Note (return) — THE EARTH OR PLANET JUPITER, AND ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS.

87. Spirits from thence came to me, and applied themselves to my left temple, where they breathed their speech upon me, but I did not understand it. As to its flow it was very soft: I had never before perceived any softer; it was like a very gentle breeze. It breathed first upon the left temple, and upon the upper part of the left ear; the breathing proceeded thence to the left eye, and by degrees to the right, and flowed down afterwards, especially from the left eye, to the lips; and when at the lips it entered through the mouth, and through a way within the mouth, and, indeed, through the Eustachian tube, into the brain. When the breathing arrived there, I understood their speech, and was enabled to speak with them. When they spoke with me, I observed that my lips were moved, and my tongue also slightly, which was owing to the correspondence of interior with exterior speech. Exterior speech is that of articulate sound which impinges upon the external membrane of the ear, and it is conveyed from thence, by means of the small organs, membranes, and fibres, which are within the ear, to the brain. From these facts it was given me to know that the speech of the inhabitants of Mars was different from that of the inhabitants of our Earth, in that it is not sonorous, but almost tacit, insinuating itself into the interior hearing and sight by a shorter way; and that, being such, it was more perfect, and fuller of the ideas of thought, thus approaching nearer to the speech of spirits and angels. Among them the very affection of the speech is also represented in the face, and its thought in the eyes; for with them thought and speech, and affection and the face, act in unity. They account it infamous to think one thing and speak another, and to will one thing and show another in the face. They know not what hypocrisy is, nor fraudulent simulation and deceit. The same kind of speech prevailed amongst the Most Ancient inhabitants of our Earth, as it has been given me to learn by conversation with some of them in the other life; and to elucidate this subject I may relate what I have heard respecting it, as follows: "It was shown me by an influx which I cannot describe, what was the character of the speech which prevailed amongst those who were of the Most Ancient Churchgg. It was not articulate, like the vocal speech of our time, but tacit, being effected, not by external, but by internal respiration, consequently it was a cogitative speech. It was given me also to apperceive the character of their internal respiration. It proceeded from the navel towards the heart, and so through the lips without sound when they spoke. It did not enter the ear of another by an external way, and strike upon what is called the drum of the ear, but by a certain internal way, and indeed by what at this day is called the Eustachian tube. It was shown me, that by such speech they could express the feelings of the mind (animus), and the ideas of thought, much more fully than can possibly be done by articulate sounds or audible expressions, which speech is likewise directed by respiration, but external; for there is not a vocal sound, yea, there is nothing in a vocal sound, which is not directed by applications of the respiration. But with them this was done much more perfectly, because by the internal respiration, which, because more interior, is also more perfect, and more applicable and conformable to the very ideas of thought; besides, [it is done] also by slight motions of the lips, and corresponding changes of the face; for, as they were celestial men, whatever they thought shone forth from their face and eyes, which were conformably varied, the face as to form according to the life of the affection, and the eyes as to light. It was quite impossible for them to present a countenance which was not in agreement with their thoughts. As their speech was effected by internal respiration, which is that of the human spirit itself, they could have communion with angels, and speak with them." The respiration of the spirits of Mars was also communicated to meii, and it was perceived that it proceeded from the region of the chest towards the navel, and thence flowed upwards through the breast, with an imperceptible breathing (halitus) towards the mouth. From these facts, and also from other experiential proofs, it was made evident to me that they were of a celestial genius, consequently, that they were not unlike those who belonged to the Most Ancient Church on this earth.