that there is a like correspondence of the pulse and respiration of man's
spirit with the pulse and respiration of his body, - for, as was said, his
mind is his spirit, - consequently, when the two pairs of motions cease to
correspond, separation takes place, which is death. Separation or death
ensues when from any kind of disease or accident the body comes into such
a state as to be unable to act in unison with its spirit, for thus
correspondence perishes, and with it conjunction; not, however, when
respiration alone ceases, but when the heart's pulsation ceases. For so
long as the heart is moved, love with its vital heat remains and preserves
life, as is evident in cases of swoon and suffocation, and in the condition
of fetal life in the womb. In a word, man's bodily life depends on the
correspondence of its pulse and respiration with the pulse and respiration
of his spirit; and when that correspondence ceases, the bodily life ceases,
and his spirit departs and continues its life in the spiritual world,
which is so similar to his life in the natural world that he does not know
that he has died. Men generally enter the spiritual world two days after
the death of the body. For I have spoken with some after two days.

391. That a spirit, as well as a man on earth in the body enjoys a pulse
and a respiration, can only be proved by spirits and angels themselves,
when privilege is granted to speak with them. This privilege has been
granted to me. When questioned about the matter they declared that they
are just as much men as those in the world are, and possess a body as well
as they, but a spiritual body, and feel the beat of the heart in the
chest, and the beat of the arteries in the wrist, just as men do in the
natural world. I have questioned many about the matter, and they all gave
like answer. That man's spirit respires within his body has been granted
me to learn by personal experience. On one occasion angels were allowed to
control my respiration, and to diminish it at pleasure, and at length to
withdraw it, until only the respiration of my spirit remained, which I
then perceived by sense. A like experience was granted me when permitted
to learn the state of the dying (as may be seen in the work on Heaven and
Hell, n. 449). I have sometimes been brought into the respiration of my
spirit only, which I have then sensibly perceived to be in accord with
the common respiration of heaven. Also many times I have been in a s