52. As long as someone is a spiritual man, the dominion over him runs from external man to internal man, as is said here, 'They will have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air', and over the beasts, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth'. When however he becomes celestial and does what is good out of love, then the dominion over him runs from internal man to external man. This is how the Lord describes Himself, and so simultaneously the celestial man, who is a likeness of Him, in David,

You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, flocks and all cattle, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, ¹ and the fish of the sea, and that crossing the paths of the seas. Psalms 8:6-8.

Here therefore the beasts are mentioned first, the birds next, and the fish of the sea after that, for the reason that the celestial man starts with love which resides in the will. With the spiritual man it is different. With him fish and birds, which have to do with the understanding, the domain of faith, come first, while beasts come afterwards.

Footnotes:

756. Verses 13, 14. "And when the dragon saw that he was cast out unto the earth, he persecuted the woman who brought forth the male child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness unto her place, where she is nourished a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."

"And when the dragon saw that he was cast out to the earth," signifies when the religion of faith alone separated from the life of charity was not acknowledged but accounted as vile; "he persecuted the woman who brought forth the male child," signifies that those who are meant by the dragon would from hatred and enmity reject and slander the church, which is the New Jerusalem, because it holds the doctrine of life. "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle," signifies spiritual intelligence and circumspection, given by the Lord to those who are of that church; "that she might fly into the wilderness (desertum) unto her place," signifies as yet among a few, because among those who are not in the life of charity, and thus not in truths; "where she is nourished a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent," signifies until the church grows and comes to its fulness.