Heaven and its Wonders and HellSwedenborg, Emanuel
Religion
Heaven and its Wonders and Hell
Swedenborg, Emanuel
Future life -- Christianity -- Early work to 1800; Heaven -- Christianity; Hell -- Christianity
96. The correspondence of the two kingdoms of heaven with the heart
and lungs is the general correspondence of heaven with man. There is
a less general correspondence with each one of his members, organs,
and viscera; and what this is shall also be explained. In the
Greatest Man, which is heaven, those that are in the head excel all
others in every good, being in love, peace, innocence, wisdom,
intelligence, and consequent joy and happiness. These flow into the
head of man and the things belonging to the head and corresponding
thereto. In the Greatest Man, or heaven, those that are in the breast
are in the good of charity and of faith, and these flow into the
breast of man and correspond to it. In the Greatest Man, or heaven,
those that are in the loins and the organs devoted to generation are
in marriage love. Those in the feet are in the lowest good of heaven,
which is called spiritual natural good. Those in the arms and hands
are in the power of truth from good. Those that are in the eyes are
in understanding; those in the ears are in attention and obedience;
those in the nostrils are in perception; those in the mouth and
tongue are in the ability to converse from understanding and
perception; those in the kidneys are in truths searching, separating,
and correcting; those in the liver, pancreas, and spleen are in
various purifications of good and truth; and so with the rest. All
these flow into the like things of man and correspond to them. This
inflow of heaven is into the functions and uses of the bodily
members; and the uses, since they are from the spiritual world, take
on a form by means of such things as are in the natural world, and
thus present themselves in effect. From this is the correspondence.
97. For the same reason these same members, organs, and viscera have
a like significance in the Word; for everything there has a meaning
in accordance with correspondence. Thus the "head" signifies
intelligence and wisdom; the "breast" charity; the "loins" marriage
love; the "arms and hands" power of truth; the "feet" what is
natural; the "eyes" understanding; the "nostrils" perception; the
"ears" obedience, the "kidneys" the scrutiny of truth, and so on.{1}
So, too, in the common speech of man it is said of one who is
intelligent and wise that he has a good head; of one who is
charitable that he is a bosom friend; of one who has clear perception
that he is keen scented; of one who is intelligent that he is sharp
sighted; of one who is powerful that he is long handed; of one who
exercises his will from love that it is done from the heart. These
and many other expressions in the speech of men are from
correspondence, for they are from the spiritual world, although man
is ignorant of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account