2561. How the inward things in heaven are compared to those that can come to human comprehension
Inward things, or those pertaining to the angels of the inward heaven, are ineffable and cannot reach the understanding of humans. In fact, if they were to be exhibited, nothing but a kind of extreme darkness would appear. There is nothing they can be better compared to than the nerve tissues in the animate body, which flow marvelously out of the brains and marrows, branch off, very often intertwining, and insert themselves into the ganglia and lead to the internal organs, so that one can scarcely know the nature of the nervous system. Then they can be compared to the nervous tissues elsewhere that produce wonderful forms, as we can clearly see from a simple look at the pictures of nerve tissues. From these thus branching, bundling, flowing into each other, flowing out again and again, specific actions nevertheless come forth.
2561. HOW INTERIOR THINGS IN HEAVEN ARE RELATED TO THOSE WHICH CAN REACH MAN'S APPREHENSION.
Interior things, or those which belong to the angels of the interior heaven, are ineffable, and cannot reach the understanding of man, yea, were they displayed, there would appear only a certain most obscure [principle]. There can be no better comparison made than with the fibers of the nerves in the animated body which wonderfully flow from the cerebrum and medulla, ramify, frequently connect with each other, are inserted in the ganglia, and are carried to the viscera, so that it can scarce be known what is the nature of their connection; then likewise the nervous fibers elsewhere, which form wonderful forms, as may be viewed merely from looking at the nervous fibers in plates; still from these thus ramified intertwined, mutually inflowing into themselves, and again and again flowing out, distinct actions proceed,
2561. Quomodo interiora se habent in coelo, ad ea quae ad captum humanum pervenire possunt
Interiora, seu ea quae sunt angelorum coeli interioris, sunt ineffabilia, nec ad intellectum hominis venire possunt, imo si exponerentur, non appareret nisi quoddam obscurissimum, quae non melius comparari possunt, quam fibris nervorum in corpore animato, qui mirabiliter fluunt ex cerebris et medullis, seque ramificant, connectunt saepius, insertantque gangliis, feruntque ad viscera, ut vix sciatur, qualis connexio eorum, tum sicut fibrae nerveaea 1
{a} alibi quae mirificas formas faciunt, sicut solum ex intuitione fibrarum nervearum in tabulis conspici potest; ex his ita ramificatis, consertis, influentibus in se mutuo, effluentibus iterum iterumque,
(2562.) usque actiones distinctae procedunt, et tamen usque mediis fibris 2
, mediis nexibus, et influxibus tam mirificis fibrarum, ex quibus oculo intuenti, nusquam tam regulariter actiones existere posse viderentur, cum tamen nulla non spectat suum modum in societate cum aliis, quae simul constituunt actionis unum, cum indefinita varietate ad actionis societates cum aliis. Talis idea formari potest interiorum idearum seu angelorum interioris coeli, respective ad interiora mundi spirituum, ex quibus, ii qui expendere ea possunt, et gnari aliquatenus facti, in similibus, concludere possunt, quam imperscrutabilia sint modo interiora, quid non intimiora quae in interiora influunt! nam 3
una idea interioris mundi spirituum comparari potest uni actioni ex indefinitis 4
viribus et formis ita agentibus, et intrantibus in actiunculam, et sic porro. 1748, 7 Julius.
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has nervae
2. The Manuscript has fibriis
3. The Manuscript has influunt; nam
4. The Manuscript has indifinitis