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.

315. 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.

316. 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 pla