5116. Its blossom went up. That this signifies the state near regeneration, is evident from the signification of the "blossom" that buds forth from the tree before the fruit, as being the state before regeneration. As just said (n. 5115), the budding and fruiting of a tree represent the rebirth of man-its becoming green from the leaves represents the first state; the blossoming the second, which is the next before regeneration; and the fruiting the third, which is the very state of the regenerate. It is from this that "leaves" signify the things of intelligence, or the truths of faith (n. 885), for these are the first things of the rebirth or regeneration; while "blossoms" signify the things of wisdom, or the goods of faith, because these immediately precede the rebirth or regeneration; and "fruits" signify those things which are of life, or the works of charity, because these follow and constitute the very state of the regenerate.

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[2] That such things exist in the vegetable kingdom is owing to the influx of the spiritual world. This, however, cannot be believed by those who attribute all things to nature, and nothing to the Divine; whereas they who attribute all things to the Divine, and nothing to nature, are permitted to see not only that everything is from the Divine, but also that everything has a correspondence, and is therefore representative; and finally they are permitted to see that universal nature is a theater representative of the Lord's kingdom; thus that the Divine is in every particular of nature, insomuch that nature is a representation of the eternal and the infinite-of the eternal from propagation even to eternity, of the infinite from the multiplication of seeds to infinity. Such endeavors could never have existed in everything in the vegetable kingdom unless the Divine continually flowed in; for from influx comes endeavor, from endeavor energy, and from energy effect.

[3] They who attribute all things to nature say that such things were imparted to fruits and seeds at their first creation, and that from the energy thence received they are afterward impelled of themselves to such activities; but they do not consider that subsistence is a perpetual coming into existence, or what is similar, that propagation is perpetual creation; neither do they consider that the effect is the continuation of the cause, and that when the cause ceases, the effect also ceases, and consequently that without a continual influx of the cause, every effect instantly perishes; nor do they consider that what is unconnected with a first of all things, consequently with the Divine, is instantly annihilated, because the prior must be continually in the posterior in order that the posterior may exist.

[4] If they who attribute all things to nature and little or nothing to the Divine, considered these things, they too could acknowledge that each and all things in nature represent such things as are in the spiritual world, consequently such as are in the Lord's kingdom, where the Divine of the Lord is most nearly represented. For this reason it was said that the influx is from the spiritual world; but it is meant that the influx is through the spiritual world from the Lord's Divine. The reason why natural men do not consider such things is that they are not willing to acknowledge them; for they are in earthly and bodily things, and hence in a life of the love of self and of the world, and therefore are in inverted order relatively to those things which are of the spiritual world or of heaven, and from an inverted state it is impossible to see such things; for they see the things which are below as if they were above, and the things which are above as if they were below; and therefore when in the other life such persons are seen in the light of heaven, they appear with the head downward and the feet upward.

5109. Verses 9-13. And the prince of the butlers told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream behold a vine was before me; and in the vine were three shoots, and it was as though it budded, its blossom went up, and the clusters thereof ripened grapes. And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup upon the palm of Pharaoh. And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it; The three shoots three days are these. In yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head, and shall bring thee back upon thy station, and thou shalt give Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler. "And the prince of the butlers told his dream to Joseph," signifies that the celestial of the spiritual perceived the event concerning those things which were of the sensuous subject to the intellectual part, and which had hitherto been rejected; "and said to him," signifies revelation from perception; "In my dream," signifies prediction; "behold a vine was before me," signifies the intellectual part; "and in the vine were three shoots," signifies the derivations thence even to the last; "and it was as though it budded," signifies the influx by which the rebirth is effected; "its blossom went up," signifies the state near regeneration; "and the clusters thereof ripened grapes," signifies conjunction of spiritual truth with celestial good; "and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand," signifies the influx of the interior natural into the exterior, and the beginning of reception; "and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup," signifies reciprocal influx into the goods from a spiritual origin there; "and I gave the cup upon the palm of Pharaoh," signifies appropriation by the interior natural; "and Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it," signifies revelation from perception from the celestial in the natural as to what it had in itself; "the three shoots three days are these," signifies continuous derivations down to the last one; "in yet three days," signifies that there would then be a new state; "shall Pharaoh lift up thy head," signifies what is provided, and hence what is concluded; "and shall bring thee back upon thy station," signifies that the things which are of the sensuous subject to the intellectual part would be reduced into order, that they might be in the last place; "and thou shalt give Pharaoh's cup into his hand," signifies that thereby they may serve the interior natural; "after the former manner," signifies in accordance with the law of order; "when thou wast his butler," signifies as is usual with sensuous things of this kind.

