the years of our Earth.  It is of the Lord’s Providence that they die within such a short space of time, lest the number of men should increase beyond what that earth can support.  And as, when they have completed those years, they do not suffer themselves to be led by spirits and angels, like those who have not yet completed them, spirits and angels seldom attend those who have passed that age.  They also come to maturity sooner than on our Earth.  They also contract marriages in the first flower of early manhood, and then their delights consist in loving their conjugial partners and taking care of their children.  Other delights they indeed call delights, but relatively external ones.

THE EARTH OR PLANET MARS, AND ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS.

85.  Of all the spirits who come from the earths of this solar system, those of Mars are the best, being for the most part celestial men, not unlike those who were of the Most Ancient Church on this Earth[gg].  When they are represented as to their quality, they are represented with the face in heaven and the body in the world of spirits; and those of them who are angels are represented with the face towards the Lord and the body in heaven.

[Footnote gg:  The first and Most Ancient Church on this earth was a celestial church, which was the chief of all, concerning which, see nos. 607, 895, 920, 1121, 1122, 1123, 1124, 2896, 4493, 8891, 9942, 10545.  A church is called celestial wherein love to the Lord is the principal thing, but spiritual wherein the principal thing is charity towards the neighbour, and faith, nos. 3691, 6435, 9468, 9680, 9683, 9780.]

86.  In the idea of spirits and angels, the planet Mars, like the planets elsewhere, appears constantly in its own place, which is to the left in front, at some distance, in the plane of the breast, and thus outside of the sphere where the spirits of our Earth are.  The spirits of one earth are separated from those of another, because the spirits of each earth have relation to some particular province in the Grand Man[f]; and are, therefore, in other and different states; and this diversity of state causes them to appear separate from each other, either to the right or to the left, at a greater or lesser distance[hh].

[Footnote hh:  Distances in the other life are real appearances, which are exhibited to the sight by the Lord, according to the states of the interiors of angels and spirits, nos. 5604, 9104, 9440, 10146.]

87.  Spirits from thence came to me, and applied themselves to my left temple, where they breathed their speech upon me, but I did not understand it.  As to its flow it was very soft:  I had never before perceived any softer; it was like a very gentle breeze.  It breathed first upon the left temple, and upon the upper part of the left ear; the breathing proceeded thence to the left eye, and by degrees to the right, and flowed down afterwards, especially from the left