208. One heaven is joined with another, or a society of one heaven with a society of another, by the Lord alone, by both immediate and mediate influx, immediate from Himself, and mediate through the higher heavens in order into the lower.# Because the conjunction of the heavens by influx is from the Lord alone, there is most careful provision against any angel of a higher heaven looking down into a society of a lower heaven and talking with anyone there, for, the moment such a thing happens, the angel is deprived of his intelligence and wisdom. The reason for this will be explained. As there are three degrees of heaven, so each angel has three degrees of life, those in the inmost heaven having the third or inmost degree open, while the second and first degrees are closed. Those in the middle heaven have the second degree open and the first and third closed. Those in the lowest heaven have the first degree open, and the second and third closed. As soon, then, as an angel of the third heaven looks down into a society of the second heaven, and talks with anyone there, his third degree is closed. By this closing he is deprived of his wisdom, for his wisdom resides in the third degree, and he has none in the second or first degree. This is what is meant by the words of the Lord in Matthew: