9653. 'And for the two legs of the dwelling-place towards the sea' means a joining to heaven where good dwells in obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of 'two' as a joining together, as above in 9645; from the meaning of 'the legs' as the borders where good dwindles into obscurity, dealt with in 7859; from the meaning of 'the dwelling-place' as heaven, dealt with in 9594; and from the meaning of the west or 'the sea' as a state of good in obscurity, dealt with in 3708, 8615. This state is meant by 'the west' because the Lord in respect of the good of love is meant by 'the sun', 3636, 3643, 4060, 4321 (end), 7078, 7083, 7171, 8644, 8812. Therefore 'the east' where the sun rises means the good of love from the Lord where the perception of it is clear, and 'the west' where the sun goes down means good from Him where the perception of it is obscure. And since a person's and an angel's perception is clear when they have been raised towards more internal parts or into the light of heaven, and their perception is obscure when they remain in more external parts, 9648, thus when they remain in the light of the world, the west is also called the sea. For 'the sea' means factual knowledge in general, 28, 2850, and factual knowledge resides in the external or natural man, where good lies in obscurity. All factual knowledge, since it belongs to the natural man, dwells in the light of the world.

9648. 'And for the other side of the dwelling-place - on the north side' means towards the more external parts of that heaven, where truth dwells in obscurity. This is clear from the meaning of 'the dwelling-place' as heaven, dealt with in 9594; and from the meaning of 'the north' as more external parts, where truth dwells in obscurity, dealt with in 3708. From these meanings it is evident that 'the side of the dwelling-place - on the north side' means towards the more external parts of heaven, where truth dwells in obscurity. There are four states to which the four quarters in the world - east, west, south, and north - correspond. East corresponds to a state in which good is on the rise, and west to a state in which good is on the decline; south corresponds to a state in which truth dwells in light, but north to a state in which truth dwells in shade, 3708. The state of good which the east corresponds to, and the state of truth which the south corresponds to, are more internal states, while the state of good which the west and that of truth which the north correspond to are more external states. For the more internal every state is, the more perfect it is; and the more external it is, the less perfect and so more obscure it is. This is why the higher a person can be raised towards more internal things, the more he advances into the perception of good and the light of truth. When therefore a person lays aside things of the body, which are truly external things, as happens when he leaves this world, he enters into intelligence and wisdom, and so into the perception of all forms of happiness. He does so provided that he has been leading a life of truth and goodness. And the more he has allowed himself to be raised towards the more internal parts of heaven by leading a good life based on teachings about the truth, the greater is that perception.