662# 记事二：
过了一段时间，我走进一片小树林，在那里走来走去，沉思那些被对占有世界上的东西的欲望和随之而来的幻觉所困扰的人。然后，在离我有一段距离的地方，我看见两位天使在一起交谈，并不时地看着我。于是我走近了；随着我靠近，他们向我说话，说：“我们有一种内在感知，觉得你在沉思我们正在谈论的主题；或我们在谈论你正在沉思的主题；这是情感相互分享或交流的结果。”然后我问他们在讨论什么，他们说：“关于幻觉、欲望和聪明；刚才讨论的是那些以看到并想象自己拥有世界上的一切事物为快乐的人。”
然后我请他们告诉我他们对欲望、幻觉和聪明这三个主题的观念。于是，他们开始了他们的谈话，说：“每个人生来从内层就处于欲望，但通过教育从外层处于聪明；从内层，或就其灵而言，没有人处于聪明，更不用说处于智慧了，除非从主那里。因为每个人都是随着他仰望主，同时与主结合而从邪恶的欲望中退出，并被保持在聪明中。如果做不到这一点，人只不过是欲望。然而，在外在上，或就身体而言，他因教育而处于聪明。因为人贪恋荣誉和财富，或显赫和富有；但他不会获得这两者，除非他看起来是道德和属灵的，因而是聪明和智慧的；他从小就学习取得这种表象。这就是为何他一踏入人群或社会，就颠倒他的灵，让它远离欲望，并照着他从小就学会，至今仍保留在他的身体记忆或外在记忆中的体面和诚实说话和行事；他特别小心，不显露出在他灵里掌权的疯狂欲望。
“这就是为何每一个不从内层被主引导的人，都是一个伪装者、马屁精和伪君子，因而表面上是一个人，实际上不是一个人；论到他，可以说，他的外壳或身体是明智的，但他的内核或灵是疯狂的；也可以说，他的外在是人的外在，而他的内在是野兽的内在。这些人后脑勺朝上，前额朝下，低着头走路，脸朝向地面，好像他们背负着沉重的负担。当他们脱去肉体，成为灵，从而获得自由时，他们就会成为他们欲望疯狂的化身，或成为自己的疯狂欲望本身。因为那些处于自我之爱的人渴望统治宇宙，甚至为了扩大他们的统治而渴望扩大宇宙的边界；他们在哪里都看不到一个尽头。那些处于世界之爱的人渴望拥有属于世界的一切，对别人所储存和隐藏的任何宝藏都感到悲伤和嫉妒。因此，为防止这些人成为纯粹的欲望，从而不再是人，他们在灵界被允许出于害怕丧失名声，从而丧失荣誉和财富，也出于害怕律法及其惩罚来思考。他们还被允许把自己的心智用于某种追求或工作，由此被保持在外在中，从而处于聪明的状态，无论他们内心多么疯狂和不理性。”
此后，我问是否所有处于欲望的人也都处于它的幻觉。他们回答说，那些在自己里面或从内在思考，通过自言自语过度放纵自己想象力的人，就处于其欲望的幻觉。他们说：“因为这些人几乎完全将灵从它与身体的联系中分离，用不切实际的幻想来淹没自己的理解力，愚蠢地以似乎拥有一切事物或整个宇宙为快乐。人若将灵从身体中抽离出来，不愿意通过出于宗教来想一想邪恶和虚假，或至少想一想无节制的自我之爱会摧毁对主之爱，无节制的世界之爱会摧毁对邻之爱而放弃其疯狂或精神错乱的快乐，死后就会陷入这种疯狂或精神错乱。”
然后，两位天使和我自己都渴望看到那些出于世界之爱而处于对占有所有人财富的这种幻想或不切实际的欲望之人；我们感知到，我们被这种渴望激励，是为了可以了解这种人。他们居住的地方就在我们所站的地面之下，但在地狱之上；因此，我们互相看了看，说：“我们走吧。”一个开口出现了，里面还有一架梯子，我们从梯子上下来。我们被告知，必须从东方接近他们，免得我们进入他们幻觉的迷雾中，使我们的理解力连同视线都变得模糊。瞧！那里出现了一座房子，是用芦苇建造的，因此布满了缝隙，站立在迷雾中，这迷雾像烟一样不断从三面墙的缝隙里冒出来。我们进去了，看到这一边有五十个人，那一边有五十个人。他们坐在长凳上，背向东方和南方，面向西方和北方。每个人面前都有一张桌子，桌子上摆满了钱包，钱包周围有大量金币。
我们问他们：“这就是世界上所有人的财富吗？”他们回答说：“不是世界上所有人的财富，而是一个王国里的所有人的财富。”他们说话时有一种嘶嘶声，他们觉得自己的脸是圆圆的，有点像蜗牛壳一样的微红；而瞳孔仿佛在一片绿色的田野里一样闪烁着，那是由幻觉之光产生的。我们站在他们中间，说：“你们以为你们拥有一个王国的全部财富吗？”他们回答说：“我们的确拥有它。”然后我们问：“你们中的哪一个人拥有它？”他们回答说：“我们每个人。”我们问：“你们怎么可能每个人都拥有它，因为你们有很多人。”他们说：“我们每个人都知道，他的一切都是我的。任何人都不可以认为，更不可以说，‘我的不是你的’，但我们可以认为并说：‘你的是我的。’”桌子上的硬币甚至在我们看来，似乎是由纯金做的；但当我们让来自东方的光照进来时，我们看到，它们不过是微小的金粒；在他们幻觉的共同努力下，或说通过他们总体而统一的幻觉，他们如此放大了这些金粒。他们说，每个进来的人都必须带一点金子来，他们把金子切成小块，再把这些小块切成小颗粒，用一致幻觉的力量或幻觉的统一力量把这些小颗粒放大成更大尺寸的硬币。
然后我们说：“你们生来不是有理性的人吗？这种愚蠢、荒谬的幻想是如何临到你们身上的？”他们回答说：“我们知道，这是徒劳的幻想，但由于它满足了我们心智的内层，所以我们来到这里，享受似乎拥有一切事物的快乐。但我们只在这里呆几个小时，这段时间结束后，我们就会离开；每当我们出来时，一种健康的心智状态就会回来。然而，我们幻想的快乐有时还是会临到我们，促使我们交替地重新进来又离开；因此，我们时而明智，时而疯狂。我们也知道，那些狡猾剥夺他人财物的人将面临艰难的命运。” 我们问：“什么命运？”他们回答说：“他们被吞没了，被赤裸裸地推入某个地狱监牢，在那里为衣食而工作，后来又为一点小钱而工作；他们把这些钱攒起来，把心中的喜乐放在它们上面。但他们若伤害了同伴，就必须缴纳一部分积蓄或一些硬币作为罚款。”
662. 记事二:
过了一段时间, 我走进一个小树林, 在那里走来走去, 沉思那些渴望占有世间财物, 也幻想这么做的人。 然后, 在离我有一段距离的地方, 我看见两位天人正在交谈, 并时不时地朝我看过来。 于是, 我走上前去, 当我靠近时, 他们招呼我说: “我们内心觉察到, 你在深思我们正讨论的话题, 或我们在讨论你正深思的问题, 这是情感交流的结果。 ”我问他们在讨论什么, 他们说: “关于幻想, 欲望和聪明; 现在讨论的是那些以白日梦和幻想占有世间万物为乐之人。 ”
然后我请求他们就这三个主题, 即欲望, 幻想和聪明披露自己的想法。 他们一开始就说了这样一番话: “每个人生来内在都有欲望, 但外在通过教育获得聪明才智; 但除非通过主, 否则内在地, 或就其灵而言, 没人拥有聪明才智, 更遑论智慧。 因为每个人从恶欲退离, 并被保守在聪明才智中, 是依他注目于主, 同时与祂结合的程度而定的。 若非这样, 人无非是欲望而已; 然而于外在, 或就其身体而言, 他由于教育而拥有聪明才智。 因为人渴望名利, 渴望名声赫赫, 富甲四方, 但除非他表现良好, 富有灵性, 因而看似聪明有智慧, 否则无法实现这两个目标, 所以他从小就练习这样表现。 这就是为何他一走进人群或融入社会就反转其灵, 使之远离欲望, 然后按照他从小习得, 并存于身体记忆的得体和真诚说话行事。 他尤其警惕其灵的疯狂欲望暴露出来。
因此, 凡内在不被主引领之人, 都是伪装者, 马屁精和伪君子, 外表是一个人, 内在却不是。 对于他, 可以说外壳或肉体是完好的, 但核心或灵是疯狂的; 也可说, 外在是人类, 而内在与野兽无异。 这种人的视线在后枕骨上方, 前额下方; 即他们垂头走路, 脸朝地面, 仿佛被重力牵引。 当他们脱去肉体成为灵, 得以自由之后, 就会转向自己的疯狂欲望。
