355、记事二：
有一次，我朝灵人界望去，只见一个牧场上有些男人，他们穿着世人所穿的那种衣服。我由此知道他们刚从尘世来。我靠近他们，站在旁边，听他们彼此在说什么。他们在谈论天堂，其中一位对天堂有所了解，他说，天堂有奇妙的景象，若非亲眼所见，没有人能相信。他以天堂般的花园为例来说明；那里的宏伟宫殿是以精湛的建筑构建的，因为它们集合了艺术的精髓，如同金子那样闪闪发光；殿前有银柱，上面饰有天堂样式的各种宝石；还有碧玉和蓝宝石建成的房子，房前有雄伟的门廊，天使由此进出；屋内的装饰根本无法用艺术和语言来形容。
“至于天使本人，”他说，“他们有男有女，有少男和丈夫，少女和妻子。少女如此美丽，以致世上根本没有与这美丽相媲美的。然而，妻子更美，看上去就像天堂之爱的化身。她们的丈夫则看似天堂智慧的化身，并且他们都是风华正茂的年轻人。更重要的是，他们都不知道两性情爱的存在，只知道婚姻之爱。有件事会令你们吃惊，丈夫们享受这爱之快乐的能力经久不衰。”当新来的灵人听说那里没有两性情爱，只有婚姻之爱，并且他们享受这爱之快乐的能力经久不衰时，彼此大笑说：“你说的话太不可思议了；哪会有这样的能力，你莫不是在编故事吧。”
但就在这时，一位天使忽然从天上出现，站在他们中间说：“请听我说，我是天上的一位天使，现在与我的妻子已经共同生活了一千年了。历经所有这些岁月，我一直处在风华正茂的年纪，就像你们现在看到的样子；这是我与我的妻子共享婚姻之爱的结果。我可以向你们保证，我始终都拥有经久不衰的能力。不过，我发觉你们认为这是不可能的，所以会根据你们自己的理解之光理性谈论这个话题。你们对人类的初始状态，也就是你们所说的完整状态一无所知。处于这种状态的人，其心智的全部内在区域直接向主开放，从而处于爱与智慧，或良善与真理的婚姻。由于爱之良善与智慧之真理永远彼此相爱，永远想被联结，所以当心智的内在区域开放时，这属灵的婚姻之爱及其永恒的努力，就会自由流下来，并产生这种能力。
“人的灵魂本身因处于良善与真理的婚姻，故不仅处于朝向这联结的永恒努力，还处于朝向结实并产生自己形像的永恒努力。由于人的内在区域凭该婚姻自灵魂一路被打开，并不断视最低层中其结果的实现为它们的目的，以便它们能显现，因此属于灵魂的结实并产生自己形像的永恒努力，就变成一种身体的努力。对夫妻来说，灵魂在身体中运作所在的最低层就进入那里爱的终极表达；这些终极表达取决于灵魂的状态，故显而易见，它们从何处拥有这经久不衰的能力。
“之所以还有一种永恒的结实，是因为生殖并繁衍属于爱的属天事物，属于智慧的属灵事物，因而属于后代的属世事物的普遍气场从主发出，充满整个天堂和整个世界。这属天的气场充满所有人的灵魂，通过他们的心智降至他们的身体，直至其最低层，并赋予生殖的能力。然而，这种能力只能被赋予那些从灵魂通过心智的高层和低层区域进入身体，甚至直达身体最低层的通道打开的人；这是那些允许自己被主带回创造的初始状态之人的情形。我可以向你们保证，这一千年来，我从未缺乏能力或力量或活力。我也从来没有感觉我的能力有任何削弱，因为这些能力不断被我刚才所提到的那普遍气场的持续流注更新。此外，它们使心灵愉悦，没有那些丧失它们的人所感觉到的悲伤。
“此外，真正的婚姻之爱就像春天的温暖，万物因它的流入而渴望生殖并结实。我们天堂只有这种温暖，因此对那里的夫妻来说，春天就处于其永恒的努力，这种永恒努力就是他们活力的源头。然而，我们在天上所拥有的果实却不同于世人的。对我们来说，这是属灵的结实，也就是爱与智慧，或良善与真理的结实。妻子将出自丈夫智慧的对丈夫的爱接纳到自己里面；丈夫则将出自妻子对他的爱之智慧接纳到自己里面。事实上，妻子实实在在地被塑造为对她丈夫智慧的爱，这事通过妻子以她成为对丈夫智慧的爱之意愿所产生的快乐来接受丈夫灵魂的生殖而实现。她就这样从一个少女变成一个妻子和一个形像。因此，爱情及其最亲密的友谊在妻子里面不断增长；而智慧及其幸福则在丈夫里面不断增长，直到永远。这就是天上天使的状态。”
说完这番话，天使看着刚从尘世来的新灵，对他们说：“你们知道，当处于爱的性能力时，你们就爱着自己的妻子，欢乐过后却又远离她们。但你们不知道，在天上，并不是那种性能力使我们爱自己的妻子，而是爱赋予我们那种性能力；对我们来说，这种性能力之所以经久不衰，是因为我们永远爱我们的妻子。因此，你们若将自己的状态颠倒过来，就能理解这一点。永远爱自己妻子的人，谁不是全身心地来爱她？爱会将整个身心都指向他所爱的对象；由于这一切是相互成就的，故它将二人联结起来，以便他们成为一体。”
他继续说：“我不会向你们谈论：婚姻之爱自创造时就被植入男性和女性，他们倾向于合法的结合；男性的生育能力与出于对真理之爱而繁殖智慧的能力构成一体；人越出于对智慧的爱来爱智慧，也就是出于良善来爱真理，就越拥有真正的婚姻之爱和随它而来的性能力。”
355、第二点陈述：
一次我向精神世界望去，见到一些男人在一片草原上，穿着与世间的人类似的衣服，我因此得知他们是刚刚从世间来到这里的。
我走过去，站在旁边以便能听到他们在说什么。他们在谈论天国。其中一个对天国有些了解的人说天国中只有亲眼见到才会相信的奇迹。他又说天国就象个花园，那里的宫殿建得十分精美，闪着金子般的光。前面是银制的圆柱，上面镶着天国样式的各种宝石。房屋也是宝石制成的，前面有绚丽的门廊，天使们就从那里出入。房屋里面的装饰也是言语无法形容的。
“至于天使”他又说：“他们也有男女之分。那里有已婚和未婚的男人，已婚和未婚的女人。少女们的美是无以伦比的。而妻子们则更加美丽。她们展现了天国之爱，而丈夫们展现了天国的智慧。丈夫们也象未婚男子一样的年青。他们除了婚姻之爱以外不知道什么是对异性的爱。另外，丈夫们能永远不断地体会婚姻中的快乐。
当新到的精灵听说他们除了婚姻之爱而没有其它对异性的爱，并能不断地感受到婚姻中的快乐时。笑道：“你所说的难以置信。这种能力是不可能的。你是在胡说。”
但那时天国中的一个天使意外地来到了他们中间说道：“听我说。我是天国中的天使。我和妻子已经一起生活了一千年了，一直都处于你们所看到的现在我的这种年轻状态中。我因为与妻子的婚姻之爱而有这种年青状态。我可以证明，我有你们所讲的那种永远不断地感受婚姻之爱的能力。但我知道，你们认为这是不可能的，所以我要从你们才智所及的方面讲一下。
“你们不了解人最初的状态，也就是你们所称的完整的状态。在那种状态下的人的头脑是完全向主敞开的，并且充满了对爱和智慧或善和真理的爱。因为爱的善和智慧的真理因为爱而彼此相吸，并相结合，当头脑的内在被打开后，这种精神的爱就会流下来并带来永存的能力。
“因为男人的灵魂中充满了善与真理的结合，他就永远有对相互结合的愿望，以及希望能产生那种结合。所以若一个人的内在甚至是灵魂都努力则会体现在躯体上。在已婚的夫妇间，灵魂起到的作用就是要表达那种爱，所以丈夫们有永远不断的能力。
“他们还有永远开花结果的能力，因为有一种要传播与爱相关的神圣性质的氛围，与智慧有关的精神性质，与后代有关的自然性质。——这种氛围来自于主并遍布于天国和世间。所以那种天国的氛围也存在于每个人的灵魂中，从头脑而流入到躯体中，带来生殖方面的能力。但这只能发生在那些从灵魂到头脑到躯体以及其外在因素都是敞开的人中，也就是那些允许主带领的人。”
“我可以证明一千年来，我从没有缺乏过那种能力或活力，并且它也不曾有一点减弱，因为它不断地被前面所说过的氛围所更新。它们还会使人精神振奋不会沮丧。”
“另外，真正的婚姻之爱好象是春天温暖的气流一样。它会流入万物之中，使其发芽，开花结果。这也是我们在天国中所有的一种温暖。因此，那里的夫妇们拥有春天，并受其激励而充满活力。
“在我们天国中夫妇间产生的果实与世间不同。它是精神性的，是爱和智慧或者善和真理的果实。妻子从丈夫的智慧中得到一种对智慧的爱，从妻子对智慧的爱中，丈夫得到智慧。事实上，妻子成了对丈夫智慧的爱的象征。与之同在的是她对丈夫灵魂的繁衍。因此，她从处女变成了妻子，丈夫也同样。结果是，爱和其内在的友谊在妻子身上不断增加，智慧在丈夫身上不断增加，直至永远。天国中的天使就是这样的。”
