In considering the correspondence, or symbolic meaning, of forms, we may use the word “form” in three senses, viz. : first, as the shape ; second, as the body; and third, as the organization.

In the universe there is one life, that of the Lord; and all created things are vessels, capable, in different degrees, of receiving and, using the inflowing life of the Lord.

Thus, in their origin, all forms are expressions of the Divine life, i. e., of the Divine Love, Wisdom and Power.

Each creature has its characteristic life, which we call its form of life, i. e., its organization. In the interior sense, the form- is the organization, by means of which the organism is formed. And, in a lower, or secondary sense, the form is the body, or substance, in which the creature dwells. And, in a third sense, the form is the external shape which is given to the organism, that it may carry out its kind of life. And the life, the organism and the shape, are related to each other, as the end, the cause, and the effect; for the organism is the form assumed by the indwelling life; and the shape is the external effect of the organization. And thus the organization and the shape depend on the life. A thing which is formed for a certain purpose; is organized for it, and also shaped for it. And it is so shaped because it is. so organized. The eye is formed for seeing; and it is shaped so that it can see The spirit of man is a human organism ; and so it has the human shape.

With every living thing the outward form, or body, corresponds to the inward life, as to its shape, and as to its abilities. The tiger has great teeth and claws, because it needs such weapons to exercise its kind of life and character ; but the lamb, having no fierce character, does not need such teeth and claws; and so it does not have them. And so, the different animals differ in shape, because they differ in character. The character forms the shape to its purposes. And, in symbolic representation, the shape of a thing corresponds to its qualities of character.

In the Scriptures many things were revealed to the Israelites, and to others, as to the forms, or shapes, in which various things were to be made ; as, for instance, the many details of the tabernacle, and of the temple. And these things were so commanded because of their correspondence.

Shapes are of two general classes, curves and straight lines. And these two classes represent and symbolize the two general elements of human life, love and wisdom, or, in other, words, goodness and truth. Curved lines, rounded lines, represent the things of man’s will, his spiritual heart, with its loves, its affections, its goodness. And straight lines represent the things of man’s understanding, his intellectual life, with its thoughts. And all shapes are made up of curves, or of straight lines, or of their combinations. Different geometric forms of curves, the circle, the oval, the parabola, etc., represent different conditions and qualities of goodness, i. e., of love. And the different right-lined figures, such as the square, the parallelogram, the rhombus, etc., and the triangles of various kinds, represent the different forms in which truth comes to the human mind.

We recognize this representative meaning of straight lines, when we say of a man, that he is “square” in his dealing ; i. e., he is just and right on all sides, and to every person concerned. So, in Israel, the altar of burnt-offering, and the altar of incense, and the breastplate of the high-priest, all being representative, were commanded to be made square. And the holy city of the New Jerusalem was to be square.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

In the prophecies of the Old Testament many singular things are mentioned, and their forms and shapes are especially indicated ; as, for instance, in Daniel’s vision of the four beasts : “The first was like a lion, and had eagles’ wings …. And behold, another beast, like to a bear. . . : and lo, another, like unto a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl. The beast had also four heads …. a fourth beast, . . . and it had great iron teeth;. . . .and it had ten horns.” (Daniel, vii. i, 5, 6, 7.) And in the Revelation, it is said concerning a vision, “In the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts, full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion; and the second beast life a calf; and the third beast had a face as a man; and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him ; and they were full of eyes, within.” (Rev. iv. 6-8.) These definite details of the shapes of the beasts afford definite instruction as to the mental principles, the affections and thoughts, thus represented.

Forms presented on the surface of the earth, and in the earth, represent states of human life.

DIMENSIONS.

Much is said, in the Scriptures, about forms, in the sense of dimensions, as length, breadth, thickness, height, and so forth. Spiritually, the length of anything is its measure as to goodness, i. e., as to the quality of the love which characterizes the mind”.’ Length symbolizes largeness, fulness, extension, development of character, in goodness. The Lord said of the good man, “Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” (Ps. xci. 14, i5.) In the spiritual sense, these things refer to spiritual conditions, fulness of love, extension of qualities, largeness of character.

