On Line Study of the Word of the Divine Human:
Book Heaven and Hell, Third Part: Man's State after Death
What the world of spirits is
By Rev. Paul Booth
Part 3
Book Heaven and Hell, Third Part: Man's State after Death
What the world of spirits is
By Rev. Paul Booth
Part 3
Number 427. "As soon as men after their decease come into the world of spirits, the Lord distinguishes them correctly. The evil are at once attached to the infernal society in which they were, as to their ruling love, while in the world; and the good are at once attached to the heavenly society in which they were as to their love, charity, and faith, while in the world. But although they are thus distinguished, all who have been friends and acquaintances in the life of the body, especially wives and husbands, and also brothers and sisters, meet and converse together whenever they so desire. I have seen a father talking with six sons, whom he recognized, and have seen many others with their relatives and friends, but because they were of diverse dispositions as a result of life in the world, they were separated after a short time. But those who come from the world of spirits into heaven or into hell, unless they have a like disposition from a like love, no longer see or know each other. The reason that they see each other in the world of spirits, but not in heaven or in hell, is that those who are in the world of spirits are brought into one state after another, like those they experienced in the life of the body; but afterwards, all are brought into a permanent state in accord with their ruling love, and in that state one recognizes another only by similarity of love; for then similarity joins and dissimilarity disjoins."
While man is here in this world it is difficult for him to distinguish good from truth and good from evil, but upon arriving in the world of spirits the Lord leads him into societies to which he belongs according to the life lived on this world. In fact, a man can only with difficulty distinguish good and truth because it is difficult for him to distinguish between thinking and willing. To think from truths should proceed to willing from them. The truth is one cannot just believe and be saved unless he also wills and does what is good 'as if' by himself what he believes.
While the man remains in the natural world in his natural and physical body or the external, he is also with his spirit and in the spiritual world at the same time, although he is unaware of this was earlier stated. However, his affections and consequent thoughts are substantial and therefore are in the world of spirits. They are there in a society with those who have the same thoughts and affections. So, in this way one can understand there is a conjunction with Heaven or a connection with hell depending on the life one lives, either a life of good or evil while in this world. It is the person's strongest ruling love that determines what society, either infernal or Heavenly in the spiritual world that a person is attached to while still living in his natural body in this natural world.
When those who have done good that is taught in the Word while in this world arrive in the next, the world of spirits, they are associated to heavenly societies. This is determined by their love, charity, and faith which they receive while here in this world. For, one who loves the Lord, who wills to do good from the Lord, and who believes truths from the Lord - from the Word - receives a new life from the Lord. Thus, in the spiritual world there are different societies and when upon coming into the world of spirits the Lord leads the man to the society to which he belongs according to his life while here in this world.
This means that friends and acquaintances may be separated in the next world. Will they see each other? The answer is yes if they desire to and so long as they are still in the world of spirits, but for a short while, and this because of the diverse dispositions that each has formed or made for themselves while in the natural world. However, upon coming into Heaven or hell, friends, acquaintances, wives and husbands, parents and children, unless their dispositions are completely alike will no longer see or know each other. The state of man changes to that of his dominant love while on this world. Love is what attracts the man to the Heavenly or infernal societies in the world of spirits. When this process is completed the man is either raised up into Heaven or he is cast down 'as it were' into hell.
It is said that a man no longer sees or knows his friends, etcetera on heaven or hell if their life and their loves are not completely similar. Those who know the Lord become like Him in that they have good and truth conjoined in them. However, those who reject the Lord, who do not have good and truth conjoined in them, who instead have evil and falsity conjoined cast themselves into hell where those are who are of a similar nature. The point being that those coming into Heaven know what is good and true and live according to that knowledge shunning the evils and falsities which the Lord removed in their minds [but don't know evil and falsity, for these have been put away, that is, have been shunned and are no longer central to him in his affections and thoughts. They therefore have no bond of those whose affections are evil and who have thoughts of falsities; they do not remember those they had known while in the natural world.] For love of the Lord and a love of self disjoins. Similarity joins.
In the natural world one cannot see, that is, understand from the outward appearance that his acquaintances often do not have the same love as he has, so they become friends and even marry. However, the affections and the thoughts that were in one's memory become lost when coming into the world of spirits; what remains is only the dominant and ruling love, either of hell or of the Lord.
