386. 1. Two universal atmospheres emanate from the Lord to preserve the universe in its created state, one of which is an atmosphere of procreating, and the other an atmosphere of protecting what has been procreated. We call the Divinity emanating from the Lord an atmosphere, because it goes out from Him, surrounds Him, fills both worlds - the spiritual and the natural - and brings about the effects of the ends which the Lord ordained at creation and which He subsequently provides.

Everything that flows out from an object, surrounds it and envelops it, is called an atmosphere. As, for example, the atmosphere of light and heat from the sun around it; the atmosphere of life from a person around him; the atmosphere of aroma from a shrub around it; the atmosphere of attraction from a magnet around it; and so on.

[2] But the universal atmospheres which we are discussing here are from the Lord around Him; and they emanate from the sun of the spiritual world, at whose center He is. From the Lord through that sun emanates an atmosphere of warmth and light, or to say the same thing, an atmosphere of love and wisdom, to bring about ends which are of use. However, that atmosphere is designated by various names according to the uses it serves. The Divine atmosphere in regard to the preservation of the universe in its created state by successive generations, is called an atmosphere of procreating; and the Divine atmosphere in regard to the preservation of those generations in their beginnings and afterwards in their advances, is called an atmosphere of protecting what has been procreated.

In addition to these two, there are a number of other Divine atmospheres, which are named according to the uses they serve, having thus various names, as may be seen above in no. 222. Effectuations of useful ends by means of these atmospheres are Divine providence.

400. 12. The atmosphere of a love of procreating proceeds sequentially from its end through causes into effects, and produces cycles, by which creation is preserved in its foreseen and provided state. All activities in the universe proceed from ends through causes into effects. These three elements are in themselves indivisible, although they appear as distinct in idea and thought. Still, even then, unless the effect that is intended is seen at the same time, the end is not anything; nor is either of these anything without a cause to sustain, foster and conjoin them.

[2] Such a sequence is engraved on every person, in general and in every particular, just as will, intellect, and action is. Every end there has to do with the will, every cause with the intellect, and every effect with action. Similarly, every end has to do with love, every mediating cause with wisdom, and every resulting effect with useful endeavor. The reason is that the recipient vessel of love is the will, the recipient vessel of wisdom is the intellect, and the recipient vessel of useful endeavor is action. Consequently, since activities in general and particular in a person proceed from the will through the intellect into act, so do they also from love through wisdom into useful endeavor. (Only by wisdom here we mean everything that is connected with judgment and thought.)

It is apparent that these three elements are united in the effect. That they are also together in idea and thought prior to the effect is seen from the fact that the only thing that intervenes is execution. For in the mind the end issues from the will, produces for itself a cause in the intellect, and forms for itself an intention; and an intention is a kind of act prior to the execution. So it is that intention is accepted by a wise man as the act, and also by the Lord.

[3] What rational person cannot see, or, when he hears it, acknowledge, that these three elements flow from some prime cause, and that the cause is, that from the Lord, the Creator and Preserver of the universe, continually emanate love, wisdom, and useful endeavor, and those three as one? Say if you can what the origin would be otherwise.