48. The arrangement in the spiritual world of all the nations and peoples who were judged was seen to be as follows. In the centre were gathered those who are called the Reformed, and they were divided into groups according to their native countries: the Germans were towards the north, the Swedes towards the west, the Danes in the west, the Dutch towards the east and south, the British in the middle. Surrounding this centre, where all the Reformed were, the Roman Catholics were to be seen gathered, most of them in the western quarter, but some in the southern. Beyond them were the Mohammedans, also grouped according to their native countries; they were all to be seen in the west bordering on the south. Beyond them were gathered immense numbers of the heathen, who thus made up the outermost ring. Outside them appeared what looked like the sea forming a boundary.

The reason the nations were thus arranged by districts was that their position depended upon the shared ability of each group to receive Divine truths. As a result, everyone in the spiritual world can be recognised by the quarter and place where he lives, and also within a large community by the location of his residence, on this see HEAVEN AND HELL 148-149. Much the same happens when they travel from one place to another; then they always move in directions answering to the successive states of their thoughts arising from the affections for the particular way they live. These determine their proper places, to which they are taken, as will be described. In short, the roads along which one walks in the spiritual world are realisations of thoughts in the mind. That is why roads, walking and the like in the Word mean in the spiritual sense realisations and advances in spiritual life.