Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 3730here also “basket” denotes the will part as the container; the“cakes,” the “wafers,” the “oil,” the “meat offering,” the “boiledshoulder of the ram” are celestial goods which were beingrepresented; for the Nazirite represented the celestial man (n.3301).[7] At that time such things as were used in worship were carriedin baskets; as was also the kid of the goats by Gideon, which hebrought forth to the angel under the oak (Judges 6:19); and this forthe reason that baskets represented the containers, and the things inthe baskets, the contents.5145. With holes in them upon my head. That this signifieswithout termination anywhere in the middle is evident from thesignification of “with holes in them” as being open from highest tolowest, thus not closed, consequently without terminationanywhere in the middle; and from the signification of the “head” asbeing the interiors, especially those of the will; for in the head areall substances and forms in their beginnings, and therefore allsensations tend thither and there present themselves, and all actsdescend from it and take their origin. It is evident that the facultiesof the mind, that is, of the understanding and the will, are there;and therefore by the “head” are signified the interiors. Thesebaskets represented the things which are in the head.[2] The sensuous things which are subject to the will part are nowtreated of, and by the “baskets with holes in them upon the head”is signified that the interiors were without termination anywhere inthe middle, and for this reason these sensuous things were rejectedand damned—as will be seen in what follows. But it may be well tostate what is meant by being without termination anywhere in themiddle. Man’s interiors are distinguished into degrees, and in eachdegree the interiors are terminated, and by termination areseparated from the degree next below; it is thus from the inmost tothe outermost. The interior rational constitutes the first degree; inthis are the celestial angels, or in this is the inmost or third heaven.The exterior rational makes the second degree; in this are thespiritual angels, or in this is the middle or second heaven. The