Arcana Coelestia

6053… the learned have less belief in the life after death than the simple; and because they do not believe in it, neither can they believe in the things which belong to that life, which are the heavenly and spiritual things of faith and love. This also appears from the Lord’s words in Matthew:

Thou hast hid these things from the wise and intelligent, and hast revealed them unto babes (Matt 11:25).

And again:

Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand (Matthew 13:13).

For the simple have no such thoughts about the soul; but believe that they will have after death; in which simple faith, unknown to them, there is hidden the belief that they will live there as men, will see angels, will speak with them, and will enjoy happiness.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Arcana Coelestia

Arcana Coelestia

6055. He who does not know the interiors of man, cannot know about influx and the interaction of the soul with the body; for the interaction and the influx are effected by means of these interiors. In order to know the interiors of man, it is necessary to know that there is an internal man and an external man, and that the internal man is in the spiritual world, and the external man in the natural world; thus that the former is in the light of heaven, and the latter in the light of the world. It is also necessary to know that the internal man is so distinct from the external man that the former, being prior and interior, can subsist without the latter; but that the latter or external man, being posterior and exterior, cannot subsist without the former.

It must be known, further, that the internal man is what is properly called the intellectual or rational man, because this is in the light of heaven,” in which light are reason and understanding;

whereas the external man is what is properly to be called that of memory-knowledge, because in him there are memory-knowledges, which for the most part derive their light from those things which are of the light of the world, when this light is enlightened and thus vivified by the light of heaven.

6062. The Internal Sense.

Verse 1. And Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold they are in the land of Goshen.

“And Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said,” signifies the presence of the internal celestial in the natural where memory-knowledges are, and the consequent influx and perception;

“My father and my brethren,” signifies spiritual good in the natural and the truths of the church there;

“and their flocks, and their herds,” signifies the interior and exterior goods of truth;

“and all that they have,” signifies whatever is thence derived;

“have come out of the land of Canaan,” signifies that they are from the church;

“and behold they are in the land of Goshen,” signifies that they are in the midst of the natural where are memory-knowledges.

Heaven and Hell

432. IN RESPECT OF HIS INTERIORS EVERY MAN IS A SPIRIT

Whoever duly considers the subject can know that the body does not think, because it is material, but that the soul, which is spiritual, does. The soul of man, upon the immortality of which many have written, is his spirit, for this as to everything belonging to it is immortal. This also is what thinks in the body, for it is spiritual, and what is spiritual receives what is spiritual and lives spiritually, which is to think and to will. Therefore, all rational life that appears in the body belongs to the soul, and nothing of it to the body; for the body, as said above, is material, and the material, which is the property of the body, is added to and, as it were, almost adjoined to the spirit, in order that the spirit of man may be able to live and perform uses in the natural world, all things of which are material and in themselves devoid of life. And because the material does not live but only the spiritual, it can be established that whatever lives in man is his spirit, and that the body merely serves it, just as what is instrumental serves a moving living force. An instrument is said indeed to act, to move, or to strike; but to believe that these are acts of the instrument, and not of him who acts, moves, or strikes by means of the instrument, is a fallacy.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

291. THE CONJUNCTION OF HEAVEN WITH THE HUMAN RACE.

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292. With every individual there are good spirits and evil spirits. Through good spirits man has conjunction with heaven, and through evil spirits with hell. These spirits are in the world of spirits, which lies midway between heaven and hell. This world will be described particularly hereafter. When these spirits come to a man they enter into his entire memory, and thus into his entire thought, evil spirits into the evil things of his memory and thought, and good spirits into the good things of his memory and thought. These spirits have no knowledge whatever that they are with man; but when they are with him they believe that all things of his memory and thought are their own; neither do they see the man, because nothing that is in our solar world falls into their sight.[1] The Lord exercises the greatest care that spirits may not know that they are with man; for if they knew it they would talk with him, and in that case evil spirits would destroy him; for evil spirits, being joined with hell, desire nothing so much as to destroy man, not alone his soul, that is, his faith and love, but also his body. It is otherwise when spirits do not talk with man, in which case they are not aware that what they are thinking and also what they are saying among themselves is from man; for although it is from man that they talk with one another, they believe that what they are thinking and saying is their own, and everyone esteems and loves what is their own. In this way spirits are constrained to love and esteem man, although they do not know it. That such is the conjunction of spirits with man has become so well known to me from a continual experience of many years that nothing is better known to me.

293. The reason why spirits that communicate with hell are also associated with man is that man is born into evils of every kind, consequently his whole life is wholly from evil; and therefore unless spirits like himself were associated with him he could not live, nor indeed could he be withdrawn from his evils and reformed. He is therefore both held in his own life by means of evil spirits and withheld from it by means of good spirits; and by the two he is kept in equilibrium; and being in equilibrium he is in freedom, and can be drawn away from evils and turned towards good, and thus good can be implanted in him, which would not be possible at all if he were not in freedom; and freedom is possible to man only when the spirits from hell act on one side and spirits from heaven on the other, and man is between the two. Again, it has been shown that so far as a man’s life is from what he inherits, and thus from self, if he were not permitted to be in evil he would have no life; also if he were not in freedom he would have no life; also that he cannot be forced to what is good, and that what is forced does not abide; also that the good that man receives in freedom is implanted in his will and becomes as it were his own.[1] These are the reasons why man has communication with hell and communication with heaven.

