6. From the Lord spring three levels of reality — the celestial, the spiritual, and the natural — one after another.

The level termed celestial is one that springs from the Lord’s Divine love, and is Divine goodness.

The level termed spiritual is one that springs from His Divine wisdom, and is Divine truth.

The level termed natural is one that springs from these two. It is a composite of them on the lowest level.

Angels of the Lord’s celestial kingdom, who make up the third or highest heaven, are surrounded by the Divinity emanating from the Lord that we call celestial. For they are prompted by the goodness of love received from the Lord.

Angels of the Lord’s spiritual kingdom, who make up the second or middle heaven, are surrounded by the Divinity emanating from the Lord that we call spiritual. For they are prompted by the truths of wisdom received from the Lord. ¹

And in the church in the world people are surrounded by the natural Divinity that also emanates from the Lord.

[2] It follows from this that the Divinity emanating from the Lord to its lowest level descends through three degrees, and is termed celestial, spiritual, and natural.

The Divinity that descends from the Lord to humankind does so through these three degrees, and when it has descended, it contains these three degrees within it.

Everything Divine is of such a character. When it is in its lowest degree, therefore, it exists in its fullness.

Such is the Word. In its lowest or outmost sense it is natural. In its interior sense it is spiritual, in its inmost sense celestial, and in every sense Divine.

That the Word is of such a character is not apparent in its literal, natural sense, and that is because people in the world have previously known nothing of the heavens, and so nothing of the spiritual and celestial levels, thus nothing of the difference between these levels and the natural one.

각주:

5. 1. What the spiritual meaning is. The spiritual meaning is not the sense that shines from the literal one when one is studying the Word and interpreting it in order to confirm some dogma of the church. This sense is the Word’s literal sense. Rather its spiritual meaning is one not apparent in the literal one. The spiritual meaning lies within the literal one, like the soul within the body, like thought within the eyes, and affection within the face, which operate in concert, like cause and effect.

That spiritual meaning is what principally causes the Word to be spiritual, not only for people, but also for angels. Consequently that meaning is the means by which the Word communicates with the heavens.