722. Man can live in both lives
The human race was so created by the Lord as to be able to be both in the world and in heaven, the outer person in the world and the inner one in heaven, consequently to be able to speak with spirits and angels as well as with fellow human beings. This was so that heaven would be united with the world, and the world with heaven.
This has also, by the mercy of the Lord, taken place with me, and indeed in such a way that when I was mixing with people on earth, I did not differ in the least from myself as I had been before, nor could anyone tell me from an [ordinary] weak human being. But when I was with spirits, I was then as if separate from my body, yet at the same time joined to it, because my spiritual part was then with spirits - in fact, so much so, that when I wanted to write something like "the other life," I could hardly realize that it was the other life, or the life after death; for the spirits wanted "in this life," because I was with them.
722. THAT MAN CAN LIVE IN BOTH LIVES
The human race has been so created by the Lord that men might be at the same time both in the world and in heaven, the external man in the world and the internal in heaven; consequently, that man might speak with spirits and angels, and they also with men, so that heaven would thus be conjoined with the world, and the world with heaven. This also, of the Lord's mercy, has been effected with me, and indeed in such a manner that when I was conversing with men I was not in the least different from what I was before, nor could I be distinguished from feeble man. Yet, when I was with spirits, I was then as it were separated from the body, but nevertheless at the same time conjoined, because my spiritual was then with the spirits, and indeed so much so that when I wanted to write, "As in the other life", I could scarcely know that it was the other life, or the life after death, for the spirits wanted me to write, "In this life", because I was with them.
722. Quod homo in utraque vita vivere possit
Ita humanum genus a Domino creatum est, ut simul essent tam in mundo, quam in coelo, externus homo in mundo, ac internus in coelo, proinde ut cum spiritibus angelis loqueretur, tum etiam cum hominibus, ita ut conjunctum foret coelum mundo, et mundus coelo; quod etiam ex misericordia Domini, factum est mecum, et quidem ita, ut dum cum hominibus conversarer, ne quidem hilum differrem a memet, ut fui prius, aut distingui [possem] ab homine debili, at vero quando cum spiritibus, tunc quasi a corpore separatus, sed tamen simul conjunctus, quia spirituale meum tunc erat cum spiritibus, et quidem ita, ut dum scribere vellem, sicut "altera vita," tunc vix potui scire, quod esset vita altera seu post mortem, nam spiritus volebant, "in hac vita," quia cum iis essem.