|
Death and Rebirth
by the Rev. Lee Woofenden
(c)
1995
Lee
Woofenden
Contents
Introduction
The
Experience
of
Dying
Our
First
Stage
After
Death
Our
Second
Stage
After
Death
Our
Third
Stage
After
Death
Conclusion
Selected
Bibliography
Introduction
In
1975,
Raymond
Moody
published
his
book
Life
After
Life.
It
became
an
instant
bestseller,
sparking
an
intense
popular
interest
in
Near
Death
Experiences
(NDEs)
that
has
continued
to
grow
ever
since.
Suddenly,
there
was
new
light
shining
on
a
part
of
human
experience
that
had
been
shrouded
in
mystery
before.
Suddenly,
we
had up-to-date
reports
on
the
afterlife
from
ordinary
people.
Though
Moody's
book
was
the
first
popular
book
on
NDEs,
it
was
not
the
first
material
to
be
published
containing
descriptions
of
what
happens
to
us
when
we
die.
Various
articles
and
a
few
books
had
already
been
published
touching
on
the
subject
of
NDEs
in
the
years
leading
up
to
Moody's
book.
There
was
a
quiet
buildup
of
investigation
and
reporting
leading
to
the
wide
open
door
of
Life
After
Life.
Even
before
that
buildup
though,
there
had
long
been
texts
containing
descriptions
of
what
happens
to
us
when
we
die.
For
example,
from
the
East,
we
have
The
Tibetan
Book
of
the
Dead.
From
Africa,
we
have
The
Egyptian
Book
of
the
Dead.
In
the
west,
we
have
Heaven
and
Hell,
by
Emanuel
Swedenborg.
I
would
like
to
focus
on
Swedenborg's
descriptions
of
the
transition
begun
by
death,
putting
them
in
a
wider
context
and
exploring
their
meaning
for
our
spiritual
growth
during
our
lives.
When
Emanuel
Swedenborg
began
his
career
in
the
early
1700s,
he
had
no
thought
of
visiting
the
spiritual
world
or
becoming
a
spiritual
seer.
Though
he
was
the
son
of
a
prominent
Lutheran
bishop,
his
fascination
was
with
science
and engineering--and
that
was
where
he
wanted
to
make
his
mark
on
the
world.
He
did
exceptionally
well.
Soon
after
his
studies
were
finished,
he
was
appointed
to
the
Swedish
Board
of
Mines,
which
oversaw
the
most
important
industry
in
Sweden.
Swedenborg
served
faithfully
in
this
post
for
many
years,
doing
everything
from
creating
mining
regulations
to
descending
into
the
mines
themselves
to
do
inspections
and
suggest
improvements.
When
his
family
was
ennobled
by
the
Swedish
queen,
as
the
eldest
surviving
son
Swedenborg
took
a
seat
in
the
House
of
Nobles
of
the
Swedish
Parliament.
He
served
in
this
post
for
the
rest
of
his
life,
whenever
he
was
in
Sweden.
His
contributions
to
the
Parliament
showed
a
pragmatic
concern
for
the
well-being
of
his
country.
Even
with
these
important
posts
he
was
not
satisfied.
His
mind
was
restless.
He
wanted
a
comprehensive
grasp
of
science
and
human
nature.
He
studied
all
the
sciences
of
his
day,
and
wrote
groundbreaking
books
and
articles
on
mechanics,
engineering,
mathematics,
physics,
cosmology,
metallurgy,
chemistry,
anatomy,
psychology,
and
many
other
subjects.
Due
to
his
scientific
work,
he
was
elected
to
the
Royal
Swedish
Academy
of
Science
As
time
went
on,
he
focused
his
studies
increasingly
on
the
human
body.
By
this
time
he
had
set
a
difficult
task
for
himself:
he
wanted
to
find
the
human
soul.
He
thought
he
could
do
this
by
studying
the
body.
But
the
more
painstaking
his
researches,
the
farther
he
seemed
to
be
from
finding
the
soul.
When
he
was
in
his
mid-fifties,
he
went
through
a
spiritual
crisis,
marked
by
many
vivid
dreams
and
visions.
He
said
the
Lord
appeared
to
him
and
gave
him
a
new
mission:
to
study
the
spiritual
realm.
He
tells
us
that
God
then
opened
his
spiritual
eyes
so
that
he
could
be
conscious
in
the
material
world
and
the
spiritual
world
at
the
same
time.
It
was
a
difficult
struggle
for
Swedenborg
to
give
up
his
hopes
for
worldly
fame
and
go
on
a
spiritual
journey.
He
knew
he
would
be
attacked
and
ridiculed
by
many
educated
and
influential
people.
Still,
he
accepted
God's
call,
and
for
the
last
thirty
years
of
his
life
he
wrote
on
spiritual
rather
than
scientific
subjects.
This
resulted
in
extensive
and
detailed
descriptions
of
the
spiritual world--including
an
account
of
what
it
is
like
to
die
and
the
changes
we
go
through
afterwards.
Many
of
these
descriptions
are
contained
in
his
most
popular
book,
Heaven
and
Hell.
Others
are
scattered
throughout
the
thirty
plus
volumes
of
his
religious
writings.
Swedenborg
described
several
stages
that
we
go
through
when
we
die.
The
chapters
of
this
book
take
up
each
of
Swedenborg's
stages
in
order.
For
each,
there
is
a
brief
introduction,
a
new,
abridged
translation
of
Swedenborg's
description
of
the
stage,
and
my
commentary
on
how
this
relates
to
our
own
spiritual
growth.
Along
the
way,
I
will
draw
parallels
with
NDEs
as
described
in
the
current
literature
on
the
subject.
Chapter
1
The
Experience
of
Dying
There
is
a
difference
between
Swedenborg's
experience
and
the
experiences
of
people
who
have
come
close
to
dying
and
returned.
When
Swedenborg
described
the
spiritual
world
and
the
process
of
dying
in
Heaven
and
Hell,
he
already
had
years
of
regular,
almost
daily,
consciousness
in
the
spiritual
world.
By
the
time
he
wrote
his
description
of
the
experience
of
death,
he
was
familiar
with
the
spiritual
world,
and
had
a
sense
of
perspective
on
the
dying
experience.
Because
of
this,
Swedenborg's
descriptions
are
more
analytical
than
those
of
many
present-day NDEers--most
of
whom
had
never
experienced
the
spiritual
world
before.
The
descriptions
of
the
death
process
given
by
NDEers
are
probably
closer
to
what
you
or
I
might
experience
as
we
die.
Most
of
us
do
not
have
previous
experience
in
the
spiritual
world.
We
will
approach
death
in
a
state
of
mind
more
like
those
who
nearly
die
and
come
back
to
tell
of
their
experiences.
But
here
is
a
description
of
the
process
of
dying
as
experienced
by
a
Western
mind
trained
both
in
material
and
spiritual
reality.
Waking
Up
From
Death
From
Heaven
and
Hell
#445-52
by
Emanuel
Swedenborg
When
our
body
can
no
longer
perform
its
functions
in
the
physical
world,
expressing
the
thoughts
and
feelings
of
our
spirit
(which
we
have
from
the
spiritual
world)
we
say
that
we
die.
This
happens
when
our
lungs
stop
breathing
and
our
heart
stops
beating.
Yet
we
do
not
die,
but
are
only
separated
from
the
body
that
had
been
useful
to
us
in
the
world.
We
ourselves
continue
to
live.
I
say
we
ourselves
continue
to
live
since
we
are
not
human
because
of
our
body,
but
because
of
our
spirit.
It
is
the
spirit
within
us
that thinks--and
thinking
together
with
feeling
makes
us
human.
This
means
that
when
we
die,
we
only
pass
from
one
world
to
another.
Because
of
this,
when
"death"
is
mentioned
in
the
Bible,
its
deeper
meaning
is
re-awakening
and
continued
life.
The
deepest
connection
of
our
spirits
is
with
our
breathing
and
the
motion
of
our
heart.
Our
thinking
communicates
with
our
breathing
and
the
feelings
of
our
love
communicate
with
our
heart.
So
when
these
two
motions
stop,
we
are
immediately
separated
from
our
body.
These
two motions--the
breathing
of
our
lungs
and
the
beating
of
our heart--are
the
links.
When
they
are
broken,
our
spirit
is
on
its
own.
Since
our
body
no
longer
has
the
life
of
its
spirit,
it
grows
cold
and
decays.
The
deepest
communication
of
our
spirits
is
with
our
breathing
and
the
motion
of
our
heart
because
all
our
vital
motion
depends
on
these
two functions--and
not
merely
in
a
general
way
but
in
every
single
part
of
our
body.
Our
spirit
stays
in
our
body
for
a
little
while
after
the
separation,
but
not
past
when
the
heart
has
completely
stopped
beating.
This
happens
in
different
ways
depending
on
the
sickness
we
die
from.
Sometimes
the
heart
continues
to
beat
for
a
while;
other
times
it
stops
after
a
short
time.
As
soon
as
the
heart
stops
beating,
we
are awakened--but
only
the
Lord
does
this.
By
"awakening"
I
mean
leading
our
spirit
out
of
our
body
and
bringing
it
into
the
spiritual
world.
This
is
traditionally
called
"resurrection."
Our
spirit
is
not
separated
from
our
body
until
the
heart
stops
beating
because
our
heart
corresponds
to
the
feelings
of
our
love,
which
is
our
real
life.
Our
vital
warmth
comes
from
love.
So
as
long
as
this
connection
continues,
there
is
a
correspondence
and
the
life
of
our
spirit
remains
in
our
body.
I
have
not
only
been
told
how
we
wake
up
from
death;
I
have
been
shown
through
experience.
I
have
actually
gone
through
it
so
I
could
know
exactly
what
it
is
like.
I
lost
touch
with
my
physical
senses
almost
as
if
I
were
dying.
But
I
still
had
all
of
my
inner
life
and
ability
to
think,
so
I
could
pay
attention
and
remember
what
happened
to me--which
is
the
same
as
what
happens
to
us
when
we
wake
up
from
death.
I
noticed
that
my
body's
breathing
was
almost
taken
away,
though
my
inner,
spiritual
breathing
continued,
along
with
a
slight,
quiet
physical
breathing.
My
heartbeat
started
to
communicate
with
the
heavenly
realm,
since
that
realm
is
connected
with
our
heart.
I
saw
angels
from
that
realm,
some
at
a
distance,
and
two
sitting
at
my
head.
They
took
away
all
my
own
feelings,
but
I
kept
my
thinking
and
awareness.
I
experienced
this
for
several
hours.
Then
the
spirits
who
were
around
me
left,
saying
I
had
died.
I
noticed
an
aromatic
odor
like
an
embalmed
body.
When
heavenly
angels
are
nearby,
the
dead
body
seems
aromatic.
Spirits
sense
this,
and
cannot
approach
it.
This
is
how
evil
spirits
are
kept
away
from
our
spirit
when
we
are
first
brought
into
eternal
life.
The
angels
who
sat
by
my
head
were
silent,
communicating
only
with
my
thoughts.
When
we
receive
their
thoughts,
the
angels
know
our
spirit
is
ready
to
be
drawn
out
of
our
body.
The
angels
shared
their
thoughts
with
me
by
looking
at
my
face.
This
is
how
people
in
heaven
share
thoughts.
Since
I
could
still
think
and
be
aware
of
things
so
that
I
could
remember
how
waking
up
from
death
happens,
I
noticed
that
the
angels
at
first
asked
whether
my
thoughts
were
like
the
thoughts
of
people
who
are
dying,
who
usually
think
about
eternal
life.
They
wanted
to
hold
my
mind
in
these
thoughts.
I
was
later
told
that
our
spirits
are
kept
in
the
last
thoughts
we
had
when
our
body
dies.
This
lasts
until
we
go
back
to
the
way
we
had
thought
from
our
predominant
feelings
in
the
world.
I
was
especially
given
to
sense
and
feel
that
there
was
a
drawing
out
and
pulling
away
of
the
inner
parts
of
my mind--meaning
my spirit--from
my
body.
I
was
told
that
this
was
from
the
Lord,
and
that
it
causes
us
to
wake
up
from
death.
The
heavenly
angels
who
are
with
us
as
we
are
being
awakened
from
death
do
not
leave
us,
since
they
love
each
one
of
us.
But
when
our
spirit
can
no
longer
be
with
heavenly
angels,
we
start
wanting
to
leave
them.
When
this
happens,
angels
from
the
Lord's
spiritual
realm
come
to
us.
They
give
us
the
ability
to
see.
Before,
we
had
not
seen
anything,
but
had
only
thought
things.
I
was
shown
how
this
happens.
I
saw
an
angel
there
seem
to
roll
a
covering
off
my
left
eye
toward
my
nose
to
open
my
eyes
and
give
me
sight.
It
does
seem
to
us
as
if
this
is
what
happens,
though
it
is
only
the
way
it
appears.
When
the
covering
was
rolled
off,
I
saw
some
light,
but
it
was
dim.
It
was
like
looking
through
my
eyelids
at
daybreak.
This
dim
light
seemed
to
be
heavenly
warmth.
I
was
told,
though,
that
this
happens
differently
for
different
people.
Next
I
felt
something
soft
rolled
off
my
face,
and
then
I
was
able
to
think
spiritually.
The
feeling
that
something
was
being
rolled
off
my
face
was
also
merely
the
way
it
looks.
It
means
that
our
material
thought
has
now
passed
over
into
spiritual
thought.
The
angels
are
very
careful
not
to
let
in
any
ideas
about
waking
up
from
death
that
do
not
have
a
sense
of
love
about
them.
Then
they
tell
us
that
we
are
a
spirit.
After
the
spiritual
angels
give
us
the
ability
to
see,
they
offer
us
everything
we
could
possibly
want
in
this
situation.
They
also
tell
us
as
much
about
the
other
life
as
we
are
able
to
understand.
But
if
we
do
not
wish
to
be
taught,
we
want
to
get
away
from
those
angels.
The
angels
do
not
leave
us;
no,
we
leave
them.
Angels
love
every
one
of
us.
They
love
nothing
better
than
doing
good
things
for
us,
teaching
us,
and
leading
us
into
heaven.
This
gives
them
their
greatest
joy.
When
we
leave
them,
good
spirits
welcome
us.
They
also
offer
us
every
kind
of
help.
But
if
we
had
lived
on
earth
in
a
way
that
made
it
so
that
we
could
not
be
together
with
good
spirits,
we
also
wish
to
get
away
from
them.
This
goes
on
as
many
times
as
it
takes
for
us
to
come
together
with
spirits
who
are
completely
harmonious
with
our
life
in
the
world.
Then
we
live
with them--and
surprisingly
enough,
we
live
the
same
way
we
had
lived
on
earth.
However,
this
first
stage
of
our
life
after
death
does
not
last
more
than
a
few
days.
I
will
describe
in
the
next
chapter
how
we
are
led
from
one
stage
to
the
next,
and
finally
either
into
heaven
or
into
hell.
I
know
these
things
also
from
a
lot
of
experience.
I
have
talked
with
some
people
three
days
after
they
died,
when
they
had
already
been
through
the
experiences
I
just
described.
I
have
even
talked
with
three
people
I
had
known
in
the
world.
I
told
them
that
their
mortal
remains
were
now
being
prepared
so
that
their
body
could
be
buried.
When
they
heard
me
say
"buried,"
they
were
struck
with
astonishment.
They
said
that
they
were
alive,
and
that
those
people
were
merely
burying
what
had
served
them
in
the
world.
