63. 1 THEY WHO ARE IN FAITH SEPARATED FROM CHARITY, ARE MEANT IN THE WORD BY GOATS. THIS IS SHOWN FROM EXPERIENCE IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD. In the spiritual world there appear all the things which are seen in the natural world. There appear houses and palaces; paradises and gardens, and in them all kinds of trees; fields and fallow lands, also plains and shrubberies, and likewise herds and flocks: all exactly resembling those which are upon our earth. Nor is there any difference between them, except that the latter are from a natural origin, and the former from a spiritual origin. Therefore, angels, because they are spiritual, see those objects which are from a spiritual origin, just as men see those which are from a natural origin.
[2] All the things which appear in the spiritual world are correspondences; for they correspond to the affections of the angels and spirits. For this reason they who are in the affection of good and truth, and consequently in wisdom and intelligence, dwell in magnificent palaces, surrounded by paradises full of trees which are correspondent; and around these again are fields and meadows where flocks repose; and these are appearances. But with those who are in evil affections, there are correspondences of an opposite character. Those spirits are either in the hells, where they are confined in workhouses without windows, but in which nevertheless there is light (lumen) like that from an ignis fatuus; or they are in desert places and live in huts, round about which all things are barren, where there are serpents, dragons, owls and many other things which correspond to their evils.
[3] Between heaven and hell there is an intermediate place, which is called the world of spirits. To this comes every one immediately after death; and here spirits have intercourse with one another similar to the intercourse which men have with each other upon earth. All things which appear there also are correspondences. There appear there likewise gardens, groves, woods with trees and shrubs, and also fields flower-decked and green; and at the same time animals of various kinds, tame and wild, all according to their correspondence with the affections of the spirits. There I have often seen sheep and goats, and also combats between them, similar to that combat which is described in Daniel chapter viii.
[4] I have seen goats with horns bent forwards, and bent backwards; and I have seen them rush furiously upon the sheep. I have seen goats with two horns with which they violently struck the sheep; and when I looked to see what was the matter, I saw some spirits disputing with one another about charity and faith. From this it was plain that faith separated from charity was what appeared like a goat: and that charity from which faith proceeds was what appeared like a sheep. As I have witnessed such scenes frequently, it has been given me to know with certainty that they who are in faith separated from charity are meant in the Word by goats.
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