1384. Wat de eerste soort betreft, die de engelen eigen is, en daarin bestaat, dat zij innerlijk gewaarworden, wat waar en goed is, en gewaarworden wat van de Heer komt, en wat van henzelf, en verder ook van waar en hoedanig datgene is wat zij denken, spreken en doen, wanneer het uit henzelf komt. Het werd mij gegeven met de zonen van de Oudste Kerk te spreken over hun innerlijke gewaarwording; zij zeiden dat zij niets uit zichzelf denken of denken kunnen, en niets uit zichzelf willen, maar dat zij bij alles, wat zij in het algemeen en in het bijzonder denken en willen en gewaarworden, wat van de Heer en wat van elders komt, en dat zij niet alleen gewaarworden, hoeveel van de Heer en hoeveel als van henzelf komt, maar ook, wanneer iets als van henzelf komt, waar het dan vandaan komt, van welke engelen, en verder van welke aard die engelen zijn, van welke aard hun gedachten, met alle verscheidenheid, en zo dus welke invloed het is, en ontelbare andere dingen meer. De innerlijke gewaarwording van deze soort zijn van een grote verscheidenheid; bij de hemelse engelen, die in de liefde tot de Heer zijn, bestaat een innerlijke gewaarwording van het goede en vandaar van al wat tot het ware behoort, en omdat zij uit het goede het ware gewaarworden, laten zij niet toe dat er gesproken, nog minder dat er geredeneerd wordt over het ware, maar zij zeggen: zo is het of zo is het niet. De geestelijke engelen echter, die ook innerlijke gewaarwording hebben, maar niet van dien aard als de hemelse engelen, spreken over het ware en het goede; niettemin worden zij het ware en het goede gewaar, maar met onderscheid, want de verscheidenheden van deze innerlijke gewaarwording zijn ontelbaar. De verscheidenheden rusten hierop, dat zij gewaarworden of iets komt van de wil van de Heer, of dat Hij het vergunt, of dat Hij het toelaat, waartussen een scherp onderscheid ligt.

4627. But the state of perception among those who correlate with the interior parts of the nostrils is more perfect than it is among those described above, who correlate with the exterior parts. Let the following be told regarding the former. I once saw what looked like a bath which had long seats or benches, and which was steaming. A woman then appeared there, who shortly disappeared into a blackening cloud. I also heard young children saying they didn't want to be there. After that I noticed a group of angels who were sent to me to forestall the endeavours of certain evil spirits. At this point some openings suddenly appeared above my forehead, large and small ones, through which a lovely yellow light was shining, and in this light within the openings I saw certain women in snowy white. Then some more openings appeared, arranged in a different way, through which the women within them were looking out; and again even more openings appeared through which less light was passing.

[2] Finally I was aware of a brilliant white light. I was told that here were situated the dwelling-places of those women who constitute the province of the inner nostrils - for those there were members of the female sex - and that the sharpness of perception of the women there is represented in the world of spirits by means of the kinds of openings I saw. For spiritual things in heaven are represented by means of natural ones, or rather by means of the kinds of things in the world of spirits that resemble natural ones. After this I was allowed to speak to those women, who said that through the representative openings they were able to have a perfect view of things happening below, and that the openings, as could be seen, were facing the communities which they were endeavouring to observe. And because at that time the openings were facing in my direction, the women said that they were able to detect all the ideas forming my thought, and also the ideas of those around me. More than that, they declared that they not only detected those ideas but also saw them represented in varying ways - those of the affection for good, for example, by appropriate little flames, those of the affection for truth by variations of light. They added that they saw certain angelic communities present with me, the thoughts of these communities being represented by objects of many different colours, by purple shades of colour like those used on painted curtains, and also by the colours of the rainbow set against a darker background. From these representations, they said, they perceived that those angelic communities belonged to the province of the eye.

