6088. About food in the spiritual world
They eat and drink there just as in the natural world, but all the food there is from a spiritual origin, so it is not prepared but simply given daily. When it is lunchtime and also dinnertime, a table with food appears for the time, and disappears when lunch or dinner has been eaten.
[2] All spirits, however many, are fed in keeping with their positions: the governors sumptuously, with table settings that are indescribable as regards their high quality, the rest less richly, in keeping with their status.
[3] N.B. Everyone is given food depending on to the work they do. Those who do not have some governmental office, business or trade get no food but beg. I have seen men of high standing begging for this reason, because they have not wanted to do any work, and even distinguished women.
؉ have seen high-standing individuals who had lived magnificently in the world given only milk and bread, and when they complained that they were not given more, it was said that they had done no work, and no food is given to those who are slothful and idly passing time. As a result they were reduced to performing some menial task so they could eat. Besides this they go to such as actually work, and as a favor get to eat with them, but this does not last long. They can buy bread in their own places, but no other foodstuffs. The reason is that certain ones want to be paid for the work they do, and because they work under these conditions, they can be paid money for buying bread, but the purchase [of other foodstuffs] is not possible except for those who are good In such positions bread comes gratis. Besides other like things.
[4] In the hells all are driven to performing useful services, and those who do not work receive no food, or clothing, or bed, so they are driven to laborious tasks. The reason is because idleness is the root of all wickedness, for in idleness the mind spreads out to various evil acts and false thoughts, but is restricted to one while on a task.
[5] Food cannot be kept to the next day: worms breed as in the manna [Ex. 16:20]. This is meant in the Lord's prayer: "Give us our daily bread" [Matt. 6:11]; and also as regards the paschal lamb that nothing was to be stored for the next day [Deut. 16:4],and that as regards the sacrifices [nothing was to be kept beyond the third day (Lev. 7:16; 19:6)].
[6] Because food is from a spiritual origin, and consequently in itself spiritual, and because spirits and angels are human beings and fitted with a spiritual body, therefore such spiritual food serves them. Therefore the spiritual person is nourished spiritually and the material person naturally. As all things that appear in the spiritual world correspond to affections and so to the thoughts of the understanding, from these they have houses, palaces, clothing, fields, gardens, pleasure gardens, which are also all from a spiritual origin. And because good affection together with the understanding's thought of truth cannot exist in idleness, but is dissipated, therefore food is not given otherwise than according to correspondences; and besides this, the works of those who are in hell have correspondences with the heavens, but not with infernal spirits themselves, just as happened with the Israelite and Judaic nation. Although it was evil, their representative worship nevertheless still corresponded [to heavenly things]. What their correspondences were may be seen in the doctrine of the new Jerusalem, number [Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248].
[7] Their food was seen very clearly to be similar to food in our world, to foods of every kind, even accompanied by various delicacies. There are also table decorations that cannot be described in natural language.
6088. FOOD IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.
They eat and drink there, just as in the natural world; but all food there is from a spiritual origin: wherefore, it is not obtained beforehand, but is given daily. When it is dinner-time, and also when it is supper-time, a table furnished with viands appears while the meal-time lasts, and disappears when they have dined, or supped.
All spirits whatsoever, are supplied with food according to their employments - rulers sumptuously; with much pomp, the magnificence of which cannot be described; the rest less sumptuously according to their condition.
Be it observed that everyone is provided with food according to the labors which he performs. He who has no employment, business and work, does not receive food, but begs. I have seen grandees thus begging, because they were unwilling to do any work; also, women of rank. - I have seen grandees who lived magnificently in the world, provided only with bread and milk; and, when they complained that there was nothing more, they were told that they do no work, and food is not given to the slothful and those who pass the time in idleness. By this means, they are reduced to the performance of some mean employment, in order to receive sustenance. - Moreover, they go to such as work, and by begging eat with them; but this does not last long. - Bread can be bought in the places where such ones are, but not every kind of food. The reason is, because certain ones wish to be paid for the labors which they do, and because, [if] they thus work, the wages can be spent in buying bread. - But there is no buying except with such as are good. - To those in such duties, bread comes gratuitously. Besides other like things.
All in the hells are forced to work and those who do not work receive neither food, nor garments, nor bed. Thus are they driven into labors. The reason is, because idleness is the root of all wickedness; for, in idleness, the mind is spread out to various evils and falsities; but, in work, it is held to one thing.
Food cannot be kept till the morrow: worms breed in it, as in the manna. This is signified in the Lord's prayer: "Give us daily bread," and also by the circumstance that nothing of the paschal lamb, nor of the sacrifices, was to be laid by till the morrow.
