10036. 'And its skin' means falsity on lowest levels. This is clear from the meaning of 'skin' as truth on lowest levels, and in the contrary sense as falsity there. The origin of this meaning of 'skin' lies in correspondence; for those who in the Grand Man or heaven who correlate with the skin are people who are governed by the truths of faith and not so much by the good which goes with those truths, and who live on the borders of heaven, see 5552-5559. So it is that 'skin' means in the abstract sense truth on lowest levels, 3540, 8980. But here falsity on those levels is meant by it, because 'flesh' means the evil of [self] love, dealt with immediately above in 10035. When 'flesh' means the evil of [self] love its 'skin' means the falsity of faith arising from it.

5552. CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE GRAND MAN - continued

IN THIS SECTION THE CORRESPONDENCE OF THE SKIN, HAIR, AND BONES WITH IT

Correspondence is by nature such that the parts in the human being which possess the greatest amount of life correspond to those communities in heaven which possess the greatest amount of life and consequently the greatest amount of happiness there, such as those communities to which a person's external and internal sensory powers correspond, and which have a link with his understanding and his will. But parts in the human being which possess less life correspond to the kinds of communities where less life is present, such as the layers of the skin which cover the whole body, also the cartilages and the bones which hold together and support everything within the body, as well as the hairs that grow out of the skin. The identity and nature of those communities to which all these parts of the body correspond must also be stated.