Part 3
Atmospheres are the active forces; waters are the middle forces, and earths the passive forces from which all effects exist. This however must be understood spiritually - goods, truths, and uses - for these are Divine qualities that sustain angles and spirits life in Heaven and the spiritual world. From these atmospheres, waters, and earths it is seen that germination, growth, thus the production of uses by which natural life is given to the man on earth. These three forces in their series are due solely to life which proceeded from the Lord as the sun. In the natural world one sees these forces in sustaining life. Example: Because of the atmospheres a man 'as it were' breathes or has life; because of water and earth there is propagation and growth here in the natural world. Yet, it is of the Divine substances which are that of love that these dead and inert substances appear to live. However, it is the Divine substances proceeding from the Heavenly sun that is life with angels and spirits and so with man himself. The question might well be what then is water and earth in the spiritual world? Since atmospheres are the substances in infinite verities of Divine love and Divine wisdom and the active force or are that what the celestial and spiritual world is formed from, then by waters are that of the spiritual of man, the intellectual things of man or the understanding. By earths in Heaven is signified the Church in which the Lord dwells with and in as in the will and thus, forms the celestial of man. However, in order to see this one must be enlightened by the Lord and have the knowledge of correspondences.
Still, in any ability to understand creation a knowledge of the degrees - of altitude or discrete and latitude or continuous - mentioned is needed. For in both worlds one sees objects and subjects the same as if there were nothing else except what is seen with the eye. Yet, today, anyone knows he sees only of one to a thousandth of what is. These hidden or unseen things are called interior things and are not patent and, therefore, cannot be uncovered unless a knowledge of degrees is known. In passing from exteriors into interiors and on into intimates are the degrees of altitude or of discrete. Through such there is a prior, posterior, and postreme or end, cause, and effect. Discrete degrees are degrees that 'as it were' stand by themselves - such as celestial, spiritual and natural, but yet make one in that they are all of the Lord. While continuous degrees are as from lighter to darker as from the sun outward. These continuous degrees are in within each the discrete degrees.
With discrete degrees that are one like end, cause, and effect the end produces the cause through which comes the effect that the end might exist. In all things in the world there is a trine dimension called composites of degrees of altitude or discrete degrees. This can be seen in the human body. Example: the muscles of the body consists of least fibers and these put together in fascicles are the larger fibers called motor fibers and these are compounded into muscles. They are discrete one from another, yet are one. This is also the same with the vegetable and mineral kingdoms. One can see, here, how discrete degrees are circumstanced, that the second comes from the first, and the third from the second, it being a composite; and each degree discreded from the other.
We can thus conclude the same with things that do not appear before the eyes such as the organic substances which are receptacles and dwellings of thoughts and affections in the brains. And, so on into the atmosphere, the heat and light, and with love and wisdom, which are the spiritual receptacles of the spiritual and celestial man or angels. For, as we have shown, the atmospheres are the receptacles of Divine heat and light, or of love and wisdom. Thus, atmospheres, heat and light, love and wisdom are in similar discrete degrees. Here, we come to see that all things exist and co-exist at the same time from two degrees, both the discrete and the continuous degrees. One may find this subject further explained in great detail in numbers 189 - 281.
Each and everything on earth is the recipient of the Divine's qualities of love and wisdom, thus of good and truth. They, therefore, are the receptacles thereof. The end of creation we said was that there is conjunction of mankind with the Lord. Since all things of the created world are uses to that end, then it can be understood that it is through these things raised up, 'as it were' to man that when man is raised up spiritually through the active forces that man is the receptacle of will and understanding conjoining him with the Lord. In this is understood that all creation is towards that end. The two Divine qualities - Love and Wisdom - proceed forth from the Infinite and fill all space apart of space in the natural world and as appears in the spiritual, thus the Lord is with the angel or spirit according to the degree or the state whether celestial or spiritual and with man according to the degree or state of his spirit, for through his spirit he has conjunction with either Heaven or God or hell. This is seen in the man having in his mind the three degrees - celestial, spiritual and natural though closed. If while on earth and in the natural state the spiritual or celestial is opened his life in the next world is according. However, if the natural state remains he remains in the natural degree in the spiritual world and because the natural is separated from the spiritual and the celestial in the spiritual world; he has no conjunction with the Lord and therefore remains separated.