Afterwards
they
were
absolutely
amazed
that
when
they
had
lived
in
their
body
they
had
not
believed
there
was
this
kind
of
life
after death--and
especially
that
practically
everyone
in
the
church
had
not
believed
it.
People
who
had
not
believed
in
the
world
that
there
was
any
life
after
physical
life
are
very
embarrassed
when
they
realize
that
they
are
still
alive.
But
those
who
had
convinced
themselves
that
there
was
no
afterlife
get
together
with
people
who
believe
the
same
thing
and
are
separated
from
people
who
had
faith.
Most
of
them
are
connected
to
some
hellish
community
because
they
also
deny
the
divine
and
are
contemptuous
of
spiritual
truth.
As
much
as
we
convince
ourselves
against
the
eternal
life
of
our
soul,
we
also
convince
ourselves
against
heavenly
and
spiritual
things.
This
is
how
Swedenborg
describes
the
process
of
dying.
Like
NDEers,
he
regained
consciousness
in
this
world
afterwards
so
that
he
could
tell
people
who
are
still
on
earth
about
it.
Though
his
experience
happened
over
two
hundred
years
ago,
it
is
similar
in
many
ways
to
the
experiences
of
people
today
who
have
NDEs.
It
is
also
different
in
some
ways.
Before
going
into
the
meaning
of
this
experience
for
our
own
spiritual
growth,
I
would
like
to
explore
some
of
these
similarities
and
differences.
To
do
this,
I
will
compare
Swedenborg's
experience
with
the
pattern
of
common
elements
experienced
by
NDEers.
This
pattern
was
initially
outlined
by
Raymond
Moody,
and
later
studied
more
rigorously
and
systematized
by
such
scholars
as
Kenneth
Ring
and
Bruce
Greyson.
These
writers
are
careful
to
point
out
that
no
NDEer
experiences
all
of
these
elements.
In
the
same
way,
Swedenborg
did
not
experience
all
of
them.
I
will
focus
particularly
on
the
five
stages
of
the
NDE
as
described
by
Kenneth
Ring,
while
bringing
in
other
common
elements
along
the
way.
NDEers
often
say
that
words
cannot
describe
what
they
have
experienced.
They
sometimes
say
there
are
"more
than
three
dimensions"
to
the
experience.
In
Moody's
terms,
the
experience
is
"ineffable."
Swedenborg
does
not
mention
this
when
he
describes
his
death
experience,
but
listen
to
what
he
says
about
some
newly
arrived
spirits
in
the
spiritual
world:
There
were
certain
souls
recently
arrived
from
the
world
who,
on
account
of
the
assumptions
they
had
adopted
during
their
lifetime,
doubted
whether
things
of
this
sort
could
possibly
be
found
in
the
next
life
where
there
is
no
wood
or
stone.
They
were
brought
up
to
[a
certain]
place,
and
from
there
they
talked
to
me.
In
their
amazement
they
said
that
it
was
beyond
description,
that
they
could
never
think
of
any
way
of
representing
how
far
beyond
description
it
was,
and
that
forms
of
joy
and
happiness
shone
from
every detail--and
this
in
ever-changing
variety.
Even
if
the
people
who
come
back
from
death
cannot
completely
describe
what
they
experienced,
they
tell
us
that
it
is
the
most
amazing
thing
that
ever
happened
to
them.
People
who
are
dying
often
hear
someone
pronounce
them
dead.
Usually
it
is
a
doctor
or
nurse
or
somebody
at
the
scene
of
an
accident.
For
Swedenborg,
it
was
the
angels
who
were
with
him.
In
his
words,
the
angels
with
us
"tell
us
that
we
are
a
spirit."
For
most
of
us,
dying
is
such
a
new
experience
that
we
may
not
even
realize
what
is
happening.
Being
told
that
we
have
died
can
help
us
to
understand
these
strange
and
new
experiences.
A
few
NDEers
experience
some
kind
of
sound
as
they
are
dying.
It
may
be
a
loud
ringing
noise,
a
banging,
buzzing,
or
whistling
noise,
or
something
else,
such
as
music.
Sometimes
it
is
pleasant
and
sometimes
it
is
unpleasant.
Though
Swedenborg
does
describe
noise
and
music
in
the
spiritual
world,
he
does
not
mention
it
during
his
experience
of
dying.
He
does
talk
about
an odor--the
odor
of
an
embalmed body--associated
with
his
experience.
NDEers
rarely
mention
odors.
Usually,
though,
NDEers
describe
a
feeling
of
great
peace
and
quiet
that
comes
over
them
as
they
are
dying.
Here
is
what
Swedenborg
has
to
say
about
the
peacefulness
of
angels:
There
are
two
inmost
elements
of
heaven:
innocence
and
peace.
They
are
called
inmost
because
they
come
directly
from
the
Lord. . . .
These
two
elements,
innocence
and
peace,
come
from
the
Lord's
divine
love,
and
affect
angels
from
their
very
core.
Swedenborg
felt
this
deep,
inner
peace
when
he
was
with
angels.
It
was
part
of
his
experience
of
dying,
as
it
is
for
many
today
who
almost
die
and
come
back.
This
sense
of
peace
is
the
main
characteristic
of
Ring's
first
stage
of
the
NDE.
A
common
thread
that
is
present
among
Swedenborg
and
NDEers
at
this
point
in
the
experience
is
a
sense
of
leaving
the
physical
body
behind.
This
body
separation
brings
the
NDEer
to
the
second
stage
described
by
Ring.
Swedenborg
did
not
encounter
this
in
the
way
many
NDEers
do:
as
an
out
of
body
experience.
NDEers
often
say
they
looked
down
on
their
own
lifeless
body,
and
on
the
people
and
things
around it--perhaps
from
some
kind
of
"spiritual
body"
that
was
different
from
their
physical
body.
Swedenborg
talks
in
similar
ways
about
the
physical
and
spiritual
bodies,
but
his
usual
experience
was
that
when
people
were
in
their
spiritual
bodies,
they
did
not
see
anything
in
the
physical
world.
An
interesting
parallel
to
the
out
of
body
experience
is
Swedenborg's
conversations
with
three
of
his
friends
who
had
recently
died.
When
he
tells
them
that
their
body
is
being
prepared
for
burial,
they
are
struck
with
amazement.
They
are
still
alive!
That
body
is
only
something
they
had
used
while
they
were
in
the
world.
This
type
of
detachment
from
our
physical
body
is
commonly
reported
by
NDEers.
They
sometimes
speak
of
looking
down
on
their
body
as
if
it
had
nothing
to
do
with
them.
Others
find
it
confusing
to
be
out
of
their
bodies.
Perhaps
they
are
feeling
some
of
the
amazement
that
Swedenborg
reports
to
be
common
among
those
who
have
just
arrived
in
the
spiritual
world
when
they
see
that
they
are
still
very
much
alive
even
though
they
are
not
in
their
bodies.
NDEers
who
lose
awareness
of
their
physical
surroundings
often
enter
a
black
void,
or
"dark
tunnel."
Ring
calls
it
"entering
the
darkness,"
which
forms
his
third
stage
of
the
NDE.
This
is
a
feeling
of
floating
in
or
moving
through
a
dark
space.
Not
all
NDEers
experience it--even
when
they
have
an other--world
experience.
In
Swedenborg's
case,
it
is
more
implied
than
described:
at
first
he
did
not
have
the
use
of
his
eyes;
only
later
did
he
gain
the
use
of
his
eyes
and
see
the
bright
world
in
which
he
then
was.
Once
NDEers
go
beyond
the
physical
world
into
the
spiritual
world,
practically
everything
they
describe
has
parallels
in
Swedenborg's
spiritual
world
experience.
Ring's
fourth
stage
takes
place
on
the
other
side
of
the
darkness:
"seeing
the
light."
The
most
vivid
form
of
seeing
the
light
is
encountering
a
presence
that
Moody
called
"the
being
of light"--a
name
that
has
stuck
though,
as
Ring
points
out,
NDEers
themselves
more
often
refer
to
it
simply
as
a
"presence."
This
presence
or
being
of
light
is
definitely
personal,
but
not
like
any
person
we
have
ever
met.
There
is
a
dazzling
light
coming
from
it.
The
light
is
brighter
than
any
light
we
have
ever
seen
here,
yet
it
does
not
blind
us
or
hurt
our
eyes
when
we
see
it.
It
is
as
though
the
light
is
a
sense
of
radiating
love,
warmth,
and
understanding.
Meeting
this
being
is
such
a
powerful
experience
that
NDEers
often
identify
the
being
with
the
highest
spiritual
beings
they
knew
of
from
their
own
religious
tradition:
God,
an
angel,
Jesus,
and
so
on.
Others
see
it
as
all
the
universe
comprehended
together.
Swedenborg
says
two
angels
from
the
highest
heavenly
realm
are
with
us
when
we
die.
His
description
of
these
angels
reflects
what
NDEers
experience
as
the
being
of
light:
I
have
seen
angelic
faces
of
the
third
heaven,
whose
quality
was
such
that
no
artist,
with
all
his
skill,
could
impart
enough
of
that
kind
of
light
to
his
colors
to
capture
a
thousandth
part
of
the
light
and
life
you
can
see
in
their
faces.
Swedenborg
commonly
describes
spiritual
light
and
warmth
as
a
sense
of
love
and
understanding
flowing
among
people
and
between
God
and
people.
This
is
the
light
that
NDEers
experience
coming
from
the
being
of
light.
There
is
also
a
tantalizing
hint
in
Swedenborg
that
perhaps
he
thinks
it
is
indeed
God
who
meets
us
initially
when
we
die.
He
says,
"As
soon
as
the
heart
stops
beating,
we
are awakened--but
only
the
Lord
does
this."
As
Swedenborg
mentioned
in
his
death
experience,
there
is
communication
with
this
being,
but
not
in
words.
He
says,
"The
angels
who
sat
by
my
head
were
silent,
communicating
only
with
my
thoughts."
They
did
this
by
looking
at
his
face.
This
type
of
direct
communication
of
thoughts
goes
on
as
long
as
we
are
with
the
being
of
light.
It
is
a
communication
full
of
love,
compassion,
and
mutual
understanding.
The
being
often
asks
a
question.
It
may
be
hard
for
NDEers
to
express
exactly
what
the
question
is.
Sometimes
they
say
the
question
is
"Are
you
ready
to
die?"
Other
times
it
seems
more
like
"What
have
you
accomplished
with
your
life?"
These
both
seem
to
be
the
same
question,
only
expressed
differently.
Swedenborg
says
the
angels
kept
him
in
"thoughts
that
were
like
the
thoughts
of
people
who
are
dying,"
which
is
probably
the
same
thing.
It
is
natural
for
us
to
be
thinking
about
our
lives
and
our
readiness
for
death
as
we
are
dying.
The
being
of
light
does
not
ask
this
question
about
life
accomplishments
to
confront
or
condemn,
but
to
cause
us
to
think
deeply
about
our
lives.
Along
with
the
question,
there
may
be
an
incredibly
fast
review
of
our
whole
lives.
Some
NDEers
say
they
saw
every
detail
of
their
lives;
others
say
it
was
only
the
high
points.
It
is
almost
always
very
fast
and
very
vivid.
Usually
they
see
themselves
doing
things
from
another
person's
perspective,
not
as
if
they
were
experiencing
it
themselves
at
that
moment.
Swedenborg
does
not
describe
this
process
as
vividly
as
NDEers,
but
he
does
talk
about
angels
bringing
out
of
our
memory
what
we
had
done
in
this
life
and
showing
it
to
us,
as
in
this
quote
from
Heaven
and
Hell:
I
have
even
heard
the
things
which
a
person
thought
during
a
month
seen
and
reviewed
by
angels
out
of
his
memory,
a
day
at
a
time
without error--things
recalled
as
though
the
person
were
engaged
in
them
at
the
time
they
happened.
According
to
Swedenborg,
nothing
we
have
ever
done
or
experienced
is
hidden
from
the
angels.
This
agrees
with
what
NDEers
say
about
the
being
of
light.
Fortunately,
the
being
of
light
loves
us
completely
while
going
through
these
things
with
us.
There
is
no
condemnation
for
anything
we
have
done,
but
an
effort
to
help
us
learn
from
it.
To
the
being
of
light,
love
and
learning
are
the
two
most
important
things.
NDEers
who
do
not
meet
the
"presence"
or
"being
of
light"
often
say
they
meet
people
they
had
known
on
earth
who
had
died.
This
person
may
serve
some
of
the
functions
the
being
of
light
otherwise
would,
such
as
getting
the
NDEer
to
reflect
on
his
or
her
life,
and
to
make
a
decision
about
whether
to
return.
Swedenborg
also
had
the
experience
of
meeting
deceased
friends
and
relations.
He
said,
"I
have
talked
with
all
my
relations
and
friends,
as
well
as
with
kings
and
dukes,
not
to
mention
scholars,
who
have
met
their
fates."
Often,
people
who
have
this
experience
of
meeting
friends
or
relations
in
the
spiritual
world
also
experience
Ring's
fifth
and
final
stage
of
the
NDE,
"entering
the
light."
This
is
the
deepest
stage.
When
they
first
"see
the
light,"
most
NDEers
do
not
become
aware
of
another
world
around
them.
Those
who
go
on
to
enter
the
light
are
able
to
see
the
scenery
of
what
they
describe
as
another world--what
Swedenborg
calls
the
spiritual
world.
They
describe
incredibly
beautiful
fields,
lakes,
mountains,
and
forests,
and
buildings
all
in
such
vivid
colors
and
bathed
in
such
clear,
bright
light
that
they
often
say
there
are
no
words
in
our
language
to
adequately
describe
what
they
saw.
In
Heaven
and
Hell,
Swedenborg
describes
the
scenery
of
the
spiritual
world
in
great
detail,
including
its
plants,
animals,
buildings,
and
human
communities.
Swedenborg
recounts
the
process
of
dying
as
it
would
be
if
we
were
continuing
on
into
the
other
life.
Unlike
NDEers,
Swedenborg
could
stay
in
the
other
world
even
while
he
was
living
in
this one--so
he
did
not
describe
what
it
is
like
to
come
back.
NDEers
do
experience
this,
though.
A
few
of
them
talk
of
reaching
some
kind
of
visually
represented
border
or
limit.
It
may
be
a
door,
or
a
fence,
the
other
side
of
a
lake,
or
simply
a
line.
They
know
that
if
they
passed
beyond
the
border,
they
would
not
come
back
to
earth.
For
others,
instead
of
a
visual
border,
there
is
point
at
which
a
choice
is
made,
either
by
the
NDEer
or
by
the
person
or
presence
he
or
she
met
there.
Still
others
simply
felt
they
were
pulled
back
into
their
body,
without
any
sense
of
a
choice.
Of
course,
those
who
are
still
here
to
tell
us
about
it
did
come
back,
whether
or
not
it
was
by
choice.
Coming
back
to
earth
after
visiting
the
spiritual
world
can
be
difficult.
Once
we
have
experienced
the
beauty,
joy,
light,
and
love
of
that
world,
this
world
can
seem
dark
and
painful.
Yet
most
NDEers
come
back
with
a
new
sense
of
the
spiritual
depth
within,
and
a
sense
that
they
have
work
to
do
here.
Experiencing
the
spiritual
world
does
not
automatically
transform
us
into
angels.
It
only
give
us
a
glimpse
of
the
path.
That
path
lies
through
learning
to
understand
and
love
each
other.
