THERE ARE DEGREES OF AFFECTIONS AND OF USES

Degrees are of two kinds, continuous and discrete. In every form, whether in the spiritual world or in the natural world, both kinds of degrees are to be found. Continuous degrees are known to all; but discrete degrees to few. And those who have no knowledge of discrete degrees are groping as in the dark, when they investigate the causes of things. Degrees of both kinds are described in HEAVEN AND HELL NO. 38.

[29.] Continuous degrees, which every one knows, are like the gradations from light to shade, from heat to cold, from rarity to density. Such a gradation exists in the light, the heat, the wisdom and the love within each society of heaven: those in the centre of the society are in a brighter light than those on its confines, the light decreasing in brightness as its distance from the centre increases, until it reaches the confines. It is the same with the wisdom: those in the middle or centre of a society are in wisdom's light, whereas those on its confines or periphery are in wisdom's shade and are the simple ones. It is the same with love in any of the societies; the affections of love that make the wisdom of those who are there, and the uses of those affections that make their life, decrease continuously from the middle or centre of the Society outward to its confines or periphery. These are continuous degrees.

[2] [30.] But discrete degrees are quite different. They do not vary over a plane surface towards the sides round about, but from the top to the bottom; accordingly they are called descending degrees. They are discrete in the same sense that an effecting cause and the effect it produces are discrete: and effects in their turn become effecting causes, and so on to the final effect of all. Again, these degrees are discrete in the same sense that a producing force and the power it produces are discrete: and the latter in its turn becomes a producing force, and so on to what is produced last of all. In a word, discrete degrees are steps in the forming of one thing from another, thus they are degrees from what is first or highest to what is last or lowest, where formation comes to its close. Things prior and posterior, therefore, are instances of discrete degrees, so are things higher and lower. All creating was effected through degrees of this kind, all production, too, is through them, likewise every case of composition in the natural universe; for if you open out any composite thing you will find that in it one thing is from another thing down to the outermost which is the "general form" (commune) of all.

[3] [31.] The three angelic heavens are distinct from one another by degrees of this kind, and consequently they are one above another. The interior things in a man, which are of his mind, are likewise distinct from one another by degrees of this kind. Similarly the light that is wisdom and the heat that is love are distinct in the heavens of angels and distinct in the interiors of men. Similarly with the light itself going forth from the Lord as a Sun, and also with the heat itself going forth from Him: consequently that light in the third heaven is so brilliant and in the second heaven so bright that it exceeds the midday light in the world a thousand times. It is the same with the wisdom there, light and wisdom in the spiritual world being everywhere in equivalent degrees of perfection. Similar to both these are the degrees of affections, and because it is so with affections, it is so also with uses, uses being the "subjects" of the affections.

Furthermore, it should be known that in every form, whether spiritual or natural, there are degrees of both kinds, discrete and continuous. If any form were without discrete degrees, there would be nothing interiorly in it to constitute a cause or a soul: without continuous degrees, it would have no extension and no visible presentation.