9334. 'Lest perhaps the land becomes desolate' means a deficiency in that case, and little spiritual life, that is to say, if the removal were hurried. This is clear from the meaning of 'the land' as the Church in general and also in particular, the Church in particular being a person who becomes an embodiment of the Church, since the Church exists within a person and comprises one who has been regenerated (for the meaning of 'the land' as the Church in general, see 9325, and for its meaning as the Church in particular, or a person who has been regenerated, 82, 620, 636, 913, 1411, 1733, 2117, 2118 (end), 2571, 3368, 3379; this person is also called 'the land' in Malachi,

All the nations will declare you blessed, and you will be a land of delight. Malachi 3:12.) and from the meaning of 'desolate' as a deficiency, and little spiritual life. For 'desolate', when used in reference to the Church within a person, means a deficiency of truth and good, thus also a deficiency of spiritual life since that life is provided by these. The implications of this, that there is a deficiency and little spiritual life if falsities and evils are removed hurriedly, are that when a person undergoes regeneration, which is accomplished by the implantation of spiritual truth and good, and at the same time by the removal of falsity and evil, the regeneration is not hurried but takes place slowly.

[2] The reason for this is that all the things the person has thought, intended, or done since early childhood have entered into the composition of his life. They have also formed themselves into a network which is such that one cannot be moved without all of them together being moved. For a wicked person is an image of hell, and a good person is an image of heaven; and also the evils and falsities with a wicked person are interconnected in the same way as the communities of hell are with one another, of which that person is a part, while the forms of good and the truths with a good person are interconnected in the same way as heavenly communities are with one another, of which this person is a part. From this it is evident that the evils and falsities with a wicked person cannot be removed suddenly from where they are. They can be removed only in the measure that forms of good and truths in their proper order have been implanted more deeply within the person; for heaven with a person removes hell. If the removal were done suddenly the person would pass out, for the whole network of things, every single one, would be thrown into confusion and deprive him of his life.

[3] The fact that regeneration or the implantation of the life of heaven with a person begins when he is a young child and continues right on to the final phase of his life in the world, and the fact that after life in the world his perfection continues for evermore, see 2679, 3203, 3584, 3665, 3690, 3701, 4377, 4551, 4552, 5126, 6751, 8772, 9103, 9296, 9297, and in particular 5122, 5398, 5912, 9258. Also, and this is an arcanum, a person's regeneration in the world is merely the foundation for the unending perfection of his life. The person who has led a good life undergoes perfection in the next life; see what has been shown regarding young children, in 2289-2309, and regarding the state and condition of gentiles there, in 2589-2604.

3584. 'Cursed be those cursing you' means that the person who separates himself will be separated, while 'blessed be those blessing you' means that the person who joins himself will be joined. This is clear from the meaning of 'being cursed' as being separated from, and of 'being blessed' as being joined to, dealt with in 3504, 3514, 3530, 3565. These expressions have reference to truths - 'those cursing' meaning falsities, which sever themselves from truths, and 'those blessing' meaning truths, which link themselves to all other truths. For truths and goods are such that they form themselves into a community and at length constitute so to speak a single political unit. In the same way also such units group themselves together. The origins of all this lie in the form heaven takes. Within that form angels are positioned according to the blood relationships and relationships by marriage that exist between good and truth. In this way all the angels together constitute one kingdom or a single political unit. It is from this heavenly form that truths and goods flow in with man and become so positioned there that a similar form is produced, all of which is effected by the Lord alone. But what is involved here will be seen far more clearly from the correspondence of the Grand Man, which is heaven, with every single thing that exists with man. This correspondence will in the Lord's Divine mercy be dealt with at the ends of chapters. From these considerations it is now evident what Isaac's blessing, pronounced over Jacob but meant for Esau, embodies, namely the fruitfulness of good through the multiplication of truth, and of further fruitfulness of the latter.