223. That I might learn about their meetings in temples, I have been permitted at times to attend and to hear the preaching. The preacher stands in a pulpit at the east. Those who are in the light of wisdom more than others sit in front of him, those who are in less light, to the right and left of these. They recline in the form of a circle, so that all are within the preacher's view, no one being at either side so as to be out of his view. At the door, which is at the east of the temple on the left of the pulpit, stand those who are being initiated. No one is permitted to stand behind the pulpit; if there is anyone there, the preacher is confused. It is the same if anyone in the congregation dissents, for which reason he must turn away his face. The preachings are made with such wisdom that they are not comparable with those in the world, for they are in the heavens in an interior light. The temples in the spiritual kingdom seem to be of stone and those in the celestial kingdom of wood. The reason for this is that stone corresponds to truth, in which are those in the spiritual kingdom, while wood corresponds to good# in which are those who are in the celestial kingdom. In that kingdom the buildings are not called temples but houses of God. In the celestial kingdom they are without magnificence, but in the spiritual kingdom they are more or less magnificent. # "Stone" signifies truth (n. 114, 643, 1298, 3720, 6426, 8609, 10376). "Wood" signifies good (n. 643, 3720, 8354). On this account the most ancient people, who were in celestial good, had sacred buildings of wood (n. 3720).