m gladness and
cheerfulness. These spirits appear near to the stomach, some to the
left and some to the right of it, and some beneath and some above,
also nearer and more remote, thus variously in accordance with their
affections. That this is the source of anxiety of mind has been shown
and proved to me by much experience. I have seen these spirits, I
have heard them, I have felt the anxieties arising from them, and I
have talked with them; when they have been driven away the anxiety
ceased; when they returned the anxiety returned; and I have noted the
increase and decrease of it according to their approach and removal.
From this it has been made clear to me why some who do not know what
conscience is, because they have no conscience, ascribe its pangs to
the stomach.{1}

{Footnote 1} Those who have no conscience do not know what
conscience is (n. 7490, 9121). There are some who laugh at
conscience when they hear what it is (n. 7217). Some believe
that conscience is nothing; some that it is something natural
that is sad and mournful, arising either from causes in the
body or from causes in the world; some that it is something
that the common people get from their religion (n. 206, 831,
950; [TCR n. 665]). There is true conscience, spurious
conscience, and false conscience (n. 1033). Pain of conscience
is an anxiety of mind on account of what is unjust, insincere,
or in any respect evil, which man believes to be against God
and against the good of the neighbor (n. 7217). Those have
conscience who are in love to God and in charity towards the
neighbor, but those who are not so have no conscience (n. 831,
965, 2380, 7490).

300. The conjunction of heaven with man is not like the conjunction
of one man with another, but the conjunction is with the interiors of
man's mind, that is, with his spiritual or internal man; although
there is a conjunction with his natural or external man by means of
correspondences, which will be described in the next chapter where
the conjunction of heaven with man by means of the Word will be
treated of.

301. It will also be shown in the next chapter that the conjunction
of heaven with the human race and of the human race with heaven is
such that one has its permanent existence with the other.

302. I have talked with angels about the conjunction of heaven with
the human race, saying that while the man of the church declares that
all good is from God,