1026. With every living soul that is with you symbolizes everything in general that has been reborn in us. This can be seen from statements above and below [§§1022, 1036, 1040] and from the symbolism of living. Everything that receives life from the Lord is called living; everything in regenerate people that lives from that life is called a living soul. The extent to which we receive life when we are regenerate determines the extent to which individual elements inside us — both our reasoned ideas and our feelings — have life. This living force in the individual aspects of all we think and say is evident to angels, although it is not very evident to human beings.
Secrets of Heaven #859
859. The symbolism of on the first of the month the heads of the mountains appeared as religious truth that then began to be visible is established by the symbolism of mountains as the good effects of love and charity (§795). The heads start to show when we are being reborn and given a conscience and, through conscience, charity.
Those who think they see mountaintops, or religious truth, from any other perspective than that of a loving, charitable goodness are completely mistaken. Otherwise, Jews and blasphemous Gentiles 1 would also be able to see the truth, even though they lack such goodness.
The mountaintops are the first points of light to appear.
Footnotes:
1. On Swedenborg's attitude toward Jews, see note 4 in §259 and the reader's guide, pages 51-55. On the term "Gentiles," see note 1 in §231. [JSR]
