9572. 'And its tongs and its trowels' means things in the natural that serve to purify and clean out. This is clear from the meaning of 'tongs' and 'trowels' as things that serve to remove waste products, and so to purify and clean out. They exist in the natural because the natural serves to remove waste and so to purify and clean out. For everything that belongs to the internal or spiritual man comes right down into the natural and is purified there; for in the natural that which is filthy and that which is superfluous are discharged, and that which is suitable is set in order for useful service. The fact that this takes place in the natural may be recognized from the consideration that since the internal or spiritual man, while in the body, thinks within the natural, revealing and declaring its thoughts through the body, and also wills within the natural, carrying out the desires of the will through the body, therefore the natural is what serves to clean out and remove waste products. This is meant by 'feet-washing', which the Lord speaks of as follows in John,

He who has been washed has no need except to wash his feet, and the whole person is clean. John 13:10.

'Washing' meant the purification of the internal man, 3147, 5954 (end), 9088; and 'feet' meant the natural, 2162, 3147, 3761, 3986, 4280, 4938-4952.

3504.'So that my soul may bless you' means allying it to its own life, consequently life that corresponds to the rational. This is clear from the meaning of 'being blessed' as being endowed with celestial and spiritual good, dealt with in 981, 1731, 2846, 3017, 3406. For the good of early childhood and consequently the good of life, which is the same as the good of the natural, and which is represented by 'Esau', is not spiritual good, for the good of early childhood is devoid of knowledge and intelligence, and so of wisdom. The good of early childhood becomes spiritual good through the implantation of truth, and so through regeneration, see 1616, 1802, 2280, 2290, 2291, 2299, 2304, 2305, 2307, 3494 (end). This is how the correspondence between rational things and natural is effected, and so how the allying of the natural man to the life of the rational is effected. This allying to its own life is what is meant by 'my soul may bless you'.