Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 4100are not permitted to flow as far as into the solid parts of the body,or into the parts of which man’s viscera, organs, and membersconsist, but merely into his yearnings and falsities. It is only whenthe man falls into disease that they flow into such unclean things asbelong to the disease; for as before said nothing ever takes place inman without a cause in the spiritual world. If the natural with manwere separated from the spiritual, it would be separated from allcause of existence, and thus from all that is vital. Yet this does nothinder man’s being healed in a natural way; for the Lord’sprovidence concurs with such means. That this is so has been givenme to know by much experience, and this so often and for so longthat no doubt was left; for evil spirits from such places have beenapplied to me often and long, and according to their presence theyinduced pains, and also diseases. I was shown where they were, andwhat they were, and was told also where they came from.5714. One who in the life of the body had been a consummateadulterer, and had made his highest delight consist in committingadultery with many women, whom he immediately afterwarddiscarded and held in aversion, persisted in such practices even toold age. Moreover he had also been devoted to pleasures, and didnot desire to act well to anyone and do him a service, except for hisown sake, especially for the sake of his adultery. He was with mefor several days, being seen under the feet; and when the sphere ofhis life was communicated to me, to whatever part he came heinflicted a pain in the periosteums and nerves of that part, as forinstance in the toes of the left foot; and when he was permitted torise up he inflicted pain in the parts where he was, especially in theperiosteums in the loins, and in the periosteums of the breast underthe diaphragm, and also in the interior of the teeth. While hissphere was operating it caused also great oppression in the stomach.5715. There once appeared a great quadrangular opening thatextended obliquely downward to a considerable depth. In the deepwas seen a round opening, which was then open but presently wasclosed. From it exhaled a dangerous heat, collected from varioushells, and arising from yearnings of various kinds, as fromarrogance, lewdness, adultery, hatred, revenge, quarrels, and fights,from which arise in the hells such heat as exhaled. When it acted