67. It shall also be stated briefly how man ascends, that is, how he is raised from the lowest to the first degree. He is born into the lowest degree of the natural world; then, by means of knowledges, he is raised into the second degree; and as he perfects his understanding by knowledges he is raised into the third degree and then becomes rational. The three degrees of ascent in the spiritual world are in man above the three natural degrees, and do not appear until he has put off the earthly body. When he has put this off, there is opened to him the first spiritual degree, afterwards the second, and finally the third, but only with those who become angels of the third heaven. These are they who see God. Those become angels of the second and lowest heaven with whom the second and lowest degree can be opened. With man every spiritual degree is opened in accordance with his reception of Divine Love and Wisdom from the Lord. Those who receive anything of it come into the first or lowest spiritual degree, those who receive more, into the second or middle spiritual degree, those who receive much, into the third or highest degree. But those who receive nothing of these remain in the natural degrees, and derive from the spiritual degrees nothing more than the ability to think and thence to speak, and to will and thence to act, but not intelligently.