Oil -- typically olive oil -- symbolizes the good that comes from celestial love. Celestial love is love of the Lord, the highest and purest love we can have. The good of celestial love is the desire to be good springing from celestial love: Wanting to do the Lord's will because you love Him. That's not a state many reach, even in heaven, but it's a beautiful goal. This representation makes sense based on the idea that the sun -- the source of all natural light and heat, and thus all natural life -- represents the Lord, the source of all spiritual light, heat and life. Burning oil was the most pure fire available in Biblical times, thus the closest representation of the sun people could create.

9555. 'And there shall be six branches going out of its sides' means all the capacities of truth derived from good in their entirety. This is clear from the meaning of 'six' as all in their entirety, dealt with in 3960 (end), 7973, 8148; and from the meaning of 'branches going out of the sides' as truths derived from good. For the branches out of the lampstand have a similar meaning to human arms and hands, because every single thing that exists in the natural order bears resemblance to the human form and for that reason has a spiritual meaning, 9496, 9553. The arms and hands on a person correspond to truths derived from good, and consequently to power, 878, 4931-4937, 5327, 5328, 6292, 6947, 7188, 7189, 7205, 7518, 7673, 8050, 8153, 8281, 9025, 9133. From all this it is evident that 'six branches going out of the sides' means all the capacities of truth derived from good in their entirety.