AR 857 - The Temple of Wisdom

The TEMPLE OF WISDOM comes up several times,
but I think this is the first visit recorded.
Sorry so long, even after chopping up, but it is a beautiful event.

AR 857
Awaking one morning from sleep,
I saw two angels descending out of heaven,
one from the southern quarter of heaven
and the other from the eastern quarter of heaven,
both in chariots to which white horses were harnessed.
The chariot in which the angel from the southern quarter of heaven
was conveyed, shone like silver,
and the chariot in which the angel from the eastern quarter of heaven
was conveyed, shone like gold;
and the reins which they held in their hands were refulgent
as from the flamy light of the dawn.
Thus these two angels were seen by me at a distance;
but when they came nearer, they did not appear in a chariot,
but in their angelic form which is human.
He who came from the eastern quarter of heaven,
was clad in a bright purple garment,
and he who came from the southern quarter of heaven
in a garment of hyacinthine blue.
When they were below under the heavens,
they ran to meet each other, as if they strove which should be first,
and mutually embraced and kissed each other.
I heard that these two angels, when they lived on earth,
had been conjoined in interior friendship;
but now one was in the eastern heaven and the other in the southern heaven.
In the eastern heaven are they who are in love from the Lord;
but in the southern heaven are they who are in wisdom from the Lord.

[2] When they had spoken some time about the magnificence of their heavens,
this came up in their discourse,
whether heaven in its essence is love, or whether it is wisdom.
They immediately agreed that one is of the other,
but discussed which was the original. . . .

[4] After these two angels were gone out of my sight,
I saw a certain garden on my right hand,
in which were olive trees, vines, fig trees, laurels, and palm trees,
planted in order, according to correspondence.
I looked into the garden, and saw angels and spirits
walking and conversing together among the trees;
and then a certain angelic spirit observed me.
They are called angelic spirits,
who in the world of spirits are prepared for heaven,
and afterwards become angels.
That spirit came out of the garden towards me, and said,
"Will you come with me into our paradise,
and you shall hear and see wonderful things."
And I went with him, and then he said to me,
"Those whom you see (for there were many)
are all in the affection of truth, and thence in the light of wisdom.
Here also is a building which we call the TEMPLE OF WISDOM;
but no one sees it who believes himself very wise,
much less he who believes himself wise enough,
and still less he who believes himself wise from himself;
the reason is, because such persons are not
in the reception of the light of heaven from the affection of genuine wisdom.
Genuine wisdom consists in a person's seeing from the light of heaven,
that the things which he knows, understands, and is wise in,
are so little respectively to what he does not know, understand,
and is wise in, as a drop to the ocean, consequently scarcely anything.
Everyone who is in this paradisal garden,
and acknowledges in himself from perception and sight
that his own wisdom is so little comparatively, sees that temple of wisdom,
for interior light enables him to see it, but not exterior light without it."

[6] The angelic spirit entered with me, to whom I related
what I heard from the two angels concerning love and wisdom,
as also concerning charity and faith.
And he then said, "Did they not speak of a third also?"
I said, "What third?"
He replied, "It is Use: love and wisdom without use are not anything:
they are only ideal entities;
nor do they become real before they are in use:
for love, wisdom, and use, are three things which cannot be separated.
If they are separated, neither is anything.
Love is not anything without wisdom,
but in wisdom it is formed for something.
This something for which it is formed, is use.
Therefore, when love through wisdom is in use,
it is then something; yea, it then first exists.
They are altogether as the end, the cause, and the effect.
The end is not anything, unless through the cause it is in the effect.
If one of the three is loosed, the whole is loosed,
and becomes as nothing.
It is similar with charity, faith, and works.

[7] As it is in this, so it is in each and every created thing;
they are terminated in their third.
Hence now it is, that three in the Word,
spiritually understood, signifies complete and altogether.

[11] There are two things which make life, love and wisdom;
or what is the same, the good of love and the truth of wisdom.
These flow in from God, and are received by a person,
and are felt in the person as in him;
and because they are felt by him as in him,
they also proceed as from him.
It is given by the Lord,
that they should be thus felt by the person,
in order that what flows in may affect him,
and so be received and remain.
But because all evil also flows in, not from God, but from hell,
and this is received with enjoyment,
because a person was born such an organ,
therefore no more of good is received from God,
than there is of evil removed by the person as of himself;
which is done by repentance,
and at the same time by faith in the Lord.