419. Everyone can, from the visible phenomena in nature, confirm himself on the side of the Divine when he considers what is known about bees: that they know how to gather wax and extract honey from herbs and flowers, and to construct cells resembling little houses and arrange them into the pattern of a city, with streets by which to go in and out; that they detect from a distance the fragrance of the flowers and herbs from which they gather wax for their home and honey for their food, and laden with these fly back in a direct line to their hive; thus providing for themselves food and habitation for the coming winter, as though they were aware of it and foresaw it. They also set over them a dominant female as queen by which to propagate their posterity; and for her they build a court above, with attendants surrounding her. When the time comes for her to deliver, she goes accompanied by her attendants from cell to cell and lays her eggs, which are sealed up by the swarm following her to protect them from the air. From these they produce a new generation. Later, when the new generation has advanced to the appropriate age to be able to do the like, it is expelled from the nest; and having been expelled, the horde first gathers itself, and in a swarm therefore to keep the assemblage from being scattered, flies away (then) to seek (out) for itself a home. Around the time of autumn, moreover, the useless drones are taken out and divested of their wings, to keep them from returning and consuming the colony's food, for which they have expended no effort. And many other phenomena as well; from which it can be seen that, because of the useful service which bees perform for the human race, they have by virtue of an influx from the spiritual world a form of government such as is found among human beings on earth, indeed among angels in heaven. What person who has his reason intact does not see that such phenomena in these creatures are not owing to the natural world? The sun from which nature emanates - what characteristic does it have in common with a government imitative of and analogous to the government of heaven? From these and...like phenomena in the case of brute animals, the proponent and worshiper of nature confirms himself on the side of nature, while the proponent and worshiper of God, from the same phenomena, confirms himself on the side of the Divine. For a spiritual person sees spiritual effects in them, and the natural person sees natural ones - thus each such things as accord with his character. As for myself, to me phenomena of this sort have been evidences of an influx of the spiritual realm into the natural, or of the spiritual world into the natural world, emanating thus from the Lord's Divine wisdom. Consider, too, whether you could think in an analytical manner about any form of government, any civil law, any moral virtue, or any spiritual truth, if something Divine did not flow in from His wisdom through the spiritual world. For my part, I could not and cannot. For I have been consciously and sensibly aware of that influx (for twenty-five years) now without interruption. Therefore I speak from personal experience.