1188. Now since they shun very inward qualities, those who were with them in the same habitation, but remained there, said they were now aware of their errors, namely, of simply thinking that the outer things exist, but hardly ever that there is something deeper, that is, spiritual, coupled with what is earthly. What is devoid of an earthly quality they do not allow is anything, nor do they know otherwise but that it is of earthly origin.
I was prompted to tell them that in the very least earthly mental imagery there are countless indescribable elements, to which they close their minds when they do not admit to the existence of more inward qualities. And because these are ineffable, they do not easily come down into an earthly mental image.
I was also allowed to portray this to them in a spiritual manner, by occluding a single mental image, which first appeared like a black dot, but when it was opened up it stretched out like a universe, leading to the Lord. So I said that in every single mental image that is induced by the Lord, there is an image of the entire heaven, because it is from Him Who is Heaven. 1748, 6 March.
1188. Since, therefore, they are averse to things more interior, those who were with them in a similar dwelling-place, but who were remaining there, said that they now observed their own errors, namely, that they had supposed in simplicity that those things which are external exist, but that what is interior, namely, the spiritual joined to the natural, was scarcely anything; they do not admit anything apart from the natural, and they know no otherwise than that it is [only] from the natural that there is anything. It was given me to say to them that in every single natural idea there are things innumerable and ineffable from which they preclude themselves when they do not admit the more interior things, which being ineffable do not thus fall into a natural idea. It was also permitted to represent this to them in a spiritual manner by the opening up of one idea, which at the time appeared as a black point, but when it was opened up it extended like a universe, leading to the Lord. So it was said that in every idea which is derived from the Lord there is an image of the whole heaven, because it is from Him Who is Heaven. 1748, Mar. 6.
1188. Cum itaque intimiora aversantur, ii qui cum iis in simili mansione fuerunt, sed remanentes, dicebant, quod nunc animadvertant errores suos, nempe quod simpliciter ea esse putent, quae sunt externa, et paulum aliquid, quod est interius, nempe spirituale copulatum cum naturali, quod absque naturali non admittunt, nec sciunt, quia ex naturali {a}, quod aliquid sit. Quibus dicere dabatur, quod in singulis ideis naturalibus sint innumerabilia et ineffabilia, quae sibi praecludunt, dum non admittunt intimiora, et quia ineffabilia, non ita in ideam naturalem cadunt, quae etiam modo spirituali repraesentare iis dabatur, per occlusionem unius ideae, quae tunc sicut nigri puncti apparuit, sed cum recluderetur, patuit sicut universum, ad Dominum ducens, ita dictum, quod in quacunque idea, quae ducitur a Domino, sit imago totius coeli, quia ab Ipso, Qui est Coelum. 1748, 6 Martius.