此后，天使对刚从世间到来的男人们说：“你们知道当你们有爱的冲动时，你们会与爱人做爱，然后离开。但你们不知道在天国中我们不是因为那种冲动才与爱人做爱，而是因为我们的爱，我们才有那种冲动，因为我们一直爱我们的配偶，那种力量也就一直存在。
“你若是变一下角度就能够明白。当男人一直爱他的爱人时，他不是全身心地爱着她吗？因为爱会使头脑和身体都指向所爱的对象，因为它是相互的，所以它将二者合二为一。”
他又说：“我不继续说婚姻之爱在创世时起就根植于男女之中，并且他们倾向于合二为一，以及男人的生殖能力，这与传播对智慧的爱有关。也不继续谈只要人出于对智慧的爱而爱智慧，他就能体会到真正的婚姻之爱及其力量了。”
355. The second experience.
Once on looking out into the world of spirits I saw in a meadow some men dressed in clothing like that worn by people in the world. This told me that they were newly arrived from the world. I approached them and stood beside them, so that I could listen to their conversation.
They were talking about heaven, and one among them, who knew something about heaven, said that it contains wonderful sights, which no one could believe in without seeing them. He said that there are gardens like paradise, magnificent palaces constructed with superb architecture, because they are triumphs of that art, gleaming as if with gold, and fronted by columns of silver decorated with heavenly designs in precious stones. Moreover, there are houses of jasper and sapphire, with imposing porticoes in front by which the angels go in. Inside the houses there are decorations which neither art nor words can describe.
[2] 'As for the angels themselves,' he said, 'they are of both sexes, young men and husbands, young women and wives. The young women are so beautiful there is no match for such beauty in the world. But the wives are even more beautiful, looking like real models of heavenly love. Their husbands look like models of heavenly wisdom, and all of them are young men in the prime of life. What is more, no one is aware of the existence of any kind of sexual love other than conjugial love. Something that will surprise you is that the husbands have a perpetual ability to experience its delights.'
When the newly arrived spirits heard that there was no other kind of sexual love than conjugial love, and that they had a perpetual ability to experience its delights, they laughed among themselves and said, 'What you say is incredible. Such ability is impossible, so perhaps you are telling tall stories.'
[3] But at this moment an angel from heaven suddenly appeared standing among them 'Listen to me, please,' he said. 'I am an angel in heaven, and I have now been living with my wife for a thousand years, and all that time I have been in the prime of life, just as you see me now. This is the result of the conjugial love I share with my wife. I can assure you that I have had, and still have, perpetual ability. Since I perceive that you believe this to be impossible, I will speak on this subject rationally, so as to suit the illumination of your intellect. You are totally ignorant of the primeval state of human beings, what you call a state of integrity. People in that state had all the inner regions of their minds open directly to the Lord, and so these were in the marriage of love and wisdom, or of good and truth. Since the good of love and the truth of wisdom are perpetually loving each other, they perpetually want to be united. When the inner regions of the mind are open, this spiritual conjugial love has a perpetual impulse to flow freely down and produce that ability.