In
the
final
chapter
of
his
book
Broca's Brain, called "The Amniotic Universe," Carl Sagan
says:
. . . Every
human
being,
without
exception,
has
already
shared
an
experience
like
that
of
those
travelers
who
return
from
the
land
of
death:
the
sensation
of
flight;
the
emergence
from
darkness
into
light;
an
experience
in
which,
at
least
sometimes,
a
heroic
figure
can
be
dimly
perceived,
bathed
in
radiance
and
glory.
There
is
only
one
common
experience
that
matches
this
description.
It
is
called
birth.
Sagan
uses
this
insight
to
speculate
on
whether
NDEs
are
a
recreation
of
the
birth
experience
by
the
human brain--thus
calling
into
question
whether
they
are
actually
experiences
of
an
afterlife.
People
who
have
had
vivid
NDEs
might
reply,
"You
have
not
had
an
NDE.
I
have.
It
was
real."
Yet
the
same
insight
can
lead
us
in
an
entirely
different
direction.
As
people
of
many
different
religious
traditions
have
known
for
ages,
the
parallel
between
physical
birth
and
physical
death
has
a
deeper
cause.
Each
is
an
experience
of
birth:
physical
birth
is
our
birth
into
the
material
world;
physical
death
is
our
birth
into
the
spiritual
world.
Some
religions
would
say
that
physical
death
is
our
birth
into
the
spiritual
world
preparatory
to
a
new
birth
back
into
the
physical
world,
if
we
have
not
completed
our
spiritual
growth
process.
This
connection
between
birth
and
death
has
been
a
part
of
our
cultural
heritage
as
well.
When
my
son
Christopher
was
born
at
home
in
July,
1995,
his
heart
was
not
beating.
The
midwives
performed
CPR
on
Chris
and
revived
him.
A
few
weeks
later,
one
of
the
midwives
came
by
for
a
visit.
As
we
talked
about
the
experience
of
Chris's
birth,
she
mentioned
that
midwives
used
to
be
present
at
both
births
and
deaths.
The
same
people
who
attended
new
births
into
this
world
also
attended
the
transition,
or
birth,
from
this
world
into
the
next.
Like
The
Tibetan
Book
of
the
Dead
and
other
accounts
of
our
experiences
at
and
after
death,
Swedenborg
describes
various
stages
that
we
go
through
when
we
die.
We
can
use
these
descriptions
as
literal
accounts
of
what
we
experience
when
we
die.
Using
a
similar
parallelism
to
that
between
birth
and
death,
we
can
also
take
the
descriptions
as
a
metaphorical
account
of
our
processes
of
spiritual
death
and rebirth--what
we
experience
on
our
path
of
spiritual
birth
and
growth
during
our
life
on
earth.
This
is
the
parallelism
I
would
like
to
focus
on
for
the
rest
of
this
book.
It
might
help
to
pause
a
moment
and
consider
what
our
spiritual
level
is.
Our
material
level,
of
course,
includes
our
physical
bodies
and
the
physical
aspects
of
everything
we
say
and
do
in
the
material
world.
Our
spiritual
level
exists,
not
apart
from,
but
within
our
material
level
while
we
are
living
on
earth.
It
is
the
level
of
our
human
relationships
and
interactions
with
other
people
and
with
God.
Our
words
and
the
actions
are
physical,
but
the
love
and
understanding
(or
lack
of
them)
that
they
express
are
spiritual.
Our
spiritual
growth,
then,
is
our
growth
in
love
for
and
understanding
of
other
people,
and
our
expression
of
that
growth
in
our
relationships
and
interactions
with
them.
Our
spiritual
growth
does
not
happen
in
isolation
from
others,
but
in
community
with
others.
As
we
grow
closer
to
other
people
spiritually,
we
also
grow
closer
to
God.
Back
to
the
parallelisms
I
mentioned
before.
These
parallelisms
rest
on
two
properties
of
the
physical/spiritual
universe
that
are
present
in
many
religious
cosmologies,
and
especially
well
developed
in
Swedenborg:
the
macrocosm/microcosm
and
correspondences.
The
concept
of
macrocosm/microcosm
states
that
small
things
are
images
of
large
things,
and
vice
versa.
The
universe
is
reflected
in
each
individual
human
being,
animal,
plant,
and
rock,
and
in
each
part
of
each
one
of
them.
This
means
that
the
whole universe--and
any
part
of it--also
reflects
an
individual
human
being,
animal,
plant,
rock,
and
so
on.
Each
part
of
the
universe
reflects
every
other
part
of
the
universe.
This
characteristic
is
part
of
the
very
fabric
of
the
universe.
As
William
Blake
says
in
his
Auguries
of
Innocence,
To see a
World
in
a
Grain
of
Sand,
And
a
Heaven
in
a
Wild
Flower,
Hold
Infinity
in
the
palm
of
your
hand,
And
eternity
in
an
hour.
"Correspondence"
is
Swedenborg's
word
for
the
relationships
that
exist
among
various
levels
of
reality.
We
live
in
a
multi-layered
universe.
There
are
the
big
levels:
God,
spirit,
and
matter.
Within
each
of
those,
there
are
other
levels
reflecting
the
big
levels
of
the
universe.
In
God
there
is
love,
wisdom,
and
action.
In
spirit
there
are
the
same
levels
as
in
God.
And
in
matter
there
is
substance,
form,
and
action
or
subsistence.
Using
the
principle
of
macrocosm/microcosm,
we
could
find
each
of
these
levels
within
anything
we
cared
to
contemplate,
from
the
community
of
all
humans
on
earth
down
to
a
single
bone
cell
in
our
body.
Things
on
different
levels
are
distinctly
different
from
each
other.
Spirit
is
not
the
same
as
matter.
God
is
not
the
same
as
spirit.
Yet
they
are
intimately
connected
with
each
other.
If
they
are
different,
how
can
they
be
connected?
How
can
they
communicate
with
each
other?
Swedenborg
describes
this
as
happening
through
correspondences.
Correspondences
are
not
a
mere
symbolic link--A
equals
B.
It
is
a
living
relationship.
It
is
the
way
God's
character
is
expressed
on
the
spiritual
level,
and
the
way
spiritual
realities
are
manifested
on
the
physical
level.
A
hug,
for
example,
is
not
merely
a
cultural
symbol
denoting
affection
for
another
person.
It
is
a
direct,
physical
expression
of
warmth
and
caring
through
affectionate
physical
contact.
Similarly,
physical
birth
and
death
are
not
merely
symbols
of
spiritual
rebirth;
they
are
a
living,
physical
expression
of
the
realities
of
spiritual
birth
and
growth.
It
is
no
coincidence
that
the
experiences
of
birth
and
death
parallel
each
other.
Through
macrocosm/microcosm
and
correspondences,
they
are
both
physical
manifestations
of
the
same
spiritual
reality.
Let
us,
then,
explore
the
passage
of
death
and
see
what
it
could
mean
for
our
own
spiritual
rebirth.
Using
the
parallel
between
death
and
birth,
we
will
consider
the
moment
of
physical
death
to
be
the
moment
of
a
spiritual
birth
within
ourselves.
This
may
be
the
time
we
first
turn
from
a
material
to
a
spiritual
focus,
or
it
may
be
a
new
birth
in
an
already
developing
spirituality.
For
now
we
will
look
at
the
experience
of
dying
as
a
parallel
to
the
first
beginnings
of
our
conscious
spiritually-oriented
life.
Our
approach
to
physical
death
can
come
in
many
different
ways.
For
some,
there
is
a
long
and
gradual
physical
decline
ending
in
death.
For
others,
there
is
an
accident
or
severe
illness,
and
death
comes
quickly,
without
much
warning.
This
reflects
our
various
approaches
to
the
transition
from
a
materially-oriented
life
to
a
spiritually
oriented
one.
Some
of
us
experience
a
gradual
decline
in
our
sense
of
satisfaction
with
a
materially-oriented
life.
Physical
pleasures
that
used
to
consume
us
lose
their
savor.
Gradually,
the
sense
that
something
is
missing
grows,
until
we
feel
that
there
is
very
little
aliveness
left
in
the
way
we
have
been
living
so
far.
For
others,
the
death
of
our
materialistic
self
comes
quickly.
A
close
friend
or
family
member
dies,
a
relationship
breaks
up,
we
lose
the
job
we
have
held
for
years,
and
suddenly
the
material
things
we
had
been
so
engrossed
by
no
longer
seem
so
important
to
us.
Suddenly
we
find
ourselves
looking
deeper
for
answers
to
life's
questions.
However
we
approach
it,
at
some
point
we
realize
that
we
want
and
need
a
spiritual
level
in
our
life.
This,
correspondentially,
is
the
moment
of
our
death
in
the
physical
world
and
our
new
birth
into
the
spiritual
world.
Usually
it
is
not
an
easy
transition.
In
the
experience
of
physical
birth,
we
are
compressed
and
forced
through
an
opening
that
seems
smaller
than
it
ought
to
be.
The
transition
of
spiritual
rebirth
also
goes
through
a
"small
gate
and
a
narrow
road,"
in
Jesus'
words.
Like
a
baby
in
the
womb,
we
have
grown
comfortable
with
our
previous
way
of
life.
The
change
can
be
difficult.
But
it
is
a
change
we
must
make
if
we
are
to
move
on
to
the
next
stage
of
our
growth.
In
our
experience
of
death,
there
may
be
hard
passages.
There
is
the
physical
pain
that
often
accompanies
death,
the
grief
at
the
loss
of
our
loved
ones,
and
the
fear
of
what
might
come
next.
At
the
moment
of
death,
there
are
frequent
feelings
of
confusion
and
emotional
discomfort
among
those
who
float
out
of
their
bodies
but
remain
at
the
scene
of
their
deaths.
There
is
the
common
experience
of
the
black
void
or
"dark
tunnel,"
which
can
be
bewildering.
Afterwards,
there
may
come
an
examination
of
our
past life--which
can
be
painful
if
we
have
lived
in
hurtful
ways,
or
if
we
realize
that
the
"good"
things
we
had
done
in
our
life
came
from
egotistical
motives.
All
of
these
have
their
parallels
in
the
experiences
we
may
have
at
the
time
we
move
from
a
materialistic
to
a
spiritual
life.
It
hurts
to
make
changes
within
ourselves.
We
grieve
the
loss
of
the
pleasure
we
used
to
get
from
our
old,
familiar
habits.
We
are
anxious
about
what
we
will
do
next,
and
where
we
will
go.
We
are
still
with
our
old
friends
and
family
members,
and
though
we
see
them
about
their
normal
business,
they
may
not
recognize
the
changes
that
are
taking
place
in
us.
We
may
feel
that
there
is
a
barrier
between
us
and
those
we
used
to
know;
we
can
see
them,
but
they
cannot
see
us
anymore.
We
may
feel
that
we
are
passing
through
a
"dark
night
of
the
soul,"
as
described
by
John
of
the
Cross.
As
we
look
at
our
past
life
in
a
new
light,
we
may
recoil,
sometimes
with
a
sense
of
guilt
and
shame,
from
the
things
we
have
thoughtlessly
or
maliciously
done
to
others,
or
from
harmful
and
abusive
thoughts
and
feelings
we
have
nursed
inside
of
ourselves.
We
may
even
decide
we
are
not
ready
for
this
transition,
and
go
back
to
our
former
ways
of
life
for
a
longer
or
shorter
time.
But
as
with
those
who
come
back
from
an
NDE,
our
life
will
still
be
changed
afterwards.
We
will
never
be
able
to
go
back
to
exactly
the
way
we
were
before;
there
will
always
be
that
sense
that
there
is
something
more
to life--something
that
we
need
to
return
to
sooner
or
later.
Most
of
us,
though,
having
started
a
spiritual
path,
do
not
go
back.
We
continue
in
the
new
direction.
And
before
long,
we
receive
support
and
inspiration.
At
the
other
end
of
the
dark
tunnel
there
is
a
new
light
that
is
brighter
than
anything
we
have
ever
experienced
before.
We
begin
to
see
new
meaning
in
our
lives
that
had
been
completely
beyond
us
up
until
now.
We
have
a
new
direction,
and
new
purpose.
And
we
have
human
and
divine
support.
Some
of
us
have
a
direct
encounter
with
a
"being
of
light."
This
may
be
an
experience
of
communion
with
God,
or
it
may
be
a
deep
connection
with
another
human
being
who
has
developed
to
a
high
level
of
spirituality
and
helps
us
in
our
transition.
Others
of
us
see
loved
ones
who
have
"died"
before us--meaning
we
now
have
a
new
and
deeper
relationship
with
those
who
had
already
begun
their
spiritual
paths
and
have
been
waiting
for
us
to
begin
ours.
We
may
still
grieve
the
loss
of
old
friendships,
but
they
are
replaced
by
new
and
deeper ones--sometimes
with
the
same
people,
but
often
with
new
friends.
At
this
point
in
our
transition,
the
darkness
and
confusion
has
turned
into
joy
and
brilliant
light.
We
feel
that
we
have
at
last
arrived
at
our
true,
spiritual
home.
Not
so!
We
have
only
taken
the
first
few
steps
on
a
long
spiritual
journey.
After
the
initial
consuming
experience
of
spiritual
birth,
we
settle
back
into
our
life.
This
may
turn
into
a
real
anti-climax.
We
may
even
think
afterwards
that
nothing
has
really happened--that
everything
is
exactly
the
same
as
it
was
before.
This
is
where
it
helps
to
understand
the
next
stages
of
spiritual
growth.
There
are
many
ways
to
look
at
those
stages.
One
of
these
ways
is
to
continue
with
Swedenborg
along
the
stages
he
says
we
go
through
after
we
die.
Chapter
2
Our
First
Stage
After
Death
In
his
Forward
to
The
Tibetan
Book
of
the
Dead,
John
Woodroffe
says:
Life
immediately
after
death
is,
according
to
this
view,
as
Spiritists
assert,
similar
to,
and
a
continuation
of,
the
life
preceding
it.
As
in
Swedenborg's
account,
and
in
the
recent
play
Outward Bound, the deceased does not at first know that he is
'dead.'
Swedenborg,
who
also
speaks
of
an
intermediate
state,
says
that,
except
for
those
immediately
translated
to
Heaven
or
Hell,
the
first
state
of
man
after
death
is
like
his
state
in
the
world,
so
that
he
knows
no
other,
believing
that
he
is
still
in
the
world
notwithstanding
his
death.
It
may
seem
strange
that
after
such
a
powerful
experience,
we
could
possibly
think
that
nothing
had
happened
and
we
had
not
died
yet.
However,
as
Swedenborg
and
others
have
observed,
this
is
a
common
phenomenon.
Perhaps
we
may
think
the
experience
was
an
especially
vivid
dream
or hallucination--as
many
skeptics
have
claimed
about
NDEs.
Or
perhaps
we
simply
forget
it
in
the
press
of
the
everyday
life
we
have
returned
to.
It
requires
a
shift
of
consciousness
to
comprehend
that
our
lives
have
changed,
completely
and
forever.
This
change
of
consciousness
often
takes
some
time.
And
so,
after
our
initial
experience
of
death,
Swedenborg
says
we
usually
go
back
to
a
life
that
is
very
similar
to
the
one
we
had
left
behind.
Living
Still
Behind
Our
Mask
From
Heaven
and
Hell
#491-98
by
Emanuel
Swedenborg
We
go
through
three
stages
after
death
before
we
come
into
either
heaven
or
hell.
The
first
is
living
in
our
outer
self,
the
second
is
living
in
our
inner
self,
and
the
third
is
getting
ready.
We
go
through
these
stages
in
the
world
of
spirits.
