498. This first state after death lasts a few days for some people, months for some, and a year for some, but rarely more than a year for anyone. The difference for particular individuals depends on the harmony or discord between their inner and outer natures. These inner and outer natures must act as one and correspond for everyone. No one is allowed to think and intend one way and speak and act another way in the spiritual world. Everyone must be an image of his or her affection or love, which means we must be outwardly what we are inwardly. This is why the outer concerns of a spirit are first stripped off and brought into order: so that they may serve as a plane responsive to the inner ones.

213. As regards love and wisdom, love is the end, wisdom the cause or means, and useful endeavor the effect, and useful endeavor embraces, contains, and is the foundation of love and wisdom. Moreover, useful endeavor so embraces and so contains them that all the qualities of the love and all the qualities of the wisdom are actually present in it, useful endeavor being the concurrence of these.

It should be rightly known, however, that it is all homogeneous and accordant qualities of love and wisdom that are present in useful endeavor, in accordance with the observations presented and demonstrated above in the discussion in nos. 189-194.