4936. On several occasions spirits have appeared holding rods, who, I was told, were magicians. They are in front, a long way off on the right, deeply within caverns. Magicians who have been more malevolent ones are hidden more deeply than the rest within them. They seem to themselves to have rods, and by means of delusions they also produce many more kinds of rods, believing that they can use these to perform miracles. For they imagine that these rods have power within them, and they imagine this because the right hand and the arm, which by correspondence are embodiments of strength and power, support themselves on those rods. This has made it evident to me why people of old assigned rods to magicians, for the gentiles of old received this idea from the representative Ancient Church, in which rods, like the hand, meant power, see 4876. And because these meant power Moses was commanded, when miracles were performed, to stretch out his rod or his hand, Exodus 4:17, 20; 8:5-20; 9:23; 10:3-21; 14:21, 26-27; 17:5-6, 11-12; Numbers 20:7-10.

9028. 'If he rises up and walks outside on his staff' means strength of life in that truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'rising up' as implying some kind of raising up, at this point of spiritual truth to agreement with factual truth; from the meaning of 'walking' as living, dealt with in 519, 1794, 8417, 8420; and from the meaning of 'staff' as strength. For 'rod' means the power that truth possesses, and so means strength, 4876, 4936, 6947, 7011, 7026; and 'staff' has a similar meaning, though it is used in reference to those who are not strong and well. The word is also used in this way in David,

They confronted me on the day of my ruin, but Jehovah was my staff and brought me out into a broad place. Psalms 18:18-19.

'The day of ruin' stands for a state when the belief in truth is weak; 'Jehovah was a staff' stands for power then; and 'bringing out into a broad place' stands for leading into the truths of faith, for which meaning of 'bringing out into a broad place', see 4482. In Isaiah also,

The Lord Jehovah Zebaoth is taking away from Jerusalem and Judah rod and staff, the whole rod of bread, and the whole rod of water. Isaiah 3:1.

'Taking away rod and staff' stands for removing the power and strength of life received from truth and good, 'the rod of bread' standing for the power received from good, and 'the rod of water' for the power received from truth. In the original language the noun 'staff' is derived from a verb meaning to lean on and be supported by, which is done in the spiritual world by means of truth and good.