Water generally represents “natural truth,” or true concepts about day-to-day matters and physical things. Since all water ultimately flows into the seas, then, it follows that a sea represents a huge agglomeration of such natural truths -- usually all of the natural truth a person has, or all the natural truth a church has. Water in the sea mixes freely, and is easily stirred up by winds and currents. This is also true of the concepts we hold about natural things -- they are not all related to each other, and when relationships do exist they usually can change without damaging the concepts themselves. Many of the concepts are easily disputed, and arguments can arise like waves on the ocean -- generally with little effect other than a mixing of waters. But the sea also offers great bounty. We draw fish from it (spiritual food), float ships (doctrinal systems) on it, bathe in it (using true concepts to purify ourselves), and the water that evaporates from it and falls as rain (purer forms of truth that can attach to desires for good) makes life possible.

620. Verse 10. And I took the little book out of the hand of the angel, and ate it up, signifies exploration. This is evident from the things that precede, namely, that "the little book" means the Word, "the angel" the Lord in relation to the Word, and "to devour or to eat it" means to receive, perceive, and appropriate to oneself, consequently to explore, here of what quality the understanding of the Word still is in the church. Exploration is effected by means of a thing's being perceived and the way in which it is perceived; it was effected with the prophet John, because a "prophet" signifies the doctrine of the church, and in a universal sense, the Word.