3068. 'Let down now your pitcher' means submitting facts. This becomes clear from the meaning of 'letting down' as submitting, and from the meaning of 'a pitcher' as facts. The reason why a water-pot or a pitcher means facts is that 'water' means truth, 680, 739, 2702, and a pitcher is a vessel with water in it, even as factual knowledge is a vessel with truth in it. All factual knowledge is a vessel for truth, and all truth is a vessel for good. Factual knowledge without truth is an empty vessel, and so is truth without good; but factual knowledge in which truth is held is a vessel that is filled, as is truth in which good is held. Affection which is an attribute of love is what joins them together so that they may exist in order. For love is spiritual conjunction.

9109. The bystanders recognized from all this what the external or natural man separated from the internal is like when entering the spiritual sphere, which is the internal man's sphere of life (surrounding everyone there is a sphere emanating from the life of his love, see 1048, 1053, 1316, 1504-1512, 4464, 5179, 6206 (end), 7454); they recognized that then the external man is insane. The reason for the insanity is that the natural man separated from the spiritual receives wisdom solely from the world, and none at all from heaven. But anyone who receives wisdom solely from the world does not believe anything apart from what he perceives with the senses; and what he believes he is led to believe by the illusions of the senses, consequently by falsities. To him therefore spiritual things are nothing, so completely nothing that he can scarcely bear to hear the word 'spiritual' used. Therefore also he does not apprehend what 'the internal man is, nor consequently does he believe in the existence of an internal man. This explains why such people are insane when held in a spiritual sphere. It is different while they are living in the world; during that time either they think in natural ways about spiritual things, or they turn away their ear, that is, they hear but pay no attention. Such people also suffer pain and blindness when they are raised into a spiritual sphere, see 8797.