The Spiritual Symbolism and Health Benefits of Pomegranates

I have been working on a new book concerning the prophecies of Isaiah, and I just found something rather bizarre in what was revealed to Emanuel Swedenborg in regards to the symbolism of the pomegranate fruit, which helps indicate he indeed was receiving information from a heavenly source concerning the symbolism of Biblical scriptures in general. I was examining Isaiah's vision of the Lord in the temple (using my new translation of the work):

It was in the year that king Uzziah died,And I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,And His hem filled the temple (Isaiah 6:1)

In general, the word "throne" represents a lower degree of order that supports a higher degree. In a spiritual sense this vision speaks of how the Divine truth of the Lord flows in from the Lord, into heaven, and into the literal sense of the Word and from thence into the minds of those who follow good and truth in the church, represented by the temple. I then focused on the word "hem" (sometimes translated as "skirt" or "train," or mistranslated as "robe" -- bad!!) which is the edge of the robe which filled the temple. The robe is a symbol of the influx of Divine truth, and the "hem" represents Divine truth in its most external natural form, which are knowledges of the memory as indicated in the commentary on Ex. 28:33:

"And upon the skirts of it thou shalt make. That this signifies in the outermosts where is the natural, is evident from the signification of the skirts or borders of the robe, as the outermosts, where the natural is. For by the robe is signified in particular Divine truth in the spiritual kingdom in its internal form, and in general the spiritual kingdom (see n. 9825); and by the skirts or borders, which are round about below, the outermost parts of it; and the outermost parts of the spiritual kingdom are natural" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 9917)

Now, in the practices of the Jewish temple it was commanded that pomegranates and bells be designed on the hem of the rob for the Aaronic priesthood:

And upon the hem of it you shall make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about (Ex. 28:33)

So all of this seems just arbitrary decorative commands. And most people skip over passages such as this in the Bible, because they are not aware of the symbolic significance of each and every word. So what is the spiritual symbolism of pomegranates? According to Swedenborg, it was given him to know that pomegranates represent knowledges of good, and bells the knowledges of truth in memory:

"Pomegranates. That hereby are signified outward knowledges of good, is evident from the signification of pomegranates, as outward knowledges of good (see n. 9552). That pomegranates were set upon the skirts of the robe, was because the skirts signified the ultimates or outermosts of heaven and the church, and those ultimates or outermosts are outward knowledges, as is evident from what was said above (n. 9915, 9917) concerning the successive order of the goods and truths in the heavens and with man. The knowledges of good and truth which are signified by the pomegranates, are doctrinals from the Word, that are mere knowledges so far as they are in the memory which is in the external or natural man. But when they enter into the memory which is in the internal or spiritual man, as is the case when the life is lived according to them, then the doctrinals regarding truth become of faith, and those regarding good become of charity, and are called spiritual. When this comes about, they almost vanish out of the external or natural memory, and appear as if innate, because they are then implanted in the life of man, like all those things which through daily use have become as it were one's nature. From this it is plain what outward knowledges are, and what purpose they serve; consequently what use the doctrinals of the church serve so long as they are held only in the memory; for so long as they are held only as knowledge in the memory, they have a place beneath intelligence and wisdom, and they do not ascend or enter into the life until they become of faith and charity in the internal man" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 9917).

So pomegranates as knowledges of good first seems like an arbitrary symbolism. But fruits in general signify good, and the color red signifies the will, and pomegranates have a hard outer shell which cannot be eaten like other fruits which indicates that it represents something external in the natural. But what are the health benefits of pomegranates?  I looked it up, there are several, but I found this article from the U.S. National library of medicine:

Pomegranate Juice Augments Memory and fMRI Activity in Middle-Aged and Older Adults with Mild Memory Complaints

To quote from the article:

"Recent animal studies have reported memory and other cognitive benefits of polyphenols, found abundantly in pomegranate juice. ... While preliminary, these results suggest a role for pomegranate juice in augmenting memory function through task-related increases in functional brain activity."

This was published recently, in 2013. Swedenborg wrote back in the 18th century, and the command given to Jews to put pomegranates on the hem of the priestly robes was given about 3500 years ago. Thus we can see here how the knowledge of modern science supports and confirms both the Jewish and Christian revelations concerning the spiritual sense of the Bible. It also helps show how each and every word of scripture is important, and thus care should be taken to have an accurate translation of scripture. Similar to pomegranates, another food mentioned often in the Bible that has a similar meaning is fish, which represents in general sensual affections for knowledge in the natural man, which I covered earlier in my work The Symbolism of the Psalms. Fish, we now know, contains large amount of omega-3, and many take fish oil as a supplement as it has been demonstrated to help brain function. Thus the age of Christianity took place in the Age of Pisces, in which Jesus commanded his disciples to become "fishers of men," as Christianity spread the knowledge of Jesus Christ in a simple form to those who could see things in only a natural and external way.

The Spiritual Symbolism and Health Benefits of Hyssop and Cedar

The smallest of details in scripture has meaning, and for the first time the revelations of the New Church reveals the internal spiritual sense of the Word which until now has been unknown to the Christian Church. Hyssop is a plant used in Jewish cleansing rituals, and I was asked why hyssop? And what does it mean? I was asked this question, and very few can go to this level of meaning, but with the revelations given in the New Church we can easily explain this. Hyssop was used in a cleansing ritual for leprosy, and like all Jewish rituals, it is representative of something holy, and even the Jews did not know the meaning of it:

"...so in a house where there was leprosy, [the priest] was to take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet and with the blood of the bird sprinkle seven times (xiv. 6, 7, 27, 51). Here any one may see that there is nothing at all in the cedar-wood, the scarlet, the oil, the blood of a bird, nor yet in seven, except from the fact that they are representative of holy things. Take away from them what is holy, and all that remains is dead, or profanely idolatrous. But when they signify holy things there is Divine worship therein, which is internal, and is only represented by the externals. The Jews could not indeed know what these things signified; nor does any one at the present day know what was signified by the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet, and the bird (Heavenly Arcana, n. 716)

Hyssop first appears in the ritual where Jews were commanded to use hyssop and dip it in the blood of the Passover sacrifice and spread the blood on the lintel and doorposts of their houses (Ex. 12:22). The spiritual meaning of the Passover concerns the liberation from evil which is discussed in detail in a previous blog (see The Spiritual Meaning of Passover). It is in this ritual where the spiritual meaning of hyssop is first explained:

"And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop. That this signifies an external means by which is purification, is evident from the signification of hyssop, as external truth which is a means of purification — of which in what follows. It is said that they should take a bunch of hyssop, because bunch is predicated of truths and their arrangement (n. 5530, 5881, 7408). That hyssop is external truth as a means of purification, is because all spiritual purification is effected by truths. For the earthly and worldly loves, from which man is to be purified, are not recognized except by means of truths" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 7918)

"External truth" is a truth that is followed in its most simplest form, without a spiritual understanding of that truth, such as in acts of simple obedience from what one has learned from religion. Swedenborg gives several examples (see Heavenly Arcana, n. 3820), where people may do good to others according to their religion but without spiritual discrimination of who that person is. Or they follow the religion because of tradition or authority without exploring it for themselves. The understanding of those who follow external truths is weak, and thus they can be easily misled by the evil. But we all begin by simple obedience to the "rules" without understanding, and later one's spiritual understanding is opened to those who wish and ask for it.

That hyssop signifies external truths by which one is purified from evils, is shown in the ritual where it is applied on the exterior door of the house. The house signifies one's mind, and the door is the external entrance to it. Blood is used in the ritual for it also signifies truth in general by which one is purified, for it is truth that tells us what is right and what is wrong. In other rituals, hyssop is combined with cedar wood:

"Because hyssop has this signification, therefore it was applied in cleansings, which in the internal sense signified purifications from falsities and evils — as in the cleansing of the leprosy, in Moses: The priest shall take for the leper that is to be cleansed two living clean birds, and cedar wood, and scarlet and hyssop . . . and shall dip them . . . in the blood of the bird that was killed . . . and he shall sprinkle upon him who is to be cleansed (Lev. xiv. 4-7); and in like manner in the cleansing of a house, if the leprosy be in it (verses 49-51). For preparing the water of separation by which cleansings were wrought, cedar wood and hyssop were also employed (Num. xix. 6, 18); by cedar wood was signified internal spiritual truth, and by hyssop external; thus by cedar an interior means of purification, by hyssop an exterior. That hyssop is a means of purification, is very manifest in David: Thou shalt purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow (Ps. li. 7) — where being purged with hyssop and made clean stands for external purification, being washed and made whiter than snow for internal purification: snow and whiteness are predicated of truth (n. 3301, 3993, 4007, 5319). That hyssop is lowest truth and cedar higher truth, is plain from these words in the First Book of Kings: Solomon spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall (iv. 33) — where cedar stands for internal truth of intelligence, and hyssop for external truth of intelligence." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 7918.2)

So while hyssop represents external truth that purifies, in these rituals cedar wood represents internal truths that purify.  So why is this? Here we would need to look at the classification of hyssop and cedar in the plant kingdom. Hyssop is known as Origanum Syriacum, belonging to the Clade of Angiosperms, which means it is a flowering plant:

In spiritual terms, flowers correspond to memory knowledges of the truth, which is the same as external truth:

"And its flowers. That this signifies knowledges of truth, is evident from the signification of flowers, as knowledges of truth. Flowers have this signification, because flowers are growths which precede and in their manner produce fruits and seeds, for, as is well known, trees and plants blossom before they bear fruit. The case is the same with man as to intelligence and wisdom. Knowledges of truth precede and in their manner produce with man those things which are of wisdom; for they serve as objects to his rational, and thus as means for growing wise. It is for this reason that knowledges of truth are as flowers, and that the good of life, which is the good of wisdom, is as fruit. Since all things which are in the spiritual world have reference to such things as are in man, for the reason that heaven represents one man and corresponds to each and all things with man, therefore also all things which are in the natural world, according to their agreement with such things as are with man, correspond, represent, and signify" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 9553)

As for the cedar tree, it is a coniferous tree:

As the cedar tree grows to a greater height towards the sky, so it represents cleansing by internal spiritual truths. It is also a Gymnosperm, which means that unlike flowering Angiosperms their seeds are unenclosed - as the seed is exposed it again represents internal truth.

That hyssop signifies external truths by which there is purification from evil can finally be seen in the spiritual significance of the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross:

"Jesus, knowing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled said, I thirst. And there had been placed a vessel full of vinegar; and they filled a sponge and placed it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth. And when Jesus had received the vinegar He said, It is finished (xix. 28-30). 

Those who think of these things only naturally and not spiritually may believe that they involve nothing more than that the Lord thirsted, and that vinegar was then given Him; but it was because all things that the Scriptures said of Him were then finished, and because He came into the world to save mankind that He said, "I thirst," which means that from Divine love He willed and desired the salvation of the human race; and that "vinegar was given Him" signifies that in the coming church there would be no genuine truth, but truth mixed with falsities, such as there is with those who separate faith from charity or truth from good; this is what "vinegar" signifies; "they placed it upon hyssop" signifies some kind of purification by it, for "hyssop" signifies an external means of purification" (Apocalypse Explained, n. 386e).

Thus the significance of the crucifixion means that the Christian Church, throughout its history, would only be familiar with truth in its most external form signified by hyssop, and mixed in with false ideas signified by vinegar. The fact that Jesus was crucified alongside two thieves would also signify that the Christian Church would falsely invent the idea of a tripersonal god, not recognizing that the True Trinity is in the soul, body and spirit of Jesus Christ who is Jehovah in human form. For thieves in the spiritual sense represent those who steal away and deprive others of spiritual truths, or those who take away from the truth that God is one personal Being who became incarnate in human form.

THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF HYSSOP AND CEDAR

Plants do not just signify spiritual things, but their spiritual significance also corresponds to their health benefits. Hyssop, or Origanum syriacum or Lebanese oregano, is used in the Middle East for flavoring their foods. However it has the following health benefit, from Lebanese Oregano (Origanum Syriacum) Overview, Health Benefits, Side effects -

It is worth mentioning here that the Lebanese oregano is one of the sources of the essential oil called carvacrol. This essential oil has antiseptic and other terpenoids with properties as thymol is effective in inhibiting different types of harmful bacteria, for example Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This oil works by corrosion of the cell wall of bacteria.

Thus external truths that purify one from evils corresponds to how the ingredients of hyssop corrodes the external cell wall of bacteria. But what about the health benefits of the cedar tree? From 14 Cedarwood Essential Oil Uses for Wisdom, Beauty & More -

Who knew that the oil from a tree could be so beneficial to your health and wellness? Surprisingly, cedarwood essential oil has anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antifungal, tonic, astringent, diuretic, sedative and insecticidal properties.

There are a number of surprising benefits of cedar oil, for which I recommend the above web site, but the one that corresponds to purification by internal truth would probably be the following health benefit:

Because cedarwood essential oil is a sedative, it has the power to relieve tension and stress that can negatively affect your health. It has a soothing and calming effect on the mind, reduces inflammation and muscle pain, and minimizes skin irritation. Research published in 2017 demonstrates that the scent of cedarwood essential oil ,which contains cedrol, can promote sleep by increasing parasympathetic activity and increasing serotonin production.

Thus when Jesus healed a person, we would often command them to sin no more. He also compared Himself to a physician:

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)

Thus our spiritual health is directly connected to our physical health. Some in the medical field have recognized the connection between the mind and the body and term this as "psychosomatic." But there are three levels of health - spiritual health, mental health, and physical health. While most focus on their physical health, we should look at our soul, mind and body - and start with the spiritual health of our soul, for our eternal life depends upon it.

A Dream and Parable of the Mustard Seed

Dreams often come to give warnings of the future, and warnings about our health.  In the last month or so I had one dream in which I saw my car, dead stopped in the road where the front tires were turned to the left.  I was looking at the front right tire, and the focus of the attention was on the front axle for the tires which was angled to the left.  It was a definite warning, and as the tire tread was low I had all four tires replaced, hoping to prevent any fulfillment of the dream.

Before this, I had the battery replaced, and little did I know the technician did not wire the car battery properly.  So, despite my precaution, as I was driving the car, the wire to the battery short circuited and melted, and in an instant my car went completely dead while I was on the road.  I could not signal other cars, and the only safe way out was to the left.  I quickly made a hard left - and it was not easy as the power steering had gone out as well.  I was lucky as this was on the side road and not on the freeway.  Just as the dream showed the car in a position of turning left, so I had to make a hard left in order to put the car in relative safety.

A DREAM OF THE MUSTARD SEED

As dreams will sometimes contain warnings of the future, dreams will often tell us something about our health, and give very unique information on the problem.  A friend of mine is involved in dream interpretation, and he has relayed to me many instances where dreams give unique health information.  In this particular dream I had this week, I saw a weed in a yard and I decided to yank it out.  I pull it out, but it has a very long root which leads to another weed which is much larger.  I yank that out, and part of the plant comes out with it, and underneath was revealed very yellow mustard seeds, but in the shape of pumpkin seeds.  The weed is in my hand but very much alive, moving around like a vine.  The mustard seed weed then tries to move itself to a woman I know; it was attracted to her.  The thought then came to me, "She needs to eat mustard seeds."

So later, I told her about the dream, and said she should probably eat mustard seeds for any health issues she may have.  She has two in particular:

1.  She is anemic and has trouble breathing at times, and has had an allergic reaction to iron pill supplements, and,
2.  She has a sinus infection; the cold has been going for months despite antibiotics.

I knew nothing about mustard seeds at the time.  Just as in the dream, mustard plants are a prolific weed and it is very hard to eradicate them.  So what about health benefits?  I looked at Mustard Seed Nutrition Facts, and found the following uses of mustard seeds:

1. The seeds make an excellent remedy for treating congestion of the head or lungs by drawing blood to the lower part of the body; thus relieving.
2. They are extremely beneficial in curing pneumonia, bronchitis, and other respiratory complaints. By making a poultice of ground mustard and applying directly to the chest and throat, this remedy alleviates all respiratory problems.

1. Being great sources of power and bioenergy, mustard seeds boost the immune system and fight against anemia. They also help treat medical conditions, such as anxiety, psychological disorders, effects of stress and depression, bronchitis, sexual dysfunctions and symptoms of menopause.

There are other benefits as well, I just mentioned the ones that are relevant.  This goes to not only show that dreams can be useful to one's health, but also that there are many natural healing properties of plants.  While the west has placed emphasis on pharmaceutical drugs, in more ancient cultures this was not the case.  Moreover scripture confirms that for every illness, God has created a plant to cure it.  This is seen in the description of the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation:

Through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Rev. 22:2)

While that is the meaning in the literal sense, in the spiritual sense the leaves of the tree are the truths of the New Church; the nations are evils from which we suffer; and for each evil there is a truth to fight against its falsehood to have it removed.  Even in the gospels, there is a connection between one's physical illness and one's spiritual sin.  Science has uncovered some of the truth of this, and has labeled these as "psychosomatic" illnesses - for the mind has power over the body.  As we think, so we are.  This is why the only way to be liberated from sin is through Divine truth.

THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED

The mustard seed is mentioned in the gospels in the Parable of the Mustard Seed.  The mustard seed is probably the black mustard seed, which grows to a very large plant in the Middle East.  It is an odd parable which at first does not seem to mean any thing:

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.  It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is greater than all the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (Matt. 13:31-32)

So, what does this mean?  In a general sense, most can point out that a small amount of faith put into practice will grow into a life of eternity in heaven.  However, what many do not know is that every single word in scripture has spiritual significance.  Biblical literalists completely miss this, and skip over the details thinking they are merely "figures of speech."  As with many other scriptural passages, Swedenborg was given the spiritual meaning of the Parable of the Mustard Seed in the revelations of the New Church:

"The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; which indeed is less than all seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and make their nests in the branches thereof (Matt. xiii. 31, 32). The grain of mustard seed is the good of man before he becomes spiritual; which is the least of all seeds, because he thinks that he does good from himself. What is from himself is nothing but evil; but, as he is in a state of regeneration, there is something of good, yet the least of all. Afterward as faith is being conjoined to love it becomes greater, and an herb. At last when it is conjoined it becometh a tree; and then the birds of the heavens — which here also are truths, or things of the understanding — make their nests in its branches, which are knowledges." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 55.3-4)

Thus the growth of a tree from a small seed represents the growth and development of each person into a spiritual angelic being.  The seed is the initial truth of faith planted in the mind.  In one's initial state, one thinks that all that one does and thinks is from one's self.  In the revelations of the New Church, it is revealed that what we regard as the "self" or "ego" is nothing but an illusion, and that nothing but evil comes from our own ego.  Rather good and truth come about in us through conjunction with the Lord.  When we start to live by the truth, the seed becomes an herb.  In the next stage, love and truth become inverted where love becomes primary, and truth secondary, and this is represented by a tree bearing fruit.  From love one automatically knows the truth, and this is represented by birds nesting in the branched of the tree.  In the spiritual sense, birds are not birds but rational truths, and one's rational rests upon one's knowledge, represented by the bird's nest.

Thus when the truth is explained to others, each idea of truth becomes a seed planted in the mind, with the potential to grow and change things for the future: