e spirit, or after death when he becomes a
spirit. On the other hand, an angel or a spirit is unable to see any
thing at all in the natural world unless he is with a man who is
permitted to speak with him. For the eyes of man are fitted to
receive the light of the natural world, and the eyes of angels and
spirits are fitted to receive the light of the spiritual world;
although the eyes of the two are exactly alike in appearance. That
the spiritual world is such the natural man cannot comprehend, and
least of all the sensual man, who believes nothing except what he
sees with his bodily eyes and touches with his hands, and therefore
takes in by sight and touch. As his thought is from such things it is
material and not spiritual. Such being the likeness between the
spiritual world and the natural world, man can hardly believe after
death that he is not in the world where he was born, and from which
he has departed. For this reason death is called simply a translation
from one world into another like it. (That the two worlds are thus
alike can be seen above, where representatives and appearances in
heaven have been treated of, n. 170-176.)

583. The heavens are in the higher parts of the spiritual world, the
world of spirits in the lower parts, and under both are the hells.
The heavens are visible to spirits in the world of spirits only when
their interior sight is opened; although they sometimes see them as
mists or as bright clouds. This is because the angels of heaven are
in an interior state in respect to intelligence and wisdom; and for
this reason they are above the sight of those who are in the world of
spirits. But spirits who dwell in the plains and valleys see one
another; and yet when they are separated there, which takes place
when they are let into their interiors, the evil spirits do not see
the good spirits; but the good spirits can see the evil spirits.
Nevertheless, the good spirits turn themselves away from the evil
spirits; and when spirits turn themselves away they become invisible.
But the hells are not seen because they are closed up. Only the
entrances, which are called gates, are seen when they are opened to
let in other like spirits. All the gates to the hells open from the
world of spirits, and none of them from heaven.

584. The hells are everywhere, both under the mountains, hills, and
rocks, and under the plains and valleys. The openings or gates to the
hells that are under the mountains,