In My Father’s House are Many Mansions (Chapter 1)

That there are in fact many Planes in the Spirit World is taught by Jesus in the Bible where He says: In my Father’s House are many Mansions. (John 14:2) Also in the Bible (Luke 16:19-31) Jesus tells the story of Lazarus and the Rich man. Lazarus is a beggar, full of sores, begging at the gate of a rich man. Lazarus dies and is carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom, or Paradise, and the rich man dies and goes to hell. From hell the rich man cries out to Abraham for help but he is unable to help him. Abraham points out that between them there is a great gulf fixed. Realizing the predicament he has got himself into the rich man is then concerned for his family back on earth so they don’t end up in hell also. He asks if one from the dead could be sent to warn them. Abraham points out that even if one rose from the dead they still wouldn’t be persuaded. You will notice on my chart entitled The Three-fold Paths of Life and Death there are a series of Higher and lower Planes. For most people these represent great gulfs which they cannot easily cross because of their varying states of consciousness or higher and lower frequencies. Concerning the divisions between the heavens Emanuel Swedenborg teaches: Chapter 5 vs. 29. There are three heavens, entirely distinct from each other, an inmost or third, a middle or second, and an outmost or first… 34. …Because in the angels of the inmost heaven the interiors have been opened in the third degree their perfection immeasurably surpasses the perfection of angels in the middle heaven, whose interiors have been opened in the second degree. So the perfection of these angels exceeds in like measure the perfection of angels of the outmost heaven. 35. Because of this distinction an angel of one heaven cannot go among the angels of another heaven, that is, no one can ascend from a lower heaven and no one can descend from a higher heaven… There were some from the outmost heaven who had not yet been taught that the interiors of angels are what constitute heaven, and who believed that they might come into a higher heavenly happiness by simply gaining access to a heaven where higher angels are. These were permitted to enter among such angels. But when they were there they could see no one, however much they searched, although there was a great multitude present; for the interiors of the newcomers not having been opened in the same degree as the interiors of the angels there, their sight was not so opened… Therefore they hastily betook themselves to the heaven from which they came, glad to get back among their like, and pledging themselves that they would no longer covet higher things than were in agreement with their life… It is otherwise when, as is often done, angels are raised up by the Lord out of a lower heaven into a higher that they may behold its glory; for then they are prepared beforehand, and are encompassed by intermediate angels, through whom they have communication with those they come among. From all this it is plain that the three heavens are entirely distinct from each other. Footnotes to Chapter 14: …The hells are at a distance from the heavens because they cannot bear the presence of Divine love from the Lord. For this reason the hells are very far away from the heavens, and this is the “great gulf.” (Heaven and its Wonders and Hell From Things Heard and Seen by Emanuel Swedenborg) It is however possible to cross these great gulfs so long as we are taught how, which means that no one needs to stay in hell or a lower Plane. Everyone eventually spiritually progresses up from the lower Planes to the higher Planes.

Come Together by  h.koppdelaney

These huge gulfs are symbolized by seeing a Sun, Moon, Star or Planet in the inner sky which creates the illusion of there being a huge gulf or distance between you and the higher World or higher Plane. Within the individual Planes I believe the angels, or more spiritually advanced spirits, dwell on higher ground symbolizing a higher Plane while less spiritually advanced spirits dwell on the lower ground, symbolizing the lower Planes. On this subject Emanuel Swedenborg teaches: Chapter 21 vs. 188. The angels of whom the Lord’s celestial kingdom consists dwell for the most part in elevated places that appear as mountains… the angels of whom the Lord’s spiritual kingdom consists dwell in less elevated places that appear like hills; while the angels in the lowest parts of heaven dwell in places that appear like ledges of stone. These things spring from correspondence, for interior things correspond to higher things, and exterior things to lower things. (Heaven and its Wonders and Hell From Things Heard and Seen by Emanuel Swedenborg) Therefore a basic rule is; travelling upwards leads towards Heaven, travelling downwards leads towards hell.