595. At this point one might assert that the "organic" matter (a corpse) does not turn into "mineral matter" by reason of death. But this view is not quite correct. As soon as the I's connection to the combination of matter which constitutes its physical organism is broken off in the form of "death", there begins at once a transformation of the "corpse". If everything proceeds in a natural way the result will be an unwavering "mineralization" of the "corpse", which means that the "organic" matter will disintegrate or dematerialize and disappear. What remains in the end is only "mineral matter", that is to say, in this case, the "skeleton" and its related parts.
      When this change proceeds in a natural matter, it does not happen at once but can take a very long time, but this does not alter the fact of its existence; it proves rather that in the I's organ-matter there exists "radiating" matter which does not really belong to it and therefore remains behind in the "corpse". As a consequence of this extraneous "radiating" matter's presence left behind in the "corpse's" matter, the latter still appears as "organic" substance. On closer inspection, however, this "organic" substance shows itself to be tiny independent micro-organisms. That these organisms appear as "organic" substance, thus confirms the presence there of "radiating" matter; this is actually the same as consciousness-matter, that is to say "thoughts" or "expressions of life". It is matter of this kind we express as "animal" matter.
      But independent organisms in "animal" matter certainly constitute in principle the same kind of beings as we belong to ourselves, that is to say, beings with "day-consciousness" and "power of will" on the physical plane. That such organisms represent only beings of micro-size, does not alter the principle. In the divine creation or manifestation process there is naturally no necessity for a being to weigh so and so much or to have such and such dimensions in order to be able to manifest independent expressions of life or consciousness.