10107. 'And the bread which is in the basket' means making celestial good from the Lord their own. This is clear from the meaning of 'eating' - at this point, eating the bread - as making one's own, as immediately above in 10106; from the meaning of 'the bread' as the good of love and charity, dealt with in 2165, 2177, 3464, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4217, 4735, 4976, 5915, 6118, 9323, 9545; and from the meaning of 'the basket' as the level of the outward senses, dealt with in 9996. From these meanings it is evident that 'eating the bread which is in the basket' means making good from the Lord on outward levels their own. The bread in the basket consisted of unleavened loaves, unleavened cakes, and unleavened wafers, by which purified good is meant, both inward and outward kinds of it, 9992-9994. When therefore the words 'the bread in the basket' are used all those kinds of good present on the level of the outward senses are meant, that level being the last and lowest of a person's life, containing inward things all together within itself.

The level of the outward senses is the last and lowest of a person's life, see 5077, 5081, 5094, 5125, 5128, 5767, 6183, 6311, 6313, 6318, 6564, 7645, 9212, 9216, 9730, 9996.

That level contains all inward things, because it is last and lowest, 6451, 6465, 9216, 9828, 9836, 10044.

7173. Some spirits learned from heaven that spirits belonging to Mercury had once been promised that they would see the Lord. They were therefore asked by the spirits around me whether they remembered that promise. They said that they did, but that they did not know whether the promise had been made in such a way that they could have no doubts about it. While they were talking in this way to one another the Sun of heaven appeared to them (the Sun of heaven, which is the Lord, is seen by none except those in the inmost or third heaven; all others see the light radiated by it, and also the Moon, dealt with in 1529-1531, 4060). After they had seen the Sun they said that this was not the Lord God, because they did not see any face. Meanwhile the spirits were talking to one another, but I do know not what they said. Then suddenly the Sun reappeared, with the Lord in the middle of it, encircled by the sun's disc. When they saw this the spirits belonging to Mercury became full of deep humility and sank to the ground. The Lord also appeared then out of the Sun to spirits belonging to our own planet who had seen Him in the world while they were living there. These spirits - a long train of them - declared one after another that He was the Lord; and they declared it before the whole gathering. The Lord also appeared then out of the Sun to spirits belonging to the planet Jupiter. These said in a clear voice that He was the One whom they had seen on their planet when the God of the universe appeared to them.