1796. How earthly elements belonging to angels are portrayed before spirits
Those who are angels do not think so much about being dressed in clothes as do recently arrived souls who in the life of the body had taken much pleasure in elegant dress. In the other life, when they reflect, these in their imagination think they are wearing the same clothes they had worn in bodily life, and were fond of. Such images are so real to them that when I told them they do not put on clothes in the other life, the women recently arrived were surprised, and only with difficulty could they be withdrawn from that fantasy. In fact, the fantasy of some was so strong that they thought they could feel by touch that they were dressed in clothes. But that fantasy is erased in time, and then a different mental image comes in its place, which is almost none of clothes, hardly any of bodies, as they call it.
1796. HOW THE NATURAL THINGS OF THE ANGELS ARE REPRESENTED BEFORE SPIRITS.
Those who are angels do not reflect upon the fact that they are clothed with garments as do those spirits, or recent souls, who, in the life of the body, delighted themselves greatly in beauty of dress. These in the other life from phantasy, while they reflect, suppose themselves clothed in like manner as in the life of the body, in which they took delight. These ideas are so vivid with them, that when I said to them that they were not clothed in garments in the other life, then all those who had recently departed from life wondered, and could only be withdrawn with difficulty from their phantasy. Nay, such was the phantasy of some, that they supposed themselves to be able by touch to perceive that they were clad in garments; but that phantasy is done away in time, and then comes another idea, which is that of almost no garments at all, scarcely of bodies, as they call them.
1796. Quomodo repraesentantur naturalia angelorum coram spiritibus
Qui angeli sunt, non reflectunt ita super ea, quod vestibus induti sint, sicut 1
animae recentes, qui in vita corporis, multum delectaverant se ornatu vestium, ii in altera vita ex phantasia, dum ii reflectunt, putant se indutos similibus ac in vita corporis, in quibus placuerint, tales indeae tam iis vivae sunt, ut cum dixerim iis, quod non vestibus in altera vita induantur, tunc omnes, quaecunque recens e vita venerunt, miratae sint, et non nisi erat phantasia quorundam, ut putarent se tactu sentire posse, quod vestibus induti essent, sed phanbtasia ista tempore abolentur, et sic venit idea alia, quae fere nulla est vestium, vix corporum, ut vocant.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has spiritus,