We learn that as to our spirit that we are in an intermediate state between heaven and hell. So, as our natural state is in this world with its surroundings, while our spirit is in the world of spirits with its surroundings. Both are temporary places for man, first, the natural world for determining whether he will live eternally in heaven or in hell, and second, while in the world of spirits, for preparing him to enter either into Heaven or hell. The demise of our natural body opens the world of spirits from which we, in our spirit, then either enter into heaven or hell. The way into Heaven and hell are both guarded so that those in hell cannot come into the world of spirits and cause havoc, though at times it is permitted for those in hell to enter, but only when the Lord permits it because it is necessary for someone's salvation. Those in the world of spirits who are connected with an infernal society cannot enter into Heaven, for they, too, are guarded. It is otherwise with those who live in Heavenly societies; the ways are opened and they enter Heaven after their preparation. The way is open and they freely come into Heaven. The nature of evil is to destroy and kill; this is why the opening between hell and the world of spirits are guarded keeping those in hell from coming out and why Heaven is closed to those who come from the natural world who have conjoined evil and falsity together within themselves. Those whose disposition is that of evil would desire to enter heaven, thus the way or door is guarded to Heaven, but the opening or doors into hell is through false faith, which they have.
429. "The world of spirits appears like a valley between mountains and
rocks, with windings and elevations here and there. The gates and doors of the heavenly societies are visible only to those who are prepared for heaven; others cannot find them. There is one entrance from the world of spirits to each heavenly society, opening through a single path which branches out in its ascent into several. The gates and doors of the hells also are visible only to those who are about to enter, to whom they are then opened. When these are opened, gloomy and seemingly sooty caverns are seen tending obliquely downwards to the abyss, where again there are doors. Through these cavers, nauseous and fetid stenches exhale, from which good spirits flee because they abominate them, but evil spirits seek for them because they delight in them. For as everyone in the world has been delighted with his own evil, so after death he is delighted with the stench to which his evil corresponds. In this respect, the evil may be likened to rapacious birds and beasts, like ravens, wolves, and swine, which fly or run to carrion or dunghills when they scent their stench. I heard a certain spirit crying out loudly as if from inward torture when struck by a breath flowing forth from heaven; but he became tranquil and glad as soon as a breath flowing forth from hell reached him."
In order that man live there must be the appearance that he lives from himself, otherwise he would not live at all, but would be like an autotom or puppet. Thus it is that the world of spirits appears to the spirits like a valley that is set between mountains and with rocks. We spoke earlier about the doors and gates to Heaven and that they were seen only by Heavenly societies in the World of Spirits. This is because, only those who, through instruction of truths and goods have formed a rational mind, that is, that their rational thinks what is true and causes the will to act according to what is good; they speak from faith, act from charity, and thus, can come to see the doors to Heaven while others cannot.
[Our test in #429 tells of nauseous and fetid stenches exhaling from caverns that lead to hell which good spirits, when they smell, flee from, but which evil spirits seek for. The opposite, the evil spirits, if they are struck by a breath of air coming from Heaven cry as if tortured. We know that these ways and paths, doors and gates, are not seen by those whose state differs and who have not been prepared. You might wonder about this and how it is that one is lead to find the right door. You see, when our earthly body is put off, we do not loose our senses - seeing, touching, feeling, and smelling. For a spirit has these sense even as we do as a man, though more acute. We have the sense of smell and the sense of smell corresponds in the spiritual world to our affections of perceiving. Do we not sense the presence of a dead skunk or of some other terrible smell and want to flee as soon as possible? And, when we sense the smell of something that delights us, we delight and look to see if we can detect where it comes from, for it is pleasant to us? So it is that what ever are our affections, as a spirit, we will go to, for it delights us. For that is what we love. In this case either what is good and true or what is evil and false.]
What is evil corresponds to our affection of evil. What is good corresponds to the affections of good. A good spirit abominates evils and falsities; he loves truths; the contrary, an evil spirits hates the truth; he loves falsities. To him truth stinks and good is rancorous. To a good spirit the opposite is true; he detests falsities for they are truths that have been profaned. To him it is an abomination when goods are profaned. There is delight in what is one's own. Thus, the evil state of such who delights in evil is because his evils and falsities correspond to his affection or love, such as one who delights in certain rancorous smells. Thus, he is drawn and perceives the way into hell, for it delights him. Likewise, the state of such who delight in good, because goods and truths are from the Lord and correspond to his affection or love for like smells; thus, he is drawn towards the paths leading to Heaven, and the doors are opened.
