2177. Societies are dispersed by various methods and brought back into order
As told earlier, those who portray the east wind dispersed groups so those in the group were forcibly parted from one another [2121-7, 2129-2132]. Thus there are also numberless other methods of breaking up societies that are wrongly bunched together, when they are kept for a long time in the same state.
I saw today, when such societies were being discussed, that none were thinking and speaking from themself, but from others, and those others from still others, so that none were inspired on their own-consequently, that the whole heaven was, in a way, present within each mental image, causing the development of mental images containing countless elements.
Because these things transcended the understanding of the spirits, they did not even want to believe it, so it was shown to them, that is, [the speech passing] from one to another, after that from a society far away from me, very many of whom spoke at the same time, as they clearly heard and saw. This convinced them that the inflow was not only from societies far off into the mental imagery the one or those around me were expressing, but, since those afar were speaking many at the same time, that it even came from a different source that they were able to speak together, as they indeed admitted. For they saw also by means of a spiritual mental image that it came from heaven.
2177. THAT SOCIETIES ARE DISPERSED AND REDUCED TO ORDER IN VARIOUS MODES.
As already said, there are those who represent the east wind, inasmuch as they disperse societies so that they in the society are separated by force from each other. Likewise there are innumerable media besides for dissolving societies, because societies are badly filled up when kept long in a similar state. Today I saw, when the discourse was concerning these matters, that no one thought and spoke from himself, but from others, and these others from others still, so that no one was excited from himself; hence that the universal heaven was in a manner present in every idea, and thus were formed ideas, in which are indefinites, and inasmuch as these things exceeded the comprehension of spirits, and they were not willing to believe, therefore it was shown them, to wit, by one after another, afterwards by a society at a distance from me, very many of whom spoke together, which thing they plainly heard and perceived, and hence were convinced, not only that there was from societies afar off an influx into his or their speech who were round about me, but also because many of these spoke together, that it inflowed from elsewhere that they were thus able to speak together. This they also admitted, for they saw it also by a spiritual idea, inasmuch as it was from heaven [quod e coelo].
2177. Quod variis modis dissipentur societates, et redigantur in ordinem
Ut prius dictum, ii qui repraesentant ventum orientalem, quod dissiparent societates, ut discederent 1
vi unus ab altero in societate [2121-2127, 2129-2132], ita quoque innumerabilia media sunt dissolvendi societates, quia male confarciuntur, dum diu tenentur in statu simili; vidi hodie, quum sermo esset de iis, quod nullus ex se cogitaret et loqueretur, sed ab aliis, et ii alii etiam ab aliis, sic ut nullus excitaretur ex se, proinde quod universum coelum, cuicunque ideae, quodam modo inesset, et sic formarentur ideae, in quibus indefinita sunt, quae quia captum spirituum excedebant, nec {a} id credere volebant, quare iis ostensum est, nempe ab uno ad alterum, postea a societate quae longinqua a me, quorum perplures simul loquebantur, quod manifeste audiebant et percipiebant, inde evincebantur, quod non solum ex societatibus e longinquo influxus esset in ideas loquelae ejus seu eorum, qui circum me, sed etiam quia ii loquebantur plures simul, quod aliunde influeret, quod ita simul loqui possent, quod etiam ii fassi sunt, nam videbant id quoque per ideam spiritualem, quod e coelo.
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has discenderent