41. Anything that is man's own has no life in it; and when depicted visually it looks like something hard as a bone and black. But anything that comes from the Lord does contain life. It has that which is spiritual and celestial within it, and when depicted visually it looks human and alive. It is perhaps incredible, but nevertheless absolutely true, that every expression, every idea, and every least thought of an angelic spirit is alive. In even the most detailed areas of his thought there is an affection that comes from the Lord, who is life itself. Consequently all that derives from the Lord has life within it, for it contains faith in Him, and is here meant by 'a living creature'. It then has the outward appearance of a body, meant here by that which is moving, or creeping. To man these matters remain arcana, but since the subject here is the living and moving creature, they ought at least to be mentioned here.

9687. 'From violet and purple and twice-dyed scarlet and fine twined linen' means composed of the good of charity and faith. This is clear from the meaning of 'violet', 'purple', 'twice-dyed scarlet', and 'fine twined linen', where the veil, meaning the uniting intermediary between the inmost and middle heavens, is the subject. There these materials mean forms of the good of love and faith, dealt with in 9671; here however they mean forms of the good of charity and faith since the subject is the screen, by which the uniting intermediary between the second and lowest heavens is meant, 9686. For in the inmost heaven the good of love to the Lord is predominant, but in the middle heaven the good of charity towards the neighbour, and in the lowest heaven the good of faith. So it is that 'violet', 'purple', 'twice-dyed scarlet', and 'fine twined linen' mean the forms of good predominant in those heavens.