[3] After this I saw some other spirits who were cast down from there and were scattered in all directions. Speaking about these, the women said that they were the kind of spirits who had wormed their way into their own company to find something out, and to see what was going on below, but with insidious intentions. I saw those spirits being cast down every time groups of angels drew near, to whom also I spoke. These said, referring to the ones who were cast down, that they correlated with mucus in the nose and that they were lacking in perception and intelligence, as well as in conscience, and thus were utterly devoid of any interior perception. The woman whom I had seen, and have referred to above, represented such women as have insidious intentions. I was allowed to speak to these women also. These were astonished by the idea that anyone possessing conscience should have no knowledge at all of what conscience is. But when I said that conscience was an inward discernment of goodness and truth, and that acting contrary to that discernment gave rise to distress, they did not understand this. Such is the nature of those who correspond to the mucus which irritates the nose and is therefore expelled from it.

[4] I was then shown what the bright light is in which those women live who correlate with the inner parts of the nostrils. It was a light beautifully varied by beams of golden flame and silver light, affections for good being represented in it by the beams of golden flame, and affections for truth by those of silver light. I was also shown that they have openings positioned at the side, through which they see what looks like a blue sky studded with stars; and I was told that the light in their chambers is so bright that not even the light of the world at midday can be compared to it. In addition I was told that the temperature where these women are is warm, like that in spring and summer on earth; and that young children, who are just a few years old, also live with them, but that these do not wish to be there when the women with insidious intentions, who are meant by mucus, come around. Countless representatives such as these are seen in the world of spirits, but these were representatives of the perceptions which those women share who correspond to the sense of smell possessed by the inner nostrils.

9577. 'Which you were given to see on the mountain' means which were seen in heaven with the eyes of the spirit. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing', when it has reference to representatives in heaven, as seeing with the eyes of the spirit, dealt with below; and from the meaning of Mount Sinai as heaven, dealt with in 8805, 9420. The fact that 'seeing', when it has reference to representatives which make their appearance in heaven, means seeing with the eyes of the spirit may be recognized from the consideration that angelic spirits, who inhabit the lowest or first heaven, constantly see patterns or forms of things similar to such objects as exist in the world. They see for instance parks, trees there with fruit on them, flowers, and young plants, also houses and palaces, as well as very many kinds of living creatures, in addition to countless other things that have not been seen in the world. All those sights are representatives of heavenly realities that exist in higher heavens. These realities there manifest themselves in such a form or pattern before the eyes of the spirits below, in order that from it an angelic spirit may be able to know about and gain an insight into particular realities that come to exist in higher heavens; for all things, even the most specific, are representative and carry a spiritual meaning. All this makes clear what should be understood by a representative of heaven and heavenly realities, which are meant by the ark, cherubs, dwelling-place, tables there, and lampstand.

[2] Such sights cannot be seen with the human eye in the world, for the eye has been formed to take in earthly and bodily shapes, thus material objects. The eye therefore is so imperfect that with its vision it cannot even take in the secrets of the natural order, as magnifying glasses go to prove, since it must be supplied with these if it is to see merely the least hidden secrets of the natural order. In short, the eyes are extremely dim, and being like this they cannot possibly see the representatives which make their appearance to spirits in the next life. If these are to make their appearance the inferior light of the world must be taken away from the eyes; and once it has been taken away those things that exist in the light of heaven are seen. For there is the light of heaven and there is the light of the world; the light of heaven exists for a person's spirit and the light of the world for a person's body. The situation is that those things which exist in the light of heaven are in thick darkness when a person looks at them from the light of the world, and conversely those things which exist in the light of the world are in thick darkness when a person looks at them from the light of heaven. So it is that when the light of the world is taken away from the sight of his physical eye the eyes of his spirit are opened, and those things which exist in the light of heaven, thus representative forms or patterns, are seen, as has been stated above.

[3] From all this it may recognized why it is that people at the present day are in thick darkness so far as heavenly matters are concerned. Some are in darkness so thick that they do not even believe in the existence of life after death, nor therefore that they are going to be alive for evermore. For people at the present day are immersed so much in the body, thus in bodily, earthly, and worldly concerns, and consequently in the light of the world which is so imperfect, that heavenly things are complete and utter darkness to them, and therefore the sight of their spirit cannot be enlightened. All this now shows what is meant by seeing with the eyes of the spirit, the eyes with which Moses saw the pattern of the tent on Mount Sinai.