Inasmuch as the food is from a spiritual origin, and so is in itself spiritual, and since spirits and angels are men, and are furnished with a spiritual body, therefore such spiritual nourishment is adequate for them. A spiritual being is, therefore, nourished in this spiritual manner, and a material man materially. As all things that appear in the spiritual world correspond to the affections, and to the thoughts of the understanding thence, their houses, garments, fields, gardens, paradises do so - all of which, likewise, are from a spiritual origin; and good affection, together with the thought of the understanding of truth, cannot exist in idleness, but is dispersed. Therefore, food does not exist otherwise than according to correspondences; and, moreover, the works of those who are in hell have correspondences with the heavens, but not the infernal spirits themselves; as was the case with the Israelitish and Jewish nation, who, although they were evil, yet their representative worship nevertheless corresponded - respecting which correspondence of those things, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 1no.[ 248
Their food was seen as manifestly as the like food in our world. The food is of every kind, and also of every variety of luxuriousness.
There are also table decorations which cannot be described in natural language.
Footnotes:
1. The full title of the work here referred to is, The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine. -TR.
6088. De cibo in spirituali mundo
Edunt et bibunt ibi sicut in mundo naturali, sed omnis cibus ibi est ex origine spirituali, quare non praeparatur, sed quotidie datur, quando tempus prandii et quoque coenae est, apparet mensa cum cibis, dum tempus est, et disparatur cum pransi aut coenati sunt.
[2] - Omnes quotcunque cibantur secundum functiones, moderatores splendide cum apparatibus, qui non describi possunt quoad excellentiam, reliqui minus, secundum conditionem.
[3] - Obs: quod unicuivis detur cibus secundum opera quae praestat, qui non aliquod functionis, negotiationis et operis habet, non accipit cibum sed mendicat, vidi magnates ita mendicantes quia non voluerunt aliquid operari, etiam illustres faeminas.
- Vidi magnates qui in mundo splendide viverunt, quod solum datum sit lac cum pane, et cum conquesti sunt quod non plus, dictum quod nihil operentur, et ignavis et in otio degentibus non datur cibus, inde redacti sunt ad fungendum aliqua functione vili, ut nutrirentur. - Praeterea eunt ad tales qui laborant, et comedunt cum illis precario, sed hoc non diu perstat. - Potest emi panis in suis locis, sed non cibus, causa est, quia quidam volunt lucrari per opera quae faciunt, et quia sic operantur, impendi potest lucrum emendo pani - sed non datur emtio nisi talibus, qui boni sunt, in talibus officiis venit panis gratis; praeter alia similia.
[4] In infernis adiguntur omnes ad operas, et qui non operantur non accipiunt cibum, nec vestes nec lectum, ita adiguntur ad labores. Causa quia otium est radix omnis malitiae, mens enim in otio divaricatur ad varia mala et falsa, sed continetur in unum in labore.
[5] Cibus non conservari potest ad crastinum, vermis innascitur, ut in manna [Exod. XVI: 20], hoc significatur in oratione Dominica, da nobis panem quotidianum [Matth. VI: 11], et quoque quod de agno paschali nihil reconderetur ad crastinum [Deut. XVI: 4], nec de sacrificatis [Lev. VII: 16, XIX: 6].
[6] Quia cibus est ex origine spirituali, et in se sic spiritualis, et quia spiritus et angeli homines sunt, et corpore spirituali praediti, ideo nutrtio spiritualis talis illis inservit, spiritualis itaque sic spiritualiter nutritur, et homo materialis materialiter. - Sicut omnia quae apparent in mundo spirituali correspondent affectionibus et inde intellectus cogitationibus, inde illis domus, palatia, vestes, campi, horti, paradisi, quae omnia etiam ex spirituali origine sunt; et [quia] affectio bona cum cogitatione intellectus veri non dari potest in otio, sed dissipatur, ideo non datur aliter cibus quam secundum correspondentias; et praeterea opera illorum qui in inferno correspondentias habent cum coelis, sed non ipsi spiritus infernales, sicut factum est cum gente Israelitica et Judaica, quae tametsi mala, usque tamen cultus eorum repraesentativus correspondebat, de qua eorum correspondentia videatur in doctrina novae Hierosolymae n..... [248.] 1
[7] Visus est cibus eorum tam manifeste similis cibo in nostro mundo, cibus omnis generis, etiam cum lautitiis variis. Sunt etiam decoramenta mensalia, quae lingua naturali non possunt describi.
Footnotes:
1. lectio incerta, sed cf. Summaria Expositio 2