6040. 'And Joseph said to his brothers' means a perception by the truths in the natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'saying' as perception, dealt with often; from the representation of 'the sons of Israel' as spiritual truths within the natural, dealt with in 5414, 5879; and from the representation of 'Joseph' as the internal celestial, dealt with in 5869, 5877. From this it is evident that 'Joseph said to his brothers' means a perception by the truths in the natural which was received from the internal celestial. The reason 'Joseph said' does not mean a perception by him is that Joseph is the internal and all perception flows by way of the internal into the external or natural. By itself the natural does not perceive anything whatever but receives its perceptions from what is prior to itself. Yet what is prior does not perceive by itself but from what is yet prior to it, so that finally perception is received from the Lord, who has uncreated Being. Such is the nature of influx and consequently of perception. The situation with influx is like coming into being and remaining in being. Nothing comes into being by itself but from what is prior to itself, so that finally everything comes from Him who is First, that is, whose Being (Esse) and Manifestation (Existere) are uncreated. Everything is also kept in being by Him who is First, for the same applies to remaining in being as to coming into being, since remaining in being is constant coming into being.

[2] The reason why the expression 'a perception by the truths in the natural' is used and not a perception by people in possession of those truths is that spiritual language employs that kind of expression. For such a usage draws the ideas composing one's thought away from persons and fixes them on spiritual realities; and those realities, which are truths and forms of good, are what possess life in a person and cause him to have life. For those realities are derived from the Lord, the Source of life in its entirety. That kind of usage also leads one's mind away from ascribing truths and forms of good to a person. Such spiritual language also enables one to form an overall idea that extends further and wider than when the idea of a person is tied up with it. If for example one speaks of perception by people in possession of truths in the natural one's ideas become fixed at the same time on people like that - a common occurrence - and so one's ideas are drawn away from the overall idea, with the result that the light of truth is diminished. Furthermore, in the next life thought about persons disturbs such persons, for in that life all thought is communicated. These are the reasons why impersonal expressions like the one here - 'a perception by the truths in the natural' are used.