[4] 'A person's soul, being in the marriage of good and truth, is not only subject to a perpetual impulse towards this union, but also towards bearing fruit and reproducing its likeness. And when a person's inner regions are held open by that marriage right to the soul, and these continually have in view as their aim the realisation of their effects at the lowest level, as a result the perpetual impulse towards bearing fruit and reproducing its kind, that is, the soul, becomes bodily. Since the lowest level at which the soul operates on the body in the case of a married couple is upon the lowest expression of love there, and since this depends on the state of the soul, it is obvious from what source they have this perpetually.
[5] 'The reason the fruitfulness is perpetual is that there radiates from the Lord a universal sphere producing and propagating the celestial effects of love, and the spiritual effects of wisdom, and so the natural procreation of children, and filling the whole of heaven and the whole of the world. This celestial sphere fills the souls of all human beings, and comes down through their minds into their bodies, down to the lowest level, and confers reproductive power. But this is only possible for those who have open the passage from the soul through the higher and lower regions of the mind to the lowest levels of the body; this happens in the case of those who allow themselves to be brought back by the Lord into the primeval state of creation. I can declare that for a thousand years now I have never lacked ability or strength or virility. I have never been aware of any diminution of my powers, since they are continually renewed by the constant influence of the universal sphere just mentioned, and they also then make the disposition cheerful, without the sadness felt by those who suffer the loss of those powers.
[6] 'Moreover, truly conjugial love is exactly like the warmth of springtime, under the influence of which everything strives for germination and fruiting. That is the only warmth in our heaven. So married couples there have spring perpetually striving to break out, and it is this which is the source of their virility. But we in the heaven have different kinds of fruitfulness from that of people on earth. Ours is the production of spiritual fruit, those of love and wisdom, or good and truth. A wife receives into herself the love for her husband coming from his wisdom, and a husband receives into himself wisdom coming from his wife's love for him. In fact a wife is actually shaped to become the love of her husband's wisdom, something that happens by receiving the propagations of his soul with the delight which arises from wanting to be the love of her husband's wisdom. So she changes from a young woman into a wife and a likeness. As a result love together with intimate friendship perpetually increases in the wife, and wisdom together with its happiness increases in the husband; and this continues for ever. This is the state of the angels in heaven.'
[7] After saying this the angel looked towards those who had lately come from the world. 'You know,' he told them, 'that when you were in the potency of love you loved your wives, and after its delight you turned away from them. But you do not know that it is not that potency which makes us in heaven love our wives, but it is love that gives us that potency; and since we perpetually love our wives, that too is perpetual for us. So you can grasp this, if you reverse the terms. Surely someone who loves his wife perpetually, loves her with the whole of his mind and the whole of his body. For love turns the whole of the mind and the whole of the body in the direction of what he loves; and since this happens reciprocally, it links them so that they become as one.'
[8] 'I shall not talk to you,' he went on, 'about conjugial love being innate from creation in male and female, and their inclination towards being lawfully joined; nor about the male's capacity for procreating offspring, which makes one with the capacity for multiplying wisdom as the result of a love of truth; nor the fact that the more a person loves wisdom as the result of a love for it, that is, truth as the result of good, the more he has truly conjugial love, and the potency which accompanies it.'
355. The second account:
When I once looked out into the world of spirits, I saw some men in a particular meadow, dressed in the same sort of clothing that people wear in the world, from which I recognized that they had only recently come from the world.
I went over to them and stood to the side, in order to hear what they were saying to each other. They were talking about heaven; and one of them, who knew something about heaven, said there were wonders there which no one could ever possibly believe unless he saw them. He cited as examples the paradise-like gardens; the palaces, magnificently constructed architecturally owing to the quintessence of the art there, shining as though of gold, with columns of silver in front, and covered with precious stones in heavenly forms; the houses, too, of jasper and sapphire, fronted by majestic porticos through which the angels enter; and the adornments inside the houses, which neither art nor words can describe.
[2] "As for the angels themselves," he said, "they are of both sexes. There are young men and married men, maidens and wives - maidens so beautiful that the world has nothing to match such beauty. Yet the wives are even more beautiful, appearing as veritable pictures of heavenly love, and their husbands as pictures of heavenly wisdom. The latter are also all youthful young men; and what is more, they do not know what love for the opposite sex is other than conjugial love. Furthermore - something that will surprise you - the husbands have a continual ability to experience its delights."
When those newly arrived spirits heard that they did not have any love for the opposite sex there other than conjugial love, and that they had a continual ability to experience its delights, they laughed among themselves and said, "What you are saying is unbelievable. Such an ability is not possible. You are, perhaps, making up stories."
[3] But then an angel from heaven stood unexpectedly in their midst and said, "Listen to me, please. I am an angel from heaven, and I have lived with my wife now for a thousand years, in the same flower of youth in which you see me here. I have this youthfulness as a result of conjugial love with my wife; and I can declare that I have had and continue to have the continual ability you are talking about. However, because I perceive that you believe it is not possible, I will speak with you on this subject in terms of its reasons, in accordance with the light of your intellect.
"You know nothing of the original state of man, which you call the state of his integrity. In that state, all the interior faculties of the mind were opened all the way to the Lord, and consequently were pervaded by a marriage of love and wisdom or of goodness and truth. So, because the goodness of love and the truth of wisdom are continually drawn to each other by love, they continually aspire to be united; and when the interior faculties of the mind are opened, this conjunctive, spiritual love freely flows down with its continual impetus and imparts the ability.
[4] "Because man's very soul is pervaded by a marriage of goodness and truth, it is impelled not only by a perpetual striving for union but also by a perpetual striving to be fruitful and produce a likeness of itself. So, when a person's interior faculties are open all the way down from the soul from that marriage there - since the interior faculties continually look to producing an effect in outmost expressions as their goal, in order to manifest themselves - as a result that perpetual striving to be fruitful and produce a likeness of itself, which is one of the soul, becomes one of the body. Consequently, because the ultimate operation of the soul in the body in the case of a married couple is into the ultimate expressions of love there, and these depend on the state of the soul, it is apparent why they have this continual ability.