Again, in both worlds there is a sun, one spiritual and from the Lord, the other natural and of itself is dead. The sun is that what first proceeds from the Lord in the spiritual world. It is not the Lord Himself, but is from the Lord. That sun's rays 'as it were' proceed forth as love, as Heavenly fire, in which is life. Yet, it is not love that the angels see with their eyes, but what correspondence to it, and here, of course, it is likewise with the natural man in the natural world, for man cannot see love; still he can fell its effects.
As has been said, from the sun of the spiritual world proceeds in heat and light, the Divine qualities of Love and Wisdom, through atmospheres or various receptacles - the receptacle of will and understanding - which form both angels and men spiritually. In Heaven these atmospheres are in the degrees of celestial and spiritual, and that of hell or infernal (though this is not from the Lord, but from man because of his fall), while in this world atmospheres are adapted to the natural degree. Thus, as a person of this world, who is in the natural degree cannot exist or live in the spiritual, nor can the spiritual angel live in the atmospheres of the celestial degree of Heaven. Thus, it is that atmospheres contain the Divine Love or heat and Divine wisdom or light adapted to the various states - celestial, spiritual, natural - of creation. If you can see a correspondence of this in this natural world's sun bringing heat and light through the atmosphere to earth where it appears life is caused, then you can see this in the spiritual world. The difference is the sun of Heaven, as we have shown, is the Lord's first proceeding of life - of Divine Love. While proceeding from that sun, in what is called atmospheres is the Lord's qualities that go forth creating the universe, first Heaven then the spiritual world and from that the natural, which ends or ultimates are dead and thus, creation 'as it were' comes to its close, that is, it is enduring and is sustained through conjunction of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord through reciprocation. You can see that if there were no end or ultimate of creation then there would only be an infinite and no finite, basically no time or space - no creation - but infinity and eternity.
Therefore, the Lord is present in the spiritual world in the least and in the greatest things as He is in this natural world. Since, spiritual atmospheres are discrete substances, or least forms from the sun there, that is, that such forms are enveloped within with those qualities adequate to the angels in the celestial and spiritual states or degrees and to the spirits environs, then they - spiritual atmospheres - also carry life into the man of the natural world into the natural degree.
It is thus how the Lord is in all things - love, wisdom, and use - thought the atmospheres, for that is how they are received, for they are the continent of heat, light, and use proceeding from the sun of the spiritual world, that is, from the Lord. Use is the continent of love and wisdom and the three are in the Lord without which there could be no creation. Therefore, the Lord is present Himself as to love and wisdom through atmosphere, because it is the continent of such. It is the atmospheres that surround that sun and which carried the Lord 'as it were' in His ascension to Heaven where the Lord is present everywhere.
In the spiritual world from the sun through atmosphere there proceeds only one substance. Such proceeding is according to both continuous and discrete degrees and presented there in the spiritual world in varieties of all things created.
Mention was make that there are natural atmospheres in the natural world. And just as in the spiritual world these atmospheres progress 'as it were' downward in three degrees, thus they come to rest, become inert substances and matters - as seen in the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms.
It might be asked how it is that substances and matters in earths have been produced by the sun. Here we only need recall God has created through perpetual mediations, from the primal thing to the ultimates; that existence is from a prior Self, that is, from a Prime, who is God Man, or the Lord - the spiritual sun. The creation of the universe and all things thereof is by continual mediations from the First (Being).
Still as was said there is not anything of Divine in the substances and matters that make the earths. This can be seen from the fact that the atmospheres end and termination and there remains neither spiritual heat nor light, thus their activity ends in inertness. Yet, from the substance of the spiritual sun from the Divine - the sphere encompassing God Man - the Lord, by means of the atmospheres continuing there from there arose the substances and matters of which earths consist.
The sun, the atmospheres and earths are only means to ends. These ends are uses. Anyone sees naturally that they embrace things of the vegetable and animal kingdom to include the human race and out of it the angelic heaven. These things are all uses because they are recipients of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, and look to God the Creator to His great work of redemption conjoining man to Him from who they came.
