[5513a.] ABOUT AN EARTH IN THE UNIVERSE. (In wakefulness. - I was led a journey to some earth in the universe - a thing effected through continual changes of state - which lasted for about twelve hours. I was in company with spirits and angels. I was led in a straight line towards the south, and now indirectly upwards, now downwards, to the side of a mountain, and over mountains; also over gulfs. I also heard, here and there in the way, spirits upon the mountains, speaking to one another. I then reflected how immense was the Lord's heaven; for I was able, from the extent which I traversed, to compute, by making a comparison with the extension of the spirits and angels from our earth - which dimension was known to me - that, if several hundred myriads of earths existed, and from everyone came as many men as from our earth, there would still be room for them to eternity; nor would it ever be filled.) [2] (When I came into view, they accosted me from afar, asking who I was and what I wanted. I told them that I was there for the sake of travelling; and that I was conducted thither, and brought no one any hurt. One then asked what God I worshipped. I said that I worshipped the Lord. They replied that they also worshipped the Lord, and that they had feared whether I was from those strangers (who disturb them, and from whom they flee away) who say, and wish them to believe that God is a trine, whom they name Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and then make this trine one. They said, also, that they answered them that they know that God is one, and that He is the Lord and also man; and that they care nothing for that trine; since, from it, they get an idea of three Gods owing to which idea they are altogether confused, and likewise there perishes with them the illustration they enjoy from the Lord. I told them that we, too, who are on this earth, acknowledge one God, and also that He is the Lord; and I related to them whence they [of this earth] have the idea of a trine: that, namely, in the Word, where their revelation is, those three are named; and that they, therefore, distinguish them, and thus the Divine Itself, into three persons, and have the idea of three thence; also, that they are thus equally able to think otherwise, but that they still know that God is one, since, nevertheless, those three names are only names of the one God, and are not persons. I told them, moreover, what idea I had of the Lord, by making a comparison with an angel, [thus]: an angel has his internal, which in man is called the soul, which thinks and wills; and he has an external, called the body, which sees, speaks and acts; and he also has a sphere of love, or affection, thus of life, around himself: these three make one angel. From this comparison, may be comprehended what sort of an idea ought to be entertained of the Lord, that, namely, the Father is in Him, as Himself says; His Divine-Human is the Son; and the Holy Proceeding, which fills the heavens and constitutes them, is the Holy Spirit. Thus, this trine is one. When they heard this idea, they said that they comprehend, from that, whence the visitors got the idea of three; and, further, those who were in illustration said that they know that this is so; but they grieved that those strangers separate between the Human and the Divine in the lord, when, nevertheless, they know that the Lord, as man, is God; and that, as regards the Lord, God and man are one.) [3] (They said, moreover, that those strangers confuse them by saying that they ought to have faith and believe, and that they are ignorant what faith is and what believing is, since they perceive in themselves that a thing is so, or so. To this, it was replied, that it is not necessary to tell those who are in illustration that they should believe, or have faith, since this would be like as if a man, who, with his own eyes, sees gardens, trees, fields and the like, should be told that he must believe that the gardens, the trees, and the fields exist - since he sees them; and that the case is similarly circumstanced with the faith of the things which they say, most of which are such as they do not understand. I said, further, that the reason that they say "faith," is, because man's two faculties are understanding and will; and that most of them know things from the Word, and thus understand, but do not do; and that, therefore, because the sowing of the Divine virtue from the Word goes no further than into the understanding, and not into the will, they say "believing," and "faith," when they would have said differently, if, from willing, they also did. They were given to understand that [those referred to] are able to be regenerated, but no others have the understanding illustrated save those who live according to those things [the Word teaches], and thus desire Divine truths in themselves. They comprehended this; and I perceived how greatly they were in illustration, also that their interiors were opened and in light and that they were in the celestial kingdom, - the subjects of which neither tolerate "faith," nor are willing to "believe," but say "yea, yea," or "nay, nay.") [4] (That they were in illustration, and perceived in themselves what was true and good, I was enabled to know from the fact that many things were told them about charity, about love, and about regeneration, and they immediately knew them to he as stated.) [5] (After this, I came to other spirits of the same earth, who were still farther on, at the western side of that earth. These told me that, with me, there was nothing but what was evil. I replied, that I knew it, and that the case was the same with them and with everyone; and that all the good which is with anyone is from the Lord. They thence perceived that I was in the truth; therefore, they spoke with me about that matter, and showed their idea of good, [namely] that it is from the Lord, and of evil, that it is in man; also, that the Divine always leads to good, although evil follows with it; but, still, one is distinct from the other; so that the Divine governs, and leads, and restrains, lest evil should be in freedom and prevail.) [6] They afterwards asked me how the Lord appears to the angels of our earth. I said that He appears in the sun, and that (He is