29、在灵界，所有结合都是通过关注发生的。在那里，当有人由于渴望与另一个人交谈而想到他时，这个人就会立刻出现，两人就面对面。当一个人出于一种爱之情感想到另一个人时，这种情况也会发生；不过，这种情感产生结合，而前者只产生同在。这是灵界特有的现象；因为那里的所有人都是属灵的。在自然界则不然，自然界的所有人都是属肉体的。在自然界，这种情况发生在灵的情感和思维里面；但由于自然界存在空间，而灵界的空间只是表象，所以发生在世人的灵之思维里面的事，会实际发生在灵界。
提及这一切是为了说明，主与天使的结合并天使貌似与主的相互结合是如何发生的。所有天使都把脸转向主，主注视他们的前额，他们用眼睛注视祂。原因在于，前额对应于爱及其情感，眼睛对应于智慧及其感知。不过，天使不是凭自己把脸转向主，而是主使他们转向祂自己；主通过流入其生命之爱使天使转向祂，通过这爱进入感知和思维，从而把天使转过来。
在心智的一切活动中都有这样一个循环：从爱到思维，再从来自爱的思维到爱，该循环可称作生命的循环。关于这些主题，可参看《圣爱与圣智》一书，如：天使始终将脸转向显为太阳的主（129-134节）；天使的一切内层，无论心智的还是身体的，同样都转向显为太阳的主（135-139节）；每个灵人，无论其品质如何，都以同样的方式转向他的主导爱（140-145节）；爱与智慧结合，并使智慧反过来与它相互结合（410-412节）；天使在主里面，主在天使里面；由于天使只是容器，故唯独主是天堂（113-118节）。
29. All conjunction in the spiritual world is brought about by contemplation. When someone there thinks about another with a desire to speak with him, the other becomes immediately present, and one sees the other in person. The like occurs when someone thinks about another out of an affection of love for him, but this latter affection brings about their conjunction, while the former brings about only the other's presence.
This phenomenon is peculiar to the spiritual world. The reason is that all there are spiritual beings. It is different in the natural world, in which all are material beings. The like does occur with people in the natural world in the affections and thoughts of their spirit; but because in the natural world there are intervals of space, while in the spiritual world intervals of space are only appearances, therefore that which takes place in the thought of everyone's spirit, in the spiritual world takes place actually.
[2] We have said this much to make it known how conjunction of the Lord with angels is brought about, and the apparently reciprocal conjunction of angels with the Lord. For angels all turn their faces to the Lord, and the Lord gazes upon their foreheads, while the angels behold the Lord with their eyes. The reason is that the forehead corresponds to love and its affections, while the eyes correspond to wisdom and its perceptions.
But still, angels do not of themselves turn their faces to the Lord, but the Lord turns them to Him. And He turns them by flowing into their life's love, and through that entering into their perceptions and thoughts, so as to turn the angels to Him.
[3] Such a cycle of love, from love to thoughts and from thoughts to love, exists in all processes of the human mind - a cycle which may be called the cycle of life.
On this subject see also some discussions in our treatise Divine Love and Wisdom. As for instance:
That angels turn their faces continually to the Lord as the sun, Divine Love and Wisdom 129-134.
That all the interior elements of both mind and body in angels are likewise turned to the Lord as the sun, Divine Love and Wisdom 135-139.
That every spirit of every kind turns in like manner to his dominant love, Divine Love and Wisdom 140-145.
That love joins itself to wisdom, and causes wisdom to be joined to it in return, Divine Love and Wisdom 410-412.
That angels are in the Lord and have the Lord in them; and that because angels are recipient vessels, the Lord alone is heaven, Divine Love and Wisdom 113-118.
29. In the spiritual world, all union takes place by means of attentiveness. When anyone there is thinking about someone else because of a desire to talk with her or him, that other person is immediately present. They see each other face to face. The same thing happens when someone is thinking about someone else because of a loving affection, but in this case the result is a union, while in the former case it is only presence.
