10293. 'And onycha' means an affection for truth on the more internal natural level. This is clear from the meaning of 'sweet-smelling onycha' as an affection for natural truth; 'onycha' means that truth, while 'sweet-smelling' means the perception of what is pleasing, which springs from the affection for truth, and so means the affection itself. The reason for calling it 'sweet-smelling' onycha is that it is described as such both before and after the listing of these spices, in the words, 'Take for yourself sweet-smelling spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum - sweet-smelling ones'. The reason why an affection for truth in the natural is what is meant by 'onycha' is that this spice is mentioned second; for the spices are mentioned in the order in which the different kinds of truth are present with a person, from the most external to the inmost levels of them. Consequently 'stacte' means an affection for truth on the level of the senses, which is the most external kind of truth; 'onycha' means an affection for truth on the natural level, which is interior truth within the natural man; 'galbanum' means an affection for truth on a still more internal level, which is interior truth within the spiritual or internal man; and 'frankincense' means truth on the inmost level within the internal man, which is spiritual good. They have a similar meaning to the spices that the anointing oil consisted of, which were the best myrrh, sweet-smelling cinnamon, sweet-smelling calamus, and cassia. These too mean those levels of truth in that same order, see 10252, 10254, 10256, 10258; but the difference is that the kinds of truth meant by the spices of the anointing oil belong to the celestial group, whereas those meant by the spices of the incense belong to the spiritual group, a subject dealt with above in 10254, 10291.

10258. 'And cassia' means truth even more interior, springing from good. This is clear from the meaning of 'cassia' as the interior truth of the internal man. The fact that 'cassia' has this meaning is evident from what has been stated and shown above; for heavenly realities follow in that sequence, from outermost to inmost. Inmost truth therefore is what 'cassia' means, being the fourth in the sequence. The reason why 'cassia' means truth springing from good is that inmost truth emanates directly from good and acts jointly with good on lower levels, as is the case when the understanding acts altogether in unison with the will, so completely that one cannot tell whether an action springs from the will or from the understanding. Also, the more internal heavenly things are, the more perfect they are; for all perfection increases towards the more internal parts, and all perfection springs from good, that is, comes from the Lord through good.

[2] Cassia is mentioned as one of those wares that mean heavenly things, in Ezekiel,

Dan and Javan exchanged yarn in your dealings; wrought iron, cassia, and calamus were in your trading. Ezekiel 27:19.

This refers to Tyre, by which cognitions or knowledge of truth and good in the Church are meant, see 1201, and by 'Dan and Javan' those possessing the cognitions of heavenly things. 'Wrought iron' is last and lowest heavenly truth, and 'cassia' inmost truth.

[3] Cassia is not mentioned anywhere else in the Word, though 'kessia' ¹ is in David, which also is a species of cassia,

God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness. With myrrh, aloes, and kessia [He has anointed] all Your garments. Psalms 45:7-8.

The whole of this Psalm refers to the Lord, in particular to the glorification of His Humanity. No one lacking knowledge of the internal sense of the Word can by any means know what is meant, when the Lord is the subject, by 'anointing all His garments with myrrh, aloes, and kessia'.

[4] It is evident that what should be thought of is not garments nor the myrrh, aloes, and kessia with which they were anointed, but the Divine Truths springing from Divine Good with which the Lord clothed His Human; for anointing was nothing other than a representative sign of the Divine Good within the Lord's Divine Human. Consequently 'myrrh, aloes, and kessia' means Divine Truths in their own proper order, emanating from the Divine Good that was within Him; and therefore His Divine Human is meant by 'garments'. Whether you say the Lord's Divine Human or Divine Truth, it amounts to the same thing, for while He was in the world the Lord was Divine Truth itself, and when He left the world He made Himself Divine Good, from which Divine Truth flows, see in the places referred to in 9199(end), 9315(end). Besides, the term 'garment' is used in the Word for that which clothes something else, whatever this may be. The Lord's garments in Isaiah 63:2-3, and elsewhere, have this kind of meaning. For the meaning of 'garments' as truths clothing good, see 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 5319, 5954, 9093, 9212, 9216, 9952. From all this it is now evident that 'kessia' in the Psalm, which is a species of cassia, means Divine Truth, emanating directly from Divine Good, which truth is inmost truth.

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