4673. CONCERNING THE DWELLERS IN THE UNIVERSE. (I was led by the Lord, above the magical hell, to an earth in the universe, to the left in respect to the sun there - which is the Lord; and at last, after two days, I came to certain spirits who were from a certain earth there. They were seen very high above us; and thence they explored those things which are below, and also observed them attentively, and likewise observed me, and then spoke with me, thence, concerning various matters, and wondered exceedingly that anyone should come to them from somewhere else. I told them from which earth I was, and how many earths there were in our world, especially telling them about the spirits of Mercury, who wander around everywhere, in order to acquire knowledges for themselves. They said that they had also observed them with themselves.) (It was asked what God they worshipped; they said the Lord, concerning whom they had the idea of a Divine Man, and it was acknowledged that it was the same Lord with our Lord; but they said that they acknowledge and worship, besides, an invisible God; but it was granted me to tell them, that we, also, in like manner, worship an invisible God; but that He is the same as the Lord, because what is infinite cannot be seen; but that he appears as a man; and that, therefore, we worship one God, not several, however we may err concerning the person and concerning the persons.) (Moreover, they were penetrating in sight; and, because they were on high, they saw from thence all things that were below, and also observed them. They were told that they are like eagles, which fly aloft, and see beneath far and wide around. Then were they indignant, supposing that I compared them to eagles, regarded as rapacious birds; but it was granted me to reply that [I compared them] to eagles, because they see everything below widely and sharply, not that they are rapacious; and that yet there is a correspondence, because spiritual food is knowledge and wisdom thence; but that the food of eagles is birds and poultry that are beneath them; which, therefore, they look for in a similar manner. It was said by the angels that they correspond to the external power of sight in the Grand Man.) (Afterwards, it was granted me to see and speak with spirits from the same earth, who were lower down. They were seen lower down, and more forwards, a little further removed; but these were idolaters, for they worshipped a certain idol of stone, resembling a man, but not a handsome man. They were asked why they do that, and why they worship not a living but a dead [God]: they who were the wiser replied that they worship the living God, when their look is directed to the idol; and that they know that God lives, and is not a stone; but still that their ideas can thus be fixed on the Divine, who is otherwise invisible. [Reflect] on the quality of idolaters.) (I inquired [of them] concerning their earth. They said that they there see their sun, which is a star to our eyes, of a fiery color, but not greater than the head of a large man; so that it appears less than our sun. Somewhat less than half. They then said that they likewise have lakes and fishes there, that they have meadows, flower gardens, and woods full of fruit-trees; that they feed on these and pulse, and a certain fruit of a tree, which [fruits] are as large as our melons and of a sweet taste. They also stated that there are very beautiful birds there, of a blue color, with golden wings, and also smaller and larger animals; the smaller with backs not unlike camels in a smaller mould, dotted with golden spots. They also said that they have no houses, but dwell in wooded glades, and there, among the trees, place for themselves a shelter for the rain and for the heat of the sun; and that thus they dwell under that shelter. There appeared to me such a domicile, and that an idol was there. They stated that they do not feed on the flesh of animals; but some of them [on that] of fishes.) (Spirits were seen, who were like themselves had been when men in their earth. They had a face similar to the men of our earth, but with the difference that their eyes and nose were small. This, in my view, deformed them: but they said that small eyes and a small nose, were, with them, a beauty. There was also seen a woman of that description, who was taller in body than the women of our earth, but with a smaller face and with similar eyes and nose. She was dressed in a toga wherein were roses of various colors. She appeared to be dressed in a garment like [we have] in our earth, made of silks of a similar kind. I inquired whence they provide themselves with such garments: they said that they gather materials of such a kind from their herbs, [make them into] webs [barkan*]; and that they weave them into threads, and then arrange these threads with their hands, and, so that they may be connected with others and for the sake of a better join, they moisten them with a glutinous fluid and compress them; and then they color that [fabric] with the colors there, derived from herbs, and other things which are there known; and thus make them into a garment. It was also shown how they make these materials into a thread: their women do this: they sit reclining on a seat and twist these with the toes of the feet, and draw them to themselves with their hands, and thus they are worked into a thread; and [it was said] that they are exquisitely sensitive in the toes of the feet. They said that they have one wife, and no more; and that of her they have many children, as many as ten, thirteen, and more. It was also perceived, that there are many prostitutes there.) ((((It was said by the angels, that they are in a world, in the circle of the equator, [and the star which is their sun is**] among the lesser ones there.)))) ((There were seen many spirits from thence - many women who were sorceresses, and who were cast into their hell.)) ((They said that there they do not live under governments; but that there is the family, and the domestics. [They] were asked whether they were thus secure from others. They said, why should they not be secure? what more is needed, when they have food and clothing? of what profit is the rest? They were indignant that such things should be asked, because they implied enmity and protection from it, when no family envies another, nor wishes to take aught from it; and that no such thing is perceived. Thus they live, fearlessly, near each other, according to the state of those of whom mention is made in the Word,*** where blessedness is treated of; the Lord thus guarding them and averting such thoughts.)) * A Swedish word meaning a sort of camel-hair cloth. ** The portion within brackets is inserted by the Latin Editor. The present Editor, however, sees no difficulty in the rendering: "they are in a world, . . . among the lesser ones there," viz., among the lesser worlds in that solar system *** The allusion is doubtless to such passages as Jer. 30:10; Ezek 34:28; Micah 4:4; Zeph. 3:13.