Shortness represents a want of fulness of character, a cramped state^ of mind, in which the man is not in spiritual freedom, but is bound in slavery by his own evils. “Your: covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand  for the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it ; and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.” ‘(Isa, xxviii. 18, 20.) A bed, on which the body rests, represents a doctrine, on which the mind rests. But a false doctrine does not give freedom to the mind, to develop, to extend itself in fullness, because the false doctrine shortens and dwarfs the heart, and also keeps the intellect within limited bounds, and contracts the thoughts.

Thus, spiritual length refers to the state of the will, the heart, with its affection for goodness. But breadth, or width, represents the state of the understanding, the intellect, with its thoughts. And, spiritually, the measure of a thing, as to its width, is the test of its truthfulness. We speak of intelligent, clear-headed and unprejudiced men, as broad-minded; and of ignorant, selfish and prejudiced men as narrow-minded. Evil shortens the mind, as to its affections, and falsity narrows the understanding. But truth widens the mind. The Psalmist of Israel sings to the Lord, “Thy commandment is exceeding broad. Through Thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Ps. cxix. 96, 104, 105.)

STATES OF MIND.

Recognizing the fact that external forms depend upon the inward states of mind, which express themselves in outward forms, we observe how a man’s states of affection and of thought shape his body to their images. When a pleasant feeling is in the heart, and a ,broad thought is in the intellect, the countenance is formed in rounded lines, expressing goodness ; but,when anger is in the heart, an4 harsh thoughts in the intellect, the lines of the countenance are hard, angular and repulsive.

The regenerate man’s spiritual form is in the image of God, formed by Divine principles : but the spiritual form of the evil man is in the image of hell,, formed by infernal principles. The man’s ruling-love forms his whole character, and even shapes his physical countenance. “The measure of a man, that is, of an angel,” (Rev. xxj. 17), is the fulness of regenerate life, measured by Divine principles. And so, in the heavens, where the Divine principles of goodness and truth rule all things, every object is of beautiful, symmetrical and harmonious form, corresponding to the good, affections and the true thoughts of the angels. But, in the hells, where all good and true principles are perverted and falsified, all the objects are ugly, contorted and repulsive, corresponding to the spiritual deformity of evil affections and false thoughts. And, on the earth, the things of beautiful forms represent good and true human qualities ; and hideous and repulsive forms represent evil and false qualities.

Forms, dimensions, etc., have a bad meaning, when they refer to things which have been abused and perverted; as, for instance, it is said of certain hypocritical Jews, “all their works they do for to be seen of men : they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments.” (Matt, xxiii. 5.)

THE DIVINE HUMAN FORM.

When Jehovah appeared to men on earth. He came in a human form, in Jesus Christ. God is a Divine Man, having infinite human qualities. And finite man, as a creature, was formed in the image of God, in the sense that he was made capable of receiving human qualities in a finite degree. And because man is the highest form of created being, and nearest to the Lord, therefore the human form of his spirit takes upon it, in physical nature, a material shape the most beautiful of all created bodies.

And, in the spiritual world, the spiritual form of the regenerate man grows more beautiful, for ever. And, even in the physical world, regenerate men grow more expressive of love and wisdom, even in their natural faces.

Author: Edward Craig Mitchell From Scripture Symbolism 1904

ALL USES, WHICH ARE ENDS OF CREATION ARE IN FORMS,
WHICH FORMS THEY TAKE FROM SUBSTANCES AND MATTERS SUCH AS ARE IN LANDS.

All things treated of hitherto, as the sun, atmospheres, and lands, are only means to ends. The ends of creation are those things that are produced by the Lord as a sun,  through the atmospheres, out of lands; and these ends are called uses. In their whole extent these are all things of the vegetable kingdom, all things of the animal kingdom, and finally the human race, and the angelic heaven which is from it. These are called uses, because they are recipients of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom also because they have regard to God the Creator from whom they are, and thereby conjoin Him to His great work; by which conjunction it comes that, as they spring forth from Him, so do they have unceasing existence from Him. They are said to have regard to God the Creator from whom they are, and to conjoin Him to His great work, but this is to speak according to appearance. It is meant that God the Creator causes them to have regard and to conjoin themselves to Him as it were of themselves; but how they have regard and thereby conjoin will be declared in what follows.  Something has been said before on these subjects in their place, as that Divine Love and Divine Wisdom must necessarily have being and form in other things created by themselves (n. 37-51); that all things in the created universe are recipients of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom (n. 55-60); that the uses of all created things ascend by degrees to man, and through man to God the Creator from whom they are (n. 65-68). [DLW307]

Who does not see clearly that uses are the ends of creation, when he considers that from God the Creator nothing can have form, and therefore nothing can be created, except use; and that to be use, it must be for the sake of others; and that use for the sake of self is also for the sake of others, since a use for the sake of self looks to one’s being in a state to be of use to others? Who so considers this is also able to see, that use which is use cannot spring from man, but must be in man from that Being from whom everything that comes forth is use, that is, from the Lord. [DLW308]

But as the forms of uses are here treated of, the subject shall be set forth in the following order:

(1)          In lands there is a conatus to produce uses in forms, that is, forms of uses.