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5110. And the prince of the butlers told his dream to Joseph. That this signifies that the celestial of the spiritual perceived the event concerning the things of the sensuous subject to the intellectual part and which had hitherto been rejected, is evident from the representation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the spiritual (n. 4286, 4585, 4592, 4594, 4963); and from the signification of a "dream," as being foresight and hence the event (of which above, n. 5091, 5092, 5104), thus the event that was foreseen or perceived; and from the signification of the "prince of the butlers," as being the sensuous subject to the intellectual part in general (n. 5077, 5082). That it was rejected is meant by his being in custody (n. 5083, 5101). From these things it is plain that such is the internal sense of these words. Moreover that Joseph, by whom is represented the celestial of the spiritual, perceived the event, is evident from the verses that follow.

[2] It is said, "the celestial of the spiritual," and thereby is meant the Lord; the same may also be said abstractedly of Him, because He is the celestial itself and the spiritual itself, that is, good itself and truth itself. As regards man,

GENESIS 40:1,4

Verses 1-4. And it came to pass after these words that they sinned, the butler of the king of Egypt and the baker, to their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth over his two court ministers, over the prince of the butlers, and over the prince of the bakers. And he put them into the custody of the house of the prince of the guards, unto the prison house, the place where Joseph was bound. And the prince of the guards set Joseph over them, and he ministered to them; and they were for days in custody. "And it came to pass," signifies a new state, and the things which follow; "after these words," signifies after the things which precede; "that they sinned," signifies inverted order; "the butler of the king of Egypt," signifies in those things in the body which are subject to the intellectual part; "and the baker," signifies in those things in the body which are subject to the will part; "to their lord the king of Egypt," signifies that they were contrary to the new state of the natural man; "and Pharaoh was wroth," signifies that the new natural man averted itself; "over his two court ministers" signifies from the sensuous things of the body of both kinds; "over the prince of the butlers, and over the prince of the bakers," signifies in general from the sensuous things subordinate to the intellectual part and to the will part; "and he put them into the custody," signifies rejection; "of the house of the prince of the guards," signifies by those things which are primary for interpretation; "unto the prison house," signifies among falsities; "the place where Joseph was bound," signifies the state of the celestial of the natural now as to these things; "and the prince of the guards set Joseph over them," signifies that the celestial of the natural taught them from things primary for interpretation; "and he ministered to them," signifies that he instructed them; "and they were for days in custody," signifies that they were long in a state of rejection.

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5090. Verses 5-8. And they dreamed a dream both of them, each his dream in one night, each according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison house. And Joseph came unto them in the morning, and saw them, and behold they were troubled. And he asked Pharaoh's courtministers that were with him in the custody of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore are your faces evil today? And they said unto him, we have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it me, I pray. "And they dreamed a dream both of them," signifies foresight concerning them; "each his dream in one night," signifies concerning the event which to them was in obscurity; "each according to the interpretation of his dream," signifies which they had in themselves; "the butler and the baker," signifies concerning the sensuous things of both kinds; "of the king of Egypt," signifies which were subordinate to the interior natural; "who were bound in the prison house," signifies which were among falsities; "and Joseph came unto them in the morning," signifies revealed and clear to the celestial of the natural; "and saw them," signifies perception; "and behold they were troubled," signifies that they were in a sad state; "and he asked Pharaoh's court ministers" signifies the sensuous things in question; "that were with him in the custody of his lord's house," signifies which were rejected; "saying, Wherefore are your faces evil today?" signifies from what affection was this sadness; "and they said unto him," signifies perception concerning these things; "We have dreamed a dream," signifies prediction; "and there is no interpreter of it," signifies that no one knows what is in them; "and Joseph said unto them," signifies the celestial of the natural; "Do not interpretations belong to God?" signifies that the Divine is in these things; "tell it me, I pray," signifies that it should be known.

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5091. And they dreamed a dream both of them. That this signifies foresight concerning them, is evident from the signification of a "dream," as being foresight (n. 3698); "both of them," denotes the sensuous things of both kinds signified by "the butler and the baker." That the dreams were concerning these things is plain from the following verses. That a "dream" in the supreme sense denotes foresight, is because dreams which flow in immediately through heaven from the Lord foretell things to come. Such were the dreams of Joseph, the dreams of the butler and the baker, the dream of Pharaoh, the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and prophetic dreams in general. The things to come which are foretold by such dreams are from no other source than the Lord's Divine foresight. Hence also it may be known that all things both in general and in particular are foreseen.

5092. Each his dream in one night. That this signifies concerning the event which to them was in obscurity, is evident from the signification of a "dream," as being foresight, and hence prediction, and because it signifies prediction, it also signifies the event, for prediction is concerning the event; and from the signification of "night," as being obscurity. "Night" in the spiritual sense signifies a state of shade brought on by falsity from evil (n. 1712, 2353), thus also obscurity, namely, of the mind. The obscurity of night in the world is natural obscurity; but the obscurity of night in the other life is spiritual obscurity. The former arises from the absence of the sun of this world and the deprivation of light therefrom, but the latter from the absence of the sun of heaven which is the Lord, and the deprivation of light (that is, of intelligence) therefrom. This deprivation does not arise from the sun of heaven setting, like the sun of the world, but from a man or spirit being in falsity from evil, and removing himself,