Divine Love and Wisdom (Harleys) n. 270

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270. (v) All evils and consequent falsities, both engendered and acquired, have their seat in the natural mind. Evils and the consequent falsities reside in the natural mind, because that mind is, in form or image, a world, while the spiritual mind is, in form or image, a heaven, and in heaven evil cannot be entertained. Wherefore the spiritual mind has not been opened from birth but is only in the potentiality of being opened. The natural mind also derives its form in part from substances of the natural world, but the spiritual mind only from substances of the spiritual world. This mind is preserved in its integrity by the Lord so that man may become a man, for he is born an animal, but becomes a man. The natural mind with all its belongings is bent back into gyres from right to left, but the spiritual mind into gyres from left to right. Thus those minds are in contrary direction to one another-an indication that evil resides in the natural mind, and that from itself it acts against the spiritual mind. Further, the gyration from right to left is turned downwards, thus towards hell, but the gyration from left to right tends upwards, thus towards heaven. That such is the case was made clear to me by this experience, that an evil spirit can gyrate his body only from right to left, not from left to right, while a good spirit can gyrate his body from right to left only with difficulty, but with ease from left to right. The gyration follows the flow of the interiors which belong to the mind.


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