1. I. THE WORLDS IN SPACE

By the Lord's Divine mercy I have had my interior faculties, which belong to my spirit, opened, so that I have been enabled to talk with spirits and angels, not only those in the vicinity of our earth, but also with those near other worlds. Since therefore I was desirous of knowing whether there were other inhabited worlds, and what they and their inhabitants were like, I was allowed by the Lord to talk and mix with spirits and angels from other worlds. With some this lasted a day, with others a week, with yet others for months. I was informed by them about the worlds they came from and in the vicinity of which they were, about the life, behaviour and religious practices of their inhabitants, and other matters worth relating about them. Since I was allowed to gain my knowledge in this fashion, I can describe them from what I have heard and seen.

[2] It needs to be known that all spirits and angels are from the human race; ¹ they are near their own world, ² and know what happens there; and they can inform someone whose interior faculties are open sufficiently to be able to talk and mix with them. A human being is in essence a spirit, ³ and associates with spirits at the interior level. ⁴ Consequently anyone whose interior faculties are opened by the Lord can talk with them, exactly as a man can with another man. ⁵ I have been permitted to do this daily for the last twelve years.

Footnotes:

7801. There are many kinds of spirits from the planet Jupiter, but there are three kinds whom I have moved among and often talked to. One kind, which is also the lowest, have a dark, almost black appearance. These are held in contempt by the others and are called chastisers, because they chastise the inhabitants of their planet who lead evil lives. They have a constant desire to get to heaven. The second kind have faces from which the reflected light of a candle seems to shine. They are seen sitting like idols, for they allow themselves to be worshipped by others, especially by the servants they had in the world. For there they convinced those servants that they were people who mediated with the Lord. They are called holy ones by them, and also lords. The third kind, which is the best, excel all the others in intelligence and wisdom. They appear dressed in clothing that is blue - sky-blue - together with sparks of gold woven into it. But actual angels from that planet live together with the angels belonging to all other planets; for all who are truly angels constitute one all-inclusive heaven.