294. What the communication of heaven is with good spirits, and what the communication of hell is with evil spirits, and the consequent conjunction of heaven and hell with man, shall also be told. All spirits who are in the world of spirits have communication with heaven or with hell, evil spirits with hell, and good spirits with heaven. Heaven is divided into societies, and hell also. Every spirit belongs to some society, and continues to exist by influx from it, thus acting as one with it. Consequently as man is conjoined with spirits so is he conjoined with heaven or with hell, even with the society there to which he is attached by his affection or his love; for the societies of heaven are all distinguished from each other in accordance with their affections for good and truth, and the societies of hell in accordance with their affections for evil and falsity. (As to the societies of heaven see above, n. 41-45 also n. 148-151.)

295. The spirits associated with man are such as he himself is in respect to his affection or love; but the Lord associates good spirits with him, while evil spirits are invited by the man himself. The spirits with man, however, are changed in accordance with the changes of his affections; thus there are some spirits that are with him in early childhood, others in boyhood, others in youth and manhood, and others in old age. In early childhood those spirits are present who are in innocence and who thus communicate with the heaven of innocence, which is the inmost or third heaven; in boyhood those spirits are present who are in affection for knowing, and who thus communicate with the outmost or first heaven; in youth and manhood spirits are present who are in affection for what is true and good, and in consequent intelligence, and who thus communicate with the second or middle heaven; while in old age spirits are present who are in wisdom and innocence, and who thus communicate with the inmost or third heaven. But the Lord maintains this association with such as can be reformed and regenerated. It is otherwise with such as cannot be reformed or regenerated. While with these also good spirits are associated, that they may be thereby withheld from evil as much as possible, they are directly conjoined with evil spirits who communicate with hell, whereby they have such spirits with them as are like themselves. If they are lovers of self or lovers of gain, or lovers of revenge, or lovers of adultery, like spirits are present, and as it were dwell in their evil affections; and man is incited by these, except so far as he can be kept from evil by good spirits, and they cling to him, and do not withdraw, so far as the evil affection prevails. Thus it is that a bad man is conjoined to hell and a good man is conjoined to heaven.

296. Man is governed by the Lord through spirits because he is not in the order of heaven, for he is born into evils which are of hell, thus into the complete opposite of Divine order; consequently he needs to be brought back into order, and this can only be done mediately by means of spirits. It would be otherwise if man were born into the good that is in accord with the order of heaven; then he would be governed by the Lord not through spirits, but by means of the order itself, thus by means of general influx. By means of this influx man is governed in respect to whatever goes forth from his thought and will into act, that is, in respect to speech and acts; for both of these proceed in harmony with natural order, and therefore with these the spirits associated with man have nothing in common. Animals also are governed by means of this general influx from the spiritual world, because they are in the order of their life, and animals have not been able to pervert and destroy that order because they have no rational faculty.[1] What the difference between man and beasts is may be seen above (see number 39).

297. As to what further concerns the conjunction of heaven with the human race, let it be noted that the Lord Himself flows into each man, in accord with the order of heaven, both into his inmosts and into his outmosts, and arranges him for receiving heaven, and governs his outmosts from his inmosts, and at the same time his inmosts from his outmosts, thus holding in connection each thing and all things in man. This influx of the Lord is called direct influx; while the other influx that is effected through spirits is called mediate influx. The latter is maintained by means of the former. Direct influx, which is that of the Lord Himself, is from His Divine Human, and is into man’s will and through his will into his understanding, and thus into his good and through his good into his truth, or what is the same thing, into his love and through his love into his faith; and not the reverse, still less is it into faith apart from love or into truth apart from good or into understanding that is not from will. This Divine influx is unceasing, and in the good is received in good, but not in the evil; for in them it is either rejected or suffocated or perverted; and in consequence they have an evil life which in a spiritual sense is death.[1]

298. The spirits who are with man, both those conjoined with heaven and those conjoined with hell, never flow into man from their own memory and its thought, for if they should flow in from their own thought, whatever belonged to them would seem to man to be his (see above n. 256). Nevertheless there flows into man through them out of heaven an affection belonging to the love of good and truth, and out of hell an affection belonging to the love of evil and falsity. Therefore as far as man’s affection agrees with the affection that flows in, so far that affection is received by him in his thought, since man’s interior thought is wholly in accord with his affection or love; but so far as man’s affection does not agree with that affection it is not received. Evidently, then, since thought is not introduced into man through spirits, but only an affection for good and an affection for evil, man has choice, because he has freedom; and is thus able by his thought to receive good and reject evil, since he knows from the Word what is good and what is evil. Moreover, whatever he receives by thought from affection is appropriated to him; but whatever he does not receive by thought from affection is not appropriated to him. All this makes evident the nature of the influx of good out of heaven with man, and the nature of the influx of evil out of hell.

