5905. About those who see like birds at night and not by day
Many of those who are spiritual cannot see those who are in the inward heaven; and if they see them, they see them as it were in the dusk of evening and no other than as unlovely, and certain see them like one who sees an object in the dusk, which depending on his imagination he sees in different shapes. The same ones can see little if anything in the light itself in which the inward angels are. It was said to them that their eyes are like this, similar to their thoughts, because thinking and seeing act as one with spirits.
[2] From this it is evident that everyone's sight in the spiritual world is such as is the nature of his or her understanding; and in the case of those who are in hell, their eyesight corresponds to [their] thinking, and because [their] thinking is about what is false and from it, it is fantasy, for they believe what is false is true. Therefore their sight does the same, and they see things that do not exist as if they did, which is the reason that there are nothing but fantasies there and nothing real.
5905. THOSE WHO SEE AT NIGHT, AND NOT BY DAY, LIKE [CERTAIN] BIRDS.
Many of the Spiritual are not able to see those who are in an interior heaven; and, if they see them, they see them in the dusk, as it were, of evening, and then do not see them otherwise than as unlovely; some, also, see them as one sees an object in gloom, which he sees under another form determined by fancy. The same ones, in the light itself in which the interior angels are, can see little, if anything. It was told them that their eyes are such as their thoughts; inasmuch as, with spirits, the thought and the sight of the eye make one. It was hence manifest, that everyone's sight in the spiritual world is such as is his intelligence. It is the same with those who are in hell: the sight of their eye corresponds to the thought; and, since the thought is thought of falsity, hence, also [the things seen are] phantastic; for they believe falsity to be truth: wherefore, the sight does the same, and they actually see those things which are not, just as if they were: which is the reason that mere phantasies are there, and nothing real.
5905. De illis qui vident sicut aves noctu, et non diu
Multi ex spiritualibus non possunt videre illos qui in interiori coelo sunt, et si vident illos, vident illos in obscuro sicut vesperae, et tunc non vident illos aliter ac impulchros, et quidam sicut quis videt objectum in obscuro, quod secundum imaginationem videt forma alia; iidem in ipsa luce, in qua sunt interiores angeli, parum si quicquam possunt videre, dictum illis est quod oculi eorum tales sint, similes eorum cogitationi, quia cogitatio et visus oculi apud spiritus unum agunt, inde patuit, quod cujusvis visus in spirituali mundo talis sit, qualis est ejus intelligentia; et qui in inferno sunt, visus oculi eorum correspondeat cogitationi, et quia cogitatio est falsi et inde phantastica, credunt enim falsum esse verum, quare visus idem facit, et vident prorsus illa quae non sunt, sicut forent, quae causa est quod ibi merae phantasiae sint, et nihil reale.