10071. 'And the tail' means all truth there. This is clear from the meaning of 'the ram's tail' as truth. 'The tail' means truth because it comes last, and truth resides in last or lowest things, 9959 ¹ . The tail is also the last part of the cerebrum and cerebellum, for these extend into the spinal cord, and this also terminates in the tail, which is for that reason the appendage at the end of all three. Therefore Leviticus 3:9 says that in sacrifices the tail should be removed next to the backbone. The fact that 'the tail' means truth in last or lowest things, and in the contrary sense falsity, is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail. The old and the honourable [in face] is the head, but the prophet, the teacher of a lie, is the tail. Isaiah 9:14-15.

In the spiritual sense 'cutting off head and tail' means severing good and truth; for the subject is the Church, and when this has been laid waste 'the head' means evil and 'the tail' falsity. 'The head' means good, see 4938, 4939, 5328, 9913, 9914, as does 'the old', 6524, 9404; and 'the prophet' means a teacher of truth, and so in the abstract sense [without reference to persons] truth itself, 2534, 7269. In the contrary sense therefore 'the head' means evil, as do 'the old' and 'the honourable' who will perform it, while 'the tail' means falsity, as does 'the prophet', who is for that reason called 'the prophet of a lie'; for 'a lie' means falsity. In the same prophet,

There will not be for Egypt [any] work which the head and tail may do. Isaiah 19:15.

'Egypt' stands for those who, desiring to enter into the truths and forms of the good of faith, use reasonings based on factual knowledge, and not on revealed truths, thus not on belief in these, 1164, 1165, 1186. The lack of 'work which the head and tail may do' stands for the fact that they have neither good nor truth. The fact that 'the tail' means truth in last or lowest things is evident from its meaning in the contrary sense, in which 'the tail' means falsity. In John,

The locusts had tails like scorpions, and stings were in their tails, and they had power to harm people. Revelation 9:10.

'Tails like scorpions, and stings in their tails' are cunning reasonings based on falsities which they use to convince and thereby damage someone, which is why it says that they had power to harm people. Furthermore falsity in outermost things is meant by 'locust', see 7643. In the same book,

The horses' tails were like serpents, having heads; and by means of them they do harm. Revelation 9:19.

'Tails like serpents' here also stands for reasonings based on falsities which are used to cause harm. In the same book,

The dragon's tail drew a third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them down to the earth. Revelation 12:4.

'The dragon's tail' stands for truths that have been falsified, in particular through the application of them to evils; 'the stars' are cognitions or knowledge of truth and good which has been falsified; and 'casting them down to the earth' means destroying them.

Voetnoten:

9913. 'And its hole for the head shall be in the middle of it' means the course which the inflow from the higher source takes. This is clear from the meaning of 'the robe's hole for the head in the middle of it' as the place where the inflow enters from the higher, or what amounts to the same thing, more internal source, thus from the celestial kingdom into the spiritual kingdom; for the external good of the celestial kingdom flows into the internal good of the spiritual kingdom, see immediately above in 9912. The reason why the 'robe's hole for the head in the middle of it' has this meaning is that the spiritual kingdom, in particular the inward part of it, is meant by 'the robe', 9825, and the inflow, communication, and joining of celestial things to spiritual ones by the neck where the robe's 'hole for the head' was, 3542, 5320, 5328. For the head on a person corresponds to the Lord's celestial kingdom, and the body to His spiritual kingdom, so that the neck in between, which the robe's hole for the head encircles and clothes, corresponds to the mediation or inflowing of the celestial kingdom into the spiritual kingdom.

[2] That such things are meant by 'the robe's hole for the head in the middle of it' may seem to be absurd, altogether so to those who know nothing about heaven, or about spirits and angels there, and consequently know nothing about correspondence. The existence of a correspondence of all aspects of the human being with all things in heaven has been shown at the ends of a number of chapters, see the places referred to in 9280. In general the head corresponds to celestial things, the body to spiritual things, and the feet to natural things, 4938, 4939. From this it is evident that 'the neck' by virtue of its correspondence means the inflow, communication, and joining of celestial things to spiritual things. Therefore 'the robe's hole for the head', which was made to go round the neck, means the course which that inflow takes; for Aaron's garments represented in general those things that belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom, 9814. From this it is evident that the reference in this verse to the hole or part of the robe that goes round the neck describes the actual inflowing. Furthermore it should be remembered that angels and spirits appear wearing garments, and that each one of their garments is representative, as everyone in heaven knows. So it is that each one of Aaron's garments too is representative of such things as exist in the heavens. For the Word from the Lord has been written in such a way that everything there even to the smallest detail has a correspondence with heavenly things, and in such a way that it is a means serving to join things together. The reason why the member of the Church does not know about all this, even though he has such a Word, is that he has turned his interiors round to the world, so far round that he cannot be raised towards heaven and learn about it, see 9706, 9707, 9709.