Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 37815209. Verses 5–7. And he slept and dreamed a second time, andbehold seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, fat and good. Andbehold seven ears thin and parched with the east wind sprung up afterthem. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven fat and full ears. AndPharaoh awoke, and behold it was a dream. “And he slept” signifiesan obscure state; “and dreamed a second time” signifies what wasprovided; “and behold seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk”signifies the memory-knowledges of the natural joined together;“fat and good” signifies into which the things of faith and charitycould be applied; “and behold seven ears, thin” signifies memoryknowledgesof no use; “and parched with the east wind” signifiesfull of longings; “sprung up after them” signifies appeared near;“and the thin ears swallowed up the seven fat and full ears” signifiesthat the memory-knowledges of no use banished the good memoryknowledges;“and Pharaoh awoke” signifies a general state ofenlightenment; “and behold it was a dream” signifies in thatobscurity.5210. And he slept. That this signifies an obscure state, is evidentfrom the signification of “sleeping” as being an obscure state.Moreover, in the spiritual sense “sleep” is nothing else, just as“wakefulness” is nothing else than a clear state; for there is spiritualsleep when truths are in obscurity, and spiritual wakefulness whentruths are in clearness. Moreover, in the degree of this clearness arespirits awake, and in the degree of the obscurity are they asleep.From this it is plain that “sleeping” means an obscure state.5211. And dreamed a second time. That this signifies what wasprovided, is evident from the signification of “dreaming,” as beingwhat is provided (see n. 5195).5212. And behold seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk. Thatthis signifies memory-knowledges of the natural joined together isevident from the signification of “ears,” or spikes, of corn, as beingmemory-knowledges belonging to the natural (of which in whatfollows); and from the signification of “upon one stalk” as beingjoined together; for in respect to their origin things on one stalk arejoined together. The reason why “ears” or spikes of corn signify