299. I have also been permitted to learn the source of human anxiety, grief of mind, and interior sadness, which is called melancholy. There are spirits not as yet in conjunction with hell, because they are in their first state; these will be described hereafter when treating of the world of spirits. Such spirits love things undigested and pernicious, such as pertain to food becoming foul in the stomach; consequently they are present with man in such things because they find delight in them; and they talk there with one another from their own evil affection. The affection that is in their speech flows in from this source into man; and when this affection is the opposite of man’s affection there arises in him sadness and melancholy anxiety; but when it agrees with it it becomes in him gladness and cheerfulness. These spirits appear near to the stomach, some to the left and some to the right of it, and some beneath and some above, also nearer and more remote, thus variously in accordance with their affections. That this is the source of anxiety of mind has been shown and proved to me by much experience. I have seen these spirits, I have heard them, I have felt the anxieties arising from them, and I have talked with them; when they have been driven away the anxiety ceased; when they returned the anxiety returned; and I have noted the increase and decrease of it according to their approach and removal. From this it has been made clear to me why some who do not know what conscience is, because they have no conscience, ascribe its pangs to the stomach.[1]

300. The conjunction of heaven with man is not like the conjunction of one man with another, but the conjunction is with the interiors of man’s mind, that is, with his spiritual or internal man; although there is a conjunction with his natural or external man by means of correspondences, which will be described in the next chapter where the conjunction of heaven with man by means of the Word will be treated of.

301. It will also be shown in the next chapter that the conjunction of heaven with the human race and of the human race with heaven is such that one has its permanent existence with the other.

302. I have talked with angels about the conjunction of heaven with the human race, saying that while the man of the church declares that all good is from God, and that angels are with man, yet few believe that angels are conjoined to man, still less that they are in his thought and affection. The angels replied that they knew that such a belief and such a mode of speaking still exist in the world, and especially, to their surprise, within the church, where the Word is present to teach men about heaven and its conjunction with man; nevertheless, there is such a conjunction that man is unable to think the least thing unless spirits are associated with him, and on this his spiritual life depends. They said that the cause of ignorance in this matter is man’s belief that he lives from himself, and that he has no connection with the First Being [Esse] of life; together with his not knowing that this connection exists by means of the heavens; and yet if that connection were broken man would instantly fall dead. If man only believed, as is really true, that all good is from the Lord and all evil from hell, he would neither make the good in him a matter of merit nor would evil be imputed to him; for he would then look to the Lord in all the good he thinks and does, and all the evil that flows in would be cast down to hell from which it comes. But because man does not believe that anything flows into him either from heaven or from hell, and therefore supposes that all things that he thinks and wills are in himself and therefore from himself, he appropriates the evil to himself, and the good that flows in he defiles with merit.

303. CONJUNCTION OF HEAVEN WITH MAN BY MEANS OF THE WORD.

304. Man is so created as to have a conjunction and connection with the Lord, but with the angels of heaven only an affiliation. Man has affiliation with the angels, but not conjunction, because in respect to the interiors of his mind man is by creation like an angel, having a like will and a like understanding. Consequently if a man has lived in accordance with the Divine order he becomes after death an angel, with the same wisdom as an angel. Therefore when the conjunction of man with heaven is spoken of his conjunction with the Lord and affiliation with the angels is meant; for heaven is heaven from the Lord’s Divine, and not from what is strictly the angels’ own [proprium]. That it is the Lord’s Divine that makes heaven may be seen above (numbers 7-12). [2] But man has, beyond what the angels have, that he is not only in respect to his interiors in the spiritual world, but also at the same time in respect to his exteriors in the natural world. His exteriors which are in the natural world are all things of his natural or external memory and of his thought and imagination therefrom; in general, knowledges and sciences with their delights and pleasures so far as they savor of the world, also many pleasures belonging to the senses of the body, together with his senses themselves, his speech, and his actions. And all these are the outmosts in which the Lord’s Divine influx terminates; for that influx does not stop midway, but goes on to its outmosts. All this shows that the outmost of Divine order is in man; and being the outmost it is also the base and foundation. [3] As the Lord’s Divine influx does not stop midway but goes on to its outmosts, as has been said, and as this middle part through which it passes is the angelic heaven, while the outmost is in man, and as nothing can exist unconnected, it follows that the connection and conjunction of heaven with the human race is such that one has its permanent existence from the other, and that the human race apart from heaven would be like a chain without a hook; and heaven without the human race would be like a house without a foundation.[1]

305. But man has severed this connection with heaven by turning his exteriors away from heaven, and turning them to the world and to self by means of his love of self and of the world, thereby so withdrawing himself that he no longer serves as a basis and foundation for heaven; therefore the Lord has provided a medium to serve in place of this base and foundation for heaven, and also for the conjunction of heaven with man. This medium is the Word. How the Word serves as such a medium has been shown in many places in the Arcana Coelestia, all of which may be seen gathered up in the little work on The White Horse mentioned in the Apocalypse; also in the Appendix to the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, from which some notes are here appended.[1]

