41.  After the Lord had appeared, some were led towards the front parts to the right, and as they advanced, they said that they saw a light much clearer and purer than they had ever seen before, and that a greater light could not possibly be seen:  and it was then the time of evening here.  Those who said this were many[t].

[Footnote t:  In the heavens there is great light, which exceeds, by many degrees, the noon-day light on earth, nos. 1117, 1521, 1533, 1619-1632, 4527, 5400, 8644.  All light in the heavens is from the Lord as the Sun there, nos. 1053, 1521, 3195, 3341, 3636, 3643, 4415, 9548, 9684, 10809.  The Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Good of the Lord’s Divine Love appears in the heavens as light and constitutes all the light there, nos. 3195, 3222, 5400, 8644, 9399, 9548, 9684.  The light of heaven illuminates both the sight and the understanding of the angels, nos. 2776, 3138.  Heaven being said to be in light and heat, signifies in wisdom and in love, nos. 3643, 9399, 9401.]

42.  It should be known that the sun of the world does not appear at all to any spirit, nor does anything of the light from it.  The light of this sun is, to spirits and angels, like thick darkness.  This sun remains in the perception with spirits only from their having seen it when they were in the world, and it is exhibited to them in idea as an exceedingly dark something, and situated behind at a considerable distance, at a little height above the plane of the head.  The planets which are within the system of this sun appear according to a fixed situation in respect to the sun:  Mercury appears behind, a little towards the right; the planet Venus to the left, a little backwards; the planet Mars to the left in front; the planet Jupiter likewise to the left in front, but at a greater distance; the planet Saturn directly in front, at a considerable distance; the Moon to the left, at a moderate height:  the satellites also appear to the left relatively to their own planets.  Such is the situation of these planets in the ideas of spirits and angels.  Spirits also appear near their own planet, but apart from it.  With regard to the spirits of Mercury in particular, they do not appear in any particular quarter, or at any particular distance, but they appear sometimes in front, sometimes to the left, sometimes a little to the back; the reason is, that they are allowed to wander through the universe for the purpose of procuring knowledges.

43.  Some spirits of Mercury once appeared to the left in a globe, and afterwards in a compact body (volumen) extending itself lengthwise.  I wondered whither they were bent, whether to this or to some other earth, and I soon observed that they turned towards the right, and, rolling along, approached the earth or planet Venus towards the quarter in front.  But when they reached it, they said that they would not remain there, because the inhabitants were evil; wherefore they turned round to the back part of that