Spiritual Meaning of South, North

Spiritual Meaning of

South, North

That "toward the south" signifies into goods and truths, and thus into a state of light as to the interiors, is evident from the signification of "the south." That "the south" signifies a state of light, comes from the fact that there are neither quarters nor times in the other life, but states which are signified by quarters and times. The states of intellectual things are as the states of the times of the day and of the year, and also as the states of the quarters. The states of the day are those of evening, night, morning, and noon; the states of the year are those of autumn, winter, spring, and summer; and the states of the quarters are those of the sun, in its relation to the west, the north, the east, and the south. Similar to these are the states of intellectual things. And, what is wonderful, in heaven those are in light who are in a state of wisdom and intelligence, exactly according to their state; those being in the greatest light who are in a state of the highest wisdom and intelligence; but the wisdom there is that of love and charity, and the intelligence is that of faith in the Lord. That in the other life there is light to which the light of the world can scarcely be compared, is to me a fact established by much experience, and because there is in heaven such a correspondence between light and intellectual things, therefore in the Word, in this and in other passages, nothing else is signified in the internal sense by "the south." "The south" here signifies the intelligence which is procured by means of knowledges. These knowledges are celestial and spiritual truths, which in heaven are so many radiations of light, and they are also presented visible by means of the light, as before stated. As the Lord was now to be imbued with knowledges in order that as to the Human Essence also He might become the very Light of heaven, it is here said that "Abram journeyed, going and journeying toward the south."

[2] That this is the signification of "the south," may be seen from similar passages in the Word, as in Isaiah:--

I will say to the north, Give; and to the south, Keep not back; bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth (Isaiah 43:6);

"the north" denotes those who are in ignorance; "the south" those who are in knowledges; "sons" truths; and "daughters" goods. Again:--

If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in the darkness, and thy thick darkness as the noonday (or south-meridies) (Isaiah 58:10);

to "draw out the soul to the hungry and to satisfy the afflicted soul," denotes the goods of charity in general; the "light rising in the darkness," means that they shall have the intelligence of truth; and "the thick darkness as the south," means that they shall have the wisdom of good; "the south," from its heat, signifies good, and from its light, truth.

[3] In Ezekiel:--

In the visions of God brought He me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, whereon was as it were the building of a city on the south (Ezekiel 40:2)

concerning the New Jerusalem, or the Lord's kingdom, which, because it is in the light of wisdom and intelligence, is "on the south." In David:--

Jehovah shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday (Ps. 37:6).

Again:--

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror of the night, for the arrow that flieth by day, for the pestilence that walketh in the thick darkness, for the destruction that wasteth at noonday (or in the south) (Ps. 91:6, 6);

"not to fear for the destruction that wasteth in the south," means not to be afraid because of the damnation which comes upon those who are in knowledges and pervert them. In Ezekiel:--

Son of man, set thy face toward the south, and drop (thy word) to the south, and prophesy to the forest of the field of the south, and say to the forest of the south, All faces from the south to the north shall be burned in her (Ezekiel 20:46, 47);

"the forest of the south," denotes those who are in the light of truths, and who extinguish it, and thus those of this character who are within the church.

[4] In Daniel:--

Out of one of them there went forth a little horn, and it grew exceedingly toward the south, and toward the east, and toward beauty (decus), and it grew even to the army of the heavens (Daniel 8:9, 10);

meaning those who fight against goods and truths. In Jeremiah:--

Give glory to Jehovah your God, before He maketh it grow dark, and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight and ye look for light, and He turn it into the shadow of death, He shall make it thick darkness the cities of the south shall be shut, and there is none to open (Jeremiah 13:16, 19);

"the cities of the south" denote the knowledges of truth and good. In Obadiah:--

The captivity of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the south (Obadiah 1:20);

"the cities of the south" denote in like manner truths and goods; hence the very truths and goods of which they are the heirs the Lord's kingdom is here treated of.

AC 1458

The signification of the south toward the south, is the interior and inmost things where truth is in its light; for by the south is signified a state of light, which is a state of intelligence from truths, and thus an interior state; for light (and with the light intelligence and wisdom) in the heavens, increases toward more interior things; and farther from these truth is in shade, which state of truth is signified by the north. From this then it is that by the corner of the south toward the south is signified even to the interior and inmost things where truth is in light.

[2] The same is signified by the south or noonday in Isaiah:--

I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back; bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the end of the earth (Isa. 43:6);

in this passage a new church is treated of; saying to the north denotes to those who are in darkness or ignorance concerning the truths of faith, who are the nations outside the church; saying to the south denotes to those who are in light from the knowledges of good and truth, who are those who are within the church; wherefore it is said to the latter that they should not keep back, but to the former that they should give up.

