t is closed, turns back
the light of heaven; consequently there is thick darkness there instead
of heavenly light, and truth which is in the light of heaven, becomes
nauseous. In such persons, not only does the spiritual degree itself
become closed, but also the higher region of the natural degree which
is called the rational, until at last the lowest region of the natural
degree, which is called the sensual, alone stands open; this being
nearest to the world and to the outward senses of the body, from which
such a man afterwards thinks, speaks, and reasons. The natural man who
has become sensual through evils and their falsities, in the spiritual
world in the light of heaven does not appear as a man but as a monster,
even with nose drawn back (the nose is drawn in because the nose
corresponds to the perception of truth); moreover, he cannot bear a ray
of heavenly light. Such have in their caverns no other light than what
resembles the light from live coals or from burning charcoal. From all
this it is evident who and of what character are those in whom the
spiritual degree is closed.

255. (5) The nature of the difference between the life of a natural man
and the life of a beast. This difference will be particularly discussed
in what follows, where Life will be treated of. Here it may be said only
that the difference is that man has three degrees of mind, that is, three
degrees of understanding and will, which degrees can be opened
successively; and as these are transparent, man can be raised as to his
understanding into the light of heaven and see truths, not only civil
and moral, but also spiritual, and from many truths seen can form
conclusions about truths in their order, and thus perfect the
understanding to eternity. But beasts do not have the two higher
degrees, but only the natural degrees, and these apart from the higher
degrees have no capacity to think on any subject, civil, moral, or
spiritual. And since the natural degrees of beasts are incapable of
being opened, and thereby raised into higher light, they are unable to
think in successive order, but only in simultaneous order, which is not
thinking, but acting from a knowledge corresponding to their love. And
because they are unable to think analytically, and to view a lower
thought from any higher thought, they are unable to speak, but are able
only to utter sounds in accordance with the knowledge pertaining to their
love. Yet the sensual man, who is in t