306. I have been told from heaven that the most ancient people, because their interiors were turned heavenwards, had direct revelation, and by this means there was at that time a conjunction of the Lord with the human race. After their times, however, there was no such direct revelation, but there was a mediate revelation by means of correspondences, inasmuch as all their Divine worship then consisted of correspondences, and for this reason the churches of that time were called representative churches. For it was then known what correspondence is and what representation is, and that all things on the earth correspond to spiritual things in heaven and in the church, or what is the same, represent them; and therefore the natural things that constituted the externals of their worship served them as mediums for thinking spiritually, that is, thinking with the angels. When the knowledge of correspondences and representations had been blotted out of remembrance a Word was written, in which all the words and their meanings are correspondences, and thus contain a spiritual or internal sense, in which are the angels; and in consequence, when a man reads the Word and perceives it according to the sense of the letter or the outer sense the angels perceive it according to the internal or spiritual sense; for all the thought of angels is spiritual while the thought of man is natural. These two kinds of thought appear diverse; nevertheless they are one because they correspond. Thus it was that when man had separated himself from heaven and had severed the bond the Lord provided a medium of conjunction of heaven with man by means of the Word.

307. How heaven is conjoined with man by means of the Word I will illustrate by some passages from it. “The New Jerusalem” is described in the Apocalypse in these words:

I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And I saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven. The city was foursquare, its length as great as its breadth; and an angel measured the city with a reed, twelve thousand furlongs; the length, the breadth, and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The building of the wall was of jasper; but the city itself was pure gold, and like unto pure glass; and the foundations of the wall were adorned with every precious stone. The twelve gates were twelve pearls; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass (21 verses 1, 2, 16-19, 21).

When man reads these words he understands them merely in accordance with the sense of the letter, namely, that the visible heaven with the earth is to perish, and a new heaven is to come into existence; and upon the new earth the holy city Jerusalem is to descend, with all its dimensions as here described. But the angels that are with man understand these things in a wholly different way, that is, everything that man understands naturally they understand spiritually. [2] By “the new heaven and the new earth” they understand a new church; by “the city Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven” they understand its heavenly doctrine revealed by the Lord; by ” its length, breadth, and height, which are equal,” and “twelve thousand furlongs,” they understand all the goods and truths of that doctrine in the complex; by its “wall” they understand the truths protecting it; by “the measure of the wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel,” they understand all those protecting truths in the complex and their character; by its “twelve gates, which were of pearls,” they understand introductory truths, “pearls” signifying such truths; by “the foundations of the wall, which were of precious stones,” they understand the knowledge on which that doctrine is founded; by “the gold like unto pure glass,” of which the city and its street were made, they understand the good of love which makes the doctrine and its truths transparent. Thus do the angels perceive all these things; and therefore not as man perceives them. The natural ideas of man thus pass into the spiritual ideas with the angels without their knowing anything of the sense of the letter of the Word, that is, about “a new heaven and a new earth,” “a new city Jerusalem,” its “wall, the foundations of the wall, and its dimensions.” And yet the thoughts of angels make one with the thoughts of man, because they correspond; they make one almost the same as the words of a speaker make one with the understanding of them by a hearer who attends solely to the meaning and not to the words. All this shows how heaven is conjoined with man by means of the Word: [3] Let us take another example from the Word:

In that day there shall be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria shall come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria; and the Egyptians shall serve Assyria. In that day shall Israel be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the land, Which Jehovah of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be My people the Egyptian, and the Assyrian the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isaiah 19 verses 23 to 25).

What man thinks when these words are read, and what the angels think, can be seen from the sense of the letter of the Word and from its internal sense. Man from the sense of the letter thinks that the Egyptians and Assyrians are to be converted to God and accepted, and are then to become one with the Israelitish nation; but angels in accordance with the internal sense think of the man of the spiritual church who is here described in that sense, whose spiritual is “Israel,” whose natural is the “Egyptian,” and whose rational, which is the middle, is the “Assyrian.”[1]

308. There is also a conjunction of heaven by means of the Word with those who are outside of the church where there is no Word; for the Lord’s church is universal, and is with all who acknowledge the Divine and live in charity. Moreover, such are taught after death by the angels and receive Divine truths;[1] on which subject more may be seen below, in the chapter on the heathen. The universal church on the earth in the sight of the Lord resembles a single man, just as heaven does (see numbers 59-72); but the church where the Word is and where the Lord is known by means of it is like the heart and lungs in that man. It is known that all the viscera and members of the entire body draw their life from the heart and lungs through various derivations; and it is thus that those of the human race live who are outside of the church where the Word is, and who constitute the members of that man. Again, the conjunction of heaven with those who are at a distance by means of the Word may be compared to light radiating from a center all around. The Divine light is in the Word, and there the Lord with heaven is present, and from that presence those at a distance are in light; but it would be otherwise if there were no Word. This may be more clearly seen from what has been shown above respecting the form of heaven in accordance with which all who are in heaven have affiliation and communication. But while this arcanum may be comprehended by those who are in spiritual light, it cannot be comprehended by those who are only in natural light; for innumerable things are clearly seen by those who are in spiritual light that are not seen or are seen obscurely as a single thing by those who are only in natural light.

