238. As long a person lives in the world, he has no knowledge of the opening of these degrees in him. The reason is that he is during that time in the natural degree, which is the lowest or outmost one, and he then thinks, wills, speaks and acts in accord with it. Furthermore, the spiritual degree, which is more interior, does not communicate with the natural degree by a continuous connection with it, but by correspondences, and a communication by correspondences is not perceptible to the senses. On the other hand, when a person puts off the natural degree, which he does when he dies, he then comes into that degree which had been opened in him in the world-into the spiritual degree if that degree had been opened in him, into the celestial degree if that degree had been opened in him. [2] A person who comes into the spiritual degree after death no longer thinks, wills, speaks and acts naturally, but spiritually; and one who comes into the celestial degree thinks, wills, speaks and acts in accordance with his own degree. Moreover, because the communication of the three degrees takes place only through correspondences, therefore the differences in the love, wisdom and useful application in these degrees are such that they have nothing in common through any continuous connection. It is apparent from this that a person possesses three degrees of height, and that these can be progressively opened.