Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 53
a perfect human form. The little stars round about the cloud
were angels, who so appeared by virtue of light from the Lord.
70. It must be understood that although all in a heavenly
society when seen together as one appear in the likeness of a
man; yet no one society is just such a man as another. Societies
differ from one another like the faces of different individuals of
the same family, for the reason given above (n. 47), that is,
they differ in accordance with the varieties of good in which
they are and which determines their form. The societies of the
inmost or highest heaven, and in the center there, are those
that appear in the most perfect and beautiful human form.
71. It is worthy of mention that the greater the number in
any society in heaven and the more these make a one, the more
perfect is its human form, for variety arranged in a heavenly
form is what constitutes perfection, as has been shown above
(n. 56), and number gives variety. Moreover, every society of
heaven increases in number daily, and as it increases it becomes
more perfect. Thus not only the society becomes more perfect,
but also heaven in general, because it is made up of societies.
As heaven gains in perfection by increase of numbers, it is
evident how mistaken those are who believe that heaven may
be closed by becoming full; for the opposite is true, that it will
never be closed, but is perfected by greater and greater fullness.
Therefore, the angels desire nothing so much as to have new
angel guests come to them.
72. Each society, when it appears as one whole, is in the form
of a man, for the reason that heaven as a whole has that form
(as has been shown in the preceding chapter); moreover, in the
most perfect form, such as the form of heaven is, there is a
likeness of the parts to the whole, and of lesser forms to the
greatest. The lesser forms and parts of heaven are the societies
of which it consists, which are also heavens in lesser form (see
51–58). This likeness is perpetual because in the heavens the
goods of all are from a single love, that is, from a single origin.
The single love, which is the origin of the good of all in