(2)          In all forms of uses there is a kind of image of the creation of the universe.

(3)          In all forms of uses there is a kind of image of man.

(4)          In all forms of uses there is a kind of image of the Infinite and the Eternal. [DLW309]

(1) In lands there is a conatus to produce uses in forms, that is, forms of uses. That there is this conatus in lands, is evident from their source, since the substances and matters of which lands consist are endings and closings of atmospheres which proceed as uses from the spiritual sun (as may be seen above, n. 305, 306). And because the substances and matters of which lands consist are from that source, and their aggregations are held in connection by the pressure of the surrounding atmospheres, it follows that they have from that a perpetual conatus to bring forth forms of uses. The very quality that makes them capable of bringing forth they derive from their source, as being the outmosts of atmospheres, with which they are constantly in accord. Such a conatus and quality are said to be in lands, but it is meant that they are present in the substances and matters of which lands consist, whether these are in the lands or in the atmospheres as exhalations from the lands. That atmospheres are full of such things is well known. That there is such a conatus and such quality in the substances and matters of lands is plain from the fact that seeds of all kinds, opened by means of heat even to their inmost core, are impregnated by the most subtle substances (which can have no other than a spiritual origin), and through this they have power to conjoin themselves to use, from which comes their prolific principle. Then through conjunction with matters from a natural origin they are able to produce forms of uses, and thereafter to deliver them as from a womb, that they may come forth into light, and thus sprout up and grow. This conatus is afterwards continuous from the lands through the root even to outmosts, and from outmosts to firsts, wherein use itself is in its origin. Thus uses pass into forms; and forms, in their progression from firsts to outmosts and from outmosts to firsts, derive from use (which is like a soul) that each and every thing of the form is of some use. Use is said to be like a soul, since its form is like a body.  It also follows that there is a conatus more interior, that is, the conatus to produce uses for the animal kingdom through vegetable growths, since by these animals of every kind are nourished. It further follows that in all these there is an inmost conatus, the conatus to perform use to the human race. From all this these things follow: (1) that there are outmosts, and in outmosts are all prior things simultaneously in their order, according to what has been frequently explained above; (2) that as there are degrees of both kinds in the greatest and least of all things (as was shown above, n. 222-229), so there are likewise in this conatus; (3) that as all uses are brought forth by the Lord out of outmosts, so in outmosts there must be a conatus to uses. [DLW310]

Still none of these are living conatus, for they are the conatus of life’s outmost forces; within which forces there exists, from the life out of which they spring, a striving to return at last to their origin through the means afforded. In outmosts, atmospheres become such forces; and by these forces, substances and matters, such as are in the lands, are molded into forms and held together in forms both within and without.  But the subject is too large to allow a more extended explanation here. [DLW311]

The first production from these earthy matters, while they were still new and in their simple state, was production of seed; the first conatus therein could not be any other. [DLW312]

(2) In all forms of uses there is a kind of image of creation. Forms of uses are of a threefold kind; forms of uses of the mineral kingdom, forms of uses of the vegetable kingdom, and forms of uses of the animal kingdom. The forms of uses of the mineral kingdom cannot be described, because they are not visible to the eye. The first forms are the substances and matters of which the lands consist, in their minutest divisions; the second forms are aggregates of these, and are of infinite variety; the third forms come from plants that have fallen to dust, and from animal remains, and from the continual evaporations and exhalations from these, which are added to lands and make their soil. These forms of the mineral kingdom in three degrees represent creation in an image in this, that, made active by the sun through the atmospheres and their heat and light, they bring forth uses in forms, which uses were creative ends.This image of creation lies deeply hidden within their conatus (of which see above, n. 310). [DLW313]

