Genesis: Chapter 8.

This is where the drama shifts from catastrophe to careful construction. Genesis 8, in the Arcana Coelestia, moves the focus from the devastating external judgment to the internal, gentle process of spiritual cleansing and the first tentative steps of the New Church (Noah) toward a grounded, real spiritual life.

The Divine Intervention and Subsidizing of the Flood (Verses 1–5)

The devastation is over, and the spiritual recovery begins.

“God Remembered Noah”: This doesn’t mean God forgot Noah and suddenly thought of him. “Remembering” is an anthropomorphism (human language used to describe God) which signifies the Lord’s act of mercy and Divine Providence operating in the process of spiritual recovery. It means the Lord’s active influence stops the total destruction and begins the reformation.

“God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided”: The “wind” (or spirit/breath represents the Lord’s influx of Truth. This truth begins to work against the falsities. The “waters” (falsities from evil) are gradually driven back, and the mind is slowly cleared.

“Fountains of the deep and windows of heaven were stopped”: The sources of the corruption are shut off. The flood wasn’t just rain; it was evil from hell (“fountains of the deep”) and truths twisted into lies (“windows of heaven”). Stopping these sources means the Judgment is complete, and the immediate influence of Profanation is removed from the new church’s sphere.

The Ark Rests on Ararat: The Ark resting on the mountains of Ararat symbolizes that the new church (Noah) has found its foundation on the first possible spiritual good —the good of charity and love—which is represented by the mountains. The spiritual remnant is anchored in something real and divine after the chaos.

The Scouting Mission: Testing the Mind (Verses 6–12).

Noah’s mission with the birds is a symbolic process of the new mind testing itself, trying to figure out what’s true and what’s good in the post-deluge spiritual world.

The Raven: The Test of Falsity.

The Raven: Represents the Falsities/Errors** or the corrupt, natural, external thinking** remaining in the person’s mind (or the new church). It’s “unclean” and feeds on carrion.

The Raven “went forth to and fro”:** The raven not returning signifies that the mind’s first attempt to reason and explore (the raven) goes and wanders among the remaining evils and falsities** of the external self. This kind of thought finds its comfort in the world’s remnants and doesn’t return to the holy truths of the Ark. This is the new mind’s first, failed attempt to engage with the world.

The Dove: The Test of Genuine Love.

The Dove: Represents Genuine, Pure Truth and Goodness**—specifically, the Affection for Truth that comes from innocence and charity (the Holy Spirit). The dove is “clean.”

1st Sending (It Returns): The dove finds “no rest for the sole of her foot.” This means that the genuine spiritual affections (dove) cannot find any place to settle** in the natural mind because the earth (the external mind) is still dominated by the filthy remnants of the old self (the un-dried waters/corpses). The spiritual self has to return to its safe place (the Ark/the Lord).

2nd Sending (The Olive Leaf):** The dove returns with a freshly plucked olive leaf.Olive Leaf: The olive tree symbolizes the Good of Charity/Love. The leaf represents the Truth derived from that Good. This signifies that the new spiritual affections (dove) have finally found a first tiny beginning of genuine, viable good (the olive leaf) in the external mind. The mind is ready to start receiving spiritual life again.

3rd Sending (It Does Not Return):** The dove doesn’t return, which symbolizes that the Affection for Truth (the dove) has finally found a permanent and settled place to live in the newly cleansed mind. The spiritual principles are now fully integrated and established in the external self, completing the purification process.

Leaving the Ark: A New Covenant (Verses 13–22).

The new spiritual era is officially established.

Noah Removes the Covering: When Noah opens the Ark and sees the earth is dry, it means the mind is fully enlightened** and free from the former temptations. The external sense (the cover) is removed, and the interior light of truth shines out.

“Go Out from the Ark”:** This is the Divine command to put the saved spiritual elements into action**. The new church (Noah) must now establish itself in the natural mind and live according to its spiritual principles. The good affections (animals) and thoughts (birds) must be integrated into daily, real-world life.

The Altar and the Sacrifice: Noah building an altar and offering a sacrifice signifies the inauguration of the new church’s worship**. A burnt offering from “clean beasts” means that the worship is made from genuine love and affections (the clean animals)** and is pleasing to the Lord.

“The Lord Smelled the Sweet Savor”:** This expresses the Lord’s acceptance of the worship that comes from love and charity.

The Promise: The Lord’s promise that “neither will I again smite any more every living thing” means that the kind of destruction that led to Profanation (the Flood) will never happen again**; the Lord’s Providence ensures that mankind will always be able to be saved in some form. “Seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat… shall not cease” represents the continuity and ordered progression of regeneration, where spiritual life (seedtime, harvest) can exist alongside natural trials and temptations (cold, heat).

Summary.

Genesis 8 charts the spiritual emergence from the great trial (the Flood). It is the story of how the regenerate mind (Noah) patiently tests the state of its external life (the birds) until it confirms that spiritual good (the olive leaf) can finally take root. It concludes with the formal establishment of the Ancient Church, whose foundation is not the spontaneous perception of the old church, but ordered doctrine and life based on love and charity.

Taken from Arcana Coelestia Volume 1.

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