Let us try to understand that the ends of creation are uses that are from the sun's atmospheres and earths in various forms from substances and matters. The ends of creation are produced by the Lord as the sun through atmospheres from earths. We have spoken frequently of earths and the thought that comes to mind when the subject concerns creation is the physical bodies such as the planets. However, there is another way in which the word 'earths' is meant. The heavens - celestial and spiritual - the things of the Lord's kingdom and those things in the church are things of love and charity and faith and hence derived and such things are of the Lord's throne. However the things of the earths are all lower things that correspond to these things. Thus, it is that by earths are meant inferior things exhibited in the external or natural world. Thus, their use can be seen in the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdom and finally in the human race for from and out of it comes the angelic heaven. When the material body dies, there is conjunction with the Lord. Because each of these things that are inferior to the Divine are called earths and uses having been formed from matters and substances from spiritual atmospheres they are recipients of Divine Love and Wisdom and in this it can be known that all things created are of good and truth.
End.
Still, in any ability to understand creation a knowledge of the degrees - of altitude or discrete and latitude or continuous - mentioned is needed. For in both worlds one sees objects and subjects the same as if there were nothing else except what is seen with the eye. Yet, today, anyone knows he sees only of one to a thousandth of what is. These hidden or unseen things are called interior things and are not patent and, therefore, cannot be uncovered unless a knowledge of degrees is known. In passing from exteriors into interiors and on into intimates are the degrees of altitude or of discrete. Through such there is a prior, posterior, and postreme or end, cause, and effect. Discrete degrees are degrees that 'as it were' stand by themselves - such as celestial, spiritual and natural, but yet make one in that they are all of the Lord. While continuous degrees are as from lighter to darker as from the sun outward. These continuous degrees are in within each the discrete degrees.
With discrete degrees that are one like end, cause, and effect the end produces the cause through which comes the effect that the end might exist. In all things in the world there is a trine dimension called composites of degrees of altitude or discrete degrees. This can be seen in the human body. Example: the muscles of the body consists of least fibers and these put together in fascicles are the larger fibers called motor fibers and these are compounded into muscles. They are discrete one from another, yet are one. This is also the same with the vegetable and mineral kingdoms. One can see, here, how discrete degrees are circumstanced, that the second comes from the first, and the third from the second, it being a composite; and each degree discreded from the other.
We can thus conclude the same with things that do not appear before the eyes such as the organic substances which are receptacles and dwellings of thoughts and affections in the brains. And, so on into the atmosphere, the heat and light, and with love and wisdom, which are the spiritual receptacles of the spiritual and celestial man or angels. For, as we have shown, the atmospheres are the receptacles of Divine heat and light, or of love and wisdom. Thus, atmospheres, heat and light, love and wisdom are in similar discrete degrees. Here, we come to see that all things exist and co-exist at the same time from two degrees, both the discrete and the continuous degrees. One may find this subject further explained in great detail in numbers 189 - 281.
Each and everything on earth is the recipient of the Divine's qualities of love and wisdom, thus of good and truth. They, therefore, are the receptacles thereof. The end of creation we said was that there is conjunction of mankind with the Lord. Since all things of the created world are uses to that end, then it can be understood that it is through these things raised up, 'as it were' to man that when man is raised up spiritually through the active forces that man is the receptacle of will and understanding conjoining him with the Lord. In this is understood that all creation is towards that end. The two Divine qualities - Love and Wisdom - proceed forth from the Infinite and fill all space apart of space in the natural world and as appears in the spiritual, thus the Lord is with the angel or spirit according to the degree or the state whether celestial or spiritual and with man according to the degree or state of his spirit, for through his spirit he has conjunction with either Heaven or God or hell. This is seen in the man having in his mind the three degrees - celestial, spiritual and natural though closed. If while on earth and in the natural state the spiritual or celestial is opened his life in the next world is according. However, if the natural state remains he remains in the natural degree in the spiritual world and because the natural is separated from the spiritual and the celestial in the spiritual world; he has no conjunction with the Lord and therefore remains separated.
Again, in both worlds there is a sun, one spiritual and from the Lord, the other natural and of itself is dead. The sun is that what first proceeds from the Lord in the spiritual world. It is not the Lord Himself, but is from the Lord. That sun's rays 'as it were' proceed forth as love, as Heavenly fire, in which is life. Yet, it is not love that the angels see with their eyes, but what correspondence to it, and here, of course, it is likewise with the natural man in the natural world, for man cannot see love; still he can fell its effects.
