The speech of the celestial angels abounds in the vowels A (ah, as in father), and U (as u in rule). One may often determine from the Hebrew vowels in a passage which words belong to the class of celestials and which to the spirituals — i.e., whether they involve good or truth. The former use more frequently the sounds of O and U, for they have a full tone, and also occur oftener in the Third Heaven. (Heaven and Hell 241; True Christian Religion 278;, Spiritual Experiences 5112, 5620, 5787)

5789. ¹ ## It ought to be known that all spirits in whom self-love is firmly lodged believe heaven stands on high. They do not know that it is in the inward realm and that what is inward is high. For this reason they climb up into mountains, higher and higher, and believe that by so doing they are in heaven, and the more so because then they are experiencing their love's delight, because from there they can look around in all directions and using their thoughts can influence and control whomever they see below. The range of their vision is wide, extending all the way [to those on] the mountains round about at a great distance, with whom they speak and to whom they send out mediums through whom they are joined together and form pacts and ally themselves, so that by doing this they may become more powerful. When this has been accomplished they then begin to exercise control on all who are round about, jointly, and make them subject to themselves, and some they take over by open force; and they do this through punishments and various methods known in the other life.

[2] I saw certain societies like this in lofty places where I actually thought angels of heaven were, and who were exercising control on all who were beneath them, whom I clearly saw were there. The range of their vision there is just as in the world, the higher the broader. There was one who knew better than others how to order these societies in an orderly fashion, so that scarcely anything was wrong. He arranged them in this way so that scarcely anyone in them could do anything from him — or herself but from them. Their ordering was into a form opposite to the form of heaven. Consequently all the things that were below were thrown into disorder. However they were restored by the Lord. But all spirits like this were cast down, even from the lofty regions, which amazed me at first because I thought angels were there, when in fact those were spirits like this. Self-love is such that when those who have it are experiencing their fantasy, they seem too themselves to be on high.

[5789] 1.2. I saw certain ones as high as you would say the stars of heaven are, although they were not there bodily. It must be known that all in the other life, wherever they appear, still are in the place where their ruling love is; and that those who are in high places are still in hells, as has frequently been shown to me, that in a moment they were in hell, even though appearing in a high place and even though they appear to be in the heights. This was made evident to me when I wanted to know where they came from because they were attacking. From this it is clear that a place is ready for everyone when he comes into the other life. All those were cast down. First they were examined by their being turned toward lower things. Those then who from their ingrained nature wanted to flow into others, lead them, exercise control over them, do them harm, were cast down. And this went on for a long time, to [the number] of many thousands.

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