430. "With every man there are two gates, one that leads to hell and that is open to evils and their falsities; while the other leads to heaven and is open to goods and their truths. Those who are in evil and its falsity have the gate to hell opened to them, and only through chinks from above does something of light from heaven flow into them, and by that inflowing they are able to think, to reason, and to speak; but the gate to heaven is opened to those who are in good and its truth. For there are two ways that lead to the rational mind of man; a higher or internal way through which good and truth from the Lord enter, and a lower or external way through which evil and falsity enter below from hell. The rational mind itself is at the middle point to which the ways tend. Consequently, so far as light from heaven is admitted, man is rational; but so far as it is not admitted he is not rational, however rational he my seem to himself to be. These things have been said to make known the nature of the correspondence of man with heaven and with hell. While man's rational mind is being formed, it corresponds to the world of spirits, what is above it corresponding to heaven and what is below to hell. With those preparing for heaven, the regions above the rational mind are opened, but those below are closed to the influx of evil and falsity; while with those preparing for hell, the parts below to the influx of evil and falsity; while with those preparing for hell, the parts below it are opened, and the parts above it are closed to the influx of good and truth. Thus the latter can look only to what is below themselves, that is, to hell; while the former can look only to what is above themselves, that is, to heaven. To look above themselves is to look to the Lord, because He is the common center to which all things of heaven look; while to look below themselves is to look backwards from the Lord to the opposite center, to which all things of hell look and tend".
There are two gates 'as it were' available to everyone in whom they may enter through as long as they remain in the natural world. One is open to evils and falsities, the other to goods and their truths. A man is in freedom of choice which to enter. Then, upon coming into the world of spirits after his natural death he will find himself on the path or the way according to his spiritual state, either of damnation or reformation that leads to his regeneration. While in the world here, these ways or paths lead from a man's mind towards heaven or hell, forming either in him the rational from the Lord, if goods and their truths come from Heaven from the Lord into him, or, if not, then the rational is not formed if evil and their falsities come from hell into the man's mind, though he thinks he is rational, but what his thinking is really ratiocinatous.
The choice is man's; he can accept truths from the Lord, act according to them, and receive good and its truths, and thus, truths and goods become conjoined in him and he with heaven and the Lord, or he can reject the truth and the Lord, and so remain in his tendency to sin, opening his mind for evils and their falsities because of his hereditary and actual natural life which is a life of self love. If man accepts and follows truths and does good, then the light from Heaven will inflow and he becomes rational. If he rejects, then the only light from heaven that he receives is through fissures or cracks 'as it were' in hell, that is, natural truths appear from what he reads and learns from the Word, from teachers and parents. From these scant truths a man lives and has life, though he does not know it; he believes life is his own and has his own life. This is called the proprium.
These two ways into a man's mind that can form the true rational or prevent the true rational from being formed are: one, an internal way coming from the Lord through heaven, which are truths and goods and two: the external way coming from hell and are falsities and evils there from that enter one's mind. The primary essential of life, the principle life of man resides in the rational of the man who receives good and truth, that is, who receives the Lord's Love. This love received from the Lord or rejected from the Lord determines a man's disposition and the way he tends to now live. These ways are the gates that were referred to: The gate to the rational mind leading into heaven, that gate into man's regenerated mind. The gate to the man's own rational, that gate into man's un-regenerated mind.
The gate that leads good and truth to form the rational mind and, so, leads to heaven, introduces man into the spiritual things that the Church teaches from the Word. Thus, a man is prepared and led towards heaven. This is the first gate within the man. The second gate or way in man is open towards hell and is opened to those who are in evils and falsities. We earlier had spoken about the cracks or fissures in the world of spirits through which the light of heaven comes through enabling a spirit, who has rejected the Lord, so that they can think and reason and live. That light from heaven into the world of spirits is the truth which comes from the Lord's goodness to those who love the Lord, the Word, who is the Truth and the Good. Those who refuse receive only truth which is not conjoined with good. They live, but their life from the Lord is distorted and in the Word is called 'death'.
From this man can see a (consociation), a correspondence between himself with heaven or with hell, So it is that when in state of reformation the man's spirit in the world of spirits is opened to heaven above or within and if he is not in a state of reformation then hell is opened below or without to him. Thus, it is that those preparing for heaven that the regions above the man's rational mind or his interiors are open; Heaven is opened to such a man. Those preparing for hell, the regions below are opened in the mind; the opposite regions are closed and once the man leaves this natural world cannot be opened in the world of spirits, for he has confirmed his way by his love, either for heaven or for hell. However, while he remains in this world he is held in equilibrium and can choose to believe and to do the truths coming to him from the Lord and so can turn towards the Lord and Heaven. While in this world man can change his love of self by accepting truth for the sake of truth and can do good, because it is good, and not because he will benefit by doing it, He can begin to love the truth and so will to do the truth, thus the Lord's Love or His Good flows into him enlightening and revealing to him interior truths, thus preparing him for heavenly life.
