1. When they are deceased and live again as to the spirit, which is generally brought about on the third day after the heart has stopped beating, they appear to themselves in a body like the one they were in before in the world, so much like it that they do not know otherwise than that they are living in the previous world. They are not, however, in a material body, but in a spiritual body, presenting to their senses, which also are spiritual, the appearance of being like what is material, although this is not the case.

[2] 2. A few days later they see that they are in a world where various societies have been established. This world is called the world of spirits, and it is midway between heaven and hell. All the societies there, which are innumerable, are arranged wonderfully in accordance with the natural affections, good and evil. The societies arranged in accordance with the good natural affections are in communication with heaven, and the societies arranged in accordance with the evil affections are in communication with hell.

[3] 3. The newly arrived spirit or spiritual man is conducted and conveyed into the various societies, both good and evil, and examined to find out whether and in what way he is affected by truths, or whether and in what way he is affected by untruths.

[4] 4. If he is affected by truths, he is led away from the evil societies and into the good ones, and is also led into various societies until he comes into the one corresponding to his own natural affection, and there he has the enjoyment of the good agreeing with that affection; and this continues until he has put off the natural affection and put on a spiritual one, and he is then raised into heaven. But this takes place with those who in the world have lived a life of charity, and thus also a life of faith, and this implies their having believed in the Lord and shunned evils as sins.

[5] 5. Because those, however, who in doctrine and life have confirmed themselves in faith even to justification by it alone, are not affected by truths but by untruths, and because they have rejected the goods of charity that are good works from being a means of salvation, they are led away from the good societies and into the evil ones, and are also led into various societies until they come into the one corresponding to the lusts of their own love. For he who loves untruths cannot do otherwise than love evils.

[6] 6. But because in the world they have pretended to good affections in the externals, although in their internals they were nothing but affections of evil or lusts, they are at first kept by turns in the externals; and those who in the world have presided over meetings are set in authority here and there in the world of spirits over societies in general or in part in accordance with the importance of the duties they had discharged. Because, however, they neither love truth nor justice, and are not capable of being enlightened so as to know what truth and justice are, after some days they are therefore dismissed. I have seen such persons transported from one society to the next and an administrative post given them wherever they might be, but in ever case after a short while they were dismissed.

[7] 7. After repeated refusals, some out of weariness will not, others for fear of losing reputation dare not, solicit executive offices any more. Therefore they withdraw and sit about in sadness, and are then led away into a lonely place where there are huts. They enter these, and some work is given them to do there, and as they do it they receive food. If they do not do this they are hungry and do not receive any, and by this means necessity compels [them to work]. The foods there are like those in our world, but they come from a spiritual origin and are given by the Lord out of heaven to all in accordance with the uses they perform. They are not given to the idle, because they are useless.

[8] 8. After a while they loathe work, and then they go out of the huts; and if they have been priests they want to erect a building, and instantly there appear piles of hewn stones, of bricks, of wooden posts and boards, also heaps made up of reeds and rushes, of clay, lime, and pitch. When they see these, they are inflamed by an inordinate lust for building, and start constructing a house by taking now a stone, then wood, now a reed, then some mud, and they place the one upon the other in disorder, yet in their sight well ordered. But what they build by day falls apart at night, and on the day following they gather up some of the fallen rubble and build again, and they go on doing this until they are tired of building. This comes to pass because they have brought untruths together to confirm salvation by faith alone, and those untruths do not build a Church in any other way.

[9] 9. Afterwards from weariness they go away and sit about lonely and idle; and because, as was said, food out of heaven is not given to the idle, they begin to be hungry and to think of nothing else but how they are going to get food and appease their hunger. When they are in this condition some persons come to them from whom they beg alms; and they say, 'Why do you sit idle like this? Come into our houses with us, and we will give you work to do, and feed you.' Whereupon they get up joyfully and go off with these into their houses, and there each has his work given him, and food for his work. But because all who have confirmed themselves in untruths of faith are unable to do works of good use, but [do works] of evil use-and they do not do these faithfully, but only for the sake of appearances on account of honour or gain-they therefore give up their works and love only a round of talking, walking about, and sleeping. And then because they cannot any longer be persuaded by the householders to work, they are for that reason cast out as useless.

[10] 10. When they have been cast out they have their eyes opened and they see a path going towards a certain cave, the entrance to which is opened when they get there. And they enter and ask if there is any food there, and when a reply is given that there is food there they beg leave to stay there, and it is said that they may do so. And they are led in, and the entrance is closed behind them. And then the officer in charge of that cave comes and says to them, 'You cannot go out any more. Behold your comrades! They all labour, and as they labour food is given them out of heaven. I am telling you this so that you may know.' And the comrades also say, 'Our officer in charge knows what work each is fitted for, and every day he imposes such work on each one. Every day you finish it food is given you, but if you do not, neither food nor clothing is given. And if one does evil to his fellow, he is thrown towards a corner of the cave into a certain bed of accursed dust where he is miserably tortured, and this goes on till the officer in charge sees a sign of repentance on his part, whereupon he is released and commanded to do his work.' in addition he is told that after his work every one is allowed to walk about, to converse, and afterwards to sleep. And he is conducted further into the cave, where there are harlots from among whom each one is permitted to take one to be his woman, and promiscuous whoredom is forbidden under a penalty. [11] Of such caves, which are nothing but eternal workhouses, the entire hell consists. For the purpose of making it known, it has been granted me to enter some of them and see and all the people seemed worthless, and not one of them knew who, or in what office, he had been in the world. But the angel who was with me told me: In the world this one had been a servant, this a soldier, this a governor, this a priest, this one in dignity, that one in wealth. And yet they all know no otherwise than that they have been slaves like their comrades. This is because they had been interiorly alike although exteriorly unlike, and the Interiors associate all in the spiritual world. Such is the lot of those who have set aside a life of charity, and consequently have not lived that life in the world.

[12] Regarding the hells in general, they consist purely of such caves and workhouses, but of dissimilar ones where the satans and where the devils are. The satans are those who have been in untruths and the evils therefrom, while the devils are those who have been in evils and the untruths therefrom. The satans appear in the light of heaven as corpses, and some of them black like a mummy; and the devils appear in the light of heaven duskily burnt, and some of them jet black like soot; but all of them with monstrous faces and bodies. In their own light, however, which resembles the light of a coal fire, they appear not as monsters but as men. This has been granted them so that they might be able to associate.