290.  The lord from eternity, that is, Jehovah, brought forth from himself the sun of the spiritual world, and from that created the universe and all things thereof.

The sun of the spiritual world was treated of in Part Second of this work, and the following propositions were there established:-Divine Love and Divine Wisdom appear in the spiritual world as a sun (n. 83-88).  Spiritual heat and spiritual light go forth from that sun (n. 89-92).  That sun is not God, but is a Proceeding from the Divine Love and Divine Wisdom of God-Man; so also are the heat and light from that sun (n. 93-98).  The sun of the spiritual world is at a middle altitude, and appears far off from the angels like the sun of the natural world from men (n. 103-107).  In the spiritual world the east is where the Lord appears as a sun, and from that the other quarters are determined (n. 119-123, 125-128).  Angels turn their faces constantly to the Lord as a sum (n. 129-134, 135-139).  The Lord created the universe and all things thereof by means of the sun, which is the first proceeding of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom (n. 151-156).  The sun of the natural world is mere fire, and nature, which derives its origin from that sun, is consequently dead; and the sun of the natural world was created in order that the work of creation might completed and finished (n. 157-162).  Without a double sun, one living and the other dead, no creation is possible (n. 163-166).

291.  This also, among other things, is shown in Part Second:-that the spiritual sun is not the Lord, but is a Proceeding from His Divine Love and His Divine Wisdom.  It is called a proceeding, because the sun was brought forth out of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom which are in themselves substance and form, and it is by means of this that the Divine proceeds.  But as human reason is such as to be unwilling to yield assent unless it sees a thing from its cause, and therefore has some perception of how it is, — thus in the present case, how the sun of the spiritual world, which is not the Lord, but a proceeding from Him, was brought forth — something shall be said on this subject.  In regard to this matter I have conversed much with the angels.  They said that they have a clear perception of it in their own spiritual light, but that they cannot easily present it to man, in his natural light, owing to the difference between the two kinds of light and the consequent difference of thought.  The matter, however, may be likened, they said, to the sphere of affections and of thoughts therefrom which encompasses each angel, whereby his presence is made evident to others near and far.  But that encompassing sphere, they said, is not the angel himself; it is from each and everything of his body, wherefrom substances are