the sun of heaven, from which proceeds all the Light there is with the angels and spirits, or all the light there is with all in the other life. They said that they know this is the case; but that, still, the Lord appears to them in a different way, when He descends and appears present.) [7] (Then was shown me, to the life, how the Lord appears with them. A dark cloud appeared at the front, at a certain altitude, descending; and, in descending, the cloud appeared more and more in the human form, and when it came to the spirits it then appeared in a flaming brilliancy, around which were little stars of the same color; and, when it was there, the spirits of that region assembled together from all places, and then it divided them - those who were good at the right hand, and those who were not good at the left, and thus arranged them in order according to the quality of their uprightness and goodness, and afterwards, thus arranged in order, sent them back. They said that this takes place as often as they begin to become evil and the upright to be led away by the evil. I afterwards saw Him descending pretty deeply; and then it [i.e. the cloud\ appeared bright, but on the way the brightness was differently varied, and, at length, changed to obscurity; and it was said that this is altogether according to the uprightness and goodness of those whom it passes through - with those who are in truths it appears bright, with those who are in falses from evil, dark; with those who are in good, flaming. The spirits, there, also saw this; and they said that it often happens, and that it happens in that way. It was told them, also, that all things are thus reduced to order which were become disarranged; and that, as often as they are brought into evils and thrown into disorder, so often [the cloud] reduces them thus to order.) [8] (That which appeared sent to them was an angelic society from the Lord, in the midst of whom, at the time, the Divine of the Lord was; for His presence in the heavens is the Divine with angelic societies.*) [9] (Then, too, all the evil are separated by the Lord from the good and cast into hell and thus those there are purged. This was the first visitation upon them - which they have been expecting.) [10] Afterwards, I inquired of them about their earth, what kind it was, and especially about their sun on that earth. They said that it was of the largeness of a man's head and of a flaming color; also, that their day equals only nine hours of our time; which they could tell by virtue of the ratio of our days, which was with me. I inquired about their years: they said that each has 200 [of their] days, which was nearly 76 days of our time. Hence I was enabled to conclude that they do not have winter but an almost autumnal season instead; for, since the days are so short, and the years so short, the cold cannot become severe, but there must be perpetual summer. They also said that it was always summer with them; and that their fields and their trees are continually in bloom. [11] They said, also, that they live on fruits and vegetables, and not the flesh of animals, and that they drink milk mixed with water, and that they have fleece-bearing [cows], like sheep but of the size of cows and young bullocks. [12] (Further, that they live among themselves house-by-house, and never together, but that still there is social interaction with them between the families; and that also they have only one married partner, and not more, because this, with them, is against Divine order.) [13] (Moreover, that they are called together every thirtieth day and listen to preachings by those who are illustrated by the Lord; and that this takes place under the open sky; also, that [the minister] preaches in a somewhat high pulpit, and teaches. Concerning revelation, they said that there are revelations with those who teach and preach, and sometimes also with others; and that revelation takes place in the following way: in the morning time, in the interval between sleep and waking, they hear, as it were, angels out of heaven, on Divine Truths and on a life according to them; and when they wake up an angel in white suddenly appears beside the bed and vanishes. It is thus evident to them that those things which they have heard are Divine. This happens in order that they may know the difference between Divine visions and visions not Divine; for, in the latter, no such angel appears.) [14] (They said that they walk about, there, entirely naked, inasmuch as [they are] in their own homes and around them, and because nakedness, with them, has nothing to do with shame: there is nothing lascivious in it. Maidens, however, do not go out, but stay at home till they arrive at a marriageable age. They are then taken to stated places, and posted behind a certain bench, by which the lower parts are screened and the breast-parts left exposed; and then the young men who were about to marry come to the place and see them, and choose themselves one for a wife. They see, instantly, from their faces, whether they are like themselves in minds and habits, inasmuch as their interiors are not hidden, but are manifest from their countenances. This occurs in different places. The young men who are about to take a wife come thither, and, if they do not meet with one, they go back. Also, when they have chosen, she follows him; and they dwell in a place prepared for them. There is always an old man, above, at the back, who sees to it that things pass off becomingly; and at one side is an old woman, who also takes precautions that all things go on decorously.) [15] (The men wear on the head a felt hat, round in the brim, and black. Their houses are low, made only of white-colored woods, over which is a roof, flat on the higher part, with a sloping cornice at the sides. At one part of that house are the wife and husband, with the maids and men-servants. The house is also continued into the distance, where the fleece-bearing cows are.) [16] (I saw the men there. Their faces were longer than the faces of the men of our earth. They were flesh-colored, as with us, but the eyes were exceedingly piercing and glittering from internal light; for they have internal light, because they are in such a state.) [17] (As regards their spirits, moreover, they