Swedenborg Arcana Caelestia Vol. V (1750)

...arose from unknown and mixed affections. This is why, in the Word term: "the Word"—the Bible, beasts signify affections; however, which specific affections they represent is only clear through the internal sense. That "oxen" signify the good of the natural mind can be seen in the places cited above; and that "cows" signify the truths of the natural mind is evident from the passages where they are named, such as in Isaiah 11:7, Hosea 4:16, and Amos 4:1. This is also clear from the "water of separation" used for purification, which was prepared from a red heifer original: vacca rufa burned to ashes outside the camp, mixed with cedar wood, hyssop, and double-dyed scarlet (Numbers 19:2–11). When this process is unlocked through the internal sense, it indicates that the "red heifer" signifies an unclean natural truth, which is made clean through burning, and also through the qualities signified by cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet. The resulting water represented the means of purification.

5199. Beautiful in appearance original: Pulchræ aspectu, which signifies things belonging to faith. This is established from the significance of "beauty" and "appearance." Spiritual beauty is the affection term: "affection"—a deep-seated emotional or spiritual leaning or love for interior truth, and spiritual appearance is faith. Therefore, "beautiful in appearance" signifies the affection for the truth of faith (see sections 553, 3080, 3821, 4985). The reason spiritual beauty is the affection for interior truth is that truth is the form of good. Good itself—which comes from the Divine in heaven—is that from which angels have life; but the form of their life is created through the truths derived from that good. However, the truth of faith alone does not create beauty; rather, it is the affection within the truths of faith, which comes from good, that does so. Beauty derived from the truth of faith alone is like the beauty of a painted or sculpted face. But beauty derived from the affection for truth (which comes from good) is like the beauty of a living face animated by heavenly love; for whatever love or affection shines out from the form of the face constitutes its beauty.

This is why angels appear with ineffable beauty; the good of love shines through the truth of faith in their faces. These are not only visible to the sight but are also perceived by the "spheres" term: "sphere"—a spiritual aura or atmosphere emanating from a person that radiate from them. The reason beauty originates this way is that the entire heaven is the Greatest Man term: Maximus Homo—Swedenborg’s concept that heaven, in its entirety, is organized in the form and function of a single human body and corresponds to every single part of a human being. Therefore, anyone who is in the good of love, and consequently in the truth of faith, is in the "form of heaven." Consequently, they are in beauty, which is how heaven appears, where the Divine from the Lord is everything in all things. Conversely, this is why those in hell—because they are against good and truth—exist in a horrible deformity. In the light of heaven, they do not appear as humans, but as monsters. That "spiritual appearance" is faith is because "to look at" and "to see" in the internal sense means to understand, and in a still deeper sense, to have faith (see sections 897, 2150, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 4403 to 4421).

5200. And fat in flesh original: Et pingues carne, which signifies things belonging to charity. This is evident from the significance of "fat" or "fatness" as something celestial, which is spoken of in relation to the good of love and charity (see section 353); and from the significance of "flesh" as the will-principle term: voluntarium—the part of the mind related to the will and desires made alive by good from the Lord (see sections 148, 149, 780, 999, 3812, 3813). Thus, "flesh" also signifies the good of love and charity. It follows that "fat in flesh" signifies things belonging to charity, just as "beautiful in appearance" signifies things belonging to faith. In this way, the natural truths (signified by the cows) are described by their form and their essence. Their form is constituted by those things which are...