[5] "They experience as well a perpetual fruitfulness, because there is a universal atmosphere of begetting and propagating the celestial attributes that have to do with love, the spiritual attributes that have to do with wisdom, and so the natural attributes that have to do with offspring - an atmosphere which emanates from the Lord and fills the entire heaven and entire world. Thus that heavenly atmosphere fills the souls of all people, and descends through their minds into the body, even to the outmosts of it, imparting a generative power. However, this power can be imparted only to those in whom a passage stands open from the soul through the higher and lower regions of the mind into the body and its outermost elements, which is the case in those who allow themselves to be led back by the Lord into the original state of their creation.
"I can declare that for a thousand years now I have never lacked the ability, or the power, or the virility, and that I have not experienced at all any diminishing of its forces, since these are continually renewed by the continual flowing in of the aforesaid universal atmosphere. They also then gladden the spirit, and do not leave it depressed, as happens in the case of those who suffer a loss of them.
[6] "Furthermore, truly conjugial love is altogether like the warmth of spring, whose flowing in inspires all things to burgeon and be fruitful. That, too, is the kind of warmth we have in our heaven. Consequently married partners there have springtime in them with its constant stimulus; and that constant stimulus is the impetus from which our virility comes.
"The fruits produced among us in heaven, however, are of another kind than among people on earth. With us the fruits are spiritual, which are the fruits of love and wisdom or of goodness and truth. A wife acquires from her husband's wisdom a love of it in her, and from his wife's love of wisdom a husband acquires wisdom in him. Indeed, a wife is actually transformed into an embodiment of love for her husband's wisdom, which is accomplished by her receptions of the propagations of his soul with delight - a delight arising from her willing to be an embodiment of love for her husband's wisdom. From being a maiden she thus becomes his wife and a likeness of him. As a result, too, love with its inmost friendship constantly increases in the wife, and wisdom with its happiness in the husband, and this to eternity. This is the state of angels in heaven."
[7] After the angel said that, he looked at the men who had come recently from the world and said to them, "You know that when you have felt the virile urge of love, you have made love to your married partners, and that after experiencing the delight you have turned away. But you do not know that in heaven we do not make love to our partners because of that virile force, but we have that virile force because of our love; and because we love our partners continually, that virility is continual in us.
"If you can reverse your state, therefore, you can understand this. When a man loves his partner continually, does he not love her with his whole mind and his whole body? For love directs all things of the mind and all things of the body to that which it loves; and because it is reciprocated, it so joins the two that they become as one."
[8] He said further, "I will not speak to you of conjugial love's having been implanted from creation in males and females, and of their inclination to a legitimate union; nor of the procreative faculty in males, which is tied together with a faculty for proliferating wisdom from a love of truth; nor of the fact that so far as a person loves wisdom from a love of wisdom, or truth from goodness, so far he experiences truly conjugial love and its accompanying power."
355. The second story: Once as I looked around in the world of spirits I saw, in a meadow, men dressed in clothes like the ones people in the world have, so I knew they were recently arrived from the world. I went up and stood beside them to listen to what they were saying to each other. They were talking about heaven, and one of them, who knew something about heaven, said, "There are wonderful things there that no one could ever believe without seeing them, like paradisal gardens, magnificent palaces, built by architecture, because they are built by the art itself, and shining like gold. In front of them are silver columns with heavenly figures on top of them, made from precious stones. And houses, too, of jasper and sapphire with noble porches in front of them, that angels come through. And inside the houses are decorations that neither skill nor voice can describe. As for the angels themselves, there are angels of both sexes. There are young men and husbands, and there are young women and wives - such beautiful young women that beauty like it isn't found in the world. But the wives are still more beautiful. They look like true embodiments of heavenly love, and their husbands heavenly wisdom embodied. And they are all young adults. And what's more, they don't know about any sexual love there other than married love. And what's going to surprise you is that the husbands' ability to enjoy never stops."
When the newly arrived spirits heard that there was no sexual love other than married love and that they always had the ability to enjoy it, they laughed among themselves and said, "You're saying incredible things. There is no ability like that. Maybe you're telling fairy stories."
But then an angel from heaven unexpectedly stood among them and said, "Please hear me. I'm an angel of heaven, and I've lived with my wife a thousand years now and in the same flower of youth over those years as you see me in here. I get it from married love with my wife. And I can assure you that ability has been and is continual for me. I can tell that you think it's impossible for this to be, so I'll talk to you reasonably about this thing according to the light of your intellect. You don't know anything about the primeval state of mankind, which you call a state of innocence. In that state all the inner parts of the mind were open all the way to the Lord, and so they participated in the marriage of love and wisdom, or good and truth. The good that belongs to love and the truth that belongs to wisdom always love each other so they always want to unite. And when the inner parts of the mind are open, that spiritual married love flows in freely with its perpetual effort, and brings that ability.
"A person's soul itself not only has a continual urge to unite, because it's in a marriage of good and truth, but it also has a continual urge to bear fruit and produce its like. When that marriage opens a person's inner dimension all the way from his soul and inward qualities always look to an end result in order to come to something - from that the continuing urge to bear fruit and produce its likeness, which is in the person's soul, becomes physical. The final work of soul in body for married partners is in the most outward acts of love there, and these depend on your state of soul, so it's clear where they get this constant ability.
"They also have constant fertility, because there radiates from the Lord a universal sphere of generating and producing heavenly things, which have to do with love; spiritual things, which have to do with wisdom; and from them natural things, which are offspring. It fills the whole heaven and the whole earth, and that heavenly sphere fills all people's souls and goes down through their minds into their bodies, clear to the most outward parts of them, and gives the power to reproduce. But this is to be had only for people whose passage from soul, through higher mind and lower mind, into their bodies, to the most outward parts, is open.
This happens for those who lay themselves open for the Lord to lead them back to the state of creation's first life.
