316. There is a similar image of creation in the forms of uses of the animal kingdom in that the animal body which is its ultimate is formed out of a seed deposited in a womb or an ovum, and this body, when mature, produces new seeds. This progression is similar to that of the forms of uses of the vegetable kingdom. Seeds are the beginnings, the womb or the ovum is like the ground. The state before birth is like the state of the seed in the ground while it is taking root, the state after birth until the time of prolification is like the germination of a tree until its state of fruit-bearing. It is clear from this parallelism that there is a likeness of creation in the forms of animals as well as in the forms of plants, in that there is a progression from firsts to ultimates, and from ultimates to firsts. A similar image of creation stands out in the individual things in a man. For there is a similar progression of love through wisdom into uses. Hence a similar progression of the will through the understanding into acts, and of charity through faith into works. Will and understanding, also charity and faith are the firsts or source. Acts and works are the ultimates. Out of these, by means of the enjoyments of uses, a return is made to their firsts, which, as was said, are will and understanding, or charity and faith. It is clearly obvious from the enjoyments felt in the acts and works which are from anyone's love that the return is effected by means of the enjoyments of uses, for they flow back to their first thing of love from which they spring and thereby conjunction is effected. The enjoyments of acts and works are enjoyments called uses. A similar progression from firsts to ultimates, and from ultimates to firsts stands out in the most purely organic forms of affections and thoughts with a man. In his brains, there are those star-like forms called the cineritious substances. Out of these go forth fibres through the medullary substances through the neck into the body. These proceed to the ultimates of the body, and from ultimates return to their firsts. The return of fibres to their firsts is made through the blood-vessels. There is a similar progression of all affections and thoughts which are changes and variations of state of those forms and substances. For the fibres issuing out of those forms and substances are comparatively like the atmospheres from the spiritual Sun, which are containants of heat and light. And bodily acts are like the things produced out of the ground by means of the atmospheres, the enjoyments of their uses returning to the source from which they sprang. But it can scarcely be fully comprehended by the understanding that the progression of these is such and that there is an image of creation within this progression, for the reason that thousands and myriads of forces operating in act appear as a one, and also because the enjoyments of uses do not appear as ideas in the thought but only affect without distinct perception. On these matters, see what has already been stated and explained above, namely-The uses of all created things ascend by degrees of altitude to man, and through man to God the Creator from Whom they are (n. 65-68); also, The end of creation exists in ultimates, which end is that all things may return to the Creator and that there may be conjunction (n. 167-I72). But these things will appear in still clearer light in the Part which follows, where the correspondence of the will and the understanding with the heart and lungs will be considered.