Heaven and Hell (Harley) n. 141

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141. THE FOUR QUARTERS IN HEAVEN

Both in heaven and in the world there are four quarters, east, south, west and north, determined in each world by its own sun, in heaven by the Sun of heaven which is the Lord, in the world by the sun of the world. Yet there are great differences between them; FIRST, that in the world, the south is said to be where the sun is in its greatest altitude above the earth, the north where it is in its opposite position beneath the earth, the east where it rises at the equinox, and the west where it then sets. Thus, in the world it is from the south that all the quarters are determined. In heaven, however, the quarter where the Lord appears as a Sun is said to be the east. Opposite to this is the west, on the right in heaven is the south and on the left there the north, and this in every turning of face and body. Thus, in heaven it is from the east that all the quarters are determined. It is said to be the east (oriens) where the Lord is seen as a Sun, because all origin (origo) of life is from Him as a Sun. Moreover, so far as angels receive heat and light or love and intelligence from Him, the Lord is said to arise (exoriri) upon them. For the same reason, in the Word the Lord is said to be the East# (Oriens). # In the highest sense the Lord is the East (Oriens), because He is the Sun of heaven, which is always in its rising and never in its setting (n. 101, 5097, 9668).


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