"I can vouch that for a thousand years now neither ability nor strength nor manhood has ever left me, and that I know absolutely nothing about a lessening of powers, since the universal sphere I mentioned constantly renews them. And then these powers also gladden my soul and do not make it sad, as with those who suffer their loss.
"Besides, the real love in marriage is quite like the warmth of spring. Under its influence everything breathes seeding and fertility.
There is no other warmth in our heaven, either. So spring, with its steady impulse, is with the married partners there, and this steady impulse is what that strength comes from.
"But for us in heaven fertility is different than for people on earth. We bear spiritual fruits, which are love and wisdom, or good and truth. From her husband's wisdom, a wife receives in herself a love for that wisdom, and the husband receives the wisdom in himself from his wife's love for it. In fact, a wife is actually formed into the love of her husband's wisdom. This happens through accepting the offsprings of his soul with the delight that arises from the fact that she wants to be the love of her husband's wisdom. This is the way she changes from a virgin to a wife and a likeness. And this is also why love with its deep friendship grows over the years in a wife, and wisdom with its happiness in a husband - and this to eternity.
"This is the condition of angels in heaven."
When the angel had said these things, he looked at the spirits who recently came from the world and said to them, "You know that you loved your partners when you had the vigor of love and that after the pleasure you turned away from them. But you don't know that in heaven we don't love our partners on account of that vigor, but we have the vigor on account of love, and we always have it because we always love our partners. So if you can turn your state of mind right side up, you can grasp this. Doesn't someone who always loves his partner love her with his whole mind and whole body? For love turns your whole mind and your whole body toward what it loves, and it joins the two this way so that it makes them just like one, because it takes place mutually."
He said further, "I'm not going to tell you about married love being implanted in male and female from creation, and their inclination toward being legally joined together, nor about the ability to have offspring in a male, which is the same as the ability to increase wisdom from a love of truth, and that a person is in real married love and its accompanying virtue to the extent that he loves wisdom from the love of wisdom, that is, loves truth on account of good."
355. The second Memorable Relation:
Once, when looking into the world of spirits, I saw in a meadow, men clothed in garments like those of men in the world, and from this I knew that they were lately come from the world. I went to them and stood at their side, that I might listen to what they were saying among themselves. They were speaking about heaven, and one of them who knew something about heaven said, "There are wonderful things there, such as can never be believed by any one unless he has seen them. Thus there are paradisal gardens, magnificent palaces architecturally constructed because by the very art itself and resplendent as from gold; and in front of them, silver columns upon which are heavenly forms of precious stones; also houses of jasper and sapphire, in front of which are stately porticos through which the angels enter; and inside the houses, decorations which neither art nor word can describe.
[2] As to the angels themselves, they are of both sexes, young men and husbands, and virgins and wives. The virgins are so beautiful that in the world there is nothing resembling such beauty. Yet the wives are still more beautiful, being in appearance as the genuine effigies of heavenly love; and their husbands, all of whom are mature young men, 1as the effigies of heavenly wisdom. What is more, they do not know what love of the sex can be, if not conjugial love; and, what you will wonder at, the husbands have perpetual ability for the enjoyment of its delights." When they heard that there is no love of the sex there other than conjugial love, and that they have perpetual ability for the enjoyment of its delights, the novitiate spirits laughed among themselves and said, "What you say is incredible; such ability is not possible. Perhaps you are telling fables."
[3] And then, all unexpectedly, an angel from heaven stood in their midst and said: "Hear me, I pray. I am an angel of heaven and have lived with my wife now for a thousand years. Throughout all those years I have been in the same flower of age in which you see me now, and this from living in conjugial love with my wife; and I can assure you that I have had and do now have that perpetual ability. But as I perceive that you think this is not possible, I will speak to you of the matter from reasons according with the light of your own understanding. You know nothing of the primeval state of mankind which is called by you their state of integrity. In that state all the interiors of their minds were open to the Lord, and hence were in the marriage of love and wisdom or good and truth; and because the good of love and the truth of wisdom love each other perpetually, and perpetually will to be united, therefore, when the interiors of the mind are open, this spiritual conjugial love with its perpetual striving, flows down freely and gives that ability.
[4] Man's soul, being in the marriage of good and truth, is not only in a perpetual striving for that unition but is also in a perpetual striving for fructification and the production of a likeness of itself. And when, by virtue of that marriage, man's interiors are laid open all the way from the soul--and that they may stand forth, interiors are continually looking to the effect in ultimates as their end--then, that perpetual striving for fructification and the production of a likeness of itself which belongs to the soul becomes the body's. And because with two consorts the ultimate operation of the soul in the body is into the ultimates of love there--ultimates which are dependent on the state of the soul--it is evident whence it is that they have this perpetual ability.
[5] That there is also perpetual fructification, is because the universal sphere of generating and propagating the celestial things pertaining to love, and the spiritual things pertaining to wisdom, and thence the natural things pertaining to offspring, proceeds from the Lord and fills the whole of heaven and the whole of the world. This celestial sphere fills the souls of all men and descends through their minds into their bodies to the very ultimates thereof and gives the power of generating. This power, however, can be given only to those with whom there is open passage from the soul through the higher and lower regions of the mind into the body even to its ultimates; and this is the case with those who suffer themselves to be led back by the Lord to the primeval state of creation. I can assure you, that now for a thousand years, neither ability nor strength nor vigor has ever been lacking with me, and that I know nothing whatever of any diminution of powers, these powers being continually renewed by the continual influx of that universal sphere of which I have spoken. Moreover, they then gladden the animus, and do not sadden it as is the case with those who suffer the loss of them.
[6] Furthermore, love truly Conjugial is like the warmth of spring from the influx of which, all things aspire to germination and fructification. In our heaven there is no other warmth, and therefore, with married partners there, spring is in its perpetual endeavor, it being this perpetual endeavor from which that vigor comes. With us in the heavens, however, fructifications are different than with men on earth. With us they are spiritual, being fructifications of love and wisdom or of good and truth. From the wisdom of her husband, the wife receives into herself the love thereof, and from that love in his wife, the husband receives into himself wisdom. Indeed, the wife is actually formed into the love of her husband's wisdom, this being effected by her receptions of the propagations of his soul, with the delight arising from her will to be the love of her husband's wisdom. Thus from a virgin she becomes a wife and a similitude. Thence also, with the wife, love with its inmost friendship, and with the husband, wisdom with its felicity, perennially increase and this to eternity. Such is the state of the angels of heaven."
