IX.
THE FIRST STATE AFTER DEATH.
HERE are three states through which man passes after death, before he enters either heaven or hell. The first state is that of his exteriors; the second, that of his interiors; and the third, that of his preparation. These states are passed through in the world of spirits.
But there are some who do not pass through them; but immediately after death they are either taken up into heaven or cast into hell. They who are immediately taken up into heaven, are those who have been regenerated, and thus prepared for heaven, in the world. They who have become so regenerated and prepared that they need only to cast off natural defilements with the body, are immediately conveyed by the angels to heaven. I have seen them taken up soon after the hour of death.
But they who have been interiorly wicked, though to outward appearance good, and thus have filled their wickedness with deceit, and have used goodness as a means of deceiving, are immediately cast into hell. I have seen some such cast into hell directly after death,—one of the most deceitful, with his head downward and feet upward; and others in other ways.
There are also some, who immediately after death are cast into caverns, and are thus separated from those who are in the world of spirits, and are taken out thence and let in thither by turns. These are they who, under civil pretences, have dealt wickedly with the neighbor. But the latter and the former are few in comparison with those who are kept in the world of spirits, and there according to divine order are prepared for heaven or for hell.
As to what concerns the first state, which is the state of the exteriors, man comes into that immediately after death. Every man as to his spirit has exteriors and interiors. The exteriors of the spirit are those whereby he accommodates his body in the world, especially his face, speech and gestures, to consociation with others. But the interiors of the spirit are those which belong to his own proper will and consequent thought, which are rarely manifested in the face, the speech and the manner. For man is accustomed from infancy to assume the appearance of friendship, of benevolence and of sincerity, and to conceal thoughts of his own proper will. Hence from habit he assumes a moral and civil life in externals, whatever he may be in internals. In consequence of this habit, a man scarcely knows what his interiors are, nor does he pay any attention to them.
The first state of man after death is similar to his state in the world, because then in like manner he is in externals. He has also a similar face, similar speech, and a similar mind, thus a similar moral and civil life. In consequence of this, he is not aware but that he is still in the world, unless he adverts to those things which present themselves, and to those which were said to him by the angels when he was raised up, that he is now a spirit. Thus one life is continued into the other, and death is only the passage [from the natural to the spiritual world].
RECOGNITION OF FRIENDS IN THIS STATE.
Because the spirit of man recently departed from the world is such, therefore he is then recognized by his friends, and by those whom he had known in the world; for spirits recognize another, not only from his face and speech, but also from the sphere of his life when they come near him.
When any one in the other life thinks of another, he also brings the other's face before him in thought, and at the same time many of the circumstances of his life; and when he does this, the other becomes present as if he were sent for and called. This occurs in the spiritual world, from the fact that thoughts are there communicated, and that there are no spaces there such as exist in the natural world.
Hence it is that all, when they first come into the other life, are recognized by their friends, relations, and those with whom they were at all acquainted; and that they also converse together, and afterwards associate according to their friendship in the world. I have frequently heard that those who came from the world, rejoiced at seeing their friends again, and that their friends in turn rejoiced that they had come to them.
This is a common occurrence: that one married partner meets the other, and they mutually congratulate each other; they also remain together for a time, longer or shorter according to the delight that had attended their dwelling together in the world. Nevertheless, if love truly conjugial,—which is the conjunction of minds from heavenly love,—had not conjoined them, after remaining together for some time, they are separated. But if their minds had been discordant, and they interiorly had an aversion to each other, they break out into open enmity, and sometimes actually quarrel; notwithstanding which, they are not separated until they enter the second state which will be treated of in what presently follows.
WONDERINGS, ANXIETIES, INTERNALS, ETC.
Because the life of spirits recently deceased is not unlike their life in the natural world, and because they know nothing about the state of their life after death, nor about heaven and hell, except what they have learned from the sense of the letter of the Word, and preaching thence,—therefore after wondering at finding themselves in a body, and in the enjoyment of every sense which they had in the world, and at beholding similar objects, they are seized with a desire to know what heaven and hell are, and where they are situated.
Therefore they are instructed by their friends concerning the state of eternal life, and are likewise led about to various places, and into various companies. Some are taken into cities, and also into gardens and paradises, generally to magnificent things, since such things delight the externals in which they are. They are then brought by turns into their own thoughts, which they had entertained in the life of the body about the state of the soul after death, and about heaven and hell, until they feel indignant that they should have been entirely ignorant of such things, and likewise at the ignorance of the church.
Almost all are anxious to know whether they shall go to heaven. Most of them believe they shall, because in the world they have led a moral and civil life; not considering that the evil and the good lead a similar life in externals, alike doing good to others, frequenting churches, listening to sermons, and engaging in prayer; not being at all aware that external acts and the externals of worship are of no avail, but the internals from which externals proceed.
Out of some thousands, scarcely one knows what internals are, and that man has heaven and the church in these; and still less do they know that external acts are such as the intentions and thoughts are, and the love and faith therein, from which the acts proceed. And when they are instructed, they do not comprehend how thinking and willing can be of any avail, but only speaking and acting. Such are most of those who, at the present day, enter the other life from the Christian world.
Nevertheless they are examined by good spirits as to their character, and this by various methods; since in this first state the evil as well as the good speak truths and do good deeds, because,—as stated above,—they also have led an outwardly moral life; since they have lived under governments and in subjection to laws, and since they have thereby acquired the reputation of being just and sincere, have secured favor, been exalted to honors, and obtained wealth.
But evil spirits are distinguished from the good especially by this circumstance, that they attend eagerly to what is said about external things, and give but little heed to what is said about internal things, which are the truths and goods of heaven and the church. They hear these things indeed, but not with attention and gladness. They are also distinguished by this: that they frequently turn themselves toward certain quarters, and, when left to themselves, walk in the ways which tend in those directions. From the quarters toward which they turn, and the ways in which they go, the quality of the love that leads them is known.
All the spirits who arrive from the world, are indeed connected with some society in heaven or in hell, but only as to their interiors. But the interiors are not manifested so long as they remain in their exteriors, for external things cover and conceal things internal, especially with those who are in interior evil. But afterwards they appear plainly when they come into the second state, because their interiors are then opened and their exteriors laid asleep.
This first state of man after death continues with some for days, with some for months, and with some for a year, but seldom with any for more than a year. In each instance the duration is shorter or longer according to the agreement or disagreement of the interiors with the exteriors. For with every one the exteriors and interiors must act in unity, and must correspond. It is not allowable for any one in the spiritual world to think and will in one way, and to speak and act in another. Every one there must be the image of his own affection, or of his own love; so that what he is in his interiors, he must be in his exteriors. The exteriors of a spirit are therefore first uncovered and reduced to order, that they may serve as a plane corresponding to the interiors. (H. H. 491-498.)