Page:The Other Life.djvu/124

 the sun in our sky, the clouds over our heads; the mountains or vales afar off; the forest with its green mantle; the river with its silver ripple. Our affections bring the vernal airs about us; our wisdom floods the atmosphere with light; our love of God kindles the sun; our love of the neighbor peoples our spheres with paradises and splendors; the spiritual truths in our own minds build our houses of precious stones, make the meadows green, and the stars visible, and the winds musical:

If each spirit creates or determines its own objective world around it, will there not be an endless confusion of forms and images, of sounds and colors? indeed, a perfect chaos?

Such, doubtless, would be the case, were it not for the laws of spiritual affinity by which the heavenly societies are organized. Spiritual affinities determine presence or absence in the other life. By the operation of this great force, the good and evil are separated after death. By its still further operation the good are distinguished into different orders and classes. Similar states of affection and thought attract each other, and they project or make visible similar representative ob-