Heaven and Hell - Swedenborg Foundation

HEAVEN AND HELL 92
respecting the Lord as a sun I shall be glad to tell in a few
words. The Lord is seen as a sun, not in heaven, but high above
the heavens; and not directly overhead or in the zenith, but
before the faces of the angels at a middle height. He is seen at a
considerable distance, in two places, one before the right eye
and the other before the left eye. Before the right eye he is seen
exactly like a sun, as it were, with a glow and size like that of
the sun of the world. But before the left eye he is not seen as a
sun, but as a moon, glowing white like the moon of our earth,
and of like size, but more brilliant, and surrounded with many
little moons, as it were, each of them of similar whiteness and
splendor. The Lord is seen so differently in two places because
every person sees the Lord in accordance with the quality of his
reception of the Lord, thus he is seen in one way by those that
receive him with the good of love, and in another by those that
receive him with the good of faith. Those that receive him with
the good of love see him as a sun, fiery and flaming, in
accordance with their reception of him; these are in his celestial
kingdom; while those that receive him with the good of faith
see him as a moon, white and brilliant in accordance with their
reception of him, and these are in his spiritual kingdom. 87
This is so because the good of love corresponds to fire;
therefore in the spiritual sense fire is love; and the good of faith
87. The Lord is seen in heaven as a sun, and is the sun of heaven (n.
1053, 3636, 3643, 4060). The Lord is seen as a sun by those who are in His
celestial kingdom, where love to Him reigns, and as a moon by those who are
in His spiritual kingdom, where charity to the neighbor and faith reign (n.
1521, 1529–1531, 1837, 4696).
The Lord is seen as a sun at a middle height before the right eye, and as
a moon before the left eye (n. 1053, 1521, 1529–1531, 3636, 3643, 4321,
5097, 7078, 7083, 7173, 7270, 8812, 10809). The Lord is seen as a sun and
as a moon (n. 1531, 7173).
The Lord’s Divine itself is far above His Divine in heaven (n. 7270,
8760).