8872. 'And which are in the waters under the earth' means which exist on the level of the bodily senses. This is clear from the meaning of 'a likeness of the things which are in the waters under the earth', as those which come below the ones that exist in natural light. The fact that they exist on the level of the bodily senses is evident from the consecutive degrees of the light that shines in a person's understanding. In the first degree with him there are the things which exist in spiritual light; these are meant by 'the things which are in the heavens above'. In the second degree there are the things which exist in natural light; these are meant by 'the things which are on the earth beneath'. And in the third degree there are the things which exist on the level of the bodily senses; these are meant by 'the things which are in the waters under the earth'. What the level of the bodily senses is and the nature of it, see 5084, 5089, 5094, 5125, 5128, 5580, 5767, 6183, 6201, 6310-6316, 6318, 6598, 6612, 6614, 6622, 6624, 6844, 6845, 6948, 6949, 7442, 7693. The things which come to be known most directly from the experience of the outward senses, and the delights accompanying such knowledge, are connected with the level of the bodily senses. With those who are good that knowledge and associated delights are good because they are used in good deeds; but with those who are bad they are bad because they are used in bad deeds. Misleading by means of such knowledge and its delights, as pretenders, hypocrites, and deceivers are accustomed to do, is 'making a likeness of such things as are below the waters under the earth.'

6614. I have been shown by actual experience how angelic ideas flow into the ideas of the spirits who are beneath them, therefore into ideas that are grosser. An abundance of ideas from the angelic heaven presented themselves visually as a shining white cloud that could be distinguished into separate little tufts; and each little tuft, which consisted of countless strands, presented a spirit with one simple idea. After that I was shown that such an idea contained thousands and thousands of strands, which were also represented by means of a cloud composed of the spirits' speech. After this I spoke to the spirits on these matters, saying that the objects of sight can be used by way of illustration. When an object which looks like a simple whole is examined with an optical device thousands of unseen details present themselves to view, as when tiny grubs which look like one dark blob are examined with a microscope; not only the multiplicity of them is seen but also the shape of each one. If even greater magnification is used to examine them, their organs, members, viscera, and vessels and fibres too can be seen. So also with the ideas constituting thought. Each one has thousands and thousands of strands to it; yet a number of ideas together from which a thought is formed are seen merely as a simple whole. Even so, the ideas that constitute one thought can contain more than the ideas constituting another. How much it contains is determined by its spread into communities round about.