In the forms of uses of the vegetable kingdom an image of creation appears in this, that from their firsts they proceed to their outmosts, and from outmosts to firsts. Their firsts are seeds, their outmosts are stalks clothed with bark; and by means of the bark which is the outmost of the stalk, they tend to seeds which, as was said, are their firsts.  The stalks clothed with layers of bark represent the globe clothed with lands, out of which come the creation and formation of all uses. That vegetation is effected through the outer and inner barks and coatings, by a climbing up, by means of the coverings of the roots (which are continued around the stalks and branches), into the beginnings of the fruit, and in like manner through the fruits into the seeds, is known to many. An image of creation is displayed in forms of uses in the progress of the formation of uses from firsts to outmosts, and from outmosts to firsts; also in this, that in the whole progression there lies the end of producing fruit and seeds, which are uses. From what has been said above it is plain, that the progression of the creation of the universe was from its First (which is the Lord encircled by the sun) to outmosts which are lands, and from these through uses to its First, that is, the Lord; also that the ends of the whole creation were uses. [DLW314]

It should be known that to this image of creation the heat, light, and atmospheres of the natural world contribute nothing whatever. It is only the heat, light, and atmospheres of the sun of the spiritual world that do this, bringing that image with them, and clothing it with the forms of uses of the vegetable kingdom. The heat, light, and atmospheres of the natural world simply open the seeds, keep their products in a state of expansion, and clothe them with the matters that give them fixedness. And this is done not by any forces from their own sun (which viewed in themselves are null), but by forces from the spiritual sun, by which the natural forces are unceasingly impelled to these services.  Natural forces contribute nothing whatever towards forming this image of creation, for the image of creation is spiritual. But that this image may be manifest and perform use in the natural world, and may stand fixed and be permanent, it must be materialized, that is, filled in with the matters of that world. [DLW315]

 In the forms of uses of the animal kingdom there is a similar image of creation, in that the animal body, which is the outmost thereof, is formed by a seed deposited in a womb or an ovum, and this body, when mature, brings forth new seed. This progression is similar to the progression of the forms of uses of the vegetable kingdom: seeds are the beginnings; the womb or the ovum is like the ground; the state before birth is like the state of the seed in the ground while it takes root; the state after birth until the animal becomes prolific is like the growth of a tree until it reaches its state of fruit-bearing. From this parallelism it is plain that there is a likeness of creation in the forms of animals as well as in the forms of plants, in that there is a progression from firsts to outmosts, and from outmosts to firsts. A like image of creation exists in every single thing there is in man; for there is a like progression of love through wisdom into uses, consequently a like progression of the will through the understanding into acts, and of charity through faith into deeds. Will and understanding, also charity and faith, are the firsts as their source; acts and deeds are the outmosts; from these, by means of the enjoyments of uses, a return is made to their firsts, which, as was said, are the will and understanding, or charity and faith. That the return is effected by means of the enjoyments of uses is very evident from the enjoyments felt in those acts and deeds which are from any love, in that they flow back to the first of the love from which they spring and that thereby conjunction is effected. The enjoyments of acts and deeds are what are called the enjoyments of uses. A like progression from firsts to outmosts, and from outmosts to firsts, is exhibited in the forms most purely organic of affections and thoughts in man. In his brains there are those star-like forms called the cineritious substances; out of these go forth fibers through the medullary substance by the neck into the body; passing through to the outmosts of the body, and from outmosts returning to their firsts.  This return of fibers to their firsts is made through the blood vessels.  There is a like progression of all affections and thoughts, which are changes and variations of state of those forms or substances, for the fibers issuing out of those forms or substances are comparatively like the atmospheres from the spiritual sun, which are containants of heat and light; while bodily acts are like the things produced from the lands by means of atmospheres, the enjoyments of their uses returning to the source from which they sprang. But that the progression of these is such, and that within this progression there is an image of creation, can hardly be comprehended fully by the understanding, both because thousands and myriads of forces operating in act appear as one, and because the enjoyments of uses do not appear as ideas in the thought, but only affect without distinct perception. On this subject see what has been declared and explained above, as follows: The uses of all created things ascend by degrees of height to man, and through man to God the Creator from whom they are (n. 65-68). The end of creation takes form in outmosts, which end is that all things may return to the Creator and that there may be conjunction (n. 167-172). But these things will appear in still clearer light in the following Part, where the correspondence of the will and understanding with the heart and lungs will be treated of. [DLW316]

