Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 40095569. As there is a correspondence of the bones and the skins, sothere is of the hairs; for these push forth from roots in the skins.Whatever has a correspondence with the grand man is possessed byangels and spirits; for each one as an image represents the grandman; therefore the angels have hair arranged becomingly and inorder. Their hair represents their natural life and its correspondencewith their spiritual life. That “hair” signifies the things of naturallife, may be seen above (n. 3301); and also that “to poll the hair” isto accommodate natural things so that they may be becoming andthus comely (n. 5247).5570. There are many, especially women, who have vestedeverything in adornment, nor have they thought higher, andscarcely anything about eternal life. This is pardoned to womenuntil the age of womanhood, when the ardor which is wont toprecede marriage ceases; but if they persist in such things in adultage, when they can know better, they then contract a nature whichremains after death. Such appear in the other life with long hairspread over the face, which they also comb, vesting elegancetherein; for “to comb the hair” signifies to accommodate naturalthings so that they appear becoming (see n. 5247). From this theirquality is known by others; for spirits can tell from the color,length, and arrangement of the hair what the persons had been asto natural life in the world.5571. They who have believed nature to be everything, and haveconfirmed themselves in this, and therefore have led a careless life,not acknowledging any life after death, thus neither hell norheaven, being merely natural, do not appear in the light of heavento have any face, but in its place something bearded, hairy,unshorn; for as before said, the face represents spiritual andheavenly things inwardly in man, but hairiness natural things.5572. There are very many at this day in the Christian worldwho ascribe all things to nature, and scarcely anything to theDivine; but there are more of these in one nation than in another. Imay therefore relate a conversation I had with some from thatnation in which there are very many such.