[7] When the angel had thus spoken, he looked upon those who were newly come from the world and said to them: "You know that when you were in the vigor of love, you loved your partners, and that after the delight you turned yourselves away; but you do not know that in heaven we do not love our partners from that vigor, but have the vigor from our love, and that with us it is perpetual because we love our partners perpetually. If, therefore, you can reverse your state, you can comprehend this. Who that loves his partner perpetually does not love her with his whole mind and his whole body? Love turns all things of the mind and all things of the body to that which it loves; and because this is done reciprocally, it so conjoins them that they become as one."
[8] He said further: "I shall not speak to you of the conjugial love implanted from creation in the male and female, and of their inclination to legitimate conjunction; or of the faculty of prolification in the male which makes one with the faculty of multiplying wisdom from the love of truth. So far as a man loves wisdom from the love of wisdom, that is, loves truth from good, so far he is in love truly conjugial and in its attendant vigor."
Footnotes:
1. The Latin adolescentes juvenes means adult men and women in the flower of their age.
355. II. I was looking abroad in the world of spirits on a time and in a meadow saw some men clothed like men in the world, from which I knew that they were recently come from the world. I approached and stood beside them to hear what they were saying; they were talking about heaven. One of them, who had some knowledge of heaven, said:
"There are wonderful things in heaven, never to be believed unless one has seen them. There are gardens like paradises, magnificent palaces architecturally constructed because by the pure art itself, resplendent as if with gold, with silver pillars in front, on which are precious stones in heavenly patterns. There are houses of jasper and sapphire, with majestic porticos in front through which the angels enter; in the houses are decorations which no art nor language can describe.
[2] As for the angels themselves, they are of both sexes, young men and husbands, and young women and wives - young women so beautiful that there is nothing like such beauty in the world. But the wives are even more beautiful and appear as the very effigies of heavenly love. Their husbands also appear as effigies of heavenly wisdom and are all in the bloom of early manhood. What is more, no other love of the sex is known there than marital love; and, what you will wonder at, the husbands have a perpetual faculty of enjoyment."
The newly arrived spirits smiled at each other when they heard that there is no love of the sex there other than marital love, and that there is a perpetual faculty of enjoyment, and said, "You tell things past belief. There is no such faculty. Perhaps you are relating fables."
[3] But a certain angel from heaven unexpectedly appeared among them, and said, "Hear me, if you will. I am an angel of heaven, and have lived with my wife a thousand years now. During all those years I have been in the flower of age as you see me now. This comes to me from marital love with my wife. I can assure you that there has been and is perpetual faculty with me. But I perceive that you believe this is impossible, and will therefore speak to you of the matter from reason according to the light of your understanding. You know nothing of the early state of mankind, called by you the state of integrity. In that state all the interiors of the mind were open even to the Lord and as a result were in the marriage of love and wisdom or of good and truth. But good of love and truth of wisdom love each other perpetually, and perpetually will to be united, and when the interiors of the mind are open, that spiritual marital love with its perpetual effort flows down freely and brings that faculty.
[4] Man's very soul, being in the marriage of good and truth, is in perpetual effort not only after that union, but also after fructification and the reproduction of its own likeness. And as the interiors of man are opened by that marriage even from the soul, and all interiors continually look to an effect in ultimates in order to come forth, the soul's perpetual effort to fructify and produce a likeness of itself becomes an effort of the body; and as with two married partners the final expression of the soul's activity in the body is in the ultimates of love there, depending on the state of the soul, it is plain whence angels have unceasing faculty.
[5] There is perpetual fructification, too, because a universal sphere of generating and propagating celestial things which are of love, spiritual things which are of wisdom, and hence natural things which are offspring, proceeds from the Lord and fills all heaven and the whole world. That heavenly sphere fills the souls of all men, descends through their minds into the body, even to its ultimates, and gives this power of generation. But it can be given only to those with whom the passage is open from the soul through the higher and lower parts of the mind into the body, down to its ultimates, which is the case with those who suffer themselves to be led back by the Lord to the early state of creation. I can affirm that with me, now for a thousand years, neither faculty nor strength nor ability has ever failed; and that I have known nothing at all of any diminution of powers. For they are constantly renewed by the continually inflowing universal sphere of which I have spoken; and the spirit is gladdened then and not saddened, as with those who suffer the loss of them.
[6] True marital love, moreover, is like the warmth of spring, under the influence of which all things breathe germination and fructification. There is no other warmth in our heaven, so that for married partners in heaven it is always springtime with its perpetual effort; and from this perpetual effort that ability comes. But fructification with us in the heavens is different from that on earth, being spiritual fructification, which is of love and wisdom or of good and truth. The wife, from her husband's wisdom, receives in herself love for it; and the husband, from his wife's love for it, receives in himself wisdom. In fact, the wife is actually formed into the love of her husband's wisdom, which is effected by reception of the propagations of his soul, with delight arising from the fact that she wills to be the love of his wisdom. In this way from a virgin she becomes a wife and a likeness. As a result, love with its inmost friendship with the wife, and wisdom with its felicity with the husband, perennially increase, and this to eternity. This is the state of the angels of heaven."
[7] When the angel had spoken so, he looked upon those newly come from the world and said to them, "You know that when you have been in the vigor of love, you loved your married partners, and that after the delight you turned away. But you do not know that in heaven we do not love our married partners from that vigor, but have the vigor from love, and because we love our married partners perpetually it is perpetual in us. If then you can invert your state, you can comprehend this. Who that perpetually loves his married partner does not love her with his whole mind and body? For love turns all things of the mind and of the body toward what it loves; and the fact that this is reciprocal conjoins them so that they become as it were one."
[8] He said further: "I shall not speak to you of the marital love implanted in male and female from creation and of their inclination to legitimate conjunction; or of the faculty of procreation in the male which makes one with the faculty of multiplying wisdom from love of truth; or of the fact that as far as a man loves wisdom from love of it, or loves truth from good, he is in true marital love and in its attendant vigor."