309. Unless such a Word had been given on this earth the man of this earth would have been separated from heaven; and if separated from heaven he would have ceased to be rational, for the human rational exists by an influx of the light of heaven. Again, the man of this earth is such that he is not capable of receiving direct revelation and of being taught about Divine truths by such revelation, as the inhabitants of other earths are, that have been especially described in another small work. For the man of this earth is more in worldly things, that is, in externals, than the men of other earths, and it is internal things that are receptive of revelation; if it were received in external things the truth would not be understood. That such is the man of this earth is clearly evident from the state of those who are within the church, which is such that while they know from the Word about heaven, about hell, about the life after death, still in heart they deny these things; although among them there are some who have acquired a pre-eminent reputation for learning, and who might for that reason be supposed to be wiser than others.

310. I have at times talked with angels about the Word, saying that it is despised by some on account of its simple style; and that nothing whatever is known about its internal sense, and for this reason it is not believed that so much wisdom lies hid in it. The angels said that although the style of the Word seems simple in the sense of the letter, it is such that nothing can ever be compared to it in excellence, since Divine wisdom lies concealed not only in the meaning as a whole but also in each word; and that in heaven this wisdom shines forth. They wished to declare that this wisdom is the light of heaven, because it is Divine truth, for that which shines in heaven is the Divine truth (see number 132). Again, they said that without such a Word there would be no light of heaven with the men of our earth, nor would there be any conjunction of heaven with them; for there is conjunction only so far as the light of heaven is present with man, and that light is present only so far as Divine truth is revealed to man by means of the Word. This conjunction by means of the correspondence of the spiritual sense of the Word with its natural sense is unknown to man, because the man of this earth knows nothing about the spiritual thought and speech of angels, and how it differs from the natural thought and speech of men; and until this is known it cannot in the least be known what the internal sense is, and that such conjunction is therefore possible by means of that sense. They said, furthermore, that if this sense were known to man, and if man in reading the Word were to think in accordance with some knowledge of it, he would come into interior wisdom, and would be still more conjoined with heaven, since by this means he would enter into ideas like the ideas of the angels.

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Intercourse of the Soul and the Body

12. [4] Furthermore, unless the understanding could be separately perfected, and the will by means of it, a man would not be a man, but a beast. For without that separation, and without the ascent of the understanding above the will, he would not be able to think, and from thought to speak, but only to express his affection by sounds; neither would he be able to act from reason, but only from instinct; still less would he be able to know the things which are of God, and God by means of them, and thus to be conjoined to Him, and to live to eternity. For a man thinks and wills as from himself, and this as from himself is the reciprocal of conjunction; for there cannot be conjunction without a reciprocal, just as there cannot be conjunction of the active with the passive without reaction. God alone acts, and man suffers himself to be acted on, and he reacts in all appearance as from himself, though interiorly it is from God.

11. [5] It is believed by many that the soul is life, and thus, that a man, because he lives from the soul, lives from his own life, thus from himself, and therefore not by an influx of life from God; …

[6] For from such a belief proceed innumerable fallacies, each of which is horrible; as that God transfused and transcribed Himself into men, and that thus every man is a sort of Deity, which lives from itself, and thus that he does good and is wise from himself; likewise that he possesses faith and charity in himself, and thus derives them from himself, and not from God; besides many monstrous beliefs such as prevail with those in hell, who, when they were in the world, believed that nature lived, or produced life by its own activity.

When these look towards heaven they see its light as mere thick darkness. I once heard the voice of one saying from heaven, that if a spark of life in man were his own, and not of God in him, there would be no heaven, nor anything therein, and hence that there would not be any church on earth, and consequently no life eternal. More upon this subject may be consulted in the Relation inserted in the work on Conjugial Love (132-136).

Arcana Coelestia

6056. It has been said that the internal man, being prior, can subsist without the external, because this is posterior; but not the converse. For it is a universal rule that nothing can subsist from itself, but from and through something else, consequently that nothing can be kept in form except from and through something else, which may also be seen from everything in nature. The case is the same with man. In respect to his external, man cannot subsist except from and through his internal. Neither can the internal man subsist except from and through heaven. And neither can heaven subsist from itself, but only from the Lord, who alone subsists from Himself. Influx is according to existence and subsistence, for all things subsist by means of influx. But that all things in general and in particular subsist by influx from the Lord, not only mediately through the spiritual world, but also immediately in both mediates and ultimates, will be shown in what follows.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

6168. Verses 27-31. And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they had a possession therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were seven years, and a hundred and forty years. And the days of Israel drew near to die; and he called his son Joseph, and said to him, If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes, put I pray thy hand under my thigh, and do mercy and truth with me; bury me not I pray in Egypt; and I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their sepulcher. And he said, I will do according to thy word. And he said, Swear to me; and he sware to him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head. “And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt,” signifies that spiritual good lived among the memory-knowledges which are of the church; “in the land of Goshen,” signifies in the midst of them; “and they had a possession therein,” signifies given and set in order in this way by the internal; “and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly,” signifies the derivative goods of charity and truths of faith; “and Jacob lived in the land of Egypt,” signifies that the truth of the natural was in memory-knowledges; “seventeen years,” signifies the state therein; “and the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were seven years, and a hundred and forty years,” signifies the general state and its quality; “and the days of Israel drew near to die,” signifies the state immediately before regeneration; “and he called his son Joseph,” signifies the presence of the internal; “and said to him, If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes,” signifies longing; “put I pray thy hand under my thigh,” signifies a sacred binding; “and do mercy and truth with me,” signifies humiliation; “bury me not I pray in Egypt,” signifies regeneration not in memory-knowledges; “and I will lie with my fathers,” signifies life such as the ancients had; “and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt,” signifies that there may be elevation out of memory-knowledges; “and bury me in their sepulcher,” signifies such regeneration; “and he said, I will do according to thy word,” signifies that so it shall be done of providence by the Divine; “and he said, Swear to me,” signifies that it may be irrevocable; “and he sware to him,” signifies that it was irrevocable; “and Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head,” signifies that he turned to those things which are of the interior natural.

