six sons, whom he recognized, and have seen many others with their relatives and friends; but having from their life in the world diverse dispositions, after a short time they separate.  But those who have passed from the world of spirits into heaven or into hell, unless they have a like disposition from a like love, no longer see or know each other.  The reason that they see each other in the world of spirits, but not in heaven or in hell, is that those who are in the world of spirits are brought into one state after another, like those they experienced in the life of the body; but afterwards all are brought into a permanent state in accord with their ruling love, and in that state one recognizes another only by similarity of love; for then similarity joins and dissimilarity disjoins (see above, n. 41-50).

428.  As the world of spirits is an intermediate state between heaven and hell with man, so it is an intermediate place with the hells below and the heavens above.  All the hells are shut towards that world, being open only through holes and clefts like those in rocks and through wide openings that are so guarded that no one can come out except by permission, which is granted in cases of urgent necessity (of which hereafter).  Heaven, too, is enclosed on all sides; and there is no passage open to any heavenly society except by a narrow way, the entrance to which is also guarded.  These outlets and entrances are what are called in the Word the gates and doors of hell and of heaven.

429.  The world of spirits appears like a valley between mountains and rocks, with windings and elevations here and there.  The gates and doors of the heavenly societies are visible to those only who are prepared for heaven; others cannot find them.  There is one entrance from the world of spirits to each heavenly society, opening through a single path which branches out in its ascent into several.  The gates and doors of the hells also are visible only to those who are about to enter, to whom they are then opened.  When these are opened gloomy and seemingly sooty caverns are seen tending obliquely downwards to the abyss, where again there are many doors.  Through these caverns nauseous and fetid stenches exhale, which good spirits flee from because they abominate them, but evil spirits seek for them because they delight in them.  For as everyone in the world has been delighted with his own evil, so after death he is delighted with the stench to which his evil corresponds.  In this respect the evil may be likened to rapacious birds and beasts, like ravens, wolves, and swine, which fly or run to carrion or dunghills when they scent their stench.  I heard a certain spirit crying out loudly as if from inward torture when struck by a breath flowing forth from heaven; but he became tranquil and glad as soon as a breath flowing forth from hell reached him.