168、我又被带到一个星球，这个星球同样在我们太阳系之外的宇宙。这次旅行经历了持续将近12小时不间断的状态变化。陪同我的是许多来自我们地球的灵人和天使，我一路上便与他们交谈。我时而斜向上走，时而斜向下走，但始终朝右；在来世，右朝向南方。我只在两个地方看见灵人，在一个地方与他们交谈过。我在路上或旅程中能领略到主的天堂何等浩瀚，这天堂是为了天使和灵人。无人居住的地区也使我断定，它如此浩瀚，以致即便有成千上万个星球，每个星球上都有和我们地球上一样多的人，仍然有足够的空间让他们住到永远，并且这空间永远填不满。我通过将它与围绕我们地球并专为它设计的天堂的面积进行对比得出这个结论；相比之下，这个天堂的面积如此之小，以致它还不到无人居住的空间的一亿分之一。
168. A Fifth Extrasolar Planet and Its Spirits and Inhabitants
On another occasion I was taken to a different planet in the universe outside our solar system, and again this required a succession of changes of state, this time lasting almost twelve hours continuously.
Accompanying me were many spirits and angels from our planet. I spoke with them during our journey, or [spiritual] progression. We were taken now diagonally upward, now diagonally downward, but always toward the right, which in the other life is toward the south. 1I saw spirits in only two places along the way; in one of those I talked with them.
During our journey, our [spiritual] progression, it was granted to me to observe how vast the Lord’s heaven for angels and spirits is. From the areas that are not inhabited I could tell that heaven is so vast that if there were millions of planets each of which had as many people as there are on ours, to eternity there would still be enough room for everyone to live in, and it would never be filled. I was able to deduce this by comparison with the size of the heaven that surrounds and serves our own planet, a size so relatively small that it does not amount to a billionth of the area that is uninhabited.
Footnotes:
1. In the topography of the spiritual world as described by Swedenborg, moving toward the south involves moving toward greater enlightenment in the truth. Moving upward involves moving toward higher levels of spiritual development, and moving downward involves moving toward lower levels of spiritual development. For further references on directions in the spiritual world, see notes in Last Judgment 48 and Last Judgment 58:4. [LSW]
168. XIV. THE FIFTH WORLD IN THE STARRY SKY, ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS
On another occasion I was taken to yet another world in space outside the solar system. The journey was by means of changes of state lasting for nearly twelve hours without a break. I was accompanied by a number of spirits and angels from our world, with whom I conversed as we progressed on our journey. I travelled at one time obliquely upwards, at another obliquely downwards, but constantly towards the right, which in the next life is towards the south. In only two places did I see any spirits, and in one I spoke with them. This progress or journey allowed me to observe how immense in the Lord's heaven for angels and spirits. The uninhabited regions allowed me to deduce that it is so immense that, if there were many tens of thousands of worlds, each containing as large a population of human beings as ours, there would still be room enough for them to live for ever without filling it up. I reached this conclusion by comparing it with the extent of the heaven surrounding our world and designed for it, which was so small in comparison that it would not equal one hundred millionth part of the uninhabited space.
168. A FIFTH EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS.
I was led again to another earth which is in the universe out of our solar system, and this also by changes of state, continued for nearly twelve hours. There were in company with me several spirits and angels from our earth, with whom I discoursed in the way or in that progression. I was carried at times obliquely upwards and obliquely downwards, continually towards the right, which in the other life is towards the south. In only two places I saw spirits, and in one I spoke with them. In the way or progression I was enabled to observe how immense is the Lord's heaven, which is for angels and spirits; for from the parts uninhabited I was led to conclude that it was so immense, that if there were many myriads of earths, and on each earth a multitude of men as great as in ours, there would still be a place of abode for them to eternity, and it would never be filled. This I was enabled to conclude from a comparison made with the extent of the heaven which is about our earth and designed for it, which extent was respectively so small, that it did not equal a hundred millionth part of the extent uninhabited.
168. DE QUINTA TELLURE IN COELO ASTRIFERO, DEQUE EJUS SPIRITIBUS et INCOLIS
Perductus sum iterum ad aliam Tellurem, quae extra Mundum nostrum solarem in Universo erat, et hoc quoque per mutationes status paene duodecim horis continuatas. In comitatu mecum erant Spiritus et Angeli ex nostra Tellure plures, cum quibus in via seu progressione illa loquebar: ferebar nunc oblique sursum et oblique deorsum, continue versus dextrum, quod in altera vita est versus meridiem; modo in duobus locis videbam Spiritus, et in uno cum illis loquebar. In via seu in progressione illa observare dabatur, quam immensum esset coelum Domini quod pro angelis et spiritibus; ex non habitatis enim concludere dabatur, quod tam immensum esset, ut si darentur plures myriades Tellurum, et in qualibet tanta multitudo hominum quanta in nostra, quod usque habitatio foret pro illis in aeternum, et nusquam impleretur: hoc concludere potui ex comparatione facta cum extensione coeli quod circum nostram Tellurem et pro illa, quae extensio erat tam parva respective, ut non aequaret unam myriadis myriadum partem extensionis non habitatae.