436. XI. THAT THESE TWO SPHERES MEET EACH OTHER IN BOTH WORLDS BUT DO NOT JOIN. By both worlds are meant the spiritual world and the natural. In the spiritual world these two spheres meet each other in the world of spirits, this being in the middle between heaven and hell; but in the natural world with man, they meet on the rational plane, which also is mediate between heaven and hell, the marriage of good and truth flowing into it from above, and the marriage of evil and falsity from below. The latter flows in through the world, but the former through heaven. Hence it is that the human rational can turn to whichever side it pleases and receive influx therefrom; if to good, it receives it from above and then the man's rational is formed more and more for the reception of heaven; but if to evil, it receives the influx from below and then his rational is formed more and more for the reception of hell. That these two spheres do not join is because they are opposites, and when opposite acts upon opposite, they can act no otherwise than as enemies, of whom the one burns with deadly hatred and attacks the other with fury, while the other is in no hatred but only in the zeal of self-protection. From this it is evident that these two spheres merely meet but do not join. On the one side, the middle interstice which they make is from evil not of falsity and from falsity not of evil; and on the other side, it is from good not of truth and from truth not of good. These two can indeed touch each other but cannot join.