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
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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