Afterlife: A Guided Tour of Heaven and Its Wonders - Swedenborg ...

AFTERLIFE
means we have one kind with us in infancy, another kind
during our childhood, another kind as we are growing up
and in early adulthood, and still another kind in old age.
During our earliest years, spirits who are in innocence are
with us, that is, spirits who are in touch with the heaven
of innocence, the inmost or third heaven. In later child -
hood we are in the company of spirits who are engaged in
an affection for knowledge and who are in touch with the
ultimate or first heaven. As we are growing up, during our
early adulthood, spirits who are responsive to affections
for what is true and good and therefore with intelligence
are with us. They are spirits who are in touch with the sec -
ond or intermediate heaven. In old age, though, spirits
who are in wisdom and innocence are with us, spirits
there fore who are in touch with the inmost or third
heaven.
Still, this association is arranged by the Lord for people
who can be reformed and regenerated. It is different for
people who cannot be reformed or regenerated. Good
spirits are assigned to them as well in order to restrain
them from evil as much as possible, but their direct con -
nec tion is with the evil spirits who are in touch with hell.
This means that the spirits are of the same nature as the
people they are associated with. Whether they love them -
selves or money or revenge or adultery, the same kind of
spirits are with them and are, so to speak, taking up resi -
dence in their evil affections. To the extent that we can -
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