1. Die Erdkörper im Weltall

(Zu lesen auch in »Himmlische Geheimnisse« 6695-6702 ¹ )

Da mir aus göttlicher Barmherzigkeit des Herrn das Innere meines Geistes eröffnet worden ist, und mir dadurch verliehen wurde, mit Geistern und Engeln, die sich nicht allein in der Nähe unserer Erde, sondern auch bei anderen Erdkörpern aufhalten, zu reden - und darum, weil ich ein Verlangen trug zu wissen, ob es noch andere Erden gäbe, auch wie sie und ihre Bewohner beschaffen wären, wurde mir vom Herrn erlaubt, mit Geistern und Engeln aus anderen Erden zu sprechen, und mit einigen einen Tag, mit anderen wochenund monatelang Unterhaltung zu pflegen, sowie von ihnen mich über die Erdkörper, aus denen und bei denen sie waren, über das Leben ihrer Bewohner, deren Sitte und Gottesdienst, und über verschiedene der Erwähnung werte Gegenstände unterrichten zu lassen -: deshalb darf ich solches, weil es dergestalt zu wissen gegeben wurde, nach Gehörtem und Gesehenem beschreiben. Alle Geister und Engel stammen nämlich aus dem Menschengeschlecht ² , halten sich in der Nähe ihres Erdkörpers auf, ³ und wissen, was dort vorgeht. Es kann auch ein Mensch, dessen Inneres so weit eröffnet ist, daß er mit ihnen in Umgang und Verkehr zu treten vermag, durch sie Belehrung empfangen; denn der Mensch ist seinem Wesen nach ein Geist ⁴ und in betreff seines Inneren Geistern zugesellt, ⁵ sodaß er, falls sein Inneres vom Herrn erschlossen wird, mit ihnen wie mit seinesgleichen umgehen kann; ⁶ und dies ist mir nun schon zwölf Jahre lang täglich vergönnt.

Footnotes:

4073. 'Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock' means a linking of the affections for truth to the good now meant by 'Jacob' - achieved by that good itself; also the use to which those affections were applied when that good departed. This is clear from the representation of 'Jacob' as the good of the natural, often dealt with already, and from the representation of 'Rachel and Leah' as affections for truth which were linked to that good - 'Rachel' the affection for interior truth, and 'Leah' the affection for external truth, dealt with in 3758, 3782, 3793, 3819. The fact that sending to them and calling them to the field, to his flock, means linking them to itself is self-evident. 'Field' means the things that constitute good, and the place where good exists, 2971, 3196, 3310, 3317, while 'flock' means the actual goods and truths which had now been acquired and to which the affections for truth meant by 'Rachel' and 'Leah' were to be applied when that good departed. 'Jacob' in this chapter represents the good of the Natural which was to become joined more closely to the Divine, 4069, since it was in a state of readiness to separate itself, and was actually doing so, from the good meant by 'Laban' - see what is said about Jacob in 3775. For representations are conditioned by the changes of state that happen to good and truth, and changes of state are conditioned by the changes which spirits and angels who are governed by such good and truth undergo, discussed above in 4067.

[2] With the departure of the communities of spirits and angels that are governed by intermediate good new communities draw nigh which are governed by a more perfect type of good. Man's state is altogether conditioned by the communities of spirits and angels in whose midst he has his being. These determine the state of his will and also that of his thought. But when he himself chooses those communities for himself, that is, when he links himself to them, the changes of state which he undergoes are entirely different from when those communities are linked to him by the Lord. When he links himself to them evil reigns in him, but when they are linked to him by the Lord good reigns in him. When good reigns in him the kind of good that flows in by way of those communities is such as contributes to the reformation of his life. The things that are stated here in the internal sense about the good represented by 'Jacob', about the affections for truth meant by 'Rachel' and 'Leah', and about the use to which these affections were applied when that good departed from the good meant by 'Laban', give an exact and vivid picture of the communities and the changes they undergo. From these communities angels perceive the states which exist with man, and so perceive the nature of his goods and truths. Consequently they perceive countless details which are seen by man as little more than a single whole. Angels therefore are aware of actual causes since they see and perceive those communities, whereas man is aware of effects and does not see those communities, but has merely a dim perception of them gained through some changes of state which originate in those communities. He sees and perceives nothing regarding what is happening to good and truth, unless he is enlightened by the Lord through angels.

3793. 'Rachel came with the flock' means the affection for interior truth belonging to the Church and to doctrine. This is clear from the representation of 'Rachel' as the affection for interior truth, and from the meaning of 'the flock' as the Church and also as doctrine, dealt with in 3767, 3768, 3783. To enable it to be known how 'Rachel' represents the affection for interior truth, and 'Leah' the affection for exterior truth, let a brief statement be made about the matter: The natural, which 'Jacob' represents, consists of good and of truth; and within the natural, as within every single part in the human being, and indeed within the whole natural order, there ought to be a marriage of good and truth. Without this marriage nothing is produced, for every act of bringing forth and every effect is from that marriage. When he is born there is no marriage of good and truth within a person's natural because the human being, unlike other creatures, is not born into a condition where Divine order is present. It is true that good which goes with innocence and charity is present, flowing from the Lord in earliest childhood; but no truth is present to which that good may be coupled. As he advances in life this good which has been instilled by the Lord into a person in early childhood is drawn in towards the interior parts and kept there by the Lord so that it may serve to modify the states of life which he experiences subsequently. As a consequence without the good belonging to his infancy and early childhood the human being would be worse and more vicious than any wild animal. When that good belonging to earliest childhood is drawn inwards, evil in that case takes its place and enters the person's natural. Falsity then couples itself to that evil, and a joining together and so to speak a marriage of evil and falsity takes place with him. If a person is to be saved therefore, he has to be regenerated. Evil has to be removed and good instilled by the Lord. And in the measure that he receives good truth is instilled into him so that a coupling, or so to speak marriage, of good and truth takes place.

[2] These are the matters represented by Jacob and his two wives, Rachel and Leah. 'Jacob' now takes on the representation of natural good therefore, and 'Rachel' that of truth. But since all joining of truth to good is effected through affection, it is the affection for truth coupled to good that 'Rachel' represents. Furthermore the natural, like the rational, has an interior and an exterior. 'Rachel' represents the affection for interior truth, and 'Leah' the affection for exterior truth. 'Laban', who is their father, represents a good that springs from a common stock, but is a parallel good, as has been stated. That good is the good which in the parallel line corresponds to the truth of the rational, which is 'Rebekah', 3012, 3013, 3077. Daughters descended from that good therefore represent affections existing within the natural, for these are like daughters fathered by that good. And because those affections are to be coupled to natural good they consequently represent affections for truth - the first representing the affection for interior truth, the second the affection for exterior truth.

[3] The regeneration of a person's natural is altogether like Jacob and Laban's two daughters, Rachel and Leah. Anyone therefore who can see and understand the internal sense of the Word sees this arcanum which has been disclosed to him, but no one else is able to see it except him in whom good and truth are present. No others, no matter how good a perception they may have of the things to do with personal life and life in society and may seem to be highly intelligent, are able to see and then to acknowledge anything at all of that arcanum. Indeed they do not know what good and truth are, for they imagine evil to be good, and falsity to be truth. For this reason the moment good is mentioned the idea of evil presents itself, and the moment truth is mentioned the idea of falsity does so. Consequently they perceive nothing of the things contained in the internal sense, but as soon as they hear anything of it darkness descends which extinguishes the light.