This phenomenon is unique to the spiritual world. The reason is that everyone there is spiritual. It is different in the physical world, where all of us are material. In this physical world, the same thing is happening in the feelings and thoughts of our spirits, but since there is space in this world, while in the spiritual world there only seems to be space, the things that happen in the thoughts of our spirits come out in actions there.
[2] I mention this to show how the Lord's union with angels and their apparent mutual union with the Lord take place. All the angels turn their faces toward the Lord. The Lord looks at them in the forehead, while the angels look at the Lord with their eyes. This is because the forehead corresponds to love and its desires, and the eyes correspond to wisdom and its perceptions. Still, angels are not turning their faces toward the Lord on their own; the Lord is turning them toward himself, and doing so by flowing into the love of their lives. He comes through this into their perceptions and thoughts; and that is how he turns them.
[3] This circle of love to thoughts and of thoughts-from-love to love occurs in all the functions of the human mind--we can call it the circle of life. There is information about it in Divine Love and Wisdom: for example, angels always face the Lord as the sun (Divine Love and Wisdom 129-134); everything in the deeper reaches of angels' minds and bodies alike is turned toward the Lord as the sun in the same way (Divine Love and Wisdom 135-139); every kind of spirit turns toward his or her ruling love in the same way (Divine Love and Wisdom 140-145); love marries wisdom to itself and arranges things so that wisdom marries it willingly (Divine Love and Wisdom 410-412); angels are in the Lord and the Lord is in them; and since angels are vessels, the Lord alone is heaven (Divine Love and Wisdom 113-118).
29. All conjunction in the spiritual world is effected by means of looking (inspectio). When anyone there is thinking of another from a desire to speak with him, the other immediately becomes present, and they see each other face to face. It is the same when anyone is thinking of another from an affection of love; but this affection brings about conjunction, while the other produces presence only. This is peculiar to the spiritual world, for the reason that all there are spiritual: it is otherwise in the natural world, where all are material. With men in the natural world the same takes place in the affections and thoughts of their spirit; but as there are spaces in the natural world, while in the spiritual world spaces are only appearances, that which is done in the thought of everyone's spirit, in the spiritual world becomes an act in deed.
[2] This has been said in order to make known how the conjunction of the Lord with angels is effected, and how the apparent reciprocal conjunction of angels with the Lord is effected. For all angels turn the face towards the Lord, and the Lord looks upon their forehead, because the forehead corresponds to love and its affections; while angels direct their eyes towards the Lord, because the eyes correspond to wisdom and its perceptions. Nevertheless, the angels do not from themselves turn the face to the Lord, but the Lord turns them to Himself. He turns them by influx into their life's love, and through that love enters into their perceptions and thoughts; and in this way He turns them.
[3] There is in all things of the human mind this circle of love to thoughts and from thoughts to love from love, a circle which may be called the circle of life. On this subject something may be seen in the treatise THE DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM, as for instance: The angels constantly turn the face to the Lord as a Sun (n. 129-134). All the interiors of the angels, of mind as well as of body, are likewise turned to the Lord as a Sun (n. 135-139). Every spirit, whatever his character may be, turns himself likewise to his ruling love (n. 140-145). Love conjoins itself to wisdom, and causes wisdom to be reciprocally conjoined to itself (n. 410-412). The angels are in the Lord, and the Lord is in them; and because angels are recipients the Lord alone is heaven (n. 113-118).
29. All conjunction in the spiritual world is effected by means of looking. When any one there is thinking about another from a desire to speak with him, the other immediately becomes present, and they see each other face to face. It is the same when any one is thinking about another from an affection of love; but this affection produces conjunction, while the other produces presence only. This is peculiar to the spiritual world, for the reason that all there are spiritual beings; in the natural world, in which all are material beings, it is otherwise. With men in the natural world the same takes place in the affections and thoughts of their spirit; but inasmuch as there are spaces in the natural world, while in the spiritual world the spaces are merely appearances, that which takes place in the thought of every one's spirit, in the spiritual world takes place actually.