355. The Second Relation:
Once when I was looking abroad in the world of spirits I saw, in a certain meadow, men clothed in garments like those of men in the world, from which I knew that they were lately come from the world. I approached them and stood at their side, that I might listen to what they were saying among themselves. They were speaking about heaven, and one among them, who had some knowledge of heaven, said:
'Wonderful things are there, such as can never be believed by anyone unless he has seen them. There are paradisal gardens, magnificent palaces, architecturally constructed because by the very art itself, resplendent as if from gold, in front of which are columns of silver upon which there are heavenly forms of precious stones; and also houses of jasper and of sapphire, in front of which are majestic porticos through which the angels enter; and within the houses are decorations which no art nor language can describe. As to the angels themselves, they are of both sexes, young men and husbands, and maidens and wives, maidens so beautiful that there is no likeness of such beauty in the world. Yet the wives are still more beautiful and appear as very effigies of heavenly love. And their husbands appear as effigies of heavenly wisdom, and all these are in the bloom of early manhood. And what is more, it is not known there that there is any love of the sex other than conjugial love; and, what you will wonder at, the husbands have a perpetual faculty of enjoyment.'
The newly arrived spirits smiled at each other when they heard that there is no love of the sex there other than conjugial love, and that they have a perpetual faculty of enjoyment, and said, 'You tell things that are past belief. There is no such faculty. You are perhaps relating fables.'
But a certain angel from heaven then unexpectedly stood in their midst, and said, 'Hear me, I pray you. I am an angel of heaven, and have lived with my wife now a thousand years, and through all those years have been in the flower of age like as you see me here. This comes to me from conjugial love with my wife; and I can assure you that the faculty with me has been and is perpetual. But as I perceive that you believe this is not possible, I will speak to you of the matter from reason, according to the light of your understanding. You know nothing of the primeval state of mankind which is called by you the state of integrity. In that state all the interiors of the mind were open even to the Lord, and thence they were in the marriage of love and wisdom, or of good and truth. And as the good of love and the truth of wisdom love each other perpetually, they perpetually will to be united, and the interiors of the mind being open, that spiritual conjugial love with its perpetual effort flows freely down and presents that faculty. The soul itself of man, being in the marriage of good and truth, is not only in the perpetual effort to that unition, but is also in the perpetual effort to fructification and to the production of its own likeness. And as the interiors of man are opened by that marriage even from the soul, and the interiors continually look to the effect in the ultimates as an end, that they may come forth into existence, hence that perpetual effort to fructify and produce the likeness of itself, which is of the soul, becomes an effort of the body; and as the ultimate of the soul's operation in the body, with two married partners, is in the ultimates of love there, and is dependent on the state of the soul, it is plain from whence this perpetual is in them. There is also perpetual fructification, because the universal sphere of generating and propagating the celestial things which are of love and the spiritual things which are of wisdom, and thence the natural things which are of their offspring, proceeds from the Lord and fills the universal heaven and the universal world; and that heavenly sphere fills the souls of all men, and descends through their minds into the body, even to its ultimates, and gives the power of generating. But this cannot be given to others than those with whom the passage is open from the soul, through the higher and lower things of the mind into the body, down to its ultimates, which is the case with those who suffer themselves to be led back by the Lord to the primeval state of creation. I can affirm that with me now, for a thousand years, neither the faculty, nor strength, nor ability has ever failed; and that I have known nothing at all of any diminution of powers, for they are continually renewed by the continually inflowing universal sphere that I have spoken of; and then they gladden and do not sadden the spirit, as with those who suffer the loss of them. Moreover, love truly conjugial is just like the warmth of spring, from the in-flowing of which all things aspire to germination and fructification, and there is no other heat in our heaven, so that with married partners there it is spring in its perpetual effort; and it is this perpetual effort from which the ability comes. But with us in the heavens fructifications are different from those on earth. With us they are spiritual fructifications, which are of love and of wisdom, or of good and of truth; the wife, from the wisdom of her husband, receives in herself the love of it; and the husband, from the love of it in his wife, receives in himself the wisdom. Yea, the wife is actually formed into the love of the wisdom of her husband, which is effected by receptions of the propagations of his soul, with the delight arising from the fact that she wills to be the love of her husband's wisdom. Thus does she from a virgin become a wife and a likeness. And from this, love with its inmost friendship with the wife, and wisdom with its felicity with the husband, perennially increase and this to eternity. This is the state of the angels of heaven.'
When the angel had thus spoken he looked upon those who were newly come from the world, and said to them: 'You know that when you have been in the vigor of love, you loved your married partners, and that after the delight you have turned away; but you do not know that in heaven we do not love our married partners from that vigor, but that we have the vigor from love, and that because we love our married partners perpetually it is perpetual in us. If then you can invert your state you can comprehend this. Who that loves his married partner perpetually does not love her with his whole mind and with his whole body? For love turns all things of the mind and all things of the body towards that which it loves; and the fact that it is so reciprocally, conjoins them so that they become as it were one.'
And he said further: ‘I shall not speak to you of the conjugial love inherent from creation in the male and in the female, and of their inclination to legitimate conjunction; nor of the faculty of prolification in the male which makes one with the faculty of multiplying wisdom from love of truth; and that in so far as a man loves wisdom from love of it, or loves truth from good, in so far he is in love truly conjugial and in the accompanying vigor of it.'
355. Alterum Memorabile. Quondam cum prospexi in Mundum Spirituum, vidi in quodam Prato viros indutos vestibus similibus, quibus homines Mundi, ex quo cognovi, quod nuper e Mundo advenerint: accessi ad illos, et steti ad latus, ut auscultarem, quid inter se loquerentur; loquebantur de Coelo; et unus inter illos, qui aliquid de Coelo novit, dixit, quod ibi sint Mirabilia, quae nusquam ab aliquo credi possunt, nisi viderit; ut quod sint Horti paradisiaci, Palatia magnifica constructa architectonice quia ab ipsa arte, splendentia sicut ex auro, ante quae Columnae ex Argento, super quibus Formae coelestes ex lapidibus pretiosis; et quoque Domus ex jaspide et sapphiro, ante quas Porticus augusti per quos intrant 1Angeli; ac intus in domibus Decoramenta, quae neque arte, neque voce, exprimi possunt.
