Our Book of life Its relation to our memories: interior and external

After death angels can help us see the quality of our lives as recorded in our memories by examining our body

“In disclosing his acts to a person after death, the angels to whom the office of searching is given then look into his face, and their search extends through the whole body…”

“… beginning with the fingers of one hand and the other…”

“… and thus proceeding through the whole.”

“As I wondered at this the reason was given, namely, that as the single things of the thought and will have been inscribed on the brain, for their beginnings are there, so have they likewise been inscribed on the whole body, since all things of the thought and the will extend from their beginnings and there terminate as in their ultimates.”

“And this is why the things that are inscribed on the memory from the will and consequent thought are inscribed not only on the brain, but also upon the whole person, and there, come into existence in order in accordance with the order of the parts of the body.” (HH 463)

Our interior memory is the source of a sphere that emanates from our spiritual body

“The things that belong to the interior memory manifest themselves in the next life by means of a certain sphere. From it the characters of spirits are recognized even at a distance, that is to say, the nature of their affection and convictions. That sphere is the product of the activity of things in the interior memory.” (AC 2489)

“[Angels told Sw that there is a] sphere of affections and of thoughts from them which encompasses each angel, by which his presence is made evident to others near and far. … [T]hat encompassing sphere … is from each and everything of his body, from which substances are constantly flowing out like a stream, and what flows out surrounds him.”

“Also [they said] that these substances, contiguous to his body, arouse the same activities in the atmospheres, since they are constantly moved by his life's two fountains of motion, the heart and the lungs….” (DLW 291)

What is the relationship between our interior memory and our exterior memory?

“During his lifetime a person is scarcely capable of knowing that he has an interior memory since the interior memory during that time acts almost as one with his exterior memory. In fact the ideas which comprise thought and belong to the interior memory flow into the contents of the exterior memory as into their own vessels and are joined together with them there.” (AC 2470)

interior ideas exterior ideas interior memory → exterior memory →

To the exterior memory belong… … all the expressions of earthly languages, also all the objects of the external senses, as well as all facts about the world. (AC 2471)

To the interior memory belong… “… the ideas embodied in the language that spirits use, which belong to [our] interior sight, and all rational things from whose ideas [our] thought itself is formed.” (AC 2471) “… the ideas and the ends-in-view relating to all the things which a person sees and hears, and for which he feels an affection….” (AC 2474)

“[A]fter death people use the interior memory, which has previously been part of their rational…. It is the rational, acquired by means of languages and learning, that these people after death think and speak from. … Affection is what gives life…. It is from affection that anyone thinks, and nobody thinks without it.” (AC 2480)

interior ideas exterior ideas interior memory → exterior memory → (“immaterial”) (“material”)

What the interior memory and exterior memory have in common

“[A]fter death a person loses nothing whatever of what has been in his memories, whether in the exterior or in the interior memory. Insomuch that nothing can possibly be thought of so small or so minute that the person does not have it with him.” (AC 2475)

“The interior memory is such therefore that it has written into it every detail, indeed every smallest detail, which the person has ever thought, said, or done, including those things which appeared to him in shadow, even the tiniest.” (AC 2474) [also DP 277; AC 9386]

exterior memory is quiescent after death

“… [T]he external or natural memory, as to those things that are material, is then quiescent, and only those things that a person has imbibed in the world by means of material things, and has made rational, come into use.” (HH 464)

what does “quiescent” mean? “Although the external or natural memory remains in a person after death, the merely natural things in it are not reproduced in the other life, but the spiritual things adjoined to the natural by correspondences. But when these [spiritual things] are present to the sight they appear in exactly the same form as they had in the natural world.” (HH 464)

How the memories are organized “All the interiors with a human being, which are of his understanding and will, are disposed in a form according to his ruling love (refs.).” (HD 62) “[The ruling love in a person] inflows into the particulars [of his mind] and arranges them, and everywhere induces a likeness of itself.” (HH 58)

“A person’s very life is from the internal self, which cannot have communication with the external, except a most obscure communication, until the receiving vessels that are of the memory have been formed, which is brought about by means of conceptual and factual knowledges. The influx of the internal self goes into the knowledges of the exterior self, affection being the means.”

“Meanwhile, before there are these knowledges, there is indeed a communication, but through affections alone, by which the external self is governed; but from this there exist only the most general motions, and certain appetites, also certain blind inclinations, such as show themselves in infants. But this life becomes by degrees more distinct in proportion as the vessels of the memory are formed by means of knowledges, and the vessels of the interior memory by means of rational things.”

“As these vessels are formed, and are arranged in series—and indeed in such series that they mutually regard each other, comparatively like relationships by blood and by marriage, or like societies and families—the correspondence of the external self with the internal is perfected by this, and still better is this done by means of rational things, which are intermediate.” (AC )

“[T]he order in which factual knowledges and truths are arranged in a person’s memory … is a wonderful order. They cohere as in little bundles, and the little bundles themselves cohere together, and this according to the connection of things which the person had conceived. These coherences are more wonderful than any one can ever believe. … The factual knowledges and truths are arranged into these fascicular forms solely by the person’s loves—into infernal forms by the loves of self and of the world, but into heavenly forms by love toward the neighbor and love to God.”

“Wherefore while the person is being regenerated, and conjunction is being effected of the good of the internal self with the truths of the external, a commotion takes place among the truths, for they then undergo a different arrangement. (AC 5881)

The factual knowledges in the natural [mind] have been disposed into continuous series. One series coheres with another, and in this way they all cohere together according to various affinities and close associations; and are circumstanced not unlike families and their generations, for one is born from another, and so they become productive. …

“… But the disposition of true factual knowledges in the natural varies with every person; for the ruling love induces a form on them, this love being in the midst, and setting in order everything around it. Those things which most agree with it, it sets next to itself, and everything else in order in accordance with their agreement. From this the factual knowledges have their form.”

“If heavenly love rules, then all things are disposed there by the Lord into the heavenly form, which form is like that of heaven, thus is the form of the good of love itself. Into this form truths are disposed, which, when so disposed, make one with good; and then when the one is called forth by the Lord, the other is called forth; that is to say, when the things of faith are called forth, so are those of charity, and the converse.” (AC 6690)

Levels of memory angelic memory spiritual/interior memory (interior natural memory) natural /exterior memory – active during life in world – taking form on exterior plane of world of spirits – based on ruling love – taking form on interior plane of world of spirits – based on ruling love – taking form on one of planes of heaven

“While people with whom love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor exist are living in the world they have angelic intelligence and wisdom with them and within them, but it is concealed in the inmost parts of their interior memory. This intelligence and wisdom cannot possibly be seen by them until they cast off bodily things. When they do so the memory of particulars… is put to sleep, and they are awakened to the interior memory, and gradually after that to angelic memory itself.” (AC 2494)

Do angels have memory? (!) [need to work on this section] “[A]lthough the angels do not care for past things, and are not solicitous about things to come, they nevertheless have the most perfect recollection of past things, and the most perfect mental view of things to come; because in all their present there are both the past and the future. Thus they have a more perfect memory than can ever be thought of or expressed. (AC 2493)