AE 503 - Angelic Thoughts and the Works of His Hands

  AE 503 [2, 9]

. . . all the ideas of the thought of angels and spirits
are turned into various representatives outside of them;
when turned into such things as are of
the vegetable kingdom
they are turned into trees and shrubs of various kinds;
and when into such things as are of the animal kingdom
they are turned into land animals
and flying things of various kinds;
when the ideas of the angels of heaven
are turned into land animals
they are turned into lambs, sheep, goats,
bullocks, horses, mules, and other like animals;
but when into flying things
they are turned into turtle doves, pigeons,
and various kinds of beautiful birds.
But the ideas of thought of those who are natural
and who think from mere knowledges
are turned into the forms of fishes.
Consequently in the seas various kinds of fishes appear . . ..

You made him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
the flock and all herds,
the beasts of the fields,
the fowl of heaven,
and the fish of the sea,
whatsoever passes through the paths of the seas.
(Psalm 8:6-8)

This is said of the Lord and His dominion.
That He has dominion over angels in the heavens
and over men on the earth
is known from the Word,
for He says that unto Him
"all power in heaven and in earth has been given"
(Matthew 28:18);
but that dominion was given to Him
over animals, fowl, and fishes,
is not a matter of sufficient importance
to be mentioned in the Word,
where each and every thing
has reference to heaven and the church.
It is therefore evident that
"flock and herds, the beasts of the fields,
the fowl of heaven, and the fish of the sea,"
mean such things as belong to heaven with angels
and to the church with man,
"the flock and the herds" signifying, in general,
things spiritual and natural,
the "flock" things spiritual,
and "herds" things natural that are with man,
or that belong to the spiritual mind
and to the natural mind with him.
"The beasts of the fields" signify things voluntary,
which belong to the affections;
"the fowl of heaven" signify things intellectual,
which belong to the thoughts;
and "the fishes of the sea" signify knowledges
which belong to the natural man.