Divine Love and Wisdom #252

252. (2) The nature of the natural person in whom the spiritual degree has been opened. This is apparent from the foregoing discussion. To it must be added that the natural person is a complete person when the spiritual degree in him has been opened. The reason is that he is then affiliated with angels in heaven, and is at the same time in association with people in the world, and he lives in respect to both worlds under the Lord's guidance. For his spiritual self receives commandments from the Lord through the Word and executes them by means of his natural self.

The natural person who has the spiritual degree in him opened does not know that he thinks and acts from his spiritual self; for it appears as though he thinks and acts of himself, when in fact he does so not of himself but from the Lord.

[2] Neither does the natural person whose spiritual degree has been opened know that through his spiritual self he is in heaven, when in fact his spiritual self is surrounded by angels of heaven. Sometimes he even becomes visible to the angels; but because he returns to his natural self, after a short time there he disappears.

The natural person in whom the spiritual degree has been opened also does not know that his spiritual mind is filled by the Lord with a thousand secrets of wisdom and with a thousand delights of love, and that he comes into them after death when he becomes an angel.

The reason the natural person does not know these things is that the communication between his natural self and his spiritual self occurs by means of correspondences, and communication by means of correspondences is not perceived in the intellect other than by his seeing truths in a state of light, and in the will other than by his performing useful services with affection.