(3) In all forms of uses there is a kind of image of man. This has been shown above (n. 61-64). That all uses, from firsts to outmosts and from outmosts to firsts, have relation to all parts of man and have correspondence with them, consequently that man is, in a kind of image, a universe, and conversely that the universe viewed as to uses is in image a man, will be seen in the following chapter. [DLW317]

(4) In all forms of uses there is a kind of image of the Infinite and the Eternal. The image of the Infinite in these forms is plain from their conatus and power to fill the spaces  of the whole world, and even of many worlds, to infinity. For a single seed produces a tree, shrub, or plant, which fills its own space; and each tree, shrub, or plant produces seeds, in some cases thousands of them, which, when sown and grown up, fill their own spaces; and if from each seed of these there should proceed as many more, reproduced again and again, in the course of years the whole world would be filled; and if the production were still continued many worlds would be filled; and this to infinity.  Estimate a thousand seeds from one, and multiply the thousand by a thousand ten times, twenty times, even to a hundred times, and you will see. There is a like image of the Eternal in these forms; seeds are propagated from year to year, and the propagations never cease; they have not ceased from the creation of the world till now, and will not cease to eternity. These two are standing proofs and attesting signs that all things of the universe have been created by an Infinite and Eternal God. Beside these images of the Infinite and Eternal, there is another image of the Infinite and Eternal in varieties, in that there can never be a substance, state, or thing in the created universe the same as or identical with any other, neither in atmospheres, nor in lands, nor in the forms arising out of these. Thus not in any of the things which fill the universe can any thing the same be produced to eternity. This is plainly to be seen in the variety of the faces of human beings; no one face can be found throughout the world which is the same as another, nor can there be to all eternity, consequently not one mind, for the face is the type of the mind.[DLW318]

THE FORM OF HEAVEN WHICH DETERMINES AFFILIATIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS THERE.

What the form of heaven is can be seen in some measure from what has been shown in the preceding chapters; as that heaven is like itself both in its greatest  and in its least divisions (n. 72); that consequently each society is a heaven in a lesser form, and each angel in the least form (n. 51-58); that as the entire heaven reflects a single man, so each society of heaven reflects a man in a lesser form, and each angel in the least form (n. 59-77); that the wisest are at the center, and the less wise are round about even to the borders, and the like is true of each society (n. 43); and that those who are in the good of love dwell from the east to the west in heaven, and those who are in truths from good from the south to the north; and the same is true of each society (n. 148, 149). All this is in accord with the form of heaven; consequently it may be concluded from this what this form is in general.{1} [HH200]

It is important to know what the form of heaven is, because not only is all affiliation there in accordance with it, but also all mutual communication, and in consequence of this all extension of thoughts and affections, and thus all the intelligence and wisdom of angels. From this it follows that each one there is wise just to the extent that he is in the form of heaven, and is thus a form of heaven. It makes no difference whether you say in the form of heaven, or in the order of heaven, since the form of any thing is from its order and in accordance with its order.{1} [HH201]

  Let us consider first what is meant by being in the form of heaven. Man was created both in the image of heaven and in the image of the world; his internal in the image of heaven, and his external in the image of the world (see above, n. 57); and in the image means the same thing as in accordance with the form. But as man by the evils of his will and consequent falsities of thought has destroyed in himself the image of heaven, that is, the form of heaven, and in place of it has brought in the image and form of hell, his internal is closed up from his very birth; and this is why man is born into pure ignorance, while animals of every kind are not. And that man may have the image of heaven or form of heaven restored to him he must be taught the things that pertain to order; since form, as has been said, is in accord with order. The Word contains all the laws of Divine order, for its precepts are the laws of Divine order; therefore to the extent that man knows these and lives in accordance with them his internal is opened and the order or image of heaven is there formed anew. This makes clear what is meant by being in the form of heaven, namely, that it is to live in accordance with those things that are in the Word.{1} [HH202]

So far as any one is in the form of heaven he is in heaven, and is, in fact, a heaven in the least form (n. 57); consequently he is to the same extent in intelligence and wisdom; for as has been said above, all the thought of his understanding and all the affection of his will extend themselves on every side into heaven in accord with its form, and wonderfully communicate with the societies there, and these in turn with him.{1}

[2] There are some who do not believe that thoughts and affections really extend themselves around about them, but believe that they are within them, because whatever they think they see within in themselves, and not as distant; but such are greatly mistaken. For as the sight of the eye has extension to remote objects, and is affected in accordance with the order of the things seen in that extension, so the interior sight, which is that of the understanding, has a like extension in the spiritual world, although not perceived by man, for the reason given above (n. 196). The only difference is that the sight of the eye is affected in a natural way, because it is affected by the things in the natural world, while the sight of the understanding is affected in a spiritual way, because by the things in the spiritual world, all of which have relation to good and truth; and man’s ignorance of this is because of his not knowing that there is any light that enlightens the understanding; and yet without the light that enlightens the understanding man could not think at all (of which light see above, n. 126-132).

