Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3757ascribes to a more occult nature—as for example that which isascribed to fortune; for by their experience some persons are fullypersuaded that something called fortune is secretly at work, butthey know not what is the source of it. That this hidden somethingis from a spiritual sphere, and is the ultimate of providence, will ofthe Lord’s Divine mercy be shown elsewhere, from what has beenattested by experience.5180. There are genii and spirits who induce upon the head akind of suction or drawing, in such a way as to cause pain in thepart affected. I noticed a distinct feeling of suction, as if amembrane were being very sensibly sucked up. I doubt whetherothers could have borne this on account of the pain; but havingbecome accustomed to it, I have at last often borne it without pain.The chief place of the suction was on the top of the head; and fromthere it spread toward the region of the left ear, and also toward theregion of the left eye. That which spread toward the eye was fromspirits, and that which spread toward the ear was from genii, bothof these belong to the province of the receptacle and ducts of thechyle, whither also the chyle is drawn from all quarters, although atthe same time it is driven there. There were also others, who actedwithin the head in almost the same way, but not with so great aforce of suction. It was said that these are they to whom the subtlechyle corresponds, which is brought toward the brain and theremingled with new animal spirit, in order that it may be sent downtoward the heart. They who acted outwardly were first seen by meon the front side, a little to the left, and afterward in a higherposition there; so that their region was observed to be from theplane of the septum of the nose rising toward the plane of the leftear.[2] They who constitute this province are of two kinds, somebeing quite modest, while others are wanton. The modest are theywho have desired to know men’s thoughts for the purpose ofalluring and binding them to themselves (for one who knowsanother’s thoughts, knows also his secret and inner things, and thiseffects conjunction), the end being social intercourse andfriendship. These desire to know only what is good in men,