588. Which can neither see nor hear nor walk, signifies in which and from which there is nothing of the understanding of truth or the perception of good, and thus nothing of spiritual life. This is evident from the signification of "to see," as being to understand truth (See above, n. 11, 260, 529); also from the signification of "to hear," as being to perceive and obey (See also above, n. 14, 249), and as being to have understanding to perceive, n. 529; also from the signification of "to walk," as being to live spiritually, and in reference to the Lord that it is life itself (See above, n. 97). From this it is clear that "not to see, to hear, or to walk," signifies that there is no understanding of truth, no perception of good, and thence no spiritual life; these are not in idols or from them, for "idols" signify the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, and such things are not in falsities, but in truths that are from good; in truths and from them is all understanding, all perception from the will of good, and consequently spiritual life. It is said "consequently," because spiritual life consists in the understanding of truth and in perception from the will of good; for truths are in the light of heaven, and this so much that the truths themselves give light in heaven, and this because the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord makes all light in the spiritual world, and that light gives all intelligence and wisdom to angels.

Now as truths themselves are of the light it follows that falsities are of no light, for they extinguish light, consequently falsities are called in the Word "darkness" (See above, n. 526); and as they are darkness, they are the shadow of spiritual death. But it is to be known that the falsities of evil constitute such darkness, not falsities that are not from evil. "To hear" signifies perception from the will of good, and thence obedience, because speech enters the ear at the same time with the sound, and the truths uttered enter the understanding and thence the thought, while sounds enter the will and thence the affection. That in the spiritual world sounds present and produce the affection which is of the will, and the words of the sound the thought which is of the understanding, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell 236, 241, and above n. 323. From this it can be seen why "to hear" and "to hearken" also signify to obey, and the "ear" and "hearing" obedience.

236. In the entire heaven all have one language, and, from whatever society they come whether near or remote, they all understand one another. Language there is not learned but is implanted by nature with every one, for it flows from their very affection and thought. The tones of their speech correspond to their affection, and the vocal articulations which are words correspond to the ideas of thought that spring from the affection; and because of this correspondence the speech itself is spiritual, for it is affection sounding and thought speaking.

[2] Any one who gives any thought to it can know that all thought is from affection which pertains to love, and that the ideas of thought are the various forms into which the general affection is distributed. For no thought or idea is possible apart from affection-their soul and life being from it. This enables angels to know, merely from another's speech, what he is-from the tone what his affection is, and from the vocal articulations of sound or words what his mind is. The wiser angels know from a single series of words, what the ruling affection is, for to that affection they chiefly attend.

[3] It is known that each individual has a variety of affections, one when in joy, another when in grief, another when in pity and compassion, another when in sincerity and truth, another when in love and charity, another when in zeal or in rage, another when in simulation and deceit, another when in quest of honour and glory, and so on, but the ruling affection or love is in all of these. Therefore, the wiser angels, because they perceive this, know from the speech the whole state of another. This it has been granted me to know from much experience.

[4] I have heard angels disclosing the character of another's life merely from hearing him speak. They also said that from some of the ideas of another's thought they could know all things of his life, because from those ideas they know his ruling love, in which are all things in their order. They know also that man's book of life is nothing else.