spiritual world, the heat and light in which the angels and their
heavens are, shall here be especially spoken of. From this and from
no other source can enlightenment on this subject be had.

182. But degrees of spiritual heat cannot be described from experience,
because love, to which spiritual heat corresponds, does not come thus
under ideas of thought; but degrees of spiritual light can be described,
because light pertains to thought, and therefore comes under ideas of
thought. Yet degrees of spiritual heat can be comprehended by their
relation to the degrees of light, for the two are in like degree. With
respect then to spiritual light in which angels are, it has been granted
me to see it with my eyes. With angels of the higher heavens, the light
is so glistening white as to be indescribable, even by comparison with
the shining whiteness of snow, and so glowing as to be indescribable
even by comparison with the beams of this world's sun. In a word, that
light exceeds a thousand times the noonday light upon earth. But the
light with angels of the lower heavens can be described in a measure
by comparisons, although it still exceeds the most intense light of
our world. The light of angels of the higher heavens is indescribable,
because their light makes one with their wisdom; and because their
wisdom, compared to the wisdom of men, is ineffable, thus also is their
light. From these few things it can be seen that there must be degrees
of light; and because wisdom and love are of like degrees, it follows
that there must be like degrees of heat.

183. Since atmospheres are the receptacles and containants of heat and
light, it follows that there are as many degrees of atmospheres as there
are degrees of heat and light; also that there are as many as there are
degrees of love and wisdom. That there are several atmospheres, and that
these are distinct from each other by means of degrees, has been