318. Which are the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth, signifies that all wisdom and intelligence in heaven and in the church are therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "the seven spirits of God," as being Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (of which above, n. 183; and as they signify Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, they also signify the Divine wisdom or omniscience. It is evident also from the signification of "sent forth into all the earth," as being that this is the source of all wisdom and intelligence in heaven and in the church. "To be sent forth" signifies to be communicated, and "all the earth" signifies the church both in the heavens and on earth (See above, n. 304). Thence is clear why it is said that "the seven eyes of the Lamb were the seven spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth," for "seven eyes" signify the omniscience that the Lord has from Divine good through Divine truth. From this are all wisdom and intelligence, because man cannot from himself understand truth and relish good, but only from the Lord; and all wisdom and intelligence are of truth from good. Unless wisdom and intelligence be formed from it, they are not wisdom and intelligence, but folly and insanity, which appear before the ignorant and the evil like wisdom and intelligence, because of their being able to speak and reason from the memory. For what is man's own [proprium] is nothing but evil and falsity; his own voluntary [proprium ejus voluntarium] is evil, and his own intellectual therefrom [proprium ejus intellectuale] is falsity; whatever therefore is from man's own [ex proprio] is contrary to wisdom and intelligence; and what is contrary to wisdom is folly, and what is contrary to intelligence is insanity. From this it can be seen that unless man is elevated by the Lord from his selfhood [a suo proprio], which is done when he receives Divine truth not only in the memory but also in the life, it is utterly impossible for him to be wise and intelligent. But this elevation by the Lord from the selfhood [a proprio] is not apparent to man, nor is it perceived by him while he is in the world, but it first becomes apparent when he comes into his spirit, and this takes place when his spirit has been separated from his material body; but even then it is perceived only by those who come into heaven. It is said wisdom and intelligence, because wisdom is of truth from good, for man then relishes good in truth; but intelligence is of truth through which good comes, for then man has not yet a relish for good in truth, but is affected by truth because it is truth. Those who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom are in wisdom, because they are in truths from good; but those who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom are in intelligence, because they are in truths through which good comes. (But of those who are in truths through which good comes, see in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 23; and of those who are in truths from good, n. 24 and of the celestial kingdom and the spiritual kingdom, in the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28.)