bitterly complain, of the strangers who come to them from other earths, that they greatly disturb them as respects those things which belong to their worship, and said that they flee from them; also that the strangers speak of such things as they are not able to understand, but which they say ought to be believed; and that they themselves who say this do not understand those things; and that they aim at nothing else than that they may rule over them. Many of those [strangers] appeared, but were separated from the spirits of that earth: the spirits of [that] earth were on the western side, but the former ones on the eastern side. Amongst others who come thither are monks; and it was perceived that they were of those who, in the world, have traveled all round about and converted the heathen. They also travel about in the other life, in similar fashion. They said of one of these, that, when he first came, he did not say anything else than that the faith ought to be held about the Lord, that He was born, and that He was crucified and suffered for us; and that they ought to venerate His missionaries. When they hear this, they say that they know the Lord to be Man, and that they cannot learn anything from them [i.e. the monks,] since the Lord Himself teaches them; also, that they do not know what they are aiming at.) [18] (I said that the inhabitants of our earth dwell together in towns. When they heard this, they all fled as from fear; but, still, I spoke with them at a distance about that matter. They said that those strangers wish them to do the same, and that therefore they fled; knowing, that if they should live together, then many evils would assail them, as the lust of ruling, and also of possessing the goods of others, and of envying others, and thus enmities - of which evils they know nothing when they live alone, house-by-house. They also comprehend that those strangers endeavored to persuade them to such practices in various ways, solely from the lust of governing; and therefore it was that they fled away as soon as they heard of towns.) [19] (I then saw that a visitation was made upon those strangers, and that they were assembled in one place, up to several thousands, and cast out thence; and thus [the residents] were freed from such ones. With those also who were cast out, was the monk, who appeared naked, but only to the waist, being girt with a mantle, and, as to the feet, encased in shoes.) [20] (When I went away from these, a spirit from them followed me, in order that he might see the sort of objects that were on our earth. He saw many utensils made of porcelain, or of Indian clay. He saw things made of iron, of silver, and of various kinds of wood, and many articles of household furniture. He said that he had never seen such things; and, when I wished to show him a town, which lay open to the gaze when I ascended in the house, he instantly fled away, being unwilling to see it for the reason mentioned above: since, when I had the idea of a town, I had also government by kings and by primates, and many like matters, in the idea.) [21] (The strangers call the spirits of that earth simple, because the former place all understanding and intelligence in evil-doing; but I said that the spirits of that earth appear simple in such things, but yet they are a thousand times wiser [than the strangers]. With them is heaven; but with the strangers hell - where wickedness is wisdom, and wisdom, simplicity and almost nothing.) [22] (I next spoke with the monk who had been with those [strangers]. Inquiry was made as to what sort of a man he was, and what he did there? He said, That he taught them about the Lord. - What else? About heaven and hell. - What else? About faith in all the things he was going to tell them. - What else? About the Pope, that he has the power of opening heaven to whomsoever he pleases. They heard this, and investigated as to whether he believed in the Lord. It was found [that he believed] in no God; and, as to what heaven and hell are, he knows nothing more than that heaven is above and hell beneath; and about faith, that people ought to believe whatever he wished. When they heard about the Pope, they said that there is folly with every man, and that he [the monk] ought to be ranked amongst fools; for they could not imagine that such things could come into the mind of anyone. He was asked, What more? He said, That he should rule over them. To this they said: "What is this? What is it to rule?" - also, that thus he wished to take from them all heavenly light, and bring them into the darkness of hell; since he knew nothing except such things as were from hell, not even what the Lord is, of whom he had the idea of a humanity altogether like that belonging to himself. It was thence manifested that he tarried there, animated by the lust of ruling. They asked me why he wanted to rule. I said, In order that all might be his slaves; that, thus, he might thereby rule the hells; for dominion is their love which they hug. At these things they were amazed. Moreover, he was exceedingly cunning in leading others astray, and gloried in that skill, although he knew nothing of Divine truths.) [23] ([It has been mentioned] that they dwell alone, house-by-house, family-by-family, and tribe-by-tribe, and that the patriarch is supreme amongst them, and they revere him. He does not, however, rule over them from the love of self, but from the love of them, or towards them; therefore, he wishes well to them more than to himself, like a parent to his children. They consult him and he advises them about every matter whatever. Thus, the rule of love is amongst them - the rule of love for the sake of others, as different as possible from the rule of the love of self. That love, also, is from heaven, where the Divine love is of such a nature; and self-love is from hell, because there the love of self reigns. But, at this day, no such rule, or no such republic, can be established, inasmuch as there resides in everyone, from heredity, the love of reigning over others for the sake of his own honor and repute, and the love of possessing the wealth of the world beyond necessaries; and, if it could, it would also wish to possess all things in the universal earth.) * Compare Heaven and Hell, 69. -ED.