因为凡被我爱主导者皆渴望统治宇宙, 甚至扩大范围, 以便扩张他们的领地, 永无止境。 凡被尘世之爱主导者皆渴望拥有世间万物, 对别人拥有, 自己却得不到的财物伤心嫉妒。 所以, 为防止这种人变成纯粹的欲望, 丧失人性, 便允许他们在灵界拥有自己的想法, 这些想法受损失名声, 继而荣誉利益, 以及律法及其惩罚的恐惧影响。 他们还被允许专心于某项研究或工作任务, 以便他们被保守在外在, 因而处于聪明才智的状态, 无论他们内在是多么疯狂和没有理性。 ”
此后我又问, 凡有这欲望者是否都遭受占有世间财物的妄想。 他们回答说, 遭受这种妄想的人, 是那些内心思想它, 并通过自言自语过度沉浸于自己幻想之人。 他们说: “因为这些人几乎将他们的灵从它与身体的联结中分离出来, 将觉知淹没在白日梦中, 以想象拥有一切而愚蠢地纵情享乐。 如果人将自己的灵从身体抽离出来, 并且不愿从其疯狂给予他的快乐中退离, 那么死后他就进入这样一种谵妄状态 (谵妄症: 有幻觉或错觉, 尤以幻视较多见)。 他极少从宗教的角度思考恶与假, 也几乎不思想: 放纵我爱就是毁灭对主之爱, 放纵尘世之爱就是毁灭对邻之爱。
然后, 两位天人和我都感觉到一种渴望, 想要看看那些出于尘世之爱而幻想或疯狂渴望占有全部财富之人。 我们觉察到, 这种渴望临到我们, 是为了让我们了解这些人。 他们的家就在我们所站之地的下面, 但在地狱之上。 因此, 我们互相看了看, 然后说: “我们走吧。 ”我们看见一个开口和其中的台阶, 于是拾级而下, 被告知, 必须从东方靠近他们, 以免进入他们的幻觉迷雾中, 致使我们的觉知连同视线变得模糊。 看哪, 那里出现了一座房子, 由芦苇建成, 因此全是裂缝, 就坐落在迷雾中, 那象烟一样的迷雾不断从三面墙上的缝隙中冒出来。 我们进去后, 发现这边五十个人, 那边五十个人, 都坐在长凳上。 他们背离东南方, 面向西北方。 每个人面前都有一张桌子, 桌子上全是鼓鼓的钱袋, 钱袋周围有成堆的金币。
我们问他们: “这就是在世时的全部财富吗? ”他们说: “不但是在世时的全部财富, 而且是一个王国的全部财富。 ”他们说话时有嘶嘶声, 脸圆圆的, 泛着海扇壳似的红光; 眼睛瞳孔仿佛发出绿光, 这是由其幻觉之光造成的。 我们站在他们当中说:
“你们以为自己拥有王国的全部财富吗? ”
“是的。 ”
“你们当中谁拥有这一切? ”
“我们每个人。 ”
“怎么可能每个人都拥有? 你们有很多人。 ”
“我们每个人都知道‘别人的一切都是我们的’。 我们不被允许思想, 更不能说‘我的东西不是你的’, 但我们被允许思考并说‘你的东西就是我的’。 ”
“甚至在我们看来, 桌子上的硬币貌似由纯金制成。 但当我们借着东方之光去看时, 发现它们就是小金颗粒, 因着全体一致的幻觉被放大为硬币。 ”
他们说, 每个进来的人都不得不拿出一点金子, 他们把这些金子切碎, 再制成颗粒, 然后通过共同专注于幻觉的力量, 将这些颗粒放大, 使它们看似硬币那么大。
然后我们说:
“你们生来不是理性的人类吗? 怎么会迷恋这样的幻觉? ”
“我们知道这是一个无聊的幻想, 但因为它娱乐了我们心智的内在, 所以我们来到这里, 享受看似拥有万物的乐趣。 但我们只呆几个小时, 在此度过一段时间后就出去, 只要一出来, 我们的神志就会恢复正常。 然而, 白日梦的诱惑时不时地临到我们, 使得我们来回进出, 以至于我们时而理智, 时而疯狂。 我们也知道那些狡猾剥夺他人财物者所面临的残酷命运。 ”
“什么命运? ”
“他们被吞没, 被赤裸裸地扔到地狱的某个监牢, 在此被迫不断劳作, 先为衣食, 后为积攒一点钱以满足内心渴望。 但如果他们伤害自己的同伴, 就不得不缴纳自己的部分硬币作为罚款。 ”
662. The second memorable occurrence. After some interval of time, I went into a grove of trees and went for a walk, meditating on people who crave all worldly wealth and therefore fantasize that it is theirs. At some distance away I noticed two angels talking with each other and looking over at me now and then.
I started to walk toward them, and as I did they said to me, "We perceive within ourselves that you are meditating on the same thing we are talking about, or else we are talking about the same thing you are meditating on; this is happening because we share the same interests and desires. "
I asked what they were talking about. They said, "About fantasies and cravings and understanding. Just now we were talking about people who take delight in envisioning and imagining that they own everything in the world. "
[2] I asked them to tell me their thinking on the three topics they mentioned: craving, fantasy, and understanding.
They began their response by saying, "All human beings are born with inner cravings. We come into outward understanding through our education. None of us have inward understanding (meaning understanding in our spirit), still less inward wisdom, except from the Lord. If we turn to the Lord and form a partnership with him, we are all held back from our cravings for evil and kept intent on understanding. Without this, we are nothing but cravings, although we have understanding on the outer, physical level as a result of our education.