[3] In Ezekiel:--

Set thy faces toward the south, and drop toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the field unto the south; and say to the forest of the south, Behold, I kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned. Set thy faces toward Jerusalem, and drop against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel (Ezek. 20:46, 47; 21:2);

the south here denotes those who are in the light of truth from the Word, thus those who are of the church, but who are in falsities which they confirm from the sense of the letter of the Word wrongly unfolded; whence it is said, the forest of the field unto the south, and the forest of the south. A forest denotes where memory-knowledge reigns; but a garden, where truth reigns. From this it is plain what is signified by setting the faces toward the south, and dropping (words) toward the south, and prophesying against the forest of the field unto the south; and afterward by setting the faces toward Jerusalem, and dropping against the holy places, and prophesying against the land of Israel; for Jerusalem and the land of Israel denote the church, and the holy places there denote the things which are of the church.

[4] In Isaiah:--

If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and sate the afflicted soul; then thy light shall arise in darkness, and thy thick darkness shall be as the noonday (Isa. 58:10);

where darkness and thick darkness denote ignorance of truth and good; while light and the noonday denote the understanding of them. Again:--

Bring forth counsel, execute judgment; make thy shadow like the night in the midst of the noonday; hide the outcasts; reveal not the wanderer (Isa. 16:3);

where in the midst of the noonday denotes in the midst of the light of truth. In Jeremiah:--

Sanctify ye the battle against the daughter of Zion; arise, and let us go up into the south, for the day is going away, for the shadows of the evening have been bent down (Jer. 6:4);

where going up into the south denotes against the church, in which truth is in light from the Word. In Amos:--

I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the day of light (Amos 8:9);

denoting the extinguishing of all the light of truth from the Word.

[5] In David:--

Thou shalt not be afraid for the dread of night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day; for the pestilence in the thick darkness, for the death that wasteth at noonday (Ps. 91:5, 6);

the dread of night denotes the falsities of evil which are from hell; the arrow that flieth by day, the falsity which is openly taught; the death that wasteth at noonday, the evil which is openly lived in, whereby truth is destroyed where it can be in its light from the Word.

[6] Again:--

The prophecy of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds from the south, to pass through; it cometh from the wilderness, from a terrible land (Isa. 21:1).

The he-goat of the goats magnified himself exceedingly; and his horn grew toward the south, and toward the east, and toward comeliness; and it grew even unto the army of the heavens, and some of the army and of the stars it cast down to the earth, and trampled upon them (Dan. 8:8-10);

the subject here treated of is the state of the future church, and it is foretold that the church will perish through the doctrine of faith separated from the good of charity; the he-goat of the goats denotes such a faith (AR 4169, 4769); its horn growing toward the south denotes the power of falsity therefrom against truths; toward the east denotes against goods; toward comeliness denotes against the church; unto the army of the heavens denotes against all the goods and truths of heaven; casting down to the earth some of the army and of the stars denotes to destroy these goods and truths, and the very knowledges of good and truth (AR 4697).

[7] In the same prophet is described a war between the king of the south and the king of the north (chap. 11), and by the king of the south is signified the light of truth from the Word, and by the king of the north reasoning from memory-knowledges about truths; the alternations that the church was to undergo until it should perish, are described by the various events of this war.

[8] As the south signified truth in light, it was ordained that the tribes of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad should encamp toward the south (Num. 2:10-15); the encampments represented the setting in order of all things in the heavens in accordance with the truths and goods of faith and love (AR 4236, 8103, 8193, 8196); and the twelve tribes which encamped signified all truths and goods in the complex (AR 3858, 3862, 3926, 3939, 4060, 6335, 6337, 6397, 6640, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); by the tribe of Reuben was signified the truth of faith in doctrine (AR 3861, 3866, 5542); by the tribe of Simeon, the derivative truth of faith in life (AR 3869-3872, 4497, 4502, 4503, 5482); and by the tribe of Gad were signified works from these truths (AR 6404, 6405). This shows why these tribes were encamped toward the south; for all things of truth, that is, of faith, belong to the south, because they belong to light.

[9] From all this it is now evident what is signified by the corner of the south, namely, where the state of truth is in light. For all states of the good of love and of the truth of faith are signified by the four corners of the earth - states of the good of love by the corner of the east, and the corner of the west, and states of the truth of faith by the corner of the south, and the corner of the north In like manner by the four winds in these passages:--

Angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the ear (Rev. 7:1).

Satan shall go forth to seduce the nations which are in the four corners of the earth (Rev. 20:8).

He shall send His angels, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens to the ends of them (Matt. 24:31).

Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live (Ezek. 37:9).

[10] As by these winds, that is, by these quarters, were signified all things of good and of truth, thus all things of heaven and of the church, and by the temple was signified heaven or the church, therefore it has been customary from ancient times to place temples in an east and west direction, because the east signified the good of love in its rising, and the west, the good of love in its going down. This had its origin from the representatives in which were the ancients who belonged to the church.

AC 9642

Back to Words index, Back to Spatial words index

Author: E. Swedenborg (1688-1772).

Design: I.J. Thompson, Feb 2002.