Some
of
us,
though,
do
not
go
through
these
stages.
As
soon
as
we
die
we
are
either
carried
up
into
heaven
or
thrown
down
into
hell.
If
we
have
already
been
prepared
for
heaven
by
being
spiritually
reborn
in
the
world,
we
will
be
immediately
carried
up
into
heaven.
If
we
are
reborn
and
prepared
in
this
way,
as
soon
as
we
shed
the
crude
physical
aspects
of
ourselves
along
with
our
bodies,
we
are
immediately
carried
up
to
the
angels
in
heaven.
I
have
seen
people
carried
up
this
way
an
hour
after
they
died.
But
if
we
have
been
inwardly
malicious
while
outwardly
appearing
to
be
good,
so
that
we
filled
our
destructiveness
with
deceit,
and
did
good
things
for
deceitful
reasons,
we
are
immediately
thrown
into
hell.
I
have
seen
some
people
like
this
thrown
into
hell
as
soon
as
they
died.
One
very
deceitful
person
went
head
downwards
and
feet
upwards.
Others
went
in
different
ways.
There
are
also
some
people
who
are
banished
to
caves
as
soon
as
they
die
to
separate
them
from
people
who
are
in
the
World
of
Spirits.
They
are
let
out
and
sent
back
in
from
time
to
time.
This
will
happen
to
us
if
we
have
acted
maliciously
against
the
people
around
us
while
pretending
to
be
good
neighbors.
However,
there
are
not
very
many
of
these
kinds
of
people
compared
to
those
who
stay
for
a
while
in
the
World
of
Spirits.
The
World
of
Spirits
is
where
we
are
prepared
either
for
heaven
or
for
hell
in
God's
orderly
way.
The
first
stage
is
one
of
living
in
our
outer
selves;
we
begin
it
right
after
we
die.
Each
of
us
has
an
inner
and
an
outer
part
to
our
spirit.
The
outer
part
of
our
spirit
is
how
we
stay
connected
with
our
body
in
the world--especially
our
face,
talking,
and movements--so
that
we
can
be
in
community
with
other
people.
But
the
inner
part
of
our spirit--which
has
to
do
with
our
intentions
and
the
thoughts
that
come
from them--is
rarely
expressed
in
our
face,
conversation,
and
gestures.
From
the
time
we
are
very
young
we
get
used
to
showing
friendship,
good
conduct,
and
sincerity,
while
hiding
the
thoughts
of
our
own
intentions.
We
get
into
the
habit
of
living
an
outwardly
ethical
and
community-oriented
life,
no
matter
what
we
are
like
inside.
Because
of
this,
we
hardly
know
what
we
are
like
inside,
and
we
do
not
pay
any
attention
to
it.
Our
first
stage
after
death
is
a
lot
like
our
life
in
the
world,
since
we
are
then
involved
in
outward
things
in
a
similar
way.
We
have
a
similar
face,
way
of
talking,
and
mind,
so
we
have
a
similar
ethical
and
social
life.
This
is
why,
at
that
point,
we
do
not
realize
that
we
are
not
still
in
the
world.
That
is,
we
do
not
realize
it
if
we
do
not
pay
attention
to
what
happened
to
us
when
we
were
being
awakened
nor
to
what
the
angels
said
to
us
then:
that
we
are
now
a
spirit.
So
one
life
continues
into
the
other,
and
death
is
only
a
transition.
Since
our
spirit
is
like
this
just
after
our
life
in
the
world
ends,
our
friends
and
others
who
had
known
us
in
the
world
recognize
us.
They
recognize
us
not
only
from
our
face
and
the
way
we
talk,
but
also
from
the
aura
of
our
life
that
surrounds
us,
which
they
can
feel
when
they
come
near
us.
In
the
other
life,
whenever
we
think
about
other
people
we
get
a
picture
of
their
face
in
our
thoughts,
and
also
many
things
about
their
life.
Then
the
person
we
were
thinking
of
becomes
present
with
us
just
as
if
we
had
summoned
him
or
her.
This
happens
in
the
spiritual
world
because
we
communicate
our
thoughts
there,
and
there
is
no
space
of
the
kind
that
exists
in
the
physical
world.
So
when
we
first
come
into
the
other
life,
all
our
friends,
relatives,
and
acquaintances
recognize
us.
We
talk
with
them
and
get
together
with
them
depending
on
the
kind
of
friendship
we
had
with
them
in
the
world.
I
have
often
heard
how
happy
people
were
when
they
came
from
the
world
and
saw
their
friends
again,
and
how
happy
their
friends
were
to
see
them.
Married
partners
usually
get
back
together
and
greet
each
other
joyfully.
They
stay
together
for
a
longer
or
shorter
time
depending
on
how
happy
they
had
been
together
in
the
world.
If
they
had
not
had
a
real
marital
love
for
each other--a
love
that
united
their
minds
from
heavenly love--they
separate
after
they
have
been
together
for
a
while.
If
the
minds
of
married
partners
had
clashed,
and
they
were
inwardly
hostile
to
each
other,
they
break
out
into
open
antagonism
and
sometimes
fight
with
each
other.
Still,
they
are
not
separated
until
they
reach
the
next
stage,
which
will
be
covered
in
the
following
chapter.
As
I
just
mentioned,
recently
arrived
spirits
live
almost
the
same
way
they
had
in
the
world.
They
do
not
know
anything
about
what
life
after
death
is
like,
or
anything
about
heaven
and
hell,
except
some
things
from
the
literal
meaning
of
the
Bible
and
from
Bible-based
preaching.
They
are
amazed
that
they
still
have
a
body
and
all
the
senses
they
had
in
the
world,
and
that
they
see
the
same
kinds
of
things.
Soon
they
want
to
know
what
heaven
and
hell
are
like,
and
where
they
are.
Their
friends
tell
them
about
what
eternal
life
is
like
and
bring
them
around
to
different
places
and
introduce
them
to
different
people.
They
show
them
cities,
gardens,
and parks--often
magnificent
ones,
since
the
newcomers
enjoy
these
sights
in
the surface--level
state
of
mind
they
are
then
in.
They
are
occasionally
reminded
of
how
they
had
thought
while
they
were
still
in
the
world
about
the
condition
of
their
soul,
about
heaven,
and
about
hell.
After
a
while,
they
become
angry
that
they
had
had
absolutely
no
knowledge
about
these things--and
that
the
church
had
been
ignorant
of
them
as
well.
Almost
all
of
them
want
to
know
whether
they
will
go
to
heaven.
Most
of
them
think
they
will
because
they
had
lived
in
an
ethical,
law-abiding
way
in
the
world.
They
do
not
realize
that
both
bad
and
good
people
act
the
same
way
outwardly;
both
do
good
things
for
other
people,
go
to
church,
listen
to
sermons,
and
pray
in
the
same
way.
They
are
completely
unaware
that
it
is
not
the
outer
actions
and
worship
that
count,
but
the
inner
spirit
from
which
the
outer
actions
come.
There
is
hardly
one
in
a
thousand
who
knows
what
our
inner
self
is,
and
that
heaven
and
the
church
are
in
our
inner
self.
Even
fewer
know
that
our
outer
actions
get
their
character
from
our
intentions
and
thoughts
and
the
love
and
faith
they
come
from.
Even
when
they
are
told
otherwise,
they
cannot
comprehend
that
our
thoughts
and
motives
are
what
count,
not
what
we
say
and
do.
Most
people
from
today's
Christian
world
are
like
this
when
they
come
into
the
other
life.
Still,
good
spirits
examine
these
newcomers
in
various
ways
to
see
what
they
are
like.
This
must
be
done,
since
as
I
just
said,
in
this
first
stage
bad
people
say
just
as
many
true
things
and
do
just
as
many
good
things
as
good
people.
They
do
this
because
when
they
were
in
the
world
they
had
lived
an
outwardly
ethical
life,
since
they
had
lived
in
a
country
with
a
set
of
laws.
Also,
by
being
outwardly
ethical
they
could
gain
a
reputation
for
honesty
and
fairness,
winning
people
over
and
in
this
way
becoming
rich
and
famous.
The
main
way
to
distinguish
between
good
and
bad
spirits
is
to
notice
what
they
pay
attention
to.
Bad
spirits
eagerly
listen
when
people
talk
about
superficial
matters,
but
hardly
listen
at
all
when
the
conversation
is
about
deeper
things
that
have
to
do
with
spiritual
and
heavenly
truth
and
goodness.
They
do
listen
to
these
things,
but
with
very
little
attention
or
enjoyment.
Another
way
to
distinguish
them
is
that
spirits
often
turn
toward
certain
neighborhoods.
When
they
are
left
alone,
they
follow
paths
that
lead
to
these
neighborhoods.
What
neighborhoods
they
turn
toward
and
what
paths
they
take
to
get
there
shows
what
kind
of
love
leads
them.
All
spirits
who
arrive
from
the
world
are
put
into
connection
with
a
particular
community
in
heaven
or
in
hell,
but
only
in
their
inner
self.
This
inner
self
is
not
seen
as
long
as
they
are
living
in
their
outer
self,
since
their
outer
self
covers
and
hides
their
inner self--especially
with
those
who
are
inwardly
bad.
Later
on,
though,
when
they
get
to
the
second
stage,
their
inner
self
shows
clearly.
Then
their
inner
self
is
opened
up
and
their
outer
self
goes
to
sleep.
We
may
think
that
once
we
have
gone
through
a
spiritual
birth,
things
will
never
be
the same--and
in
a
sense,
they
won't.
But
life
goes
on.
We
still
have
a
job,
and
bills
to
be
paid.
If
we
were
in
a
troubled
relationship
before,
we
will
still
be
in
a
troubled
relationship.
We
still
have
the
same
likes
and
dislikes.
Within
days
or
weeks
of
the
time
we
make
our
first
spiritual
step,
things
may
go
back
to
just
about
the
way
they
were
before.
We
may
find
the
familiarity
to
be
comforting,
or
we
may
find
the
lack
of
change
to
be
disheartening.
Either
way,
we
soon
realize
that
our
spiritual
journey
has
just begun--and
we
have
a
long
way
yet
to
go.
Some
Christian
traditions
hold
that
being
"born
again"
is
a
one-time
dividing
line
between
being
"saved"
and
"unsaved."
For
Swedenborg,
rebirth
is
a
process
that
begins
with
the
initial
spiritual
birth
and
continues
through
all
the
stages
of
human
growth.
So
here
we
are
back
in
our
everyday
life.
What
has
changed?
Really,
the
only
thing
that
has
changed
is
the
direction
in
which
we
are
heading.
Whereas
before
we
were
headed
down
a
materially-oriented
path,
now
we
are
heading
down
a
path
leading
in
a
spiritual
direction.
Both
paths
start
at
the
same place--in
our
ordinary,
everyday
life.
As
with
the
first
stage
after
death,
initially
nothing
much
changes.
We
still
live
the
way
we
did
before,
with
the
same
relationships
and
responsibilities.
But
our
inner
attitude
toward
them
has
begun
to
change.
Though
things
look
outwardly
the
same,
inwardly
we
are
in
a
"new
world."
It
is
only
a
matter
of
time
before
there
will
be
some
changes
in
our
outward
life
as
well.
But
those
come
in
the
next
stage.
Meanwhile,
one
of
the
main
discoveries
we
make
is
that
spiritual
living
involves
many
of
the
same
outward
actions
as
materialistic
living
does.
We
do
not
need
to
renounce
the
world
and
live
in
a
monastery
in
order
to
live
spiritually.
Our
everyday
life
is
the
stage
on
which
our
spiritual
life
happens.
We
grow
spiritually
within
the
matrix
of
our
relationships
and
community
life.
Outwardly,
these
may
look
no
different
than
before.
It
is
important
to
establish
this
for
ourselves,
since
we
may
think
that
once
we
head
in
a
spiritual
direction,
everything
will
be
taken
care
of
automatically,
and
we
will
no
longer
have
to
work
and
struggle.
But
Swedenborg
insists
that
the
heavenly,
spiritual
life
is
not
a
lazy
one
but
an
active,
useful
one.
This
first
stage
after
our
initial
experience
is
like
God
reminding
us,
"Yes,
you
still
have
work
to
do."
Because
our
outward
life
is
similar,
we
can
resume
our
relationships
with
those
around
us
on
the
same
basis
as
before.
Whereas
when
we
were
initially
going
through
the
rebirth
experience,
we
may
have
felt
estranged,
now
in
this
stage
of
an
outwardly
similar
life,
we
can
go
back
to
much
of
how
we
were
before,
and
re-establish
ourselves
as
a
part
of
the
community.
We
may
not
even
notice
a break--and
others
almost
certainly
won't.
Still,
even
though
our
outward
life
looks
similar,
inside
ourselves
we
know
we
have
changed.
And
we
wonder
about
exactly
what
the
changes
will
be.
We
begin
to
talk
to
those
who
have
gone
before
us
on
the
spiritual
path
and
ask
questions
about
what
spiritual
living
means.
We
explore,
and
begin
to
get
a
vision
of
how
magnificent
the
spiritual
life
can
be.
But
we
are
still
not
aware
of
the
deep
inner
struggles
we
will
need
to
pass
through
before
we
realize
that
vision.
In
this
stage,
we
also
begin
to
take
stock
of
ourselves.
Unlike
before,
as
we
go
about
our
daily
business,
we
begin
to
observe
the
things
we
say
and
do,
and
the
thoughts
and
feelings
behind
them.
We
notice
what
is
good
about
ourselves,
and
also
what
needs
improvement.
This
is
another
reason
we
needed
to
return
to
our
former
outward
life:
that
life
in
some
way
expressed
our
inner
self-both
the
good
parts
and
the
bad
parts.
Before
we
can
begin
to
change
the
bad
parts,
we
need
to
recognize
them
clearly
within
ourselves.
So
this
is
a
time
of
observation
and
learning
about
ourselves
in
preparation
for
the
hard
work
of
spiritual
growth
that
lies
ahead.
Before
we
go
on,
it
might
be
useful
to
pause
and
consider
the
nature
of
good
and
evil.
Some
people
find
it
off-putting
to
read
of
hell
as
well
as
heaven
in
Swedenborg's
books.
Isn't
hell
kind
of
a
violent,
old-fashioned
idea?
Who
can
believe
all
that
fire
and
brimstone
stuff?
For
Swedenborg,
hell,
like
heaven,
is
not
a
literal
location,
but
a
state
of
mind
and
life.
Heaven
is
the
atmosphere
we
create
within
and
around
ourselves
when
we
love
others
and
wish
to
make
them
happy.
Hell
is
the
atmosphere
we
create
within
and
around
ourselves
when
we
love
only
ourselves,
and
consider
others
to
be
merely
stepping-stones
or
obstacles
on
the
way
to
fulfilling
our
own
desires
for
dominance
and
material
possessions.
Though
Swedenborg
does
talk
of
people
being
"thrown
into
hell,"
in
other
places
he
explains
that
this
is
only
an
appearance.
In
True Christian Religion, #650 he says:
. . .
The
Lord
is
never
angry,
never
takes
revenge,
hates,
condemns,
punishes,
throws
anyone
into
hell,
or
tempts
him;
thus
he
never
does
evil
to
anyone.
In
fact,
we
throw
ourselves
into
hell
when
we
turn
our
backs
on
love
and understanding--meaning
we
turn
our
backs
on
God
and
other
people.
God
always
wishes
to
lead
us
out
of
our
personal
hell,
but
will
not
force
us
if
we
steadily
refuse,
insisting
on
remaining
in
our
hellish
state
of
mind
and
life.