[2] This has been said to make known how the conjunction of the Lord with angels is effected, and how the apparent reciprocal conjunction of angels with the Lord is effected. For all angels turn their faces to the Lord, and the Lord's look is upon the forehead, because the forehead corresponds to love and its affections, while angels behold the Lord with the eyes, because the eyes correspond to wisdom and its perceptions. Nevertheless angels do not from themselves turn their faces to the Lord, but the Lord turns them to Himself; and He turns them by influx into their life's love, and through that love enters into the perceptions and thoughts; and thus He turns them about.
[3] Such a circle of love to thoughts and from thoughts to love from love, is in all things of the human mind. This circle may be called the circle of life. About this something may be seen in the work on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, as the following: Angels constantly turn their faces to the Lord as a sun (Divine Love and Wisdom 129-134). All the interior things of the angels, both of mind and of body, are likewise turned to the Lord as a sun (Divine Love and Wisdom 135-139). Every spirit, of whatever quality, turns himself likewise to his ruling love (Divine Love and Wisdom 140-145). Love conjoins itself to wisdom, and causes wisdom to be reciprocally conjoined with it (Divine Love and Wisdom 410-412). Angels are in the Lord, and the Lord is in them; and because angels are recipients the Lord alone is heaven (Divine Love and Wisdom 113-118).
29. Omnis conjunctio in Mundo spirituali fit per inspectionem; quando aliquis ibi cogitat de altero ex affectione loquendi cum illo, alter fit illico praesens, et videt unus alterum facie ad faciem; similiter fit quando aliquis de altero cogitat ex affectione amoris, sed per hanc affectionem fit conjunctio, per alteram autem fit solum praesentia: hoc peculiare est in Mundo spirituali: causa est, quia omnes ibi sunt spirituales; aliter in Mundo naturali, in quo omnes sunt materiales; in Mundo naturali simile fit apud homines in affectionibus et cogitationibus spiritus illorum; sed quia in Mundo naturali sunt spatia, at in Mundo spirituali spatia sunt solum apparentiae, ideo in hoc Mundo fit actualiter id, quod in cogitatione spiritus cujusvis fit.
[2] Haec dicta sunt, ut sciatur quomodo conjunctio Domini cum angelis fit, ac apparens reciproca angelorum cum Domino; omnes enim Angeli vertunt faciem ad Dominum, ac Dominus aspicit illos in fronte, ac angeli aspiciunt Dominum oculis; causa est, quia frons correspondet amori et ejus affectionibus, et oculi correspondent sapientiae et ejus perceptionibus: at usque angeli ex se non vertunt faciem ad Dominum, sed Dominus vertit illos ad Se, et vertit per influxum in amorem vitae illorum, et per illum intrat in perceptiones et cogitationes, et sic convertit illos.
[3] Talis circulus amoris ad cogitationes, et a cogitationibus ad amorem, ab amore, est in omnibus mentis humanae; qui circulus vocari potest circulus vitae. 1De his videantur etiam aliqua in Transactione de DIVINO AMORE ET DIVINA SAPIENTIA; ut, Quod Angeli faciem suam jugiter vertant ad Dominum, ut Solem, 2129-134.
Quod omnia interiora, tam mentis quam corporis, angelorum, ad Dominum ut Solem similiter versa sint, 135-139.
Quod unusquisque spiritus, qualiscumque sit, ad amorem suum regnantem similiter se vertat, 140-145.
Quod amor se conjungat sapientiae, ac faciat ut sapientia reciproce conjungatur, 410-412.
Quod Angeli sint in Domino, et quod Dominus sit in illis: et quia angeli sunt recipientes, quod Solus Dominus sit Coelum, 113-118. 3
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: vitae,
2 Prima editio: Solem;
3 Prima editio: 118 (absque interpuncto)