those that are speaking, tastes or relishes those things which are eaten, smells those things that float in the air, and that feels by touch throughout the entire body. This is man's corporeal. This dies and becomes a corpse, with those things which most directly concur in establishing those sensations. The corporeal is also every action and gesture, and also speech wherefore, it is, likewise, the muscles, [and that envelope] which is properly denominated flesh. The interiors of man, which do not die, succeed one another in the following order. There is the sensual, there is the natural, there is the spiritual-natural: these are of the external of man. Afterward there is the celestial of the spiritual, the celestial, and the inmost, which, because it immediately receives the good and truth which proceed from the Lord, is destitute of a name: these are of the internal of man. The medium between the external and internal man is called the spiritual of the celestial. All these do really exist in man, and succeed each other; and, with every individual, one of them has dominion: they are, also, distinct from each other. This may be evident, also, from the fact, that, in universal nature, there are perpetual compositions and derivations: so also in man. This is also evident from the heavens, which are similarly divided, and also from the hells: and man is either a heaven in the least form, or he is a hell in the least form; for the universal heaven must consist in the general of such images of itself in particular; otherwise, the particulars do not square with the general; for the general is nothing of itself, but it is made, it becomes, and so it is called, a general, from its parts, as far as they are likenesses of itself.) ((Every division of man's interiors has a distinct light [lumen], and a distinct heat, from the others. The sensual has comparatively a gross light [lumen]; and it was granted me, by much experience, to discriminate this light [lumen] from the interior lights [lumen]; and it was observed, that, as often as I was let down into this light [lumen], just so often there came up, from the hells, filthy and shameful things, so that this light [lumen] is hurtful, because, in this light [lumen], terrestrial, corporeal and worldly things are.)) ((This light [lumen] is set up when such things occur to the thought as are fully seen, heard and felt; so that when a man sees, hears and feels those things inwardly, thus when the shameful deeds which he had seen and about which he had heard, filthy words, and many things which are inwardly perceived, [occur to the thought], they are clearly, and, as it were, outwardly, discerned, by the senses.)) (((But when man is elevated from this light [lumen], so that he is abstracted, or withdrawn, even a very little, from sensuals, he then comes into a more interior light [lumen], which is not of the sensual but of the interior natural. When man is in that light [lumen] he is then in a better state, he is then in discernment concerning sensuals, concerning their quality and concerning causes. If he is able to think still more interiorly, he is then in a light [lumen] still more interior, to wit, in [that of] the spiritual of the natural. This light [lux] is partly from the light [lux] of heaven, within natural light [lux]. The ancient philosophers among the gentiles knew this, and said, as appears by the things in their books, that, if the mind were withdrawn from sensuals, it would come into superior light [lux] and blessedness. It ought to be thoroughly known and considered, that all the understanding, and hence the thought, of man, is from the light [lux] which inflows; for, as the sight of the eye beholds objects which are without itself, by means of the light of the world thrown upon them, so that it may constantly behold the objects, without, not within, itself: so, and in such an order, are interiors in externals.))) Thus, the understanding sees by means of the light [lux] of heaven: the interior understanding by means of the light [lux] of heaven [simply]; the exterior by means of the influx of the light [lux] of heaven into the light [lumen] of the world. ((Everything intellectual is thence; for the intellectual is the internal visual faculty, or understanding is internal sight. Hence it [i. e., understanding] is from the light [lux] of heaven, which is from the Lord, in which [light] is wisdom and intelligence, for that light [lux] is from Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. Hence, from light [lux] exists thought, discernment, reflection, attention, prudence, rational analysis, and the faculty of judging, distinguishing and choosing. All those things exist from light [lux], because they are of the internal sight. Wherefore, whatever man hears, passes over into that light [lux], in order that it may be perceived.)) ((But everything voluntary belonging to man, exists from heat. The voluntary of evil is from the heat of the world, into which the heat of heaven inflows, and in which it is adulterated. But the voluntary of good is from the heat proceeding from heaven; for spiritual heat is of the love which proceeds from the Lord as from the Sun of heaven. That heat is celestial and spiritual heat, which is love. From that heat is everything good, consequently, every affection of good and of truth, and, consequently again, everything of life: and these things pertain to the will. Hence, also, is all the vital heat in man, which is most perceived when his love is active; for, so far as his love is active, so far he grows warm, and so far his life is inflamed, as if with fire.)) (From these things it may be known what heavenly fire is, and what infernal fire, to wit, that heavenly fire is the love of doing well to all, and infernal fire the love of doing ill to all; and, also, that vital fire is not from the solar fire of the world, but from the solar fire of heaven.) ((From frequent experience, I have observed - so that it was granted me to know it thoroughly - that, when I have been let down into the light [lumen] of the sensual, and as often as I came into it, evil spirits infused filthy and disgraceful things, which at once ceased, when I was raised out of that light.)) ((One day, at dawn, it was granted me to see, even by means of sensual light [lumen], some spirits who were in that light in the other life. They appeared in crowds, in a market place, carrying sacks, in which were raw materials, which they weighed and carried away. This was a crowd which is in the light [lumen] of that sensual, as are many of the common people, who have thought no more deeply than on those things which they saw with their eyes and heard with their ears. Certain sirens were then present: they said that they wish to be here, because they see men with their eyes, and it was said that those [sirens] do not see except with an obscure sight, or rather that they observe spirits who are in an interior light [lumen], in such a manner that they, also, were only in the light [lumen] of the sensual, or of the lowest natural.)) (He who is in that gross light [lumen], to wit, in sensual [light], is also in the pleasures of the body and of the sensuals, which to him are the primaries of life; and he is also in such scientifics as conduce to the furtherance of these; and, when he thinks from that light [lumen] concerning the truths of faith, concerning heaven, and concerning Divine things, he accounts them as nothing and rejects them, like such things as are, indeed, asserted, but that do not exist, because he does not see nor touch them. He believes in the senses only. Such sensual men are, now, abundant in the world. Wherefore, the ancients said that if man were withdrawn from sensuals, he would see marvelous things, and would be elevated towards heaven.) ((Wherefore, while man is being regenerated, the truths of faith and the goods of charity are insinuated, by the Lord, into those things which belong to sensual light [lumen] and heat. They are, then, kept in connection with the interiors. Nor do they [the goods and truths] suffer themselves to be withdrawn; for their spiritual light [lumen] is in that [sensual] light [lumen], and leads it, like the soul does the body.)) ((That there is such a sensual light [lumen], is because all who are in the world of spirits from hell, are in such a light [lumen]; and, when anyone is in such light, he is in company with the infernal crew there.))