5116. I was put among heavenly [angels] by the Lord, where I saw spirits who were beneath the higher angelic heaven. They said nothing, but were constantly active. They were either carrying something, or pulling something, or leading something, or going in or out. They rushed ahead or went slowly, or they ascended and descended, doing so in thousands and thousands of ways. A person who simply looks at these things and does not see anything of their faces, or in particular their gestures, or who does not perceive their thoughts, such a person very much wonders what this is. But a person who looks at the movements of the body, and of its limbs in particular, and more a person who looks at their faces and also the changes there as well, and still more a person who perceives their thoughts, and still yet more a person who perceives their more inward affections and the changes of these, this one looks at all the parts of the body in detail, its members from the head even down to the sole of the foot, all the face, and perceives countless things, and yet more so one who sees the various changes in the eyes themselves. The reason they perceive all and the least thing in others from these is because the whole angel is nothing other than the affection or feeling that stems from love not only within but also everywhere in the whole body, for in the case of the most inward angels, all and the least outward things act as one with the inner ones.
They speak among themselves in this way, and do so also with the mental images in their understanding, however, not with mental images like those the spiritual angels have, but with the kind of mental images that act as one with the associated affection, which they have in inexpressible variety, and the affection is evident there from the variation which arises from the sound in general and from the sound of individual words.
5116. I was admitted, by the Lord, amongst the celestial, where I saw spirits who were beneath the higher angelic heaven. These said nothing, but were continually on the move; for they either carried something, or drew something along, or led something, or entered in and went out: they hasten, they go slowly, or they ascended and descended; and, thus, in innumerable ways. He who sees only these things, and neither sees anything of their faces or their gestures, in particular, nor perceives their thoughts, will greatly wonder what it means. But he who sees the motions of their body and its limbs, in particular, and, still more, he who sees their faces and the changes in them; and, even more, he who perceives their thoughts; and, still more again, he who perceives the interior affections and their changes - such a one sees, in minute detail, all the things of the body, all things of its members from the head to the sole of the foot, and the whole of the face, and perceives innumerable things; and he perceives still more who sees the various changes in their very eyes. The reason that they thence perceive all and everyone of the things belonging to others, is, because the whole angel is only an affection which is of love, and not only inwardly, but also everywhere in the whole body; for, with the inmost angels, all and everyone of the exteriors act as one with the interiors.
In the way described, they speak to each other; and also by intellectual ideas, but not by such as are with the spiritual angels, but by such as make one with the affection in which they are, with ineffable variety. It [i.e. the meaning] is apparent from the sound in general, and from the sound of the single words, and from the variations in it.
5116. Immissus sum a Domino inter coelestes, ubi vidi spiritus qui infra coelum angelicum superius, illi nihil loquebantur, sed continue agebant, vel enim portabant aliquid, vel trahebant, vel ducebant, vel intrabant et exibant, currunt, eunt lente, vel ascendebant et descendebant, ita mille et mille modis; qui solum videt illa, nec videt aliquid ex faciebus illorum, nec ex gestibus in particulari, nec percipit cogitata illorum, ille mirabitur valde quid id sit; sed qui videt motiones corporis et ejus membrorum eorum in particulari, et magis qui videt facies illorum, ac mutationes ibi; et adhuc magis qui percipit cogitationes illorum, et adhuc magis qui interiores affectiones, et harum mutationes, ille videt in singulari omnia corporis, membrorum ejus a capite usque ad plantam pedis, omne faciei, et ille percipit innumerabilia et qui adhuc videt mutationes varias in ipsis oculis; causa quod inde percipiant omnia et singula aliorum, est quia totus angelus est modo affectio quae amoris, non modo intus sed etiam in toto corpore ubivis, nam apud angelos intimos omnia et singula exteriora unum agunt cum interioribus. Loquuntur inter se illo modo, et quoque per ideas intellectuales, sed non per tales quales apud angelos spirituales, sed per tales quae unum agunt cum affectione, in qua sunt, cum ineffabili varietate, ex sono in communi et ex sono vocum singularium, et ibi variatione patet [affectio].