28. An educated person sees that these three elements can be termed end, cause and effect, also being, becoming, and expression, and that the end is the being, the cause is the becoming, and the effect is the expression. He sees, too, that as a consequence, every complete entity has in it a trine comprising a first, intermediate, and final element, or an end, cause and effect, and also a being, a becoming, and an expression.

Seeing this, he also sees that every Divine work is complete and perfect in its final expression, and also that the whole of any trine is found in the final expression, because the prior elements are at the same time present in it.

5. 1. What the spiritual meaning is. The spiritual meaning is not the sense that shines from the literal one when one is studying the Word and interpreting it in order to confirm some dogma of the church. This sense is the Word’s literal sense. Rather its spiritual meaning is one not apparent in the literal one. The spiritual meaning lies within the literal one, like the soul within the body, like thought within the eyes, and affection within the face, which operate in concert, like cause and effect.

That spiritual meaning is what principally causes the Word to be spiritual, not only for people, but also for angels. Consequently that meaning is the means by which the Word communicates with the heavens.