6169. And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt. That this signifies that spiritual good lived among the memory-knowledges which are of the church, is evident from the signification of “dwelling,” as being to live (see n. 1293, 3384, 3613, 4451); from the representation of Israel, as being spiritual good (see n. 5801, 5803, 5807, 5812, 5817, 5819, 5826, 5833); and from the signification of the “land of Egypt,” as being the natural mind where memory-knowledges are (n. 5276, 5278, 5280, 5288, 5301); (that “Egypt” signifies the memory-knowledges of the church may be seen above, n. 4749, 4964, 4966, 6004).

6170. In the land of Goshen. That this signifies in the midst of them, is evident from the signification of the “land of Goshen,” as being the midst or inmost in the natural (see n. 5910, 6028, 6031, 6068), thus in the midst of memory-knowledges, because Goshen was the best tract of land in Egypt.

6171. And they had a possession therein. That this signifies given and set in order in this way by the internal, is evident from the signification of a “possession,” as being the residence of spiritual life (see n. 6103); and as Joseph gave them this possession (verse 11), it is signified that this residence was given and set in order by the internal. That this is signified, follows from the series.

6172. And were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly. That this signifies the derivative goods of charity and truths of faith, is evident from the signification of “being fruitful,” as being to bring forth the goods of charity; and from the signification of “multiplying,” as being to bring forth the truths of faith (see n. 43, 55, 913, 983, 2846, 2847); for the expression “to be fruitful” comes from “fruits,” which in the internal sense signify the works of charity; and “to be multiplied,” from “multitude,” which in the internal sense is predicated of the truths of faith; for in the Word “many” is said of truths, and “great” of goods.

6173. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt. That this signifies that the truth of the natural was in memory-knowledges, is evident from the signification of “living,” as being spiritual life (see n. 5890); from the representation of Jacob, as being the truth of the natural (n. 3305, 3509, 3525, 3546, 3599, 3775, 4009, 4234, 4520, 4538); and from the signification of the “land of Egypt,” as being the memory-knowledges of the church (as just above, n. 6169).

6174. Seventeen years. That this signifies the state therein, is evident from the signification of “seventeen,” as being from beginning to end, or from the beginning to what is new (n. 755, 4670); and from the signification of “years,” as being states (n. 487, 488, 493, 893). Thus here by the “seventeen years which Jacob lived in Egypt” is signified the beginning of a state of spiritual life in the natural among memory-knowledges even to its end. (That all numbers in the Word are significative of things, see n. 575, 647, 648, 755, 813, 1963, 1988, 2075, 2252, 3252, 4264, 4495, 4670, 5265.)

6175. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were seven years and a hundred and forty years. That this signifies the general state and its quality, may be seen if the numbers “seven,” “forty,” and a “hundred” are unfolded. What “seven” signifies may be seen above (n. 395, 433, 716, 728, 881, 5265, 5268); what “forty” signifies (n. 730, 862, 2272, 2273); and what a “hundred” (n. 1988, 2636, 4400). But the numbers thus compounded cannot be easily unfolded, for they contain more things than can be reduced to a summary statement, and be expressed to the apprehension. These numbers in general contain the whole state of that which is represented by Jacob, and its quality. These things the angels see in one complex from the very number a hundred and forty-seven; for all numbers in the Word fall with them into ideas of things, as has been made plain to me from the fact that sometimes numbers in a long succession have appeared to me, and the angels then said that those numbers enfolded within them in succession likewise the things of which they were conversing. From this also the most ancient people, who were of the celestial church, made a computation consisting of numbers, by which were conveyed heavenly things not easily comprehensible to the ideas of the natural mind. But after their times these computations perished, together with the perception of heavenly things, and there remained only the knowledge of the general signification of the simple numbers, as “three,” “six,” “seven,” “twelve;” and not so much of the signification of compound numbers. But at this day it is not known that the numbers in the Word signify anything except number, and therefore what has been said on the subject will perhaps be thought incredible.

6176. And the days of Israel drew near to die. That this signifies the state immediately before regeneration, is evident from the signification of “drawing near,” as being to be nigh, thus immediately previous; from the signification of “days,” as being states (see n. 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850); from the representation of Israel, as being spiritual good (of which above, n. 6169); and from the signification of “dying,” as being to rise again and be awakened into spiritual life (n. 3326, 3498, 3505, 4618, 4621, 6036), thus to be regenerated; for he who is being regenerated rises again from spiritual death, and is awakened into new life.

