Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 96
called the presence of internal sight, which will be treated of
further on. I have also seen the Lord out of the sun in an
angelic form, at a height a little below the sun; also nearby in a
like form, with shining face, and once in the midst of angels as
a flamelike radiance.
122. To the angels the sun of the world appears like a dense
darkness opposite to the sun of heaven, and the moon like a
darkness opposite to the moon of heaven, and this constantly;
and for the reason that the world’s fieriness corresponds to the
love of self, and the light from it corresponds to what is false
from that love; and the love of self is the direct opposite of the
Divine love; and what is false from that love is the direct
opposite of the Divine truth; and the opposite of the Divine
love and the Divine truth is to the angels thick darkness.
Therefore, in the Word, to worship the sun and moon of this
world and bow down to them, signifies to love self and the
falsities that spring from the love of self, and it is said that such
would be cut off (Deut. 4:19; 16:3–5; Jer. 8:1, 2; Ezek. 8:15,
16, 18; Rev. 16:8; Matt. 13:6). 94
123. As it is from the Divine love that is in and from him
that the Lord appears in heaven like a sun, so all in the heavens
are turned constantly to him—those in the celestial kingdom
to him as a sun and those in the spiritual kingdom to him as a
moon. But those that are in hell turn themselves to an opposite
darkness and dense darkness, that is, they turn backwards,
away from the Lord; and for the reason that all in the hells are
in love of self and the world, thus antagonistic to the Lord.
94. The sun of the world is not seen by the angels, but in its place
something dark behind, opposite to the sun of heaven or the Lord (n. 7078,
9755).
In the opposite sense the “sun” signifies the love of self (n. 2441); and in
this sense “to worship the sun” signifies to worship what is contrary to
heavenly love or to the Lord (n. 2441, 10584).
To those in the hells the sun of heaven is thick darkness (n. 2441).