[3] There was a certain spirit who believed that his thought was from himself, thus without any extension outside of himself and communication thereby with societies outside of him. That he might learn that this was not true his communication with neighboring societies was cut off, and in consequence, not only was he deprived of thought but he fell down as if lifeless, although tossing his arms about like a new-born infant.  After a while the communication was restored to him, and then as it was gradually restored he returned into the state of his thought. [4]

When other spirits had seen this they confessed that all thought and affection, and in consequence, everything of life, flow in in accordance with communication, since everything of man’s life consists in his ability to think and be moved by affection, or what is the same, in his ability to understand and will.{2} [HH203]

But let it be understood that intelligence and wisdom vary with everyone in accordance with this communication, those whose intelligence and wisdom are formed out of genuine truths and goods having communication with societies in accordance with the form of heaven; while those whose intelligence and wisdom are not formed out of genuine truths and goods, and yet out of what is in accord therewith, have a broken and variously coherent communication, since it is not with societies that are in a series in which there is a form of heaven. On the other hand, those that are not in intelligence and wisdom, because they are in falsities from evil, have communication with societies in hell; and their extension is determined by the degree of their confirmation. Let it also be known that this communication with societies is not such a communication with them as is clearly perceptible to those there, but is a communication with what they really are, which is in them and flows from them.{1} [HH204]

There is an affiliation of all in heaven in accordance with spiritual relationships, that is, relationships of good and truth in their order. It is so in the whole heaven; so in each society, and so in each house. Because of this angels who are in like good and truth recognize each other, as relatives by blood and marriage do on the earth, precisely as if they had been acquainted from infancy. The good and truth in each angel, which constitute his wisdom and intelligence, are affiliated in like manner; they recognize each other in like manner, and as they recognize each other they join themselves together;{1} and in consequence those in whom truths and goods are thus joined in accordance with a form of heaven see things following one another in series, and how they cohere widely round about; but those in whom goods and truths are not conjoined in accordance with the form of heaven do not see this. [HH 205]

ALL CREATED THINGS HAVE RELATION IN A KIND OF IMAGE TO MAN.

This can be seen from each and all things of the animal kingdom, from each and all things of the vegetable kingdom, and from each and all things of the mineral kingdom. A relation to man in each and all things of the animal kingdom is evident from the following. Animals of every kind have limbs by which they move, organs by which they feel, and viscera by which these are exercised; these they have in common with man. They have also appetites and affections similar to man’s natural appetites and affections; and they have inborn knowledges corresponding to their affections, in some of which there appears a resemblance to what is spiritual, which is more or less evident in beasts of the earth, and birds of the air, and in bees, silk-worms, ants, etc. From this it is that merely natural men consider the living creatures of this kingdom to be like themselves, except in the matter of speech.

A relation to man arising out of each and all things of the vegetable kingdom is evident from this: they spring forth from seed, and thereafter proceed step by step through their periods of growth; they have something akin to marriage, followed by prolification; their vegetative soul is use, and they are forms thereof; besides many other particulars which have relation to man. These also have been described by various authors.

A relation to man deducible from each and every thing of the mineral kingdom is seen only in an endeavor to produce forms which exhibit such a relation (which forms, as said above, are each and all things of the vegetable kingdom), and in an endeavor to perform uses thereby. For when first a seed falls into the bosom of the earth, she cherishes it, and out of herself provides it with nourishment from every source, that it may shoot up and present itself in a form representative of man. That such an endeavor exists also in its solid parts is evident from corals at the bottom of the seas and from flowers in mines, where they originate from minerals, also from metals. This endeavor towards vegetating, and performing uses thereby, is the outmost derivation from the Divine in created things. [DLW 61]

Author: EMANUEL SWEDENBORG (1688-1772)

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