As has been said, from the sun of the spiritual world proceeds in heat and light, the Divine qualities of Love and Wisdom, through atmospheres or various receptacles - the receptacle of will and understanding - which form both angels and men spiritually. In Heaven these atmospheres are in the degrees of celestial and spiritual, and that of hell or infernal (though this is not from the Lord, but from man because of his fall), while in this world atmospheres are adapted to the natural degree. Thus, as a person of this world, who is in the natural degree cannot exist or live in the spiritual, nor can the spiritual angel live in the atmospheres of the celestial degree of Heaven. Thus, it is that atmospheres contain the Divine Love or heat and Divine wisdom or light adapted to the various states - celestial, spiritual, natural - of creation. If you can see a correspondence of this in this natural world's sun bringing heat and light through the atmosphere to earth where it appears life is caused, then you can see this in the spiritual world. The difference is the sun of Heaven, as we have shown, is the Lord's first proceeding of life - of Divine Love. While proceeding from that sun, in what is called atmospheres is the Lord's qualities that go forth creating the universe, first Heaven then the spiritual world and from that the natural, which ends or ultimates are dead and thus, creation 'as it were' comes to its close, that is, it is enduring and is sustained through conjunction of the Lord with man and of man with the Lord through reciprocation. You can see that if there were no end or ultimate of creation then there would only be an infinite and no finite, basically no time or space - no creation - but infinity and eternity.
Therefore, the Lord is present in the spiritual world in the least and in the greatest things as He is in this natural world. Since, spiritual atmospheres are discrete substances, or least forms from the sun there, that is, that such forms are enveloped within with those qualities adequate to the angels in the celestial and spiritual states or degrees and to the spirits environs, then they - spiritual atmospheres - also carry life into the man of the natural world into the natural degree.
It is thus how the Lord is in all things - love, wisdom, and use - thought the atmospheres, for that is how they are received, for they are the continent of heat, light, and use proceeding from the sun of the spiritual world, that is, from the Lord. Use is the continent of love and wisdom and the three are in the Lord without which there could be no creation. Therefore, the Lord is present Himself as to love and wisdom through atmosphere, because it is the continent of such. It is the atmospheres that surround that sun and which carried the Lord 'as it were' in His ascension to Heaven where the Lord is present everywhere.
In the spiritual world from the sun through atmosphere there proceeds only one substance. Such proceeding is according to both continuous and discrete degrees and presented there in the spiritual world in varieties of all things created.
Mention was make that there are natural atmospheres in the natural world. And just as in the spiritual world these atmospheres progress 'as it were' downward in three degrees, thus they come to rest, become inert substances and matters - as seen in the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms.
It might be asked how it is that substances and matters in earths have been produced by the sun. Here we only need recall God has created through perpetual mediations, from the primal thing to the ultimates; that existence is from a prior Self, that is, from a Prime, who is God Man, or the Lord - the spiritual sun. The creation of the universe and all things thereof is by continual mediations from the First (Being).
Still as was said there is not anything of Divine in the substances and matters that make the earths. This can be seen from the fact that the atmospheres end and termination and there remains neither spiritual heat nor light, thus their activity ends in inertness. Yet, from the substance of the spiritual sun from the Divine - the sphere encompassing God Man - the Lord, by means of the atmospheres continuing there from there arose the substances and matters of which earths consist.
The sun, the atmospheres and earths are only means to ends. These ends are uses. Anyone sees naturally that they embrace things of the vegetable and animal kingdom to include the human race and out of it the angelic heaven. These things are all uses because they are recipients of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, and look to God the Creator to His great work of redemption conjoining man to Him from who they came.
Let us try to understand that the ends of creation are uses that are from the sun's atmospheres and earths in various forms from substances and matters. The ends of creation are produced by the Lord as the sun through atmospheres from earths. We have spoken frequently of earths and the thought that comes to mind when the subject concerns creation is the physical bodies such as the planets. However, there is another way in which the word 'earths' is meant. The heavens - celestial and spiritual - the things of the Lord's kingdom and those things in the church are things of love and charity and faith and hence derived and such things are of the Lord's throne. However the things of the earths are all lower things that correspond to these things. Thus, it is that by earths are meant inferior things exhibited in the external or natural world. Thus, their use can be seen in the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdom and finally in the human race for from and out of it comes the angelic heaven. When the material body dies, there is conjunction with the Lord. Because each of these things that are inferior to the Divine are called earths and uses having been formed from matters and substances from spiritual atmospheres they are recipients of Divine Love and Wisdom and in this it can be known that all things created are of good and truth.
End.
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