6177. And he called his son Joseph. That this signifies the presence of the internal, is evident from the signification of “calling unto himself,” as being to make present with himself, thus as being presence; and from the representation of Joseph, as being the internal (as frequently shown above, n. 6089, 6117, 6120, 6128, 6132, 6136, 6145, 6149, 6152, 6153, 6156, 6163, 6167).

6178. And said to him, If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes. That this signifies longing, is evident from the affection in which Jacob was when he spoke these words to Joseph. This affection is within this form of speech; for the words “If I pray I have found grace in thine eyes” are merely a form of speech by which is expressed the affection, thus the longing of the will (as also above, n. 6162).

6179. Put I pray thy hand under my thigh. That this signifies a sacred binding, is evident from the signification of “putting the hand under the thigh,” as being a binding, with all power, by means of that which belongs to conjugial love; for by the “hand” is signified power (see n. 878, 3091, 4931-4937, 5328, 5544), and by the “thigh” that which is of conjugial love (n. 3021, 4277, 4280, 4575, 5050-5062). In the supreme sense the conjugial is the union of the Divine and the Divine Human In the Lord; and from this it is the union of the Divine good and the Divine truth in heaven; for that which proceeds from the Lord is the Divine truth from the Divine good. From this, heaven is heaven, and is called a “marriage,” for it is the conjunction of the good and the truth there, which proceed from the Lord, that makes it. And as the Lord is the good there, and heaven is the truth thence derived, therefore in the Word the Lord is called the “bridegroom,” and heaven and also the church are called the “bride;” for good and truth make a marriage, and their conjunction is what is meant by the conjugial. Hence it is plain how sacred a thing it was to be bound by means of what is conjugial, which was signified by “putting the hand under the thigh.” From this marriage of good and truth descends genuine conjugial love, In regard to which and its sanctity see what was said above (n. 2727-2759).

6180. And do mercy and truth with me. That this signifies humiliation, is evident from the signification of “doing mercy,” as being the good of love; and from the signification of “doing truth,” as being the truth of faith (of which significations in what follows). These words are uttered as words of supplication, thus of humiliation. That “doing mercy” denotes the good of love is because all mercy is of love; for he who is in love or charity is also in mercy, and the love and charity in him become mercy when the neighbor is In need or misery, and he affords him help in that state. Hence it is that by “mercy” is signified the good of love. That “doing truth” denotes the truth of faith is because all truth is of faith, and for this reason in the original tongue faith is meant by the same expression.

6181. Bury me not I pray in Egypt. That this signifies regeneration not in memory-knowledges, is evident from the signification of “burying,” as being resurrection and regeneration (see n. 2916, 2917, 4621, 5551); and from the signification of “Egypt,” as being memory-knowledges (of which frequently above). What is meant by regeneration not in memory-knowledges, may be seen in what presently follows (n. 6183).

6182. And I will lie with my fathers. That this signifies life such as the ancients had, is evident from the signification of “lying,” as being life; for “to lie” here means to be buried with them, and as “being buried” denotes resurrection and regeneration, “lying with them” denotes life, because resurrection is into life, and in like manner regeneration; and from the signification of “fathers,” as being those who were of the Ancient and Most Ancient Churches (see n. 6075), thus the ancients.

6183. And thou shalt carry me out of Egypt. That this signifies that there may be elevation out of memory-knowledges, is evident from the signification of “carrying me,” as being elevation; for “going up” is said of passing from Egypt to the land of Canaan, whereby is signified elevation (see n. 3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007), and the same by “carrying there out of Egypt;” and from the signification of “Egypt,” as being memory-knowledges (of which above). What elevation from memory-knowledges is, shall be briefly stated. The regeneration of the natural is effected by means of the insinuation by the Lord of spiritual life through the internal man into the memory-knowledges in the natural. This insinuation has been treated of in this chapter. But if when the man has been regenerated thus far, he is of such a character that he can be further regenerated, he is elevated thence to the interior natural, which is under the immediate auspices of the internal; whereas if the man is not of such a character, in this case his spiritual life is in the exterior natural. The elevation is effected by a withdrawing from things of sense and memory-knowledge, thus by elevation above them, and then the man comes into a state of interior thought and affection, thus interiorly into heaven. They who are in this latter state are in the internal church; but they who are in the former state are in the external church, and are represented by Jacob, whereas they who are in the latter state are represented by Israel. To the end therefore that “Jacob” may be “Israel,” and thus by him as “Israel” may be represented the spiritual good which is in the interior natural, thus the internal spiritual church, these words were said by Jacob.

6184. And bury me in their sepulcher. That this signifies such regeneration, is evident from the signification of “burying,” as being regeneration (of which above, n. 6181). Thus “to be buried in their sepulcher,” that is, in the same one, denotes such regeneration.

6185. And he said, I will do according to thy word. That this signifies that so it shall be done of providence by the Divine, is evident from the signification of “doing according to the word” of anyone, as being that so it shall be done. It is added “of providence by the Divine” because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob represented three things which make a one. In the supreme sense, Abraham represented in the Lord the Divine Itself, Isaac the Divine rational, and Jacob the Divine natural (see n. 3305, 4615, 6098); and in the sense that regards man, these three patriarchs represented the inmost which is celestial good, the interior which is spiritual good, and the exterior which is natural good. These are signified by those three in one sepulcher, because by a “sepulcher” is signified resurrection into life and regeneration (n. 2916, 2917, 4621, 5551).

