143. Nowadays it may seem strange that 'beasts' and 'animals' in ancient times meant affections and similar things residing with man. But because people had heavenly ideas then, and because such things are also represented in the world of spirits by animals - by such animals in fact as resemble those affections - this alone is what they therefore understood when they spoke in this fashion. And this alone is what is meant in the Word whenever beasts are mentioned in general or in particular. The whole prophetical section of the Word is full of things such as these, and therefore anyone who does not know the particular meaning of any beast cannot possibly understand what the Word contains in the internal sense. But as slated already, there are two kinds of beasts - evil ones, because they are harmful, and good ones, because they are harmless. Good beasts, such as sheep, lambs, and doves, mean good affections. Here, because the subject is the celestial man, or the celestial-spiritual man, the same applies. The fact that 'beasts' in general means affections has been confirmed from several places in the Word quoted already in 45, 46. So there is no need of further confirmation.

7056. '[And he went, and] he came to meet him in the mountain of God' means a joining together within the good of love there. This is clear from the meaning of 'coming to meet' as a joining together, dealt with just above in 7054; and from the meaning of 'the mountain of God' as the good of God's love, dealt with in 6829. The situation here is that truth which goes forth directly from the Divine cannot be joined together with truth going forth in an indirect way except within good; for good is its very soil. Forms of truth are seeds which do not grow anywhere else than in good as their soil. Good is also the actual soul of truth; good must give truth its being and its life, if it is to be truth.

[2] Truth that goes forth directly from the Divine is called truth, though essentially it is good because it goes forth from Divine Good; but it is good with which all truth from God is united. It is called truth because in heaven it is seen as light, but this light is like springtime light, which is combined with a warmth that brings all things on earth to life. From this it may also be seen that truth going forth directly from the Divine cannot be joined together with truth that goes forth in an indirect way except within good, consequently unless a person is stirred by an affection for truth for its own sake, especially for the sake of what is good, and so for the sake of the life he should lead. For then the person is governed by good.

[3] Something more may be known about the nature of that joining together from the following considerations: Truth that goes forth directly from the Divine enters a person's will; this is the path it takes. But truth which goes forth from the Divine in an indirect way enters a person's understanding, and this being so, no joining together can take place unless will and understanding act as one, that is to say, unless the will desires what is good, and the understanding uses truth to endorse what is good. When therefore the two kinds of truth are joined together it seems as though the Lord is present; His presence is also felt. But when they are not joined the Lord is so to speak absent; but His absence is not felt if there is no perception and therefore knowledge of what His presence is.