1206. Verse 4. And the twenty-four elders and the four animals fell down signifies humiliation of heart of the higher heavens. This is evident from the signification of "falling down," as meaning humiliation of heart (of which presently); also from the signification of "the twenty-four elders" and "the four animals," as being the higher heavens and the angels there (see n. 313, 322, 362, 462). "To fall down" means humiliation of heart, because falling down upon the knees and upon the face is a gesture corresponding to inmost humiliation, which is called humiliation of heart; for by creation there are gestures corresponding to every affection, and a man falls into them spontaneously when he comes into the affection, provided he has not learned to counterfeit affections that are foreign to him; while one who has learned so to do takes on gestures from himself by which he depicts affections of the heart, although they do not belong at all to his heart. Such can fall down before God, but it is a purely counterfeit act. This has been said to make known that "falling down before God" means to act from inmost affection, which is called humiliation of heart; this precedes worship, which is an act of the lips.
(Continuation)
[2] (1) Nothing in nature exists except from the spiritual and by means of it. The reason of this is that nothing can exist except from another, and so finally from Him who is and exists in Himself, who is God; wherefore God is called Esse and Existere, Jah from Esse and Jehovah from Esse and Existere in Himself. Nothing in nature comes forth except from the spiritual, because nothing is possible without a soul. All that is called soul, which is essence, for that which has in itself no essence has no existence, for it is a nonentity, since there is no esse from which it comes forth. Thus it is with nature. Its essence from which it exists is the spiritual, because this has in itself the Divine Esse, and also the Divine active, creative, and formative force, as will be seen in what follows. Moreover, this essence may be called soul. For everything spiritual is living, and what is living, when it acts into what is not living, as for instance into the natural, causes it either as it were to be living, or to draw somewhat of appearance from what is living. This latter is true of plants, the former of animals. [3] Nothing in nature exists except from the spiritual, because no effect is possible without a cause. Whatever exists in effect is from a cause; what is not from a cause is separated. Thus it is with nature. Its particular and most particular parts are effects from a cause which is prior, interior, and superior to the effect, and which is immediately from God. For there is a spiritual world; and that world is prior, interior and superior to the natural world, consequently everything in the spiritual world is a cause, and everything in the natural world is an effect. Even in the natural world one thing exists from another in a progression, but this is done through causes from the spiritual world, for where the cause of the effect is, there also is the cause of the effecting effect; for every effect becomes an effecting cause in order even to the lowest, where the effective force subsists; but this is effected continually from the spiritual, in which alone is that force. This, therefore, is what is meant by "nothing in nature exists except from the spiritual, and by means of it." [4] In nature there are two mediate causes by means of which every effect, that is, every production and formation there, is accomplished. These mediate causes are light and heat. Light modifies substances and the heat moves them, each from the presence of the sun in them. The presence of the sun that is manifested as light causes an activity of the forces or substances of every particle according to the form that it has from creation. This is modification. The presence of the sun that is perceived as heat expands the particles, and produces the acting and effecting forces according to their form, by moving the conatus that they have from creation. This conatus, which becomes by means of heat the acting force even in the minutest forms of nature, is from the spiritual acting in them and into them.
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