2053. About someone who was raised and swept up into heaven
A certain spirit was with me not long after departing the body, as I was able to conclude from the fact that he did not yet know he was in the other life. For no one can find this out unless given occasion to reflect on the matter, as everyone may surely realize from many considerations.
He seemed to me to have been devoted during his bodily life to studious pursuits, but nothing further became known to me, although I spoke with him a while. But then suddenly, he was lifted up high above me, leading me to suppose that he might be of the kind who had aspired in life to higher things. Then while he was on high, when speaking as a spirit, suddenly he was swept up and was no longer able to speak with the spirits, who were wondering where he had gone - for he had come into a society of heavenly spirits, and consequently, out of the sight of worldly spirits.
So I would guess that he was lifted up on high for the reason that he had conceived of heaven as being in the highest regions, not in the low-lying ones near to the earth; and that being led by that opinion, he seemed to be raised up. For every opinion follows and drives a person.
From the society of heavenly spirits, he spoke with me, and he said that he sees things high and sublime, beyond the power of the human mind ever to conceive of, and harligheter. 11748, 23 May.
Footnotes:
1. Swedish for "glorious things."
2053. CONCERNING A CERTAIN ONE WHO WAS RAPT AND BORNE AWAY TO HEAVEN.
(There was a certain spirit with me, and that not long after his departure from the body, as might be concluded from the fact that he did not know that he was in the other life; for no one can know that without being gifted with reflection, as anyone may be satisfied from various considerations. This person seemed to me to have been devoted, during his life in the body, to studies; but farther than this I could not speak particularly of him, notwithstanding I conversed with him for some time; but he was suddenly caught up on high above me, which led me to suppose that he was one of that class who in their lifetime had cherished lofty aspirations; and then when he came to speak with spirits as a spirit, being in this aspiring state of mind, he was suddenly caught away, so that he could speak with them no more: whereupon they wondered whither he would go, for he went into a society of celestial spirits, and consequently out of the sight of mundane spirits. I felt therefore authorized to conjecture that he was thus rapt on high, for the reason that in his lifetime he had supposed that heaven itself was supremely elevated, and not among the lowly or near the earth, and that being led by this opinion, he appeared to be borne upwards, for everyone's opinion follows and controls him. From the society of the celestials he spoke with me, and said that he saw things high and sublime, and so magnificent as to surpass the utmost power of the human mind to conceive. - 1748, May 23.
2053. De quodam qui sublatus et abreptus in coelum
Quidam spiritus apud me erat, non diu post excessum a corpore, sicut concludi potuit ex eo, quod adhuc nesciret, quod in altera vita, nemo enim id scire potest, absque data reflexione, sicut etiam cuivis notum esse potest, ex permultis, is videbatur mihi in vita corporis deditus studiis, sed amplius mihi non innotuit, loquutus tamen aliquantum cum eo; at tunc subito sublatus est alte supra me, [ego] putans 1
tunc quod esset ex eo genere, qui alta in vita sua spirarunt, et tunc cum loqueretur sicut spiritus, cum in alto esset, subito abreptus est, sic ut 1
non amplius loqui potuit cum spiritibus, qui mirati quorsum vadit, nam in societatem spirituum coelestium venit, quare a spirituum mundanorum perceptione, sic conjicere possum, eum in altum sublatum esse, ex causa, quod in vita putaverit coelum in altissimis esse, non autem in humilibus seu prope terram, ac ea opinione 2
ductus, videbatur sublatus, nam quaevis quemque opinio sequitur et agit; ex societate coelestium mecum loquutus est, et dixit, quod alta et sublimia videat, quae mens humana nusquam capere posset, et harligheter {a}. 1748, 23 Maj.
Footnotes:
1. vide praefationem hujus editionis sub capite "Idiosyncrasies"
2. The Manuscript has ut ut