5217. 'And the thin heads swallowed up the seven fat and full heads' means that the facts which were useless banished the facts that were good. This is clear from the meaning of 'the thin heads' as facts that are useless, dealt with above in 5214; from the meaning of 'fat and full heads' as facts into which matters of faith and charity could be instilled, dealt with in 5213, which are consequently facts that are good; and from the meaning of 'swallowing up' as banishing, which is similar to 'devouring', as said of the cows above in 5206. Regarding the banishment of good facts by useless ones, or the banishment of truths by falsities, see 5207.

[2] The same applies in the spiritual world. Where falsities are present no truths can remain; and conversely, where truths are present no falsities can remain. The one group banishes the other, since they are complete opposites, for the reason that falsities originate in hell and truths in heaven. Sometimes it does seem as though falsities and truths are present together in the same subject; but the falsities in this case are not complete opposites of the truths there, but ones that are attached to those truths through the ways they are used. A subject in which truths and falsities that are complete opposites exist together is called lukewarm, while a subject in which falsities and truths have become mixed together is called profane.

5207. 'The seven cows beautiful in appearance and fat' means the truths of the natural which are expressions of faith and embodiments of charity. This is clear from the meaning of 'cows' as the truths belonging to the natural, dealt with above in 5198; from the meaning of 'beautiful in appearance' as expressions of faith, dealt with in 5199; and from the meaning of 'fat' as embodiments of charity, dealt with in 5200. As regards this particular matter - that truths were banished from the natural by falsities at the boundaries - it should be recognized that this is what happens initially whenever regeneration takes place. For the truths which are implanted initially in a person are in themselves truths, yet they are not truths residing with that person until good has been linked to them. Once it has been so linked good causes those truths to be truths indeed, for good is the inward essence, while truths are the outward form of that essence. Initially therefore falsities stand close to truths; that is, where at the boundaries truths are present, so also are falsities.

[2] But as good is joined to the truths, the falsities are put to flight. This is what actually happens in the next life. There the sphere of falsity attaches itself to the truths, depending on how much good passes into the truths. When little good enters in, the sphere of falsity is nearby; when more good enters in, the sphere of falsity moves further away; and when good is wholly linked to the truths the sphere of falsity is completely dispersed. When the sphere of falsity is close by, which is the case initially, as has been stated, the truths are so to speak banished. Actually they are for the time being concealed in a more interior place where they are filled with good and from where they are brought back in consecutive stages. These are the considerations that are meant by seven cows and seven heads of grain, and further on by seven years of abundance of corn and by seven years of famine. But anyone who does not know anything about regeneration or anything about a person's internal state fails to understand any of this.