This
means
that
hell
is
not
a
creation
of
God,
but
a
creation
of
human
beings.
God
allows
us
to
turn
our
heaven
into
a
hell
because
God
values
our
freedom
above
anything
else.
Why
is
our
freedom
so
important?
Because
without
it,
none
of
our relationships--either
with
God
or
with
the
people
around us--could
be
real.
It
would
have
been
easy
for
God,
like
a
computer
programmer,
to
hard-wire
us
only
to
love
and
never
to
hate.
But
as
with
a
marriage
relationship,
if
we
do
not
choose
the
love,
how
real
is
it?
Since
all
love
and
all
understanding
come
from
God
and
are God, the only way we could have a choice about our relationship
with
God
is
for
there
to
be
an
alternative
to
love
and
understanding.
Evil
and
falsity
come
when
we
turn
away
from
God's
love
and
understanding,
twisting
them
into
something
they
were
never
intended
to
be.
Ironically,
then,
evil
and
falsity
exist
because
God
loves
us
and
respects
us
enough
to
want
us
to
make
our
own
free
choice
whether
we
will
have
a
relationship
with
God
or
not.
Choosing
a
spiritual
path
is
choosing
to
build
a
closer
and
closer
relationship
with
God.
In
the
process,
we
build
closer
and
close
relationships
with
each
other.
What
about
those
who
choose
the
path
of
selfishness
and
materialism?
Will
they
ever
turn
back
again
toward
a
spiritual
path?
Or
will
they
continue
forever
in
the
negative
and
destructive
direction
they
have
chosen?
This
is
a
vexing
question
that
has
caused
great
controversy
both
within
Christianity
and
among
the
various
faiths
around
the
world.
Swedenborg
usually
came
down
on
the
side
of
an
eternal
hell.
I
would
only
say
that
if
there
is
an
eternal
hell,
it
is
because
we
want
it
that
way,
not
because
God
does.
In
reading
Swedenborg's
statements
on
hell,
then,
we
have
to
make
the
conceptual
adjustment
outlined
above.
We
have
to
see
it,
not
as
a
place
God
sends
those
who
break
divine
law,
but
as
a
place
we
ourselves
create
if
we
decide
to
go
in
a
destructive
direction
rather
than
a
constructive
one.
This
places
a
lot
of
responsibility
on
our
shoulders,
whether
we
look
at
it
in
terms
of
whether
we
are
going
to
heaven
or
hell,
or
in
terms
of
the
course
of
our
life
here
on
earth.
Nobody
else
is
going
to
determine
the
direction
we
eventually
head.
Even
if
we
choose
to
blindly
follow
someone
else's
lead,
that
is
still
our choice--and
we
can
change
it
at
any
time.
If
God
is
not
going
to
decide
where
we
are
going,
and
no
Devil
is
going
to
decide
where
we
are
going,
that
puts
responsibility
for
the
direction
of
our
life
squarely
on
our
own
shoulders.
This
can
be
scary,
but
it
can
also
give
us
tremendous
power.
Once
we
throw
off
the
idea
that
our
fate
is
in
someone
else's
hands,
we
can
begin
the
job
of
determining
our
own
fate.
We
can't
change
the
laws
that
govern
the
universe
and
everyone
in
it,
but
we
can
decide
whether
we
will
live
in
harmony
with
or
at
odds
with
those
laws.
Trying
to
thwart
the
laws
of
the
universe
will
lead
to
our
own
destruction,
but
aligning
ourselves
with
those
laws
will
put
great
power
in
our
hands.
We
may
still
be
bound
by
external
circumstances,
but
we
can
change
our
inner
attitude
toward
those circumstances--which
might
help
to
change
the
circumstances
themselves.
When
we
go
through
a
spiritual
birth,
we
are
making
a
choice
to
align
ourselves
more
closely
with
the
spiritual
laws
of
the universe--which
are
the
same
as
God's
laws.
However,
we
still
have
ahead
of
us
the
work
of
sorting
out
in
ourselves
what
is
and
isn't
heading
in
a
spiritual
direction,
and
jettisoning
those
parts
of
ourselves
that
are
going
the
wrong
way.
That
is
the
subject
of
the
next
chapter.
Chapter
3
Our
Second
Stage
After
Death
After
we
die,
we
initially
go
back
to
an
outward
lifestyle
similar
to
the
one
we
had
before
we
died.
But
that
doesn't
last
long.
Soon,
our
outer
layers
begin
to
get
peeled
away
one
by
one,
like
an
artichoke,
until
we
reach
the
heart.
The
"heart"
is
what
we
really
love
most
of
all.
It
is
our
true
inner
thoughts
and
feelings.
It
is
the
real
us
underneath
the
surface
mask.
Depending
on
how
well
we
had
covered
our
true
self,
this
process
of
unmasking
may
take
a
shorter
or
longer
time.
Near
Death
Experiencers
who
have
a
life
review
as
part
of
their
experience
gain
a
taste
of
this.
They
relive
the
passages
of
their
lives,
but
from
an
inner
view.
They
see
not
only
what
they
did,
but
what
they
were
thinking
and
feeling
as
they
did it--and
often
what
the
people
around
them
were
thinking
and
feeling,
too.
This
unmasking
of
the
deeper
levels
within
our
everyday
conversations
and
actions
is
the
next
step
in
our
spiritual
growth.
Removing
Our
Mask
From
Heaven
and
Hell
#499-511
by
Emanuel
Swedenborg
Our
second
stage
after
death
is
called
our
inner
stage.
We
are
then
introduced
into
the
inner
parts
of
our mind--our
motivations
and
thought.
The
outer
parts
of
ourselves
that
we
were
aware
of
in
our
first
stage
go
to
sleep.
Anyone
who
thinks
about
our
life,
what
we
say,
and
what
we
do,
can
recognize
that
we
each
have
an
inner
and
an
outer
part.
By
this
I
mean
an
inner
and
outer
part
to
our
thoughts
and
motivations.
Here
is
how
we
can
recognize
this:
When
we
are
involved
in
the
life
of
our
community,
we
think
about
other
people
based
on
what
we
have
heard
about
their
reputation
or
from
what
we
have
heard
and
noticed
while
we
are
talking
with
them.
Yet
we
do
not
tell
them
what
we
really
think
of
them.
Even
if
they
are
bad
people,
we
talk
to
them
politely
and
act
in
a
decent
way
toward
them.
This
is
especially
obvious
from
frauds
and
flatterers,
who
talk
and
act
completely
differently
than
they
think
and
feel.
Hypocrites
talk
about
god,
heaven,
saving
souls,
spiritual
truths,
the
good
of
the
country,
and
the
people
around
them
as
if
they
had
faith
and
love,
when
they
believe
something
completely
different
in
their
heart,
and
love
only
themselves.
We
can
see
from
this
that
we
have
two
levels
of
thought,
one
outward
and
one
inward.
We
talk
one
way
from
our
outward
thought
while
feeling
differently
from
our
inward
thought.
These
two
levels
of
thought
are
kept
separate.
We
take
care
not
to
let
our
inner
thoughts
spill
into
our
outer
thoughts
so
that
they
will
not
have
any
chance
of
appearing
to
anyone
else.
We
are
created
so
that
our
inner
thought
works
together
with
our
outer
thought
through
correspondence.
If
we
are
in
a
good
state
of
mind
we
have
this
kind
of
single-mindedness
since
we
think
and
speak
only
good
things.
But
if
we
are
in
a
bad
state
of
mind,
our
inner
thought
does
not
work
together
with
our
outer
thought,
since
we
think
bad
things
and
say
good
things.
The
normal
order
of
things
is
turned
upside-down,
since
the
good
in
us
is
in
our
outer
self
and
the
bad
is
in
our
inner
self.
This
means
that
the
bad
parts
control
the
good
parts,
and
force
them
to
become
a
means
toward
gaining
our
goals,
which
are
the
things
we
love.
Since
there
are
bad
goals
within
the
good
things
we
say
and
do,
you
can
see
that
the
"good"
we
have
is
not
good,
but
is
corrupted
by
the
bad
motives
inside us--no
matter
how
good
it
appears
outwardly
to
people
who
do
not
know
what
is
inside.
It
is
different
when
we
are
in
a
good
state
of
mind.
Then
the
normal
order
is
not
upside-down.
The
good
things
from
our
inner
thought
flow
out
into
our
outer
thought,
and
from
there
into
what
we
say
and
do.
This
is
the
way
we
were
created.
When
we
are
like
this,
our
inner
self
is
in
heaven
and
in
the
light
there.
Since
the
light
of
heaven
is
the
divine
truth
coming
from
the Lord--for
it
is
the
Lord
in heaven--we
are
led
by
the
Lord.
I
mention
these
things
to
point
out
that
we
all
have
inner
and
outer
thought,
and
that
they
are
distinct
from
each
other.
When
I
say
thought,
I
also
mean
motivation,
since
our
thinking
comes
from
our
motivation.
No
one
can
think
without
a
motive
behind
it.
From
this
we
can
see
what
our
outer
and
inner
stages
are.
When
I
say
motivation
and
thought,
by
motivation
I
also
mean
feelings
and
love,
plus
all
the
enjoyment
and
pleasure
that
come
from
our
feelings
and
love.
These
relate
to
motivation
as
their
basis,
since
whatever
we
are
motivated
by,
we
love
and
feel
enjoyment
and
pleasure
in.
The
reverse
is
also true--whatever
we
love
and
feel
enjoyment
and
pleasure
in
we
are
motivated
by.
When
I
say
thought,
then,
I
mean
everything
we
use
to
reinforce
our
feelings
and
what
we
love.
Thought
is
nothing
but
the
form
of
motivation,
or
a
way
that
what
we
want
can
appear
in
the
light.
This
form
is
brought
about
by
various
rational
analyses
that
come
from
the
spiritual
world
and
are
a
part
of
the
human
spirit.
We
should
realize
that
we
are
completely
like
what
we
are
like
inwardly,
and
not
what
we
are
like
outwardly
separate
from
what
we
are
like
inwardly.
This
is
because
our
inner
self
is
our
spirit.
Our
life
is
our
spirit's life--that
is
where
the
life
in
our
body
comes
from.
This
also
means
that
whatever
we
are
like
inwardly,
we
will
stay
that
way
forever.
The
outer
part
that
relates
to
our
body
is
separated
from
us
after
death.
Anything
from
it
that
stays
connected
to
our
spirit
goes
to
sleep
and
only
serves
as
a
base
for
the
inner
parts.
So
we
can
see
what
parts
really
belong
to
us
and
what
parts
do
not
really
belong
to
us.
If
we
are
a
bad
person,
our
outer
thought
from
which
we
speak
and
our
outer
motivation
from
which
we
act
do
not
belong
to
us;
only
what
is
part
of
our
inner
thought
and
motivation
is
part
of
us.
After
the
first
stage
is over--the
stage
of
living
in
our
outer
self
that
I
covered
in
the
last chapter--we
are
brought
as
a
spirit
into
a
stage
where
we
are
in
our
inner
self.
This
is
a
stage
of
our
inner
motivation
and
the
thought
that
comes
from
it.
In
the
world,
we
were
in
this
state
of
mind
when
we
were
by
ourselves
in
freedom
and
without
anything
bridling
our
thoughts.
Just
as
in
the
world,
we
lapse
into
this
state
without
realizing
it
when
the
thought
closest
to
our words--meaning
the
thought
from
which
we speak--withdraws
toward
our
inner
thought,
and
we
linger
there.
When
we
are
in
this
state
of
mind,
we
are
in
our
real
self
and
in
our
real
life.
Our
real life--our
real self--is
thinking
freely
from
our
own
feelings.
As
a
spirit,
in
this
stage
we
think
from
our
own
motivations.
This
means
we
are
thinking
from
our
own
feelings
and
from
our
own
love.
Then
our
thinking
is
united
with
our
motivation
as
if
they
were
one.
It
hardly
even
seems
as
if
we
are thinking--only
that
we
are
intending
things.
It
is
almost
the
same
when
we
speak.
But
there
is
still
this
difference:
we
speak
with
some
fear
that
the
thoughts
from
our
motives
will
go
out
naked.
This
had
become
a
part
of
our
motives
through
our
community
life
in
the
world.
Every
single
one
of
us
is
brought
into
this
stage
after
death,
since
it
is
what
our
spirit
is
really
like.
The
previous
stage
was
what
we
were
like
in
spirit
when
we
were
with
other
people,
which
is
not
how
we
really
are.
There
are
many
things
which
show
that
the
outer
stage
we
are
in
at
first
after
we
die
is
not
our
real
self.
For
example,
spirits
do
not
only
think
from
their
feelings;
they
also
talk
from
them,
since
what
they
say
comes
from
their
feelings.
We
think
the
same
way
in
the
world
when
we
are
thinking
within
ourselves.
When
we
are
doing
this,
we
do
not
think
in
physical
speech,
but
only
perceive
it.
Meanwhile
we
can
think
more
in
one
minute
than
we
could
say
in
half
an
hour.
We
can
also
see
that
our
outward
state
of
mind
is
not
our
real
self
or
spirit
from
this:
In
the
world,
when
we
are
with
people
we
talk
according
to
the
ethical
and
civil
laws.
At
these
times
our
inner
thought
rules
our
outer
thought
the
way
one
person
rules
another,
so
that
it
will
not
go
beyond
the
boundaries
of
decency
and
honesty.
We
can
also
see
it
from
this:
when
we
think
within
ourselves,
we
also
think
about
how
we
should
speak
and
act
so
that
we
will
please
people
and
get
their
friendship,
good
will,
and
favor.
We
do
this
by
outward
means,
which
are
different
from
what
we
would
do
if
we
acted
from
our
real
motivations.
We
can
see
from
these
things
that
the
stage
of
our
inner
self
that
we
are
led
into
as
spirits
is
our
real
state
of
mind.
This
means
it
was
also
our
real
state
of
mind
when
we
lived
in
the
world.
When
we
are
in
this
inner
stage,
what
we
were
like
inside
ourselves
in
the
world
is
clearly
visible,
since
we
then
do
things
from
our
real
self.
If
we
were
inwardly
good
in
the
world,
we
act
sensibly
and
wisely.
We
act
even
more
sensibly
and
wisely
than
we
did
when
we
were
in
the
world,
because
our
link
with
our
body
is
broken.
This
breaks
our
link
with
the
worldly
things
that
had
dimmed
our
thinking
as
if
it
were
wrapped
in
a
cloud.
But
if
we
were
inwardly
bad
in
the
world,
we
act
unwisely
and
crazily.
We
act
even
more
crazily
than
we
did
when
we
were
in
the
world,
since
we
are
free
and
not
under
any
compulsion.
When
we
had
lived
in
the
world,
we
had
been
outwardly
sane,
since
that
was
how
we
pretended
to
be
a
reasonable
person.
So
when
that
superficial
part
of
us
is
taken
away,
our
craziness
appears.
Bad
people
who
act
outwardly
as
if
they
are
good
are
like
a
shiny
polished
vase
covered
with
a
cloth,
with
all
kinds
of
filth
hidden
inside.
As
the
Lord
says,
They
are
like
whitewashed
graves
that
appear
beautiful
outside,
but
inside
are
full
of
dead
people's
bones
and
all
kinds
of
unclean
things.
(Matt.
23:27)
If
we
have
lived
well
in
the
world,
and
acted
from
our
conscience,
when
we
come
into
the
stage
of
our
inner
self
it
seems
to
us
as
if
we've
been
awakened
from
sleeping.
