9606. Upon the edge of the one curtain at the extremity in the joining. That this signifies the conjunction of one sphere with the other, is evident from the signification of “the edge of a curtain at the extremity in the joining,” as being where one ceases and the other begins, and thus the common boundary where the two are joined together. That the sphere is what is signified is because in heaven spheres conjoin. For there are spheres which proceed from each angelic society in heaven, and from each angel in a society. These spheres, with everyone, exhale from the life of the affections of truth and of good, and are thence diffused to a distance. From this it is that the quality of spirits and of angels is known at a distance. Angels and angelic societies are conjoined, and are also disjoined, in accordance with these spheres; for similar spheres, that is, similar affections of truth and good, conjoin; and dissimilar spheres disjoin. (But see what has been already shown concerning these spheres in n. 1048, 1053, 1316, 1504-1520, 1695, 2401, 2489, 4464, 5179, 6206, 6598-6613, 7454, 8630, 8794, 8797, 9490-9492, 9498, 9534.) Whether you say angels and angelic societies, from which the spheres proceed, or truth and good, it is the same; for the spheres are from the affections of truth and good, by virtue of which angels are angels from the Lord. Be it known that insofar as these spheres derive anything from the Lord, so far they conjoin; but insofar as they derive it from the angel’s own, so far they disjoin. From this it is evident that the Lord alone conjoins.

8797. Everyone that toucheth the mountain, dying he shall die. That this signifies that whosoever of the spiritual church inserts himself as far as the celestial societies will perish, is evident from the signification of “the mountain,” as being the good of love (s ee just above, n. 8795), here the Divine good of the Divine love in the inmost heaven, because the people that is beneath represents the spiritual kingdom of the Lord, which is the middle heaven; from the signification of “touching,” as being to penetrate thereto, in this case to insert themselves (of which presently); and from the signification of “dying he shall die,” as being to perish.

[2] The case herein is this. They who are of the spiritual kingdom of the Lord cannot flow into the celestial kingdom, because this latter is higher or more interior, and the former is lower or more exterior; for what is exterior or lower cannot flow into what is higher or interior (n. 5259, 5779). Yet it sometimes happens that they who are in a lower heaven seek to ascend into a higher heaven, and this from a vicious desire originating in pride, in the love of dominion, or in envy. They who make the attempt from such a desire are thereupon let in; but they then suffer hard things, are seized with anxiety and finally with pain, and also with blindness, so that they lose both their intelligence and their happiness. Wherefore they cast themselves down therefrom as if about to die, nor do they recover animation until they have been cast down from heaven.

[3] Such is the lot of those who from the cupidity of pride, of dominion, or of envy, insert themselves into a higher heaven. The reason is that relatively to them, the good of love in the higher heaven is like a consuming fire, and the truth of faith there is like a fiery light blinding the sight of those who rise up. These are the things meant in the internal sense by the command that the Israelitish people should not touch Mount Sinai, where Jehovah was. The case would be similar with those who are in the celestial kingdom, if perchance they should attempt to ascend on high to the Divine; in like manner with those who are beneath heaven, if they desire to ascend into heaven. (That these latter suffer hard things, see n. 4225, 4226, 4299, 5057, 5058.)