the understanding or
man's internal sight is enlightened by spiritual light quite as the eye
or man's external sight is by natural light. The two are also taught
similarly; the internal sight, however, which is that of the
understanding, by spiritual objects, and the external sight or the sight
of the eye by natural objects. There is spiritual light and natural
light, one like the other in outward appearance, but dissimilar in
internal appearance. For natural light comes from the sun of the natural
world and so is in itself dead, but spiritual light, which is from the
sun of the spiritual world, is in itself living. This light, not
nature's, enlightens the human intellect. Natural and rational light
comes from it and not from nature's light, and is here called natural and
rational because it is spiritual-natural.

[2] There are three degrees of light in the spiritual world: celestial,
spiritual and spiritual-natural. Celestial light is a flaming, ruddy
light and is the light of those who are in the third heaven; spiritual
light is a gleaming white light and is the light of those in the middle
heaven; and spiritual-natural light is like daylight in our world. This
is the light of those who are in the lowest heaven and of those in the
world of spirits, which is intermediate between heaven and hell; with the
good in that world it is like the light of summer on earth and with the
evil like winter's light.

It should be known, however, that light in the spiritual world has
nothing in common with light in the natural world; they are as different
as what is living and what is lifeless. It is plain, then, from what has
been said that it is spiritual light and not the natural light before our
eyes that enlightens the understanding. Man does not know this, not
having known anything hitherto about spiritual light. In the work _Heaven
and Hell_ we have shown (nn. 126-140) that spiritual light has its origin
in divine wisdom and truth.

167. Having spoken about the light of heaven, we should say something
about the light of hell. This also is of three degrees. The light in the
lowest hell is like that from fiery coals; in the middle hell like that
from the flame of a hearth; and in the highest hell like that from
candles and to some like moonlight at night. All this is spiritual light
and not natural, for all natural light is dead and extinguishes the
understanding. As has been shown, those in hell possess the faculty of
understa