(When
I
say
"living
well"
I
mean
recognizing
the
divine
and
loving
God's truth--especially
when
we
use
it
in
our
life.)
We
then
think
from
heavenly
light,
meaning
from
deep
wisdom,
and
we
do
things
from
goodness,
meaning
from
deeper
feelings.
Heaven
flows
into
our
thoughts
and
feelings
with
a
deep
happiness
and
joy
that
we
had
never
known
before,
for
we
are
in
touch
with
heavenly
angels.
We
also
accept
the
Lord
and
worship
him
from
our
own
life,
since
we
are
in
our
real
life
when
we
are
living
in
our
inner
self.
We
also
accept
and
worship
him
in
freedom,
since
freedom
belongs
to
our
deep
feelings.
We
withdraw
from
outward
holiness
and
enter
inner
holiness,
which
is
the
nature
of
real
worship.
This
is
our
state
of
life
if
we
have
lived
in
a
Christian
way
according
to
the
teachings
of
Bible.
It
is
exactly
the
opposite
if
we
have
lived
badly
in
the
world,
with
no
conscience
and
in
denial
of
the
divine.
Whenever
we
live
in
a
destructive
way,
we
deny
the
divine
inside
ourselves,
even
if
we
think
we
are
not
denying
but
accepting
God
while
we
are
living
at
our
surface
level.
Accepting
the
divine
and
living
in
a
destructive
way
are
opposites.
If
we
are
like
this,
when
we
arrive
at
the
stage
of
our
inner
self
in
the
other
life,
we
will
look
foolish
to
others
in
what
we
say
and
do.
Our
craving
for
destructive
things
will
cause
us
to
break
out
into
hellish things--contempt
for
other
people,
ridicule
and
profanity,
hatred,
revenge,
underhanded
scheming,
all
with
such
deceitfulness
and
malice
that
it
is
hard
to
believe
anything
like
it
could
be
inside
any
person.
This
happens
because
we
are
then
free
to
act
out
of
the
thoughts
that
come
from
our
motives,
since
we
have
gotten
away
from
the
outward
factors
that
had
bound
and
restrained
us
in
the
world.
In
short,
we
are
deprived
of
our
rational
ability,
since
in
the
world
this
ability
had
not
been
in
our
inner
self,
but
in
our
outer
self.
Even
so,
to
ourselves
we
still
seem
wiser
than
other
people.
Because
we
are
like
this,
when
we
are
in
this
second
stage
we
are
allowed
back
into
our
stage
of
outer
life
from
time
to
time.
Then
we
remember
what
we
had
done
when
we
were
in
the
inner
stage.
Some
of
us
are
ashamed
and
admit
that
we
had
been
crazy.
Others
are
not
ashamed.
Some
of
us
are
furious
that
we
are
not
allowed
to
be
in
that
outward
stage
all
the
time.
But
then
we
are
shown
what
would
happen
if
we
stayed
in
this
stage
indefinitely:
we
would
think
up
similar
secret
plans
and
by
acting
good,
sincere,
and
honest,
we
would
entrap
people
of
simple
heart
and
faith.
We
would
also
totally
destroy
ourselves,
since
eventually
the
same
fire
that
is
inside
us
would
blaze
out
into
the
open
and
burn
up
our
entire
life.
When
we
are
in
this
second
stage,
we
appear
outwardly
just
as
we
were
inside
ourselves
in
the
world.
Whatever
we
had
done
and
said
in
private
becomes
public
knowledge.
With
no
outward
constraints,
we
say
openly
and
try
to
do
openly
what
we
had
only
done
privately
before,
without
the
fear
for
our
reputation
that
we
had
in
the
world.
We
also
progress
through
many
stages
of
our
own
destructiveness
so
that
angels
and
good
spirits
can
see
what
we
are
like.
What
was
private
is
revealed,
and
our
secret
actions
are
exposed,
as
the
Lord
said,
Nothing
is
covered
up
that
will
not
be
exposed,
nor
hidden
that
will
not
be
known.
What
you
have
said
in
the
dark
will
be
heard
in
the
light.
What
you
whispered
in
someone's
ear
in
your
bedroom
will
be
shouted
from
the
rooftops.
(Luke
12:2,
3)
And
in
another
place,
I
am
telling
you,
you
will
have
to
give
a
reason
for
every
casual
word
you
say
to
anyone.
(Matt.
12:36)
We
can
all
judge
for
ourselves
what
we
would
be
like
if
we
could
live
without
any
fear
of
the
law
or
for
our
life,
and
without
external
boundaries
to
our
behavior
such
as
the
fear
of
damaging
our
reputation
and
then
losing
status,
money,
and
pleasure.
Still,
if
we
are
inwardly
destructive
the
Lord
will
put
boundaries
around
our
craziness
so
that
we
do
not
break
out
beyond
the
limits
of
usefulness.
Even
when
we
are
like
this,
every
one
of
us
provides
some
useful
function.
Good
spirits
see
in
us
what
is
bad,
what
our
destructiveness
is
like,
and
what
we
will
be
like
if
we
are
not
led
by
the
Lord.
Also,
by
having
our
destructiveness
come
out,
people
involved
in
similar
bad
things
are
gathered
together
and
separated
from
good
people.
Plus,
the
good
and
true
things
we
had
made
an
outward
show
of
and
pretended
are
taken
away
from
us,
and
we
are
brought
into
our
own
destructive
life
and
the
falsity
that
goes
with
it.
This
is
how
we
are
prepared
for
hell.
We
cannot
get
into
hell
until
we
are
living
out
our
own
destructiveness
and
thinking
our
own
false
thoughts.
In
the
spiritual
world,
we
are
not
allowed
to
have
a
divided
mind
by
thinking
and
talking
one
way
but
wanting
something
else.
If
we
are
a
bad
person,
we
will
think
false
things
from
that
badness,
and
say
what
comes
from
these,
both
from
our
own motives--meaning
from
our
real
love
and
from
the
happiness
and
pleasure
we
get
from
it.
It
is
just
as
we
were
in
the
world
when
we
were
in
our
own
spirit,
thinking
within
ourselves
from
our
deeper
feelings.
This
is
all
true
because
our
motivation
is
our
real
self,
not
our thinking--except
when
it
comes
from
our
motives.
Our
motivation
is
our
real
personality
and
inner
character.
When
we
turn
to
our
motivation,
we
turn
to
our
real
personality
and
character,
and
also
to
our
real
life.
We
form
our
personality
by
the
way
we
live.
After
death
we
keep
the
personality
we
had
acquired
through
our
life
in
the
world.
If
we
have
formed
a
destructive
personality,
we
can
no
longer
fix
and
change
it
through
contemplation
and
understanding
what
is
true.
If
we
are
a
bad
person,
we
are
punished
severely
and
often
in
this
second
stage
because
we
keep
breaking
out
into
all
kinds
of
destructive
behavior.
There
are
many
different
kinds
of
punishment
in
the
spiritual
world,
and
there
is
no
consideration
of
what
our
status
had
been
in
the world--high
officials
and
menial
laborers
are
treated
the
same.
Every
destructive
action
carries
its
own
penalty
with
it;
they
are
bound
together.
When
we
become
involved
in
any
kind
of
destructive
behavior,
we
also
become
involved
in
its
punishment.
However,
in
the
spiritual
world
we
are
never
punished
for
the
bad
things
we
had
done
in
the
world.
We
are
only
punished
for
the
bad
things
we
do
there.
Yet
it
boils
down
to
the
same
thing
whether
you
say
we
pay
the
penalty
for
the
bad
things
we
did
in
the
world
or
we
pay
the
penalty
for
the
bad
things
we
do
in
the
other
life,
since
we
always
revert
to
our
own
real
life
after
death,
so
we
revert
to
the
same
types
of
destructiveness.
We
have
the
same
inner
character
we
had
in
our
physical
life.
We
are
punished
for
our
bad
behavior
because
fear
of
punishment
is
the
only
way
to
control
destructive
behavior
at
this
stage.
Warnings
do
not
work
anymore.
Education
does
not
work
anymore.
Fear
of
the
law
and
of
a
bad
reputation
does
not
work
anymore.
We
act
from
our
own
nature,
which
cannot
be
forced
or
broken
down
except
by
punishment.
If
we
are
good,
however,
we
will
never
be
punished
even
if
we
have
done
bad
things
in
the
world,
since
the
bad
parts
of
us
do
not
come
back.
We
are
shown
that
the
bad
things
we
had
done
were
different,
since
we
did
not
do
them
purposely
to
oppose
the
truth
or
from
a
bad
heart.
It
was
simply
what
was
passed
on
to
us
from
our
parents,
which
we
fell
into
from
thoughtless
pleasure
when
we
were
engrossed
in
superficial
things
and
separated
from
our
inner
self.
After
we
die,
we
all
go
to
our
own community--the
one
we
had
been
in
spiritually
while
we
were
in
the
world.
We
are
all
spiritually
connected
to
some
heavenly
or
hellish
community.
If
we
are
bad,
it
is
a
hellish
community.
If
we
are
good,
it
is
a
heavenly
one.
Our
spirit
is
led
to
that
community
step
by
step,
and
finally
we
move
into
it.
If
we
are
bad,
when
we
come
to
the
stage
of
our
inner
self
we
gradually
turn
toward
our
community,
and
finally
face
right
toward
it
before
this
stage
is
over.
When
this
stage
is
over,
we
ourselves
throw
ourselves
into
a
hell
where
there
are
spirits
like
us.
Good
and
bad
spirits
are
separated
in
this
second
stage.
They
had
been
together
in
the
first
stage.
When
we
are
in
the
stage
of
our
outer
self,
it
is
just
like
being
in
the
world,
so
that
good
and
bad
people
are
together
with
each
other.
It
is
different
when
we
move
into
our
inner
self
and
are
left
to
our
real
character
and
motivation.
People
who
have
had
Near
Death
Experiences
often
feel
that
a
higher
and
deeper
level
of
human
existence
has
been
opened
up
to
them.
They
no
longer
think
that
the
material
world
is
the
most
important
or
even
the
most
real
part
of
their
existence.
The
spiritual level--the
level
of
love
and understanding--becomes
central
to
their
lives.
This
is
exactly
what
happens
to
us
when
we
reach
the
second
stage
after
death
as
described
by
Swedenborg.
At
first,
we
had
lived
the
same
way
we
did
in
the
world,
with
the
same
outward
concerns.
Now
our
inner
self
is
gradually
opened
up,
and
we
realize
that
it
is
not
our
body
and
our
outward
actions
that
make
us
human,
but
our
spirits
and
our
inward
love
and
understanding.
We
recognize
that
these
have
been
the
real
"us"
all
the
way
along.
The
outer
part
was
there
simply
so
that
we
could
express
what
was
inside.
However,
if
our
outer
expression
does
not
correspond
well
with
our
real
inner
thoughts
and
feelings,
we
have
a
sorting
out
process
to
go
through
until
our
outer
self
is
in
complete
harmony
with
our
inner
self.
In
heaven,
and
in
spiritual
life,
we
are
not
allowed
to
have
a
divided
mind
or
a
divided
life.
Everything
we
do
must
come
from
within
and
be
completely
expressed
outwardly.
Only
then
can
we
be
in
the
kind
of
"flow
state"
that
characterizes
deep,
full,
human
life.
A
contemporary
author,
Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi,
describes
flow
this
way:
"Flow"
is
the
way
people
describe
their
state
of
mind
when
consciousness
is
harmoniously
ordered,
and
they
want
to
pursue
whatever
they
are
doing
for
its
own
sake.
Swedenborg
was
talking
about
this
same
state
of
mind
and
spirit
when
he
wrote:
Divine
order
therefore
is
for
the
Lord
to
flow
through
the
inner
levels
of
a
person
into
the
outer
ones,
thus
through
the
person's
will
into
his
actions.
This
actually
happens
when
a
person
is
governed
by
good,
that
is,
when
an
affection
to
do
good
for
its
own
sake
and
not
for
any
selfish
reasons
governs
him.
When
anyone
does
good
for
a
selfish
reason
and
not
for
its
own
sake
his
inner
levels
are
closed,
and
he
cannot
be
led
by
the
Lord
by
means
of
heaven,
only
by
self.
The
key
to
this
state
of
mind
is
that
whatever
we
are
doing,
we
must
be
doing
it
for
its
own
sake,
and
not
for
some
ulterior
motive.
If
we
are
good
to
other
people
not
simply
for
the
sake
of
being
good
to
them,
but
because
we
hope
to
get
something
from
them
in
return,
we
have
a
divided
self:
our
actions
are
expressing
something
different
from
our
feelings.
But
if
we
are
good
to
other
people
simply
because
we
love
being
that
way,
we
have
a
unified
self:
there
is
an
uninterrupted
flow
from
our
love
through
our
understanding
into
our
actions.
And,
Swedenborg
would
say,
that
flow
comes
into
our
spirit
from
God,
so
that
we
are
also
at
one
with
God.
We
can
only
fully
experience
life
when
we
are
in
this
kind
of
flow
state.
In
the
spiritual
world,
where
everything
inner
flows
into
outward
expression,
we
will
sooner
or
later
come
into
this
flow
state
if
we
have
chosen
to
love
and
understand
others.
Our
happiness
will
become
their
happiness,
and
there
will
be
mutual
harmony.
A
heavenly
community
is
one
where
there
is
free,
spontaneous
flow
of
love
and
understanding
among
all
the
members
of
the
community.
If
we
have
chosen
to
hate
and
misunderstand
others,
our
pleasure
will
be
their
pain,
and
in
the
clash
of
conflicting
desires,
we
will
only
sometimes
be
able
to
experience
the
destructive
kind
of
pleasure
that
we
have
chosen.
In
a
hellish
community,
there
is
continual
competition
for
possessions
and
for
dominance;
the
"flow"
is
constantly
broken.
Instead
of
flow,
there
is
turbulence.
If
we
have
chosen
a
spiritual
path,
we
are
heading
in
the
direction
of
a
flow
state.
But
we
have
a
long
way
to
go
until
we
can
be
in
that
flow
state
for
any
sustained
period
of
time.
We
have
too
many
inner
conflicts
that
must
be
resolved
first.
The
next
stage
of
our
process
after death--and
along
our
spiritual
path
here
on earth--is
when
we
work
toward
that
resolution.
In
the
spiritual
world,
this
sorting
out
and
resolution
is
helped
along
by
wise
angels
who
perceive
what
we
are
like
and
help
us
to
see
it.
Or,
if
we
have
been
caught
up
in
destructive
behavior
even
though
we
have
a
good
heart,
we
may
go
through
rough
passages.
If
we
cling
to
our
destructive
behavior
we
will
be
dragged
down
with
others
who
are
caught
up
in
the
same
things
until
we
realize
in
the
"school
of
hard
knocks"
that
this
is
not
how
we
really
want
to
be.
There
are
parallels
to
both
of
these
experiences
in
our
life
on
earth.
One
of
the
best
helps
along
our
spiritual
journey
is
to
find
a
well-trained
and
sympathetic
counselor
who
can
help
us
understand
our
own
thoughts,
feelings,
and
actions,
and
work
through
them
to
a
healthier
way
of
living.
On
the
negative
side,
we
may
have
to
reap
many
painful
consequences
from
some
of
our
destructive
habits
before
we
fully
realize
how
damaging
they
are
and
resolve
to
leave
them
behind.
Beginning
on
a
spiritual
path
may
not
immediately
make
things
better.
In
fact,
it
may
bring
on
a
crisis
as
our
old,
ingrained
habits
fight
back
vigorously
against
the
changes
we
are
attempting
to
make.
