5092. About cities in the other life and about the Lord's Providence in preserving them
Cities that are similar to cities on earth appear to spirits, and so there is a London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and the rest. The reason is that every person has present with him- or herself spirits who are in the other life, and spirits possess the contents of a person's inward regions and so all the things in the person's memory. They certainly do not see the world through a person's eyes, but still they are in it through a person's mental images. From these (the mental images of similar houses, buildings, streets) cities appear to them, and they appear in such a way that they virtually are these places. More will be said elsewhere about these appearances. It is due to this that the spirits who are with people of a particular city have a mental image of the same city.
5092. CONCERNING CITIES IN THE OTHER LIFE, AND CONCERNING THE PROVIDENCE OF THE LORD IN PRESERVING THEM.
There appear, with spirits, cities, similar to the cities in the world; hence [they have] London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, and the rest. The reason that it is so, is because every man [in the world] has, with himself, spirits who are in the other life, and these possess the interiors of the man; therefore, all things of his memory. They do not, indeed, see the world through his eyes, but still [they see it] inwardly in him from his ideas. Hence the ideas of similar houses, buildings, streets, and cities appear to them; and they so appear that it is as if they were the places themselves. Of this appearance a fuller statement may be made elsewhere. Hence it is that spirits who are with men belonging to one city, have the idea of the same city.
5092. De urbibus in altera vita, et de Providentia Domini conservandi illas
Urbes apparent Spiritibus similes urbibus in terris, inde Londinum, Amstelodamum, Stockholmia, et reliquae, causa quod ita sit, est quia unusquisque homo apud se habet spiritus in altera vita, et illi possident hominis interiora, ita omnia ejus memoriae, non quidem vident mundum per oculos ejus, sed usque intus in illo ex ideis ejus, inde ideae similium domuum, aedificiorum, platearum, urbium illis apparent, et ita apparent, ut quasi sint illa, de qua apparentia alibi plenius dicetur; inde est, quod spiritus qui sunt apud homines unius urbis, ideam ejusdem urbis habeant.