894. The symbolism of in the beginning, on the first of the month, as a starting point is now evident.

Additional implications of these words are too deep to describe. The important thing is that the time it takes to regenerate is not fixed, in such a way that we can say, "Now I have finished." The states of evil and falsity that each of us has inside are beyond counting. They exist not only as individual states but also as multilayered composites and need to be dispelled to the point where they no longer appear, as already noted [§719]. In some of our states we can be described as more perfect, but in countless others we cannot. In the other life, those who were reborn during bodily life and who lived lives of faith in the Lord and charity toward their neighbor are constantly being perfected.

719. The symbolism of an animal that is not clean as negative emotions can be seen from statements made and supported above about clean animals [§§45-46, 142, 143, 246, 714-715].

The term clean applies to animals that are tame, well behaved, and useful. Unclean animals are the opposite: savage, evil, and useless. They come in different genera and species and in the Word are exemplified by wolves, bears, foxes, swine, and many others, symbolizing various types of craving and malice.

Why does this verse say that unclean animals — wicked feelings — were to be brought into the ark? The situation is this: The present passage is characterizing the people in this church in terms of the ark and its contents, that is, what was brought into it — in other words, what existed in those people before they were reborn. They did have the true ideas and good impulses that the Lord supplied and granted to them before they underwent regeneration, since without a fund of truth and goodness no one could ever regenerate. Here mention is made of the evil in them, symbolized by the unclean animals.

When we are being reborn, there are evils that have to be dispelled, or rather pried loose and tempered, by means of good. None of the evil that we have committed or inherited can ever be removed to the point of complete abolition. It lurks within and is merely loosened and mitigated by the good we receive from the Lord, to the point where it becomes harmless and invisible. This secret has not yet come into common knowledge.

It is the evil we have actually committed that relaxes its grip on us and softens, not so much the evil we have inherited. This too is a matter unknown.