The
path
of
spiritual
growth
is
often
a
rocky
one.
If
we
have
resolved
to
follow
a
spiritual
path
and
overcome
the
obstacles
in
the
way,
how
do
we
go
about
making
the
changes
that
are
needed
in
our
life?
First
of
all,
for
any
spiritual
path,
we
need
a goal--an
ideal
of
human
life
that
we
are
moving
toward.
This
is
something
we
each
have
to
determine
for
ourselves.
But
we
can
get
help
from
people
such
as
counselors
or
ministers
who
may
serve
as
our
spiritual
guides,
from
sacred
literature,
and
from
secular
literature
dealing
with
human
psychology
and
community.
From
a
spiritual
perspective,
the
ultimate
goal
is
God.
In
embarking
on
a
spiritual
path,
we
are
beginning
a
journey
toward
God.
This
means
that
the
deeper
and
more
universal
our
understanding
of
God
is,
the
farther
our
spiritual
path
will
take
us.
If
we
put
our
sights
on
God
and
always
allow
our
understanding
of
God
do
grow,
we
will
never
reach
a
dead
end
on
our
spiritual
path,
because
God
is
infinite.
When
we
are
mapping
out
a
trip,
we
need
to
know
not
only
where
we
are
going
but
also
where
we
are
right
now
in
order
to
plan
the
best
route.
We
are
usually
well
aware
of
where
we
are
physically,
so
finding
the
starting
point
on
a
map
for
a
road
trip
is
not
hard.
Spiritually,
though,
we
may
have
very
little
concept
of
where
we
are.
So
the
next
step
is
to
take
stock
of
our
inner,
spiritual
self
and
discover
where
we
are
so
that
we
will
know
our
starting
point
and
be
able
to
start
out
on
a
route
to
our
goal.
Those
who
have
had
a
deep
NDE
that
includes
a
life
review
have
a
head
start
on
the
rest
of us--especially
if
the
being
of
light
guided
them
through
the
life
review.
But
we
can
take
some
guidelines
from
the
being
of
light
in
our
own
self-examination.
What
the
being
of
light
looks
for
with
NDEers
when
they
have
a
guided
life
review
is
times
when
the
person
has
shown
love
to
others,
or
failed
to
show
love,
and
times
when
the
person
has
learned
new
things,
or
failed
to
learn.
These
are
the
things
we
can
look
for
in
ourselves
when
we
are
determining
where
we
are
spiritually
right
now.
Swedenborg
gives
some
suggestions
to
help
us
figure
out
what
we
really
love
to
do.
In
the
section
from
Heaven
and
Hell
that
begins
this
chapter,
he
says:
We
can
all
judge
for
ourselves
what
we
would
be
like
if
we
could
live
without
any
fear
of
the
law
or
for
our
life,
and
without
external
boundaries
to
our
behavior
such
as
the
fear
of
damaging
our
reputation
and
then
losing
status,
money,
and
pleasure.
In
other
words,
Swedenborg
says,
"Think
what
you
would
do
if
nothing
whatever
prevented
you
from
doing
anything
you
wanted.
What
would
you
do?"
If
we
think
carefully
about
this
question
and
clear
away
all
the
things
we
do
because
we
have
to
or
think
we
ought
to,
we
will
begin
to
see
what,
underneath
it
all,
we
really
love.
This
can
give
us
a
starting
point.
Another
suggestion
to
help
us
figure
out
what
we
really
love
comes
in
the
segment
from
Swedenborg
given
in
chapter
two:
The
main
way
to
distinguish
between
good
and
bad
spirits
is
to
notice
what
they
pay
attention
to.
Bad
spirits
eagerly
listen
when
people
talk
about
superficial
matters,
but
hardly
listen
at
all
when
the
conversation
is
about
deeper
things
that
have
to
do
with
spiritual
and
heavenly
truth
and
goodness.
They
do
listen
to
these
things,
but
with
very
little
attention
or
enjoyment.
What
do
our
ears
perk
up
for?
What
leaves
us
yawning?
These
are
good
indications
of
where
our
real
interest
and
love
lies.
Some
of
the
things
we
really
love
will
be
good.
Others
will
not
be
so
good.
Our
job
for
the
good
ones
is
to
bring
them
out
more,
and
to
be
sure
we
are
doing
them
for
their
own
sake
and
not
for
some
hidden
motives
that
block
the
flow.
Our
job
for
the
not
so
good
ones
is
to
recognize
them,
confront
them,
and
overcome
them.
For
Swedenborg,
doing
good
things
without
resisting
bad
ones
is
meaningless.
If
we
do
not
overcome
the
bad
parts
of
ourselves,
they
will
always
be
there,
tainting
our
seemingly
"good"
actions.
We
will
do
good
things
when
they
benefit
ourselves,
or
when
we
happen
to
feel
like it--not
consistently
and
for
the
sake
of
the
good
itself.
This
prevents
us
from
entering
a
spiritual
flow
state.
Once
we
have
recognized
the
areas
where
we
need
work,
we
need
to
confront
them.
This
means
admitting
that
they
are
a
part
of
ourselves
and
taking
responsibility
for
them.
We
may
see
them
in
ourselves,
but
if
we
pass
the
buck
by
blaming
some
outside
person,
group,
event,
or
influence,
we
have
not
confronted
them.
It
is
true
that
we
have
been
influenced
in
many
ways
by
important
people
and
experiences
in
our
lives.
We
arrive
at
the
beginning
of
spiritual
maturity
when,
recognizing
that,
we
still
take
responsibility
for
our
own
inner
life
and
no
longer
pass
the
buck.
It
is
like
the
time
of
our
lives
when
we
first
leave
home
and
begin
supporting
ourselves.
Along
with
the
work
of
responsibility
for
ourselves
comes
the
power
to
change
our
own
lives
for
the
better.
Now
that
we
recognize
that
our
spiritual
and
emotional
life
is
in
our
own
hands,
we
can
begin
to
put
behind
us
the
negative
habits
that
are
blocking
our
path.
This
is
not
something
to
do
all
by
ourselves,
but
with
the
help
of
God
and
of
people
we
trust.
One
goal
of
spiritual
living
is
to
build
communities
based
on
mutual
love
and
understanding.
By
asking
others
for
help,
we
begin
to
build
that
kind
of
community
in
the
very
act
of
healing
ourselves
spiritually.
The
help
we
need
may
come
from
a
counselor;
it
may
come
from
a
spouse,
close
friend,
or
trusted
family
member;
it
may
come
from
a
minister
or
spiritual
guide;
and
always
it
comes
from
God.
With
this
help,
we
can
put
aside
our
negative
and
destructive
habits
and
begin
a
new
and
more
spiritual
life.
We
will
always
have
shadows
from
our
past
life,
but
those
shadows
can
be
moved
more
and
more
to
the
edges
of
our
life.
As
we
go
through
this
process,
we
will
be
unifying
our
spirit,
mind,
and
action.
We
will
be
clearing
away
everything
that
does
not
fit
with
our
deepest
motives
and
deepest
loves,
so
that
our
words
and
actions
will
express
our
real
thoughts
and
feelings.
This
is
what
is
accomplished
during
our
second
stage
after
death
as
Swedenborg
describes
it.
It
is
also
the
longest
stretch
of
our
spiritual
path
here
on
earth.
If
we
recognize
that
this
is
not
a
quick
and
easy
process,
but
the
work
of
years,
we
can
avoid
some
of
the
discouragement
of
the
long
struggle.
As
long
as
we
are
on
the
path,
we
are
making
progress,
even
though
it
may
seem
slow.
God
will
give
us
periods
of
rest
along
the
way,
and
send
us
the
people
and
experiences
we
need
at
each
step.
Eventually,
there
comes
a
time
when
the
greatest
part
of
our
struggle
is
over.
We
have
overcome
the
major
spiritual
obstacles
within
us.
We
have
come
to
a
point
where
we
know
what
we
want
to
do,
we
know
how
to
do
it,
and
we
love
doing
it.
This
is
the
beginning
of
the
more
sustained
flow
state
that
we
were
aiming
for
at
the
beginning.
We
still
have
work
to
do;
the
flow
will
not
be
unbroken.
But
we
will
spend
much
of
our
time
doing
what
we
love
to
do.
This
may
happen
here
on
earth,
or
it
may
happen
in
the
spiritual
world
after
we
die.
At
this
point,
says
Swedenborg,
all
that
is
left
for
us
to
do
before
finding
our
permanent
spiritual
home
is
to
shake
off
any
remaining
misconceptions
we
had
about
spirit
and
life,
and
to
learn
any
of
the
basics
of
spirituality
that
we
may
have
missed
along
the
way.
That
is
what
happens
in
the
third
and
final
stage
after
death,
and
near
the
end
of
our
journey
toward
our
spiritual
home.
Chapter
4
Our
Third
Stage
After
Death
NDEers
who
meet
the
being
of
light
say
that
the
Being
emphasizes
love
and
learning
as
the
most
important
things
in
life.
The
love
must
come
from
within.
But
much
of
our
learning
comes
from
the
outside.
Even
though
we
may
have
gone
far
along
the
spiritual
path,
we
may
still
be
working
under
some
misconceptions
about
of
God
and
spirit.
We
may
be
mistaken
about
some
of
the
ideas
we
cherish.
If
our
heart
is
in
the
right
place,
God
will
not
force
us
to
give
up
mistaken
notions
that
we
have
loved
and
seen
as
guides.
At
some
stages
of
our
lives,
certain
misconceptions
may
even
prod
us
along
farther
than
we
otherwise
would
have
gone.
For
example,
some
people
seem
to
need
to
believe
that
God
is
angry
with
them
for
the
wrong
things
they
are
doing,
or
they
would
not
be
motivated
to
change
their
actions.
But
really,
Swedenborg
says,
God
is
never
angry
with
us;
God
only
allows
it
to
appear
that
way
if
we
need
to
believe
that
for
the
time
being.
Once
we
have
overcome
the
bulk
of
our
destructive
side,
though,
we
no
longer
have
a
need
to
hold
onto
faulty
beliefs
about
God
and
spirit.
At
the
same
time,
we
will
have
left
behind
the
ego
that
makes
us
cling
to
certain
ideas
because
we
think
we
understand
things
better
than
others.
So
we
are
ready
to
empty
ourselves
of
everything
remaining
that
does
not
correspond
to
our
real
love
and
motivation,
and
to
learn
what
really
does
correspond
to
them.
This
is
what
the
final
stage
is
for.
Learning
the
Ways
of
Heaven
From
Heaven
and
Hell
#512-19
by
Emanuel
Swedenborg
Our
third
stage
after
death,
when
we
are
a
spirit,
is
a
learning
stage.
We
only
go
through
this
stage
if
we
are
going
to
heaven
and
becoming
an
angel.
If
we
are
headed
toward
hell
we
do
not
go
through
this
stage
because
we
cannot
be
taught
anything.
In
this
case,
our
second
stage
is
also
our
third.
We
are
finished
since
we
have
completely
turned
ourselves
toward
our
own
love
and
toward
the
hellish
community
that
is
involved
in
a
similar
love.
When
this
has
happened
we
think
and
want
things
from
what
we
love.
Since
our
love
is
hellish,
we
are
only
motivated
by
destructive
things,
and
everything
we
think
is
false.
This
is
what
gives
us
pleasure,
since
these
are
the
things
we
love.
Because
of
this,
we
reject
everything
good
and
true
that
we
had
previously
adopted
because
it
had
functioned
as
a
means
toward
getting
what
we
loved.
If
we
are
a
good
person,
though,
we
are
led
through
the
second
stage
into
a
third.
In
this
stage
we
are
prepared
for
heaven
by
being
taught.
The
only
way
we
can
be
prepared
for
heaven
is
by
knowing
what
is
good
and
true,
which
means
we
must
be
taught.
We
cannot
know
what
is
spiritually
good
and
true,
nor
what
is
destructive
and false--their opposites--without
being
taught.
In
the
world,
we
can
know
what
is
legally
and
ethically
good
and
true
and
is
called
right
and
honest,
because
there
are
civil
laws
that
teach
us
what
is
right.
We
also
live
among
other
people,
so
that
we
learn
to
live
by
ethical
rules
that
involve
acting
honestly
and
rightly.
However,
we
do
not
learn
what
is
spiritually
good
and
true
from
the
world,
but
from
heaven.
We
could know these things from the Bible and from the church's
teaching
based
on
the
Bible.
But
these
things
cannot
affect
our
life
unless
the
deeper
parts
of
our
mind
are
in
heaven.
We
are
in
heaven
when
we
accept
God
and
also
act
rightly
and
honestly
because
that
is
what
the
Bible
tells
us
to
do.
This
means
living
rightly
and
honestly
with
the
divine
as
our
goal
rather
than
our
own
self
and
our
worldly
possessions.
We
cannot
act
this
way,
though,
until
we
have
been
taught
to
do
so.
For
example,
we
have
to
be
taught
that
there
is
a
God,
heaven
and
hell,
life
after
death,
that
we
should
love
God
above
all
else
and
other
people
as
much
as
we
love
ourselves,
that
we
should
believe
what
the
Bible
teaches
because
the
Bible
is
divine.
Without
knowing
and
accepting
these
things,
we
cannot
think
spiritually.
Without
thinking
about
them
we
cannot
be
motivated
by
them,
since
we
cannot
think
things
we
do
not
know
about,
and
we
cannot
want
things
we
do
not
think.
When
we
do
want
these
things,
heaven
flows
into
us,
which
means
the
Lord
flows
through
heaven
into
our
lives.
This
flowing
goes
into
our
motivation,
through
that
into
our
thinking,
and
through
both
of
these
into
the
way
we
live.
This
is
where
all
our
life
comes
from.
We
can
see
from
this
that
we
do
not
learn
what
is
spiritually
good
and
true
from
the
world,
but
from heaven--and
that
we
cannot
possibly
be
prepared
for
heaven
except
by
being
taught.
As
much
as
the
Lord
flows
into
our
life,
the
Lord
teaches
us,
since
our
motivation
is
fired
by
a
love
for
learning
the
truth.
This
enlightens
our
thinking
so
that
we
can
know
the
truth.
As
much
as
this
happens,
our
inner
self
is
opened
up
and
heaven
is
planted
in
us.
Plus,
God
and
heaven
flow
into
the
honesty
of
an
ethical
life
and
the
right
living
of
a
law-abiding
life,
and
make
them
spiritual.
We
then
do
what
we
do
from
God,
since
we
are
doing
it
for
God's
sake.
The
honest
and
right
things
we
do
in
our
ethical
and
community
life
from
that
source
are
the
real
effects
of
spiritual
life.
Effects
get
their
whole
nature
from
what
causes
them.
Whatever
the
cause
is
like,
that
is
what
the
effect
is
like.
Angel
teachers
come
from
many
different
communities.
They
come
especially
from
the
northern
and
southern
regions
of
heaven,
since
these
angelic
communities
have
a
great
deal
of
intelligence
and
wisdom
from
a
knowledge
of
what
is
good
and
true.
The
places
of
learning
are
located
in
the
northern
areas.
They
vary,
and
are
arranged
and
distinguished
by
the
various
kinds
of
heavenly
good.
We
are
all
taught
in
a
way
that
is
appropriate
to
our
personality,
and
at
a
level
we
can
handle.
These
places
of
learning
are
spread
out
for
a
large
distance
all
around.
Those
of
us
who
become
good
spirits
are
led
there
by
the
Lord
after
we
have
gone
through
our
second
stage
in
the
World
of
Spirits
and
are
ready
to
be
taught.