6186. And he said, Swear to me. That this signifies that it may be irrevocable, is evident from the signification of “swearing,” as being irrevocable confirmation (see n. 2842).

6187. And he sware to him. That this signifies that it was irrevocable, is evident from the signification of “swearing,” as being what is irrevocable (as just above, n. 6186).

6188. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head. That this signifies that he turned to those things which are of the interior natural, is evident from the signification of “bowing oneself,” as here being to turn himself; and from the signification of “bed,” as being the natural (of which in what follows). Thus the “head of the bed” is what is higher in the natural, that is, what is interior; for by “head” when mentioned in the Word is signified what is interior, and this in respect to the body, which is exterior. By his turning himself to those things which are of the interior natural, is signified that natural truth, which is “Jacob,” was being elevated to spiritual good, which is “Israel,” according to what was said and unfolded above (n. 6183).

Arcana Coelestia

6058. But influx is of such a nature that there is an influx from the Divine of the Lord into every angel, into every spirit, and into every man, and that in this way the Lord rules everyone, not only in the universal, but also in the veriest singulars, and this immediately from Himself, and also mediately through the spiritual world.

6057[3] From all this it is now evident that in man the spiritual world is conjoined with the natural world, consequently that with him the spiritual world flows into the natural world in so vivid a manner that he can notice it, provided he pays attention.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Arcana Coelestia

6048…In general be it known that every significative in the Word derives its origin from representatives in the other life, and these from correspondences. The reason is that the natural world is from the spiritual world as an effect from its cause, to the end that the spiritual world may flow into the natural world and there act as the causes. In this way also all things of this world are held together in their tenor and in order. (That universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord’s kingdom, that is, of the spiritual and heavenly things therein, may be seen, n. 2758, 2987-3002, 4939, 5116)

6040… For of itself the natural perceives nothing whatever, but its perceiving is from what is prior to itself; nay, neither does the prior perceive from itself, but from what is still prior to itself, thus finally from the Lord, who Is of Himself. Such is the nature of influx, and therefore such is the nature of perception. It is with influx as it is with coming forth (exsistentia) and subsistence.

Nothing comes forth (exsistit) of itself, but from what is prior to itself, thus finally all things from the First, that is, from the Esse and the Existere of Itself. And also from the same all things subsist, for it is with subsistence as with coming forth, for to subsist is perpetually to come forth. The reason why it is said “the perception of truths in the natural,” but not “the perception of those who are in these truths,” is that such is the nature of spiritual speech. For in this way ideas of thought are abstracted from persons, and are determined to things; and things, that is, truths and goods, are what live with man and cause man to live, for they are from the Lord, from whom is everything of life.

1954 (2)… with man: it is his spirit that sees, not his eye: the spirit sees through the eye. The same thing may be seen from dreams, in which a man sometimes sees as in the day. The case is the very same in regard to this interior sight, or that of the spirit; this again does not see from itself, but from a still more interior sight, or that of man’s rational. Nay, neither does this see of itself, but does so from a still more internal sight, which is that of the internal man (concerning which, n. 1940). And even this does not see of itself, for it is the Lord who sees through the internal man, and He is the Only One who sees because He is the Only One who lives, and He it is who gives man the ability to see, and this in such a manner that it appears to him as if he saw of himself. Such is the case with influx.

6032 [2] As regards spiritual light, it is with this in the understanding of man as it is with natural light in his external sight; namely, in order that the eye may see, it is necessary that there be light to illumine, and then the eye sees in the light all things which are round about outside of it. So the intellectual mind, which is man’s internal eye-in order that this eye may see, it is necessary for the light of heaven, which is from the Lord, to illumine it; and when this eye is illumined by this light, it then sees the things which are round about outside of itself; but the objects which it sees are spiritual, namely, memory-knowledges and truths.

But when this light does not illumine, the intellectual mind or internal eye of man, like the external or bodily eye, is in darkness and sees nothing, that is, from memory-knowledges nothing of truth, and from truths nothing of good. The light which illumines the intellectual mind is in very truth light, and such light that it a thousand times surpasses the midday light of the world, which I bear witness to because I have seen it. By this light all the angels in the heavens see the things which are round about outside of themselves, and also by the same light they see and perceive the truths which are of faith, and their quality. Hence then it is that by “seeing” is signified in the spiritual sense not only the understanding, but also whatever is of the understanding, as thought, reflection, observation, prudence, and many such things; likewise not only faith, but also whatever is of faith, as truth, doctrine from the Word, and the like.

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.

Arcana Coelestia

6026. Verses 28-30. And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph harnessed his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he was seen of him, and fell upon his necks, and wept upon his necks a long while. And Israel said unto Joseph, Let me die this time, after that I have seen thy faces, that thou art yet alive.

Pslam 126:5-6

Third Round posts are short audio clips taken from Round 3 comments offered in the online Logopraxis Life Group meetings. The aim is to keep the focus on understanding the Text in terms of its application to the inner life along with reinforcing any key LP principles that have been highlighted in the exchanges.