683. It happened, when I was picturing [these things] to spirits around me by a spiritual display - specifically, by depicting ideas as forms of forces, which in turn consisted or were built up of myriads of things unseen, and each of these, of myriads of myriads of more inward ones - that then, because souls and spirits are sensitive to such depictions, immediately it was as if they had gone out of their minds, as one of them who was with me admitted. He did not know how they could help perishing from insanity. For if this is the case, [they thought] nothing of life would be left [to them], and even if there were, they would still have no spiritual life coming into them.
So a life like that, devoid of a living spiritual influence, is comparable to the life of vegetation, in which there is life, to be sure, but a kind called vegetative. Therefore all things even in the vegetable kingdom reflect the Kingdom of the Lord, each in its own way; in fact, they reflect the human being, having lungs and the rest, as is known. Hence the Divine is in the vegetable kingdom, but without animate life. 1748, 8 February.
683. When I was representing these things to the spirits around me by a spiritual representation, that is, by forming ideas as forms of forces which consisted or were composed of myriads of things not seen, and every one of these again of myriads of myriads of things still more interior, it then came to pass that the souls and spirits, because they are susceptible to such representations, at once became as though insane. One of them who was with me confessed this, not knowing otherwise than that they would perish by insanity, for thus nothing of life would remain, and although [those forces] were within, still they would have no inflowing spiritual life. Such life, when living spiritual influx is taken away from it, is therefore likened to the life of vegetables, in which indeed there is life, but it is that life which is called vegetative. Wherefore all things in the vegetable kingdom represent the Lord's Kingdom, each thing in its own way, indeed they represent man, with his lungs, etc., as is known. Hence the Divine is in the vegetable kingdom, but without animal life. 1748, Feb. 8.
683. Factum est, quum per repraesentationem spiritualem spiritibus circum me repraesentarem-nempe 1
formando ideas, sicut formas virium, quae a myriadibus non visis constarent seu conflarentur, et unumquodvis eorum 2
a myriadum myriadibus intimiorum- tunc 3
, quia animae, ac spiritus sunt susceptibiles talium repraesentationum, illico tanquam Amentes facti sunt, ut unus eorum apud me es fassus, non aliter sciens ac interirent amentia, nam sic nihil vitae remansurum, ac tametsi inesset 4
, usque non vitam haberent influentem spiritualem, quare talis vita, cui demtus est influxus vivus spiritualis, assimilata 5
est vitae vegetabilium, in quibus quoque vita, sed quae vocatur vegetativa inest, quare etiam omnia in regno vegetabili repraesentant Regnum Domini, quodlibet suo modo; imo repraesentant hominem cum ejus pulmonibus, ac caeteris ut notum est, inde Divinum in regno vegetabili, sed absque vita animali. 1748, 8 Febr.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has repraesentarem, nempe
2. in J.F.I. Tafel's edition earum
3. The Manuscript has intimioribus (sic!), tunc
4. The Manuscript has inessent
5. The Manuscript has assimilatus