Yet
not
all
of
us
go
there.
If
we
have
already
learned
these
things
in
the
world,
the
Lord
still
prepares
us
for
heaven,
but
leads
us
there
by
a
different
path.
We
may
go
immediately
after
we
die.
Or,
we
may
spend
a
short
time
with
good
spirits
while
we
get
rid
of
some
of
the
rough
edges
of
our
thoughts
and
feelings
that
we
had
gotten
from
status
and
money
in
the world--so
we
become
purified.
Some
of
us
must
first
be
purged,
which
happens
in
a
place
called
"the
lower
earth."
We
may
have
to
go
through
hard
things
there.
This
will
happen
if
we
have
convinced
ourselves
of
false
things
but
still
had
lived
a
good
life.
False
ideas
that
we
have
convinced
ourselves
of
cling
to
us
strongly.
Before
these
false
ideas
are
broken
down
we
cannot
see
or
accept
the
truth.
When
we
are
in
these
places
of
learning
we
each
live
in
our
own
home,
since
the
inner
self
of
each
of
us
is
connected
to
the
community
of
heaven
where
we
will
be
going.
Since
the
communities
in
heaven
are
arranged
in
a
heavenly
pattern,
the
places
of
learning
are
arranged
this
way
too.
We
are
not
all
taught
in
the
same
way
or
by
people
from
the
same
heavenly
community.
If
we
have
been
brought
up
in
heaven
from
childhood,
we
are
taught
by
angels
of
the
deeper
heavens,
since
we
have
not
gotten
wrong
ideas
from
false
religion,
nor
have
we
dirtied
our
spiritual
life
with
the
contamination
that
comes
from
status
and
money
in
the
world.
If
we
died
as
adults,
we
will
usually
be
taught
by
angels
from
the
lowest
heaven,
since
these
angels
are
closer
to
our
level
than
angels
of
the
deeper
heavens.
Teaching
in
heaven
is
different
from
teaching
on
earth.
There,
we
do
not
memorize
information,
but
put
it
right
into
our
life.
As
spirits,
our
memory
is
in
our
life.
We
accept
and
absorb
everything
that
is
in
harmony
with
our
life
and
do
not
accept,
much
less
absorb,
anything
that
is
not
in
harmony
with
us.
Spirits
are
feelings,
so
as
spirits
we
are
in
a
pattern
that
reflects
our
feelings.
Since
we
are
like
this,
we
are
always
filled
with
a
love
for
true
ideas
that
we
can
use
in
our
life.
The
Lord
sees
to
it
that
each
of
us
loves
the
kind
of
work
that
fits
our
personality.
This
love
is
also
strengthened
by
the
hope
that
we
will
be
angels.
Every
useful
activity
in
heaven
relates
to
the
good
of
the
community.
The
community
is
the
Lord's
realm,
which
is
our
country
there.
Also,
the
more
each
individual
activity
looks
to
the
common
good,
the
better
it
is.
This
means
that
all
the
countless
individual
activities
there
are
heavenly
and
good.
Everyone
loves
both
truth
and
useful
activity
so
that
the
two
work
together.
Our
understanding
of
truth
grows
in
our
useful
activities.
The
true
ideas
we
learn
are
about
how
to
be
useful.
This
is
how
we
are
taught
as
angelic
spirits
and
prepared
for
heaven.
A
love
for
the
truth
that
suits
our
work
is
planted
in
us
in
different
ways,
most
of
which
are
unknown
in
the
world.
It
happens
especially
by
visual
images
of
useful
activity.
In
the
spiritual
world
these
visual
images
are
presented
in
a
thousand
ways,
all
in
such
a
pleasing
and
beautiful
way
that
they
pervade
our
being
from
the
deeper
parts
of
our
mind
to
the
outer
parts
of
our
body,
touching
our
whole
self.
Through
this
experience
we
become
our
own
useful
activity,
so
to
speak.
This
means
that
when
we
reach
the
community
we
have
been
introduced
to
by
what
we
had
learned,
we
are
involved
in
our
real
life
because
we
are
involved
in
our
own
work.
From
all
this
we
can
see
that
knowledge,
which
is
outward
truth,
does
not
bring
us
to
heaven.
We
are
brought
into
heaven
by
life itself--a
life
of
useful
activity
that
we
enter
through
our
knowledge.
It
only
takes
a
short
time
to
prepare
for
heaven
in
the
places
of
learning,
since
we
are
thinking
in
spiritual
ideas,
which
can
take
in
many
things
at
once.
When
our
time
there
is
finished,
we
put
on
heavenly
clothes,
which
are
usually
shining
white
as
if
made
of
linen.
Then
we
are
shown
a
path
that
goes
upward
toward
heaven.
We
are
put
in
the
care
of
angel
guardians
there,
and
then
welcomed
by
other
angels
and
invited
into
different
communities
to
take
part
in
their
many
joys.
The
Lord
then
leads
each
of
us
into
our
own
community.
We
go
along
various
paths,
and
sometimes
by
a
circuitous
route.
No
angel
knows
the
path
we
are
led by--only
the
Lord
does.
When
we
arrive
at
our
own
community,
our
deeper
parts
are
opened
up.
Since
our
deeper
parts
are
in
harmony
with
the
angels
in
that
community,
they
recognize
us
immediately
and
welcome
us
with
joy.
By
the
time
we
have
reached
this
stage,
we
are
beyond
memorization
and
rote
learning.
As
Dannion
Brinkley
puts
it
in
his
book
Saved by the Light:
Now
more
than
ever
I
knew
that
this
was
a
place
of
learning.
I
would
be
steeped
in
knowledge,
taught
in
a
way
that
I
had
never
been
taught
before.
There
would
be
no
books
and
no
memorization.
In
the
presence
of
these
Beings
of
Light,
I
would
become
knowledge
and
know
everything
that
was
important
to
know. . . .
It
was
like
being
a
drop
of
water
bathed
in
the
knowledge
of
the
ocean,
or
a
beam
of
light
knowing
what
all
light
knows.
In
the
spiritual
world,
we
learn
by
direct experience--and
by
putting
the
insights
from
our
experience
directly
into
our
hearts
and
our
lives.
When
we
are
consciously
being
taught,
this
experience
may
come
from
visual
images
presented
by
angels.
(It
seems
that
what
we
know
as
video
and
film
making
has
developed
to
a
much
higher
level
in
the
spiritual
world!)
Brinkley
gives
an
especially
vivid
description
of
the
type
of
visual
imagery
the angels--or
Beings
of
Light,
as
he
called them--can
use.
The
Beings
came
at
me
one
at
a
time.
As
each
one
approached,
a
box
the
size
of
a
videotape
came
from
its
chest
and
zoomed
right
at
my
face.
The
first
time
this
happened
I
flinched,
thinking
I
was
going
to
be
hit.
But
a
moment
before
impact,
the
box
opened
to
reveal
what
appeared
to
be
a
tiny
television
picture
of
a
world
event
that
was
yet
to
happen.
As
I
watched,
I
felt
myself
drawn
right
into
the
picture,
where
I
was
able
to
live
the
event.
In
the
same
chapter,
called
"The
Boxes
of
Knowledge,"
Brinkley
goes
on
to
describe
the
images
he
was
shown.
As
both
he
and
Swedenborg
say,
it
is
not
the
type
of
learning
that
requires
memorization,
but
the
type
that
we
experience,
and
remember
because
of
the
compelling
nature
of
the
experience.
It
is
also
the
type
of
learning
that
goes
to
the
heart
of
our
own
concerns.
This
means
that
it
will
be
different
for
each
one
of
us.
Both
the
method
and
content
of
the
teaching
will
vary
depending
on
who
we
are.
We
may
or
may
not
need
this
final
learning
phase
in
our
own
spiritual
growth.
If
we
have
already
learned
what
we
need
to
know
along
the
way,
and
are
not
clinging
to
mistaken
ideas,
we
will
pass
directly
to
our
spiritual
home.
But
most
of
us
will
still
have
things
we
need
to
learn
before
we
are
fully
prepared
for
the
spiritual
work
we
will
be
doing
in
our
future
life.
Perhaps
one
of
the
reasons
we
slow
down
physically
at
the
end
of
our
life
on
earth
is
so
that
we
will
take
the
time
to
observe
life
around
us
and
contemplate
its
meaning.
Of
course,
even
after
we
have
completed
this
final
learning
phase,
there
will
still
be
many
more
things
for
us
to
learn.
Knowledge
is
infinite.
The
purpose
of
this
learning
phase
is
to
make
sure
our
minds
are
pointed
in
the
right direction--a
direction
that
is
in
harmony
with
our
heart's
direction.
At
last,
we
are
received
with
joy
into
the
community
that
is
our
spiritual
home.
It
is
the
place
where
our
heart
has
carried us--a
place
where
we
will
find
rest
for
our
souls.
Yet
this
is
not
the
rest
of
idleness.
It
is
a
rest
in
which
we
do
the
things
we
do
because
it
is
what
we
love.
Though
in
one
sense
we
may
be
working
very
hard,
in
another
sense
everything
is
an
effortless,
unhindered
flow
from
God,
through
our
soul,
and
into
our
outward
actions.
Conclusion
As
the
rock
group
The
Police
say
in
their
song
of
the
same
title,
"We
are
spirits
in
the
material
world."
While
the
hope
of
an
afterlife
certainly
fuels
our
fascination
with
NDEs,
we
miss
much
of
their
significance
if
we
only
take
them
as
interesting
information
about
what
will
happen
to
us
when
we
die.
Most
of
us
have
a
number
of
years
left
in
our
lives
here
on
earth
before
the
afterlife
will
become
a
present
reality
for
us.
For
us,
the
greatest
significance
of NDEs--as
well
as
Swedenborg's
and
others'
descriptions
of
the afterlife--is
in
what
they
mean
for
us
here
and
now.
If
we
think
of
the
material
world
as
an
expression
of
the
spiritual
world,
descriptions
of
a spiritual--world
afterlife
can
take
on
this
kind
of here--and--now
meaning
for
us.
If
we
read
accounts
of
NDEs
simply
out
of
fascination
for
the
descriptions
of
the
spiritual
world,
it
will
not
necessarily
touch
our
heart
and
our
life.
But
if
we
think
of
them
as
patterns
for
our
life
here,
we
are
presented
with
a
deep
and
lasting
challenge.
The
Book
of
Revelation
speaks
of
a
city
descending
to
earth
from
heaven.
The
spiritual
world
provides
a blueprint--a
plan
that
we
can
use
to
build
communities
based
on
mutual
love
and
understanding
here
on
earth.
This
community
building
must
start
in
each
of
our
spirits.
By
starting
on
a
spiritual
path
and
taking
the
steps
described
one
way
in
this
book,
and
other
ways
in
others,
we
lay
the
foundations
for
the
heavenly
city
in
ourselves.
As
each
of
us
finds
our
own
spiritual
path,
we
will
also
be
reaching
out
to
those
around
us
and
forming
a
spiritually
based
community.
This,
I
believe,
is
the
direction
we
are
being
shown
by
those
who
have
experienced
the
spiritual
world
and
come
back
to
tell
us
about
it.
Selected
Bibliography
Basford,
Terry
K.,
Ed.
Near-Death
Experiences:
An
Annotated
Bibliography.
New
York:
Garland,
1990.
Book
of
the
Dead;
The
Egyptian
Text.
New
York:
Dover,
1967.
Brinkley,
Dannion.
Saved
by
the
Light.
New
York:
HarperCollins,
1994.
Csikszentmihalyi,
Mihaly.
Flow:
The
Psychology
of
Optimal
Experience.
New
York:
HarperCollins,
1990.
Dryden,
S.
H.
Daisy
Dryden:
A
Memoir.
Third
ed.
Boston:
Colonial
Press,
1909.
Evans-Wentz,
W.
Y.,
Ed.
The
Tibetan
Book
of
the
Dead.
London:
Oxford
University
Press,
1960.
Ford,
Arthur.
The
Life
Beyond
Death.
New
York:
Putnam,
1971.
Gallup,
George,
Jr.
Adventures
in
Immortality:
A
Look
Beyond
the
Threshold
of
Death.
New
York:
McGraw
Hill,
1982.
Grey,
Margot.
Return
from
Death:
An
Exploration
of
the
Near-Death
Experience.
London:
Arkana,
1983.
Greyson,
Bruce,
and
Charles
P.
Flynn,
eds.
The
Near-Death
Experience:
Problems,
Prospects,
Perspectives.
Springfield,
IL:
Charles
Thomas,
1984.
Grof,
Stanislav,
M.D.,
and
Joan
Halifax.
The
Human
Encounter
with
Death.
New
York:
E.
P.
Dutton,
1977.
Kavanaugh,
Kieran,
Ed.
John
of
the
Cross,
Selected
Writings.
New
York:
Paulist
Press,
1987.
Kubler-Ross,
Elisabeth,
M.D.
On
Death
and
Dying.
New
York:
MacMillan,
1969.
Moody,
Raymond,
Jr.,
MD.
Life
After
Life.
New
York:
Bantam,
1975.
________.
Life
After
Life
(Video).
Cascom
International,
1992.
________.
Reflections
on
Life
After
Life.
New
York:
Bantam
Books,
1977.
Morse,
Melvin,
M.D.
Closer
to
the
Light.
New
York:
Ballantine,
1990.
Plato.
Republic.
New
York:
Random
House,
1964.
Rhodes,
Leon
S.
"The
NDE
Enlarged
by
Swedenborg's
Vision."
Anabiosis
Vol.
2,
No.
1
(June
1982):
p.
15-35.
Ring,
Kenneth.
Heading
Toward
Omega:
In
Search
of
the
Near-Death
Experience.
New
York:
Morrow,
1984.
________.
Life
at
Death,
A
Scientific
Investigation
of
the
Near-Death
Experience.
New
York,
NY,
Coward,
McCann,
and
Geoghegan,
1980.
Ritchie,
George
G.,
M.D.
Return
from
Tomorrow.
New
Jersey:
Fleming
H.
Revell,
1978.
Sagan,
Carl.
Broca's
Brain.
New
York:
Random
House,
1974.
Sigstedt,
Cyriel
Odhner.
The
Swedenborg
Epic.
London:
Swedenborg
Society,
1981.
"Silencing
of
Survival
Instinct
May
Explain
Near-Death
After-Effects,"
Brain/ Mind: A Bulletin of Breakthroughs, Vol. 20, No. 18 (May 1995)
pp.
1,
6.
Swedenborg,
Emanuel.
Arcana
Coelestia.
London:
Swedenborg
Society,
1984-1995.
________.
Heaven
and
Hell.
New
York:
Swedenborg
Foundation,
1984.
________.
The
Heavenly
City:
A
Spiritual
Guidebook.
West
Chester,
PA:
Swedenborg
Foundation,
1993.
________.
Journal
of
Dreams.
New
York:
Swedenborg
Foundation,
1977.
________.
The
True
Christian
Religion.
London:
Swedenborg
Society,
1988.
Zaleski,
Carol.
Otherworld
Journeys:
Accounts
of
Near-Death
Experience
in
Medieval
and
Modern
Times.
New
York:
Oxford
University
Press,
1987.
Artwork:
Welcome Home (c) Inspired Art by Danny
Hahlbohm
and
is
used with permission. All rights
reserved by the artist.
Music:
Prism: The Colors of Love
(c) 2000 Bruce DeBoer
Used
with Permission
No Right Click and
Color Scroll Bar Scripts Courtesy of:
|