For life is confirmed by the actions a man does from love, either the love for himself and for world things or for a love of the Lord and a love towards the neighbor and to heavenly things. This later love forms within man the true rational (the true rational is the Lord's rational within man; it is His dwelling within man's will.) which becomes the center from which all things of heaven are learned, understood and seen.
End.
While man is here in this world it is difficult for him to distinguish good from truth and good from evil, but upon arriving in the world of spirits the Lord leads him into societies to which he belongs according to the life lived on this world. In fact, a man can only with difficulty distinguish good and truth because it is difficult for him to distinguish between thinking and willing. To think from truths should proceed to willing from them. The truth is one cannot just believe and be saved unless he also wills and does what is good 'as if' by himself what he believes.
While the man remains in the natural world in his natural and physical body or the external, he is also with his spirit and in the spiritual world at the same time, although he is unaware of this was earlier stated. However, his affections and consequent thoughts are substantial and therefore are in the world of spirits. They are there in a society with those who have the same thoughts and affections. So, in this way one can understand there is a conjunction with Heaven or a connection with hell depending on the life one lives, either a life of good or evil while in this world. It is the person's strongest ruling love that determines what society, either infernal or Heavenly in the spiritual world that a person is attached to while still living in his natural body in this natural world.
When those who have done good that is taught in the Word while in this world arrive in the next, the world of spirits, they are associated to heavenly societies. This is determined by their love, charity, and faith which they receive while here in this world. For, one who loves the Lord, who wills to do good from the Lord, and who believes truths from the Lord - from the Word - receives a new life from the Lord. Thus, in the spiritual world there are different societies and when upon coming into the world of spirits the Lord leads the man to the society to which he belongs according to his life while here in this world.
This means that friends and acquaintances may be separated in the next world. Will they see each other? The answer is yes if they desire to and so long as they are still in the world of spirits, but for a short while, and this because of the diverse dispositions that each has formed or made for themselves while in the natural world. However, upon coming into Heaven or hell, friends, acquaintances, wives and husbands, parents and children, unless their dispositions are completely alike will no longer see or know each other. The state of man changes to that of his dominant love while on this world. Love is what attracts the man to the Heavenly or infernal societies in the world of spirits. When this process is completed the man is either raised up into Heaven or he is cast down 'as it were' into hell.
It is said that a man no longer sees or knows his friends, etcetera on heaven or hell if their life and their loves are not completely similar. Those who know the Lord become like Him in that they have good and truth conjoined in them. However, those who reject the Lord, who do not have good and truth conjoined in them, who instead have evil and falsity conjoined cast themselves into hell where those are who are of a similar nature. The point being that those coming into Heaven know what is good and true and live according to that knowledge shunning the evils and falsities which the Lord removed in their minds [but don't know evil and falsity, for these have been put away, that is, have been shunned and are no longer central to him in his affections and thoughts. They therefore have no bond of those whose affections are evil and who have thoughts of falsities; they do not remember those they had known while in the natural world.] For love of the Lord and a love of self disjoins. Similarity joins.
In the natural world one cannot see, that is, understand from the outward appearance that his acquaintances often do not have the same love as he has, so they become friends and even marry. However, the affections and the thoughts that were in one's memory become lost when coming into the world of spirits; what remains is only the dominant and ruling love, either of hell or of the Lord.
- 428. As the world of spirits is an intermediate state between heaven and
We learn that as to our spirit that we are in an intermediate state between heaven and hell. So, as our natural state is in this world with its surroundings, while our spirit is in the world of spirits with its surroundings. Both are temporary places for man, first, the natural world for determining whether he will live eternally in heaven or in hell, and second, while in the world of spirits, for preparing him to enter either into Heaven or hell. The demise of our natural body opens the world of spirits from which we, in our spirit, then either enter into heaven or hell. The way into Heaven and hell are both guarded so that those in hell cannot come into the world of spirits and cause havoc, though at times it is permitted for those in hell to enter, but only when the Lord permits it because it is necessary for someone's salvation. Those in the world of spirits who are connected with an infernal society cannot enter into Heaven, for they, too, are guarded. It is otherwise with those who live in Heavenly societies; the ways are opened and they enter Heaven after their preparation. The way is open and they freely come into Heaven. The nature of evil is to destroy and kill; this is why the opening between hell and the world of spirits are guarded keeping those in hell from coming out and why Heaven is closed to those who come from the natural world who have conjoined evil and falsity together within themselves. Those whose disposition is that of evil would desire to enter heaven, thus the way or door is guarded to Heaven, but the opening or doors into hell is through false faith, which they have.