"We crave honor and money, that is, high position and wealth. We do not achieve them, though, unless we appear to be moral and spiritual, and therefore intelligent and wise; so from our childhood on, we learn how to appear this way. This is why, as soon as we encounter other individuals or the public, we turn our spirit the other way up, moving it away from our cravings, and we speak and act in appealing and honorable ways around them, using skills we developed in childhood, which we have retained in our bodily memory. We take great care to prevent any of the insane cravings we have in our spirit from leaking out.
[3] "As a result, all people who are not inwardly led by the Lord are pretenders, flatterers, and hypocrites; they seem human, but they are not. In a manner of speaking, they are wise in the shell of their body, but insane in the kernel of their spirit. Their outer self is human and their inner self is a predatory animal. They keep the back of their head upward and their forehead down, walking along with their head hanging down and their face looking at the ground as if they were heavily burdened. When they lay aside their bodies and become spirits, and are set free, they become their own insane cravings.
"For example, those who are involved in self-love long for power over the universe; in fact, they wish they could extend the limits of the universe in order to expand their empire. They never see the end of it. Those who are involved in love for the world long to possess all the wealth of the world. They are pained and envious if anyone keeps treasures hidden from them.
"To prevent their becoming nothing but cravings and no longer human, such people are given the opportunity in the spiritual world to continue thinking fearfully about losing their reputations, and therefore their status and wealth, and also about incurring the penalties of the law. They are also encouraged to devote their minds to some study or work, which will keep them in their outer selves and in a state of intelligence, no matter how deranged and insane they are inside. "
[4] Next I asked whether all who are involved in their cravings are also involved in fantasizing that they have what they want.
"People who develop the fantasy that they have what they are craving," they replied, "are people who think within themselves and talk to themselves and indulge their imagination too much. They virtually sever the connection between their spirit and their body. They flood their intellect with foolish self-indulgence, vividly imagining that everything belongs to them.
"People who remove their spirit from their body and are unwilling to give up the pleasure their madness gives them come fully into that madness after death. People like this may have a few thoughts about what is evil and false based on their religion, but they have virtually no thoughts of restraining their love for themselves (which destroys their love for the Lord) or their love for the world (which destroys their love for their neighbor). "
[5] After that a strong desire came upon the two angels and me to see people whose love for the world has brought them to a craving in visual form, or fantasy, that they possess all the wealth in the world. We perceived that we were inspired with this desire so that we would know more about this type of person.
