AE 707, 708 - A New Church in Love to the Lord and the Neighbor

AE 707

A woman arrayed with the sun,
(Revelation 12:2)

means the church with those who are in love to the Lord,
and from that, in love towards the neighbor.

. . . the life of the love of everyone,
both of a person and of spirit and angel,
forms a sphere about them
from which what is their quality is perceived,
even afar off;
moreover, by means of that sphere
consociations and conjunctions
are effected in the heavens and also in the hells;
and as here the church
which is in love to the Lord from the Lord is treated of,
and that church is meant by "the woman,"
and that love by "the sun,"
so "the woman arrayed with the sun"
means the church with those
who are in love to the Lord from the Lord.
It is added, and so in love towards the neighbor,
because love towards the neighbor
is derived from love to the Lord . . .
for love to the Lord
is to love and to will those things that are of the Lord,
consequently those things
that the Lord has commanded in the Word,
and love towards the neighbor is to act from that will,
thus it consists in the performance of uses,
which are effects.

AE 708

And the moon under her feet,
(Revelation 12:2)

means faith with those who are natural
and who are in charity.
This is evident from the signification of "moon"
as being faith in which there is charity;
and from the signification of "feet,"
as being things natural;
here, therefore, those who are natural,
because this is said of the "woman,"
by whom the church is meant,
and the "sun" with which she was arrayed,
signifies love to the Lord from the Lord
and love to the neighbor;
therefore "the woman arrayed with the sun"
means the church with those
who are celestial and consequently spiritual,
and "the moon under her feet"
signifies the church with those
who are natural and sensual,
and at the same time in the faith of charity;
for the goods and the truths therefrom
of heaven and the church succeed in order,
like the head, the body, and the feet with man.
In the head of the Greatest Man, which is heaven,
are those who are in love to the Lord from the Lord,
and these are called celestial;
but in the body, from the breast even to the loins
of that Greatest Man, which is heaven,
are those who are in love towards the neighbor,
and these are called spiritual;
but in the feet of the Greatest Man, which is heaven,
are those who are obscurely in the faith of charity,
and these are called natural.