429. "The world of spirits appears like a valley between mountains and
rocks, with windings and elevations here and there. The gates and doors of the heavenly societies are visible only to those who are prepared for heaven; others cannot find them. There is one entrance from the world of spirits to each heavenly society, opening through a single path which branches out in its ascent into several. The gates and doors of the hells also are visible only to those who are about to enter, to whom they are then opened. When these are opened, gloomy and seemingly sooty caverns are seen tending obliquely downwards to the abyss, where again there are doors. Through these cavers, nauseous and fetid stenches exhale, from which good spirits flee because they abominate them, but evil spirits seek for them because they delight in them. For as everyone in the world has been delighted with his own evil, so after death he is delighted with the stench to which his evil corresponds. In this respect, the evil may be likened to rapacious birds and beasts, like ravens, wolves, and swine, which fly or run to carrion or dunghills when they scent their stench. I heard a certain spirit crying out loudly as if from inward torture when struck by a breath flowing forth from heaven; but he became tranquil and glad as soon as a breath flowing forth from hell reached him."
In order that man live there must be the appearance that he lives from himself, otherwise he would not live at all, but would be like an autotom or puppet. Thus it is that the world of spirits appears to the spirits like a valley that is set between mountains and with rocks. We spoke earlier about the doors and gates to Heaven and that they were seen only by Heavenly societies in the World of Spirits. This is because, only those who, through instruction of truths and goods have formed a rational mind, that is, that their rational thinks what is true and causes the will to act according to what is good; they speak from faith, act from charity, and thus, can come to see the doors to Heaven while others cannot.
[Our test in #429 tells of nauseous and fetid stenches exhaling from caverns that lead to hell which good spirits, when they smell, flee from, but which evil spirits seek for. The opposite, the evil spirits, if they are struck by a breath of air coming from Heaven cry as if tortured. We know that these ways and paths, doors and gates, are not seen by those whose state differs and who have not been prepared. You might wonder about this and how it is that one is lead to find the right door. You see, when our earthly body is put off, we do not loose our senses - seeing, touching, feeling, and smelling. For a spirit has these sense even as we do as a man, though more acute. We have the sense of smell and the sense of smell corresponds in the spiritual world to our affections of perceiving. Do we not sense the presence of a dead skunk or of some other terrible smell and want to flee as soon as possible? And, when we sense the smell of something that delights us, we delight and look to see if we can detect where it comes from, for it is pleasant to us? So it is that what ever are our affections, as a spirit, we will go to, for it delights us. For that is what we love. In this case either what is good and true or what is evil and false.]
What is evil corresponds to our affection of evil. What is good corresponds to the affections of good. A good spirit abominates evils and falsities; he loves truths; the contrary, an evil spirits hates the truth; he loves falsities. To him truth stinks and good is rancorous. To a good spirit the opposite is true; he detests falsities for they are truths that have been profaned. To him it is an abomination when goods are profaned. There is delight in what is one's own. Thus, the evil state of such who delights in evil is because his evils and falsities correspond to his affection or love, such as one who delights in certain rancorous smells. Thus, he is drawn and perceives the way into hell, for it delights him. Likewise, the state of such who delight in good, because goods and truths are from the Lord and correspond to his affection or love for like smells; thus, he is drawn towards the paths leading to Heaven, and the doors are opened.
430. "With every man there are two gates, one that leads to hell and that is open to evils and their falsities; while the other leads to heaven and is open to goods and their truths. Those who are in evil and its falsity have the gate to hell opened to them, and only through chinks from above does something of light from heaven flow into them, and by that inflowing they are able to think, to reason, and to speak; but the gate to heaven is opened to those who are in good and its truth. For there are two ways that lead to the rational mind of man; a higher or internal way through which good and truth from the Lord enter, and a lower or external way through which evil and falsity enter below from hell. The rational mind itself is at the middle point to which the ways tend. Consequently, so far as light from heaven is admitted, man is rational; but so far as it is not admitted he is not rational, however rational he my seem to himself to be. These things have been said to make known the nature of the correspondence of man with heaven and with hell. While man's rational mind is being formed, it corresponds to the world of spirits, what is above it corresponding to heaven and what is below to hell. With those preparing for heaven, the regions above the rational mind are opened, but those below are closed to the influx of evil and falsity; while with those preparing for hell, the parts below to the influx of evil and falsity; while with those preparing for hell, the parts below it are opened, and the parts above it are closed to the influx of good and truth. Thus the latter can look only to what is below themselves, that is, to hell; while the former can look only to what is above themselves, that is, to heaven. To look above themselves is to look to the Lord, because He is the common center to which all things of heaven look; while to look below themselves is to look backwards from the Lord to the opposite center, to which all things of hell look and tend".
