709. And upon her head a crown of twelve stars, signifies the wisdom and intelligence of those who are of that church through doctrinals and knowledges of all things of truth and good from the Word. This is evident from the signification of "head," as being wisdom and intelligence (of which above, n. 553, 577), here of those who are of the church that is signified by "the woman arrayed with the sun, and the moon under her feet;" also from the signification of "crown," which also means wisdom and intelligence (of which above, n. 126, 218, 272), also from the signification of "stars," as being the doctrinals and knowledges of truth and good from the Word (of which see n. 72, 402, 535), also from the signification of "twelve," which means all, and is predicated of truths and goods (See n. 430). From this it is clear that "the crown of twelve stars upon the head" of the woman signifies the wisdom and intelligence of those who are of that church through the doctrinals and knowledges of all things of truth and good from the Word. This is said of the woman after it is said that she was "arrayed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet," because the "sun" signifies celestial and spiritual love, and the "moon" the faith of charity, and from these all wisdom and intelligence flow forth; for from the Lord as a sun heat and light proceed, and heat is the good of love, and light is truth from that good, and these two constitute wisdom and intelligence with angels and men, for the good of love enters their will, and truth from that good enters their understanding, and in the will and understanding together wisdom has its seat.

540. Such, then, is the equilibrium between heaven and hell. Those who are in the world of spirits are in that equilibrium, for the world of spirits is midway between heaven and hell. From the same source all men in the world are kept in a like equilibrium, since men in the world are ruled by the Lord by means of spirits in the world of spirits, as will be shown hereafter in its own chapter. No such equilibrium would be possible unless the Lord ruled both heaven and hell and regulated both sides. Otherwise falsities from evil would preponderate, and would affect the simple good who are in the outmosts regions of heaven, and who can be more easily perverted than the angels themselves; and thereby equilibrium would perish, and with it freedom in men.