[2] "Quod ipsos Angelos attinet, sunt ex utroque sexu; sunt Juvenes et Mariti, et sunt Virgines et Uxores; Virgines tam pulchrae, ut non detur instar talis pulchritudinis in Mundo; at Uxores adhuc pulchriores, quae apparent sicut genuinae effigies Amoris coelestis, ac Mariti illarum sicut effigies sapientiae coelestis; et omnes hi sunt adolescentes juvenes; et quod plus est, non scitur ibi quid alius amor sexus quam amor conjugialis; et quod miraturi estis, est Maritis perpetua facultas delitiandi." Novitii illi Spiritus, cum audiverunt, quod non alius amor sexus ibi esset quam Amor conjugialis, et quod illis perpetua facultas delitiandi esset, riserunt inter se, et dixerunt, "loqueris incredibilia; talis facultas non dabilis est; narras forte fabulas."
[3] Sed tunc quidam Angelus e Coelo inopinato stetit in medio illorum, et dixit, "audite me quaeso; sum Angelus Coeli, et cum Uxore mea vixi nunc mille annis, et per illos in simili flore aetatis, in quo vos me hic videtis; est mihi hoc ex Amore conjugiali cum uxore mea; et possum asseverare, quod mihi perpetua illa facultas fuerit et sit; et quia percipio quod vos credatis hoc non dabile esse, loquar de hac re cum vobis ex rationibus secundum lucem intellectus vestri: non scitis aliquid de statu primaevo hominis, qui a vobis vocatur status integritatis; in illo statu fuerunt omnia interiora mentis aperta usque ad Dominum, et inde illa in Conjugio amoris et sapientiae, seu boni et veri; et quia bonum amoris et verum sapientiae se perpetuo amant, perpetuo 2volunt uniri; et cum aperta sunt interiora mentis, ille conjugialis spiritualis amor cum suo perpetuo 3nisu libere defluit, et sistit illam facultatem.
[4] Ipsa anima hominis, quia est in conjugio boni et veri, non modo in perpetuo nisu unitionis illius est, sed etiam in perpetuo nisu fructificationis et productionis suae similitudinis, et cum interiora hominis usque ab anima ex illo conjugio patula sunt, ac interiora continue spectant effectum in ultimis ut finem ut existant, inde perpetuus ille nisus fructificandi et producendi sui instar, qui est animae, fit corporis; et quia ultimum operationis 4animae in corpore apud duos conjuges est in ultima amoris ibi, et haec a statu animae pendent, patet unde est hoc perpetuum illis.
[5] Quod etiam sit perpetua fructificatio, est quia Universalis sphaera generandi et propagandi coelestia quae amoris sunt, et spiritualia quae sapientiae, et inde naturalia quae sunt prolum, procedit a Dominum, et implet universum Coelum et Universum Mundum, et Sphaera illa coelestis implet animas omnium hominum, et descendit per mentes illorum in corpus usque ad ultima ejus, et dat vim generandi: sed haec non potest dari aliis, quam apud quos patet transitus ab anima per mentis superiora et inferiora in corpus ad ejus ultima, quod fit apud illos, qui in statum primaevum creationis se patiuntur reduci a Domino: asseverare possum, quod mihi nunc per mille annos nusquam defuerit facultas, nec vis, nec virtus, et quod prorsus non sciverim aliquid de diminutione virium, quoniam hae per continuum influxum Sphaerae supradictae universalis continue novantur, et tunc quoque laetificant animum, et non contristant sicut apud illos, qui patiuntur jacturam illarum.
[6] Praeterea Amor vere conjugialis est prorsus sicut Calor vernalis, ex cujus influxu omnia spirant ad germinationes et fructificationes; nec alius Calor in Coelo nostro est; quare apud Conjuges ibi est Vernum in perpetuo suo conatu, et hic perpetuus conatus est, a quo illa virtus est. Sed fructificationes apud nos in Coelis, sunt aliae quam apud illos in terris; apud nos sunt fructificationes spirituales, quae sunt amoris et sapientiae, seu boni et veri; Uxor ex sapientia Mariti recipit in se amorem ejus, et Maritus ex amore ejus in Uxore recipit in se sapientiam, imo Uxor actualiter formatur in amorem sapientiae Mariti, quod fit per receptiones propagationum animae ejus cum delitio oriundo ex eo, quod velit esse sapientiae sui Mariti amor; ita fit illa a Virgine Uxor, et similitudo; inde etiam amor cum intima sua amicitia apud uxorem, ac sapientia cum sua felicitate apud Maritum perenniter crescit, et hoc in aeternum; hic est Status Angelorum Coeli."
[7] Cum Angelus haec loquutus est, aspexit illos qui nuper e Mundo venerunt, et dixit illis, "nostis quod vos dum in virtute amoris fuistis, amaveritis conjuges vestras, et quod post delitium averteritis vos; sed non nostis, quod nos in Coelo non amemus conjuges ex virtute illa, sed quod virtus nobis sit ex amore, et quod quia perpetuo amamus conjuges, perpetuum nobis illud sit: quare si potestis invertere statum, potestis hoc comprehendere; annon qui perpetuo amat conjugem, tota mente et toto corpore amat illam; amor enim vertit omnia mentis et omnia corporis ad id quod amat, et quia id reciproce fit, conjungit illos ita ut fiant sicut unum."
[8] Ulterius dixit, "non loquar vobis de Amore conjugiali a creatione insito masculis et foeminis, et de inclinatione illorum ad legitimam conjunctionem, nec de facultate prolificandi in Masculis, quae unum facit cum facultate multiplicandi sapientiam ex amore veri; et quod quantum homo amat sapientiam ex amore ejus, seu verum ex bono, tantum sit in amore vere conjugiali et in ejus comite virtute."
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: inrrant
2. Prima editio: et perpetuo
3. Prima editio: perpetua
4. Prima editio: operationls