There are two gates 'as it were' available to everyone in whom they may enter through as long as they remain in the natural world. One is open to evils and falsities, the other to goods and their truths. A man is in freedom of choice which to enter. Then, upon coming into the world of spirits after his natural death he will find himself on the path or the way according to his spiritual state, either of damnation or reformation that leads to his regeneration. While in the world here, these ways or paths lead from a man's mind towards heaven or hell, forming either in him the rational from the Lord, if goods and their truths come from Heaven from the Lord into him, or, if not, then the rational is not formed if evil and their falsities come from hell into the man's mind, though he thinks he is rational, but what his thinking is really ratiocinatous.
The choice is man's; he can accept truths from the Lord, act according to them, and receive good and its truths, and thus, truths and goods become conjoined in him and he with heaven and the Lord, or he can reject the truth and the Lord, and so remain in his tendency to sin, opening his mind for evils and their falsities because of his hereditary and actual natural life which is a life of self love. If man accepts and follows truths and does good, then the light from Heaven will inflow and he becomes rational. If he rejects, then the only light from heaven that he receives is through fissures or cracks 'as it were' in hell, that is, natural truths appear from what he reads and learns from the Word, from teachers and parents. From these scant truths a man lives and has life, though he does not know it; he believes life is his own and has his own life. This is called the proprium.
These two ways into a man's mind that can form the true rational or prevent the true rational from being formed are: one, an internal way coming from the Lord through heaven, which are truths and goods and two: the external way coming from hell and are falsities and evils there from that enter one's mind. The primary essential of life, the principle life of man resides in the rational of the man who receives good and truth, that is, who receives the Lord's Love. This love received from the Lord or rejected from the Lord determines a man's disposition and the way he tends to now live. These ways are the gates that were referred to: The gate to the rational mind leading into heaven, that gate into man's regenerated mind. The gate to the man's own rational, that gate into man's un-regenerated mind.
The gate that leads good and truth to form the rational mind and, so, leads to heaven, introduces man into the spiritual things that the Church teaches from the Word. Thus, a man is prepared and led towards heaven. This is the first gate within the man. The second gate or way in man is open towards hell and is opened to those who are in evils and falsities. We earlier had spoken about the cracks or fissures in the world of spirits through which the light of heaven comes through enabling a spirit, who has rejected the Lord, so that they can think and reason and live. That light from heaven into the world of spirits is the truth which comes from the Lord's goodness to those who love the Lord, the Word, who is the Truth and the Good. Those who refuse receive only truth which is not conjoined with good. They live, but their life from the Lord is distorted and in the Word is called 'death'.
From this man can see a (consociation), a correspondence between himself with heaven or with hell, So it is that when in state of reformation the man's spirit in the world of spirits is opened to heaven above or within and if he is not in a state of reformation then hell is opened below or without to him. Thus, it is that those preparing for heaven that the regions above the man's rational mind or his interiors are open; Heaven is opened to such a man. Those preparing for hell, the regions below are opened in the mind; the opposite regions are closed and once the man leaves this natural world cannot be opened in the world of spirits, for he has confirmed his way by his love, either for heaven or for hell. However, while he remains in this world he is held in equilibrium and can choose to believe and to do the truths coming to him from the Lord and so can turn towards the Lord and Heaven. While in this world man can change his love of self by accepting truth for the sake of truth and can do good, because it is good, and not because he will benefit by doing it, He can begin to love the truth and so will to do the truth, thus the Lord's Love or His Good flows into him enlightening and revealing to him interior truths, thus preparing him for heavenly life.
For life is confirmed by the actions a man does from love, either the love for himself and for world things or for a love of the Lord and a love towards the neighbor and to heavenly things. This later love forms within man the true rational (the true rational is the Lord's rational within man; it is His dwelling within man's will.) which becomes the center from which all things of heaven are learned, understood and seen.
End.
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