1831. And set each of the parts across from its other [half] symbolizes parallelism and correspondence regarding heavenly things. The evidence for this is that the pieces on one side symbolize the church, while those on the other side symbolize the Lord, and when they are placed opposite each other there is nothing but symmetry and correspondence. It was the heifer, goat, and ram that were split and set like this, and they symbolize heavenly attributes, as noted just above at verse 9, so it is clear that there is symmetry and correspondence in respect to heavenly attributes. The case is different with spiritual attributes, however, and they will be discussed just below.

As I have frequently mentioned, ¹ heavenly attributes are all those that have to do with love for the Lord and love for our neighbor. The Lord is the one who bestows love and a sense of charity; the church is the one that accepts them. What unites the two is conscience, the soil in which love and charity are planted. So the space between the pieces symbolizes the capacity in us that is called perception, an inner voice, or conscience. Anything higher than perception, the inner voice, and conscience is the Lord's; anything below them is part of us. Since each side looks to the other, then, they are described as parallel; and since they answer or respond to one another as active and passive do, they are said to correspond.

Footnotes:

1824. A heifer means items that serve to represent the more superficial heavenly aspects; a she-goat, those that represent the deeper ones; and a ram, those that represent the heavenly-spiritual aspects. This can be seen from the sacrifices, which will be discussed later where they are the focus, the Lord in his divine mercy willing [§§2180:2, 2830, 3519, 9391, 10042].

There are heavenly qualities that are relatively superficial and ones that are relatively deep; there are also heavenly qualities that are spiritual. The more superficial heavenly qualities are those that belong to the outer self; the deeper ones are those that belong to the inner self; and the spiritual ones are offshoots. ¹ Heavenliness itself is love for the Lord and for our neighbor. This heavenly influence flows from the Lord through the inner self into the outer. In the inner self, it is called the heavenly core; in the outer self, it is called the heavenly surface. The heavenly surface is formed of every desire for what is good; in fact it includes every form of sensual pleasure produced by that desire. So far as both of these — desire for what is good, and the resulting pleasures — contain a loving, charitable goodness, they contain what is heavenly and happy.

The spiritual side of heavenliness, however, is every desire for truth that contains within it the desire for what is good. In other words, it is a desire for truth generated by a desire for what is good. So it is faith that contains charity, or faith generated by charity.

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