Since their living quarters were not in hell itself but were above it, just under the ground below our feet, we looked at each other and said, "Let's go down there. "
An opening appeared with steps leading down. We descended by them. We were told to make our approach from the east toward these people to avoid coming into the fog of their fantasies and experiencing its shadow both intellectually and visually.
We came upon a house that was made out of reeds; there were cracks in it everywhere. It was surrounded by a fog that constantly poured out through the cracks in three of the walls like smoke. We went inside and saw fifty people sitting on long benches on one side, and fifty on long benches on the other. They were turned away from the east and south and were facing west and north. They all had tables in front of them. There were bulging money sacks on the tables, and a great quantity of gold coins around the sacks.
[6] "Is that all the money in the world?" we asked.
"No," they said, "but it is all the money in the nation. "
Their speech had a hissing sound to it. Their faces were round and as red as a snail's shell. The pupils of their eyes were gleaming and the rest of their eyes were green, an effect caused by the light of their fantasy.
We stood in their midst and asked, "Do you actually believe that all the money in the nation belongs to you?"
"It does belong to us," they answered.
"To which one of you?" we asked.
"Each of us," they said.
"How could it belong to each of you?" we said. "There are a lot of you. "
They replied, "Each of us knows, 'All the money is mine. ' We are not allowed to think and certainly not allowed to say, 'What is mine is not yours. ' We are allowed, though, to think and say, 'What is yours is also mine. '"
Even to us the coins on the tables seemed to be made of pure gold. When we let in light from the east, though, they turned out to be just grains of gold that the group had enlarged through a united effort of visualization. They said that each person who joined the group had to bring in some gold. They would cut that into small pieces, and then cut the pieces into individual grains. Then through the single-minded power of their visualization, they would expand each grain into a larger coin.
[7] We then said to them, "You were born rational people. Where did you get this ridiculous fantasy?"
"We realize that it is imaginary," they answered, "and is just idle entertainment, but because deep in our minds it gives us such pleasure, we come in here and relish the feeling that we own it all. Mind you, we only stay here for a few hours and then leave, and our sanity comes back to us every time. Still, from time to time the thrill of visualizing it comes over us again. It drives us to keep coming back in here, then leaving, then coming back again. So we alternate between being sensible and being insane. We are very aware, too, that bad things happen to people who sneak off with others' belongings. "
"What bad things?" we asked.
"Well, they are swallowed up and are thrust down naked into some hellish prison, where they have to work to get clothing and food. Later on they get paid with a few small coins, which they save up, and which are their heart's delight. If they do any harm to their companions, they have to pay some of their coins as a fine. "
662. 1 The second experience.
Some time later I went into a park and walked there reflecting on those who have a longing to possess worldly goods and so imagine that they do. Then I saw at some distance from me two angels in conversation, who from time to time looked towards me. So I went nearer, and as I approached they addressed me and said: 'We have an inward perception that you are reflecting upon what we are talking about, or that we are talking about what you are reflecting on, which is the result of the reciprocal communication of affections.'
So I asked what they were talking about. 'About imagination,' they said, 'longing and intelligence; and now about those who delight in day-dreaming and imagining they possess everything in the world.'
[2] So I asked them to reveal their thoughts on these three topics, longing, imagination and intelligence.
They began their reply by saying that everyone inwardly by birth has longings, but outwardly acquires intelligence by education. No one has intelligence, much less wisdom, inwardly, that is, in respect of his spirit, except from the Lord. 'For everyone,' they said, 'is restrained from longing for evil, and is kept in intelligence in proportion to the extent he looks to the Lord and at the same time is linked with Him. Failing this, a person is nothing but longing; yet in externals, that is, as regards the body, he has intelligence as the result of education. A person longs for honours and riches, or to be eminent and wealthy; and these two goals cannot be achieved unless he appears well-behaved and spiritual, and so intelligent and wise. So from childhood he learns to appear thus. This is why, as soon as he mixes with people or attends a meeting, he reverses his spirit, switching it away from longing, and speaking and acting in accordance with the principles of decency and honour which he learned from childhood and retains in his bodily memory. He also takes the greatest care to see that nothing of the mad longing of his spirit slips out.
[3] Thus everyone, who is not inwardly guided by the Lord, is a pretender, a sycophant and hypocrite, appearing to be a human being without being one. Of him it can be said that his shell or body is wise, his kernel or spirit is mad; that his external is human, his internal that of a wild beast. Such people go about with the back of their heads pointing upwards, and downwards with the front, so that they are weighed down by their burden, with their heads hanging down, their gaze fastened on the ground. When they put off their bodies, becoming spirits and being set free, they turn into what their own mad longings are. For those who are ruled by self-love long to be masters of the universe, or even to extend its limits so as to have wider sway, for they can see no end to it. Those ruled by love of the world long to possess everything in it, and are grieved and envious if anyone has any treasures stored away in secret. So to prevent such people from turning into sheer longings and losing their humanity, they are allowed in the spiritual world to have their thoughts influenced by fear of losing their reputation, and so their honours and profit, as well as by fear of the law and its penalties. They are also allowed to concentrate their mind on some study or task, so that they are kept in externals and so in a state of intelligence, however much inwardly they rave and behave like madmen.'
