144. As to 'calling by name' meaning recognizing their nature, it must be realized that the ancients understood nothing else by 'a name than the essential nature of a real thing, and by 'seeing and calling them by name' recognizing the nature of such. This was why they gave their sons and daughters names in keeping with the things that were meant by them; for there was something unique to every name, as a means of knowing the origin and nature of those children, as will also be seen later on where, in the Lord's Divine mercy, the twelve sons of Jacob are dealt with. Since therefore a name embodied a person's origin and nature nothing else was meant by 'calling by name'. This manner of speaking was customary among them; but anyone who does not understand is sure to wonder whether they do have these meanings.

2998. The existence of such correspondences has for many years been made something so familiar to me that scarcely anything could be more so. This has happened to me even though man's condition is such that he does not know of the existence of that correspondence and does not believe that he has any connection with the spiritual world. Yet all his connection is from that world and without it neither he nor any part of him could continue to exist for a single moment. On that connection depends the whole continuance of his existence. I have also been given to know which angelic communities belong to which particular part of the body, and also to know what they are like. I have been given to know, for example, which communities belong to the region of the heart, and what these are like; which ones belong to the lungs, and what these are like; which communities belong to the liver, and what they are like; and which ones belong to the sensory organs, such as the eye, the ears, the tongue, and the rest, and what those communities are like. In the Lord's Divine mercy these will be dealt with as a separate subject.