10189. Upon its two ribs. That this signifies conjunction with truths on the one side, and preservation by means of them, is evident from the signification of “ribs,” when by them are meant sides, as being truths; for the sides which are called “ribs” look to the south and the north, and by the “south” is signified truth in light (see n. 9462), and by the “north” truth in shade (n. 3708). But by “sides” properly so called is signified good, because they look to the east and the west, and by the “east” is signified good in clearness, and by the “west” good in obscurity (n. 3708, 9653). Therefore it is here said, “thou shalt make for it two rings of gold from beneath the border, upon the two ribs thereof thou shalt make them, upon the two sides thereof.” That the sides properly so called look to the east and the west, but that the sides which are called “ribs” look to the south and the north, is plain in Exodus 26:13, 26-27, 35. Moreover “ribs,” being supports of the breast, signify the truths that support good.

[2] In heaven however the case is this. On the right are those who are in the light of truth, thus who are in the south; but on the left are those who are in the shade of truth, thus who are in the north; before the face are those who are in the clear perception of good, thus who are in the east; but at the back are those who are in the obscure perception of good, thus who are in the west. These, who are in good, constitute the celestial kingdom of the Lord; and the former, who are in truth, constitute His spiritual kingdom. This is the appearance to the angels there in whatever direction they turn themselves, for the angels have the Lord, who is the very East, continually before the face; but the contrary is the case with those who are in hell, for these have the Lord continually at the back.

[3] For in the other life the quarters are not determined toward fixed regions, as they are in the world; but according to fixed and ruling loves.

[4] For an angel or a spirit is his own love, and where the love is, thither he turns himself; they who are in love to the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor, and from this in faith, look at the Lord before them wherever they turn their bodies and their faces. For the Lord turns them to Himself, because He enters by the way of the east into them, and constantly keeps them in a determination toward Himself. Hence their external sight, determined by the internal sight that belongs to the understanding, and this by the love that belongs to the will, looks in the direction in which the love carries it. It is similar with men in the world in respect to their interiors that belong to their spirit. Moreover, in the other life all are distinguished according to the way in which each one turns himself. (That the spaces and places in the other life are of this nature, and that from this they signify states, see n. 2625, 2837, 3356, 3387, 4321, 4882, 5605, 7381, 9440, 9667, 10146)

7381. Say unto Aaron. That this signifies the influx of the internal law into the external law, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the law Divine (see n. 6723, 6752); and from the representation of Aaron, as being the doctrine of good and truth (n. 6998, 7089); the doctrine of good and truth which Aaron represents is nothing else than the external law coming forth from the internal law, that is, through the internal law from the Divine; and from the signification of “saying,” as being influx (n. 6152, 6291, 7291). That “to say” here denotes influx is because Moses was to say to Aaron, and Moses is the internal law, and Aaron the external, and influx from the Divine takes place through the internal into the external. The internal law is the truth Divine itself such as it is in heaven, and the external law is the truth Divine such as it is on earth; thus the internal law is truth accommodated to angels, and the external law is truth accommodated to men.

[2] As the internal law which Moses represents is truth accommodated to angels, and the external law which Aaron represents is truth accommodated to men, I may here say something about them. Truth accommodated to angels is for the most part incomprehensible to men, as is evident from the fact that things are seen and said in heaven such as eye has never seen, nor ear has ever heard. The reason is that the things said among the angels are spiritual things which have been abstracted from natural things, and consequently are remote from the ideas and expressions of human speech; for man has formed his ideas from the things in nature, and indeed in grosser nature, that is, from those which he has seen in the world and upon the earth, and has touched by sense, which things are material. The ideas of interior thought with man, although they are above material things, nevertheless terminate in material things, and where they terminate, there they appear to be, and from this he perceives that which he is thinking. Hence it is evident how the case is with that truth of faith, and what is its quality, which falls into the thought of man, and is called the external law, and is represented by Aaron.

[3] To illustrate this by an example: man cannot possibly think without the idea of time and space, which idea adheres to almost everything which he thinks; if idea from time and space were taken away from man, he would not know what he is thinking; and scarcely whether he is thinking. But in the ideas of the angels there is nothing from time and space, but instead of these there are states, and this because the natural world is distinguished from the spiritual world by time and space. The reason why there are time and space in the natural world, and instead of these there are states in the spiritual world, is that in the natural world the sun seems by apparent revolutions to make days and years, and to divide the days into four times, night, morning, noon, and evening; and the years also into four times, winter, spring, summer, and autumn; and also to do this by means of variations of light and shade, and of heat and cold. From this come the ideas of time and of its variations. The ideas of space arise from measuring by times, and therefore where the one is, there is the other.

[4] But in the spiritual world, the sun of heaven, whence come spiritual light and spiritual heat, does not make apparent rotations and revolutions, and thus induce ideas of time and space. The light which is from that sun is truth Divine; and the heat which is from that sun is good Divine. From these arise with the angels ideas of states; states of intelligence and faith from truth Divine; and states of wisdom and love from good Divine. To the variations of these states with the angels correspond the states of light and shade in the world, and also states of heat and cold, which are from the sun when it makes times and measures spaces. From this example it may to a certain extent appear what is the quality of that internal truth, or truth accommodated to angels, which is called the “internal law;” and also what is the quality of that external truth, or truth accommodated to men, which is called the “external law;” also whence it is that the things which the angels speak among themselves are to man incomprehensible, and also unutterable.