[4] After this I asked whether all who have this longing also suffer from the delusion that they do possess worldly goods. They replied that the people who suffer from this delusion are those who think inwardly about it and over-indulge their imagination, talking to themselves about it. These people come close to separating their spirit from its link with the body; they swamp the understanding by day-dreaming, and indulge in the empty pleasure of imagining they possess everything. A person is after death the victim of this madness, if he has withdrawn his spirit from the body, and has not been willing to retreat from the delight his madness gives him. He thinks little from a religious point of view about evils and falsities, and hardly anything about unrestrained self-love as being destructive of love to the Lord, and unrestrained love of the world as being destructive of love towards the neighbour.
[5] After this the two angels and I felt a desire to see those who suffer from this imaginary longing, or delusion that they possess the wealth of all as the result of love of the world. We perceived that this desire came upon us in order that we should get to know these people. Their homes were under the ground on which we stood, but above hell. So we looked at one another and said: 'Let us go.' We saw an opening and some steps, so we went down them. We were told to approach them from the east, to avoid entering the cloud of their delusion and putting our understandings in shadow, which would at the same time obscure our sight.
Suddenly we caught sight of a building made of reeds, and therefore full of chinks, standing in the cloud, which continually seeped out like smoke from the chinks in three of the walls. We went in and saw fifty on one side and fifty on the other, sitting on benches. They had their backs to the east and south and faced the west and north. Each had a table in front of him with bulging money-bags on it, and around the bags piles of gold coins.
[6] 'Are those,' we asked each, 'the wealth of all in the world?'
'Not all in the world,' they said, 'but all in the kingdom.' Their speech sounded like a whistle, and they themselves had round faces which had a ruddy look like the shell of a snail. The pupils of their eyes seemed to sparkle against a green background; this was caused by the light of their delusion.
We took up a position in between them and said: 'Do you believe that you possess all the wealth of the kingdom?' 'Yes,' they replied.
Then we asked: 'Which one of you possesses this?' 'Each of us,' they said.
'How can you each possess this?' we asked. 'There are many of you.'
'We each of us,' they said, 'know that everything that belongs to another is ours. We are not allowed to think, much less say, "What is mine is not yours," but we are allowed to think and say, "What is yours is mine." '
Even to our eyes the coins on the tables looked as if made of pure gold. But when we let in light from the east, they turned out to be small particles of gold which they had magnified to such an extent by means of shared joint delusion. They said that anyone who comes in has to bring with him some gold, which they cut up into pieces, and these into small particles, and these they then magnify by concentrating their delusive powers with one intention, to make them look like coins of the larger sort.
[7] Then we said: 'Were you not born rational human beings? Where have you acquired that foolish fancy?'
'We know,' they said, 'that our vanity is fanciful, but because it pleases the interiors of our minds, we come in here and are delighted by seeming to possess everyone's wealth. But we do not stay here for more than a few hours, and having spent this time here we go out, and each time sanity returns to our minds. But still the attraction of our day-dreams from time to time comes upon us, and makes us alternate between coming in and going out, so that by turns we are wise and crazy. We know too that a harsh fate awaits those who cunningly filch other people's property.'
'What fate is that?' we asked.
'They are sucked down,' they said, land thrown naked into some prison in hell, where they are obliged to work for clothing and for food, and then for a few pennies which they hoard and make their hearts' desire. But if they do harm to their companions, they have to give up some of their pennies as a fine.'
Footnotes:
1. This section is repeated from <../cl/267.htm">Conjugial Love 267-268.
662. Second Memorable Relation:
After some length of time I entered a certain grove, and there walked about, meditating upon those who are in the lust and the consequent hallucination of possessing the things of the world; and then I saw at some distance from me two angels conversing together, and by turns looking at me. I therefore drew nearer; and they spoke to me as I approached, and said, "We have an inner perception that you are meditating upon what we are talking about; or that we are talking about what you are meditating upon, which arises from a reciprocal sharing of affections."
So when I asked what they were talking about, they said, "About hallucination, lust, and intelligence; and just now about those who take delight in seeing and imagining themselves in possession of all things of the world."
[2] I then asked them to express their mind on these three things, lust, hallucination, and intelligence.
And beginning their discourse, they said, "By birth everyone is interiorly in lust, and by education exteriorly in intelligence; but interiorly or as to his spirit no one is in intelligence, still less in wisdom, except from the Lord. For everyone is withheld from the lust of evil, and kept in intelligence in proportion as he looks to the Lord and at the same time is conjoined with Him. Without this, man is nothing but lust; and yet in externals, or as to the body, he is in intelligence from education. For man lusts for honors and wealth, or eminence and opulence, and these two he does not obtain unless he appears to be moral and spiritual, thus intelligent and wise; and so from his infancy he learns to assume such an appearance. This is why he inverts his spirit as soon as he goes among men or into society, turning it away from lust, and speaking and acting according to what is becoming and honest, which he has been learning from infancy and has laid up in his bodily memory; and he is especially on his guard that nothing of the madness of lust in which his spirit is should show itself.
[3] "This is why every man who is not interiorly led by the Lord, is a pretender, a sycophant, a hypocrite, and thus a man in appearance, and yet not a man; of whom it may be said that his shell or body is sane, but his kernel or the spirit is insane; also that his external is human but his internal beast like. The sight of such is with the occiput up and the forehead down; that is, they walk with their heads hanging down and with their faces turned toward the earth as if overcome with heaviness. When they put off the body and become spirits and thus are set free, they become the very madnesses of their lust; for those who are in the love of self lust to rule over the universe, and even to extend its limits in order to enlarge their dominion; they nowhere recognize an end. Those who are in love of the world lust to possess everything pertaining to it, and are grieved and envious over any treasures that are kept from them in the possession of others. That such therefore may not become mere lusts, and thus not men, they are permitted in the spiritual world to think from a fear of the loss of reputation, and thus of honor and wealth, as also from a fear of the law and its penalties; and they are also permitted to employ their minds in some pursuit or work, whereby they are kept in externals, and thus in a state of intelligence, however delirious and irrational they may be interiorly."
[4] I then asked whether all who are in lust are also in its hallucination. They answered that those who think interiorly in themselves, and indulge their imaginations excessively by talking to themselves are in the hallucination of their lust. "For such," they said, "almost separate the spirit from its connection with the body, and flood their understandings with visions, and foolishly delight themselves with the seeming possession of all things. Into such a delirium is the man let after death who has abstracted his spirit from his body, and has not been willing to withdraw from the delight of his delirium by giving some thought from religion to evils and falsities, or at least giving some thought to the unbridled love of self as being destructive of love to the Lord, and to the unbridled love of the world as being destructive of love to the neighbor."
[5] After this the two angels and myself also were seized with a desire to see those who from love of the world are in this visionary or fantastic lust of possessing the wealth of all, and we perceived that we were inspired with this desire in order that we might come to know about it. The places of abode of such were under the ground on which we stood, but above hell; we therefore looked at one another and said, "Let us go." And an opening appeared with a ladder in it, by which we descended. We were told that they must be approached from the east that we might not enter into the mist of their hallucinations, and our understandings, together with our sight, be bedimmed.
And lo, there appeared a house built of reeds, and therefore full of crevices, standing in a mist, which like smoke constantly poured out through the chinks in three of the walls. We entered, and there appeared fifty here and fifty there sitting on benches, who were turned away from the east and south, and were looking toward the west and north. Before each one was a table, and on the tables were full purses, and around the purses an abundance of gold coin.
[6] We asked, "Is that the wealth of all in the world?"
They said, "Not of all in the world, but of all in a kingdom." Their speech had a hissing sound, and they themselves seemed to have full round faces, with a ruddy glow like a cockle shell; the pupil of the eye flashed, as if in a field of green, which, arose from the light of hallucination.
We stood in their midst and said, "You believe that you possess all the wealth of a kingdom?"
They replied, "We do possess it."
"Which of you?" we then asked.
They replied, "Everyone of us."
We asked, "How everyone? There are many of you."
They answered, "We each of us know that 'all his is mine;' yet no one is allowed to think, still less to say, 'My things are not yours,' but we are permitted both to think and say, 'Your things are mine.'"
The coin on the tables appeared even to us as if made of pure gold; but when we let in light from the east, they were little granules of gold, which by their general and united hallucination they had so magnified." They said that everyone who came in was obliged to bring with him a little gold, which they cut in pieces, and these again into granules, and by the force of unanimous hallucination they enlarged these into coin of greater dimensions.
[7] We then said, "Were you not born rational men? How has this visionary infatuation come upon you?"
They said, "We know that it is an imaginary vanity, but because it delights the interiors of our minds, we enter this place, and enjoy ourselves with the seeming possession of all things. But we stay here only a few hours, after which we go out, and whenever we do so a sound state of mind returns; and yet our visionary enjoyment comes upon us again at times and causes us to reenter and go out again by turns; and thus we are alternately sane and insane. Moreover, we know that a hard lot awaits those who craftily deprive others of their goods."
We asked, "What lot?"
They replied, "They are swallowed up, and are thrust naked into some infernal prison, where they are kept at work for clothing and food and afterward for a few bits of money which they collect, and in which they place the joy of their hearts; but if they do evil to their companions, they must pay over a part of their little coins as a fine."
662. The second experience. After some time I entered a certain grove, and there walked about meditating on those who are obsessed by the lust and consequently the delusion of possessing the things of the world. I then saw at some distance from me two angels in conversation, who now and then looked at me. So I went nearer, and, addressing me as I approached they said: "We have interior perception that you are meditating on the subject of our conversation, or, to express it otherwise, that we are conversing on the subject of your meditation; this is the result of the mutual communication of our affections." I then inquired what they were discussing, and they replied: "Delusion, lust and intelligence; and just now our conversation was about those who delight in the vision and imaginary possession of all things in the world."
[2] Then I requested them to tell me their ideas on those three subjects, lust, delusion and intelligence; so they began their discourse, saying: "Every one interiorly is in lust by birth, but outwardly in intelligence from education; and no one is in intelligence, much less in wisdom, interiorly, and thus as to his spirit, except from the Lord. For every one is withheld from the lust of evil, and is kept in intelligence as he looks to the Lord, and at the same time maintains conjunction with Him. Without this, man is nothing but lust. Still, in externals, that is, as to his body, he is in intelligence from education. For man lusts after honors and riches, or eminence and wealth; but these he does not obtain unless he appears to be moral and spiritual, and thus intelligent and wise; and this appearance he learns to assume from his infancy. This is the reason, whenever he comes into the company of others, that he inverts his spirit, and, dissociating it from his lust, he speaks and acts from those principles of decency and honor which he has learned from his infancy and still retains in his outer memory; and he is particularly careful not to reveal the mad lust which reigns in his spirit.
[3] Hence every man who is not interiorly under the Lord's guidance, is a dissembler, a cunning knave and a hypocrite. Thus he appears to be a man, yet is not; and of him it may be said that his outer shell or body is wise, but his inner kernel or spirit is insane; that his external is that of a man, but his internal that of a beast. Such persons look out on the world with the back of the head facing upwards, and their forehead facing downwards; and they walk as if oppressed with heaviness, their head hanging down, and their face directed to the ground. When they put off the body and become spirits, and are thus set free, they become the embodiment of their lust's madness. For those who are in the love of self, desire to rule over the universe, and even to extend its boundaries with a view to enlarging their dominion, nowhere seeing an end. Those who are in the love of the world, desire to possess all that it contains, and show grief and envy if any of its treasures are stored away and hidden by others. To prevent such men from becoming mere embodiments of lust, and thus ceasing to be men, they are permitted in the spiritual world to think from fear of the loss of reputation, and thus of honor and gain; and also from fear of the law and its penalties. They are also permitted to apply their mind to some pursuit or work, by which they are kept in externals and thus in a state of intelligence, however wild and insane they may be inwardly."
[4] After this, I inquired whether all those who are in lust are also in its delusion. They replied that they are in the delusion of their lust when they give themselves up to introspection, and over-indulge their imagination by holding converse with themselves. For they almost completely separate their spirit from its connection with the body, and overwhelm their understanding with visionary fancies, and take a foolish delight in supposing they possess the whole universe. Into this madness after death plunges the man who has abstracted his spirit from the body, and who has refused to forego his delight in the madness, by giving some thought to evils and falsities from a principle of religion, and none at all to the unbridled love of self, as destructive of love towards the neighbor.
[5] Then there came upon the two angels as well as myself the desire to see those who are obsessed by the visionary lust or delusion of possessing all wealth from the love of the world; and we perceived that this desire was inspired to the end that such persons might be recognized. Their dwellings were under the ground on which we were standing, but above hell; so we looked at each other and said, "Let us go." An opening appeared and there was a ladder by which we descended; and we were warned to approach them from the east, lest we should enter the mist of their delusion, and have our understanding and at the same time our sight beclouded. And lo! a house was seen, built of reeds and consequently full of chinks, standing in the mist which was pouring like smoke through the chinks in three of the walls. We entered, and saw fifty persons on one side and fifty on the other. They were sitting on benches with their backs turned to the east and south, and facing the west and north. In front of each was a table, upon which were purses full of money, and surrounding these was a quantity of gold coins.
[6] We asked them, "Is this the wealth of all the people in the world?" They replied, "Not of all in the world, but of all in the kingdom." Their voices had a sibilant sound, and they themselves were round of face which had a reddish tinge like a snail's shell; while the pupil of their eyes sparkled as it were in a field of green, from the light of their delusion. Standing in their midst we said, "Do you believe that you possess all the wealth in the kingdom?" and they replied, "We do possess it." Then we asked, "Which of you?" "Every one of us," they replied. We then asked, "How can every one of you possess it, for there are many of you?" They said: "Each one of us knows that all his is mine. No one is allowed to think, much less to say, 'Mine is not thine;' but we are allowed to think and say, 'Thine is mine.'" The coins on the tables appeared, even to us, to be of pure gold; but when we let in light from the east; we saw they were but tiny grains of gold which by the united effort of their delusion they had so magnified. They said that every one who came in must bring with him some gold, which they cut into little pieces, and these again into tiny grains; and by the united power of their delusion they magnify them into coins of considerable size.
[7] We then said: "Were you not born men of reason? How came this visionary folly upon you?" "We are aware," they replied, "that it is vain imagination; but since it gratifies the interiors of our mind, we come here and indulge our delight, as with the possession of all things. However, we remain here only a few hours, and at the end of that time we depart; and as often as we do so our soundness of mind returns. Still our visionary pleasure recurs, inducing us to re-enter and depart by turns and so we are wise and insane alternately. We know, too, that a hard lot awaits those who craftily deprive others of their property." "What is their lot?" we asked. They replied: "They are swallowed up, and, stripped of their clothing, they are thrust into some infernal prison, where they are kept working for clothing and food, and afterwards for a few small pieces of money. These they hoard up, placing in them the joy of their heart. But if they do any injury to their companions, they must give up part of their hoard as a fine."
662. ALTERUM MEMORABILE.
Post aliquod temporis spatium intravi quendam Lucum, et ibi ambulavi in meditatione de illis, qui in concupiscentia et inde phantasia possidendi illa quae Mundi sunt; et tunc ad aliquam distantiam a me vidi binos Angelos inter se colloquentes, et per vices me aspicientes; quare accessi proprius, et me appropinquantem alloquuti dicebant, percipimus in nobis, quod mediteris quod nos loquimur, seu quod nos loquamur quod tu meditaris, quod est ex communicatione affectionum reciproca; quaesivi itaque quid loquerentur; dicebant de Phantasia, de Concupiscentia, et de Intelligentia; et nunc de illis qui delectant se ex visione et imaginatione possessionis omnium Mundi;
[2] et tunc rogavi, ut mentem suam expromerent de tribus illis, de Concupiscentia, Phantasia et Intelligentia; et exorsi sermonem dicebant, quod unusquisque in Concupiscentia sit interius ex nativitate; sed in Intelligentia exterius ex educatione; et quod nemo in Intelligentia, minus in sapientia sit interius, ita quoad spiritum, nisi a Domino; omnis enim detinetur a concupiscentia mali, ac tenetur in intelligentia secundum aspectum ad Dominum, et simul conjunctionem cum Ipso; absque eo homo non est nisi quam concupiscentia; at usque hic in externis seu quoad corpus est in intelligentia ex educatione; homo enim concupiscit honores et opes, seu eminentiam et opulentiam; et haec duo non assequitur nisi appareat moralis et spiritualis, ita intelligens et sapiens; ac ita apparere discit ab infantia; quae causa est, quod ut primum inter homines seu in caetus venit, invertat spiritum suum, ac removeat illum a concupiscentia, et ex decoris et honestis, quae ex infantia didicit, et in memoria corporis retinet, loquatur et agat; et quam maxime caveat, ne aliquid ex concupiscentiae vesania, in qua est ejus spiritus, emanet:
[3] inde est omnis homo, qui non interius a Domino ducitur, simulator, sycophanta, hypocrita, et sic apparens 1 homo, et tamen non homo; de quo potest dici, quod ejus crusta seu corpus sapiat, ac ejus nucleus seu spiritus insaniat; tum quod externum ejus sit humanum ac internum ferinum; tales occipitio spectant sursum, et frontispicio deorsum, ita ambulant sicut gravedine obsessi capite pendente cum vultu prono ad terram; illi dum exuunt corpus, et fiunt spiritus, et tunc manumittuntur, fiunt suae concupiscentiae vesaniae; nam illi qui in amore sui sunt, cupiunt dominari super universum, imo extendere ejus limites illuc ad amplificandum dominium; nusquam vident finem; illi qui in amore mundi sunt, cupiunt possidere omnia ejus, ac dolent et invident, si aliqui thesauri apud aliquos latent reconditi; quare tales ne mere concupiscentiae fiant, et sic non homines, datur illis in Mundo spirituali cogitare ex timore jacturae famae, et sic honoris et lucri, ut et ex timore legis et ejus poenae, et quoque datur impendere mentem in aliquod studium seu opus, per quae tenentur in externis et sic in statu intelligentiae, utcunque interius delirant et insaniunt.
[4] Post haec quaesivi, num omnes illi qui in concupiscentia sunt, etiam in ejus phantasia sint; respondebant quod illi in phantasia suae concupiscentiae sint, qui interius in se cogitant, et nimium indulgent suae imaginationi, loquendo secum; hi enim separant spiritum suum paene a nexu cum corpore, 2 et ex visione inundant intellectum, et fatue oblectant se sicut ex possessione universali: in hoc delirium immittitur homo post mortem, qui spiritum suum a corpore abstraxit, et non ex delitio delirii voluit recedere; cogitando aliquid ex religione de malis et falsis, et minime aliquid de effraeno amore sui, quod sit destructivus amoris in Dominum, ac de effraeno amore mundi, quod sit destructivus amoris erga proximum.
[5] Post haec supervenit binos Angelos et quoque me desiderium videndi illos, qui in concupiscentia visionaria seu phantasia possessionis omnium opum ex amore mundi sunt; et percepimus quod desiderium illud inspiraretur ob finem ut cognoscerentur: Domicilia illorum erant sub terra pedum nostrorum, at supra infernum; quare aspeximus nos mutuo, et diximus, eamus; ac visa est apertura, et ibi scala, per hanc descendimus, et dictum est quod adeundi sint ab oriente, ne intremus in nimbum phantasiae illorum, ac inumbremur quoad intellectum, et tunc simul quoad visum; et ecce visa est Domus structa ex calamis, sic rimosa, stans in nimbo, qui sicut fumus continue effluxit per rimas trium parietum; intravimus, et visi sunt quinquaginta hic et quinquaginta ibi sedentes super scamnis, et aversi ab Oriente et Meridie prospiciebant ad occidentem et septentrionem; ante quemlibet erat mensa, et super mensa crumenae distentae, et circum crumenas copia nummorum aureorum;
[6] et quaerebamus, sunt illa opes omnium Mundi; dicebant, non omnium Mundi, sed omnium Regni; sonus loquelae illorum erat sibilaris, et ipsi apparebant facie rotunda, quae rutilabat sicut squama cochleae, ac pupilla oculi in plano viridi quasi fulgurabat, quod erat ex luce phantasiae: stetimus in medio illorum, et diximus, creditis quod omnes opes Regni possideatis, et responderunt, possidemus; dein quaesivimus, quis vestrum; dicebant, quisque, et quaesivimus, quomodo quisque; estis multi; dicebant, quisque ex nobis scit, quod omnia ejus mea sint; non licet alicui cogitare, minus dicere, mea non sunt tua, sed licet cogitare et dicere, tua sunt mea: nummi super Mensis apparebant sicut ex auro puro, etiam coram nobis; sed cum immisimus lucem ab oriente, erant granula auri, quae per communem unitam phantasiam ita magnifecerunt; dicebant quod oporteat quemcunque qui intrat, secum ferre aliquid auri, quod in frustula, et haec in granula secant, et per vim phantasiae unanimam in nummos grandioris formae amplificant:
[7] et tunc diximus, fuistisne nati homines rationis; unde ista fatuitas visionaria vobis est; dixerunt, scimus quod vanitas imaginaria sit, sed quia jucundat interiora mentis nostrae, intramus huc, et delitiamur sicut ex possessione omnium; at hic non moramur nisi per aliquot horas, quibus exactis egredimur, et toties mens sana nobis redit; sed usque oblectamentum visionarium nostrum alternis supervenit, ac facit ut per vices reintremus, et per vices egrediamur; sic alternis sapimus et insanimus. Scimus etiam 3 quod dura sors maneat illos, qui astu surripiunt aliis sua bona; quaesivimus quae sors; dicebant, absorbentur, ac nudi intruduntur in aliquem infernalem carcerem, ubi tenentur laborare pro veste et pro cibo, ac postea pro aliquibus obulis, quos colligunt, in quibus ponunt gaudium cordis sui; sed si malum faciunt sodalibus, dabunt partem obulorum suorum in mulctam.
Footnotes: