6011. About the progression of truth, or of faith, from knowledge to the understanding, then from the understanding to the will, and from the will into act, from a conversation with angels
I spoke with angels about the progression of truth into good, thus of faith into charity: that the angels feel joy when a person as a child and boy learns and takes in truths with affection, thus when truths become knowledge; and that it is a still greater joy when from knowledge he develops understanding At this point it becomes joy for the angels in the spiritual Kingdom of the Lord. There is even greater joy when from being a matter of understanding it becomes a matter of will. At this point it becomes a joy to the angels in the Lord's heavenly Kingdom. And when from the will it becomes action, then the angels of all three heavens feel joy. How much joy and how much delight are present in this progression cannot be put into words because it is indescribable.
[2] For it is in this way that a person enters more and more into heaven and becomes a heaven in least form. I understood this, as I spoke with the angels, from [the discussion of] the progression of the joys of marriage love to its final fulfillment, from which mankind is propagated. This is the course of the progression of the conjunction with heaven, that is, with the Lord, and it the course of a person's new creation and the formation of heaven, or of an angel, in him. For Heaven is a form of the Divine truth progressing in this way; in this progression a person becomes love, and no otherwise is a marriage of good in truth formed within him or her.
6011. THE PROGRESSION OF TRUTH, OR FAITH, FROM SCIENCE, TO UNDERSTANDING; AFTER THAT, FROM UNDERSTANDING TO WILL, AND FROM WILL TO ACT: FROM CONVERSATION WITH ANGELS.
I spoke with angels about the progression of truth to good, thus of faith to charity [to the effect] that angels experience joy when man, as infant and boy, learns and imbibes truths from affection, thus when truths become of science; and that they experience still greater joy when, from [science] it becomes of the understanding: at such time the joy is experienced by the angels in the Lord's spiritual kingdom. There is still greater joy, when truth, from the understanding, becomes of the will: the joy then is to the angels in the Lord's celestial kingdom. And when, from will, it becomes of act, then is there joy with the angels of the three heavens. How much joy, and how great delights, dwell in that progression, cannot be described, because it is ineffable; for thus man enters more and more into heaven, and becomes a heaven in the least form. This I perceived, while I spoke with the angels, from the progression of the delights of conjugial love, even to the very ultimate effect, from which man is procreated. Such is the progression of conjunction with heaven, that is, with the Lord, and such is the new creation of man, and the formation of heaven, or of the angel, in him; for heaven is the form of Divine Truth thus progressing. Hence man becomes a love; and in no other way is the marriage of truth and good established in him.
6011. De progressione veri aut fidei a scientia in intellectum, dein ab intellectu in voluntatem, et a voluntate in actum, ex loquela cum angelis
Loquutus sum cum angelis de progressione veri in bonum, ita fidei in charitatem; quod angelis sit gaudium, quando homo infans et puer ex affectione discit et haurit vera, ita cum vera fiunt scientiae; et quod adhuc majus gaudium cum ei fit a [scientia] intellectus; tunc gaudium fit angelis in Regno spirituali Domini, adhuc majus gaudium quando ex intellectu fit voluntatis; gaudium tunc fit angelis in Regno coelesti Domini; et cum a voluntate fit actus, tunc fit gaudium angelis trium coelorum, quantum gaudium et quantae jucunditates insint progressioni isti, non describi potest, quia est ineffabile; sic enim homo intrat magis et magis in coelum, et fit coelum in minima forma. Hoc percepi, dum loquutus sum cum angelis, ex progressione jucundorum amoris conjugialis usque ad ultimum effectum, ex quo propagatur homo; talis est progressio conjunctionis cum coelo, hoc est, cum Domino, et talis est nova creatio hominis, ac formatio coeli seu angeli apud illum, Coelum enim est forma Divini veri ita progredientis, inde homo fit amor, et non aliter formatur conjugium veri et boni apud illum.