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Bones and Flesh

AC 156. Verse 23 And the man said, By this change, it is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh; for this she will be called Wife, because she was taken out of man (vir). ‘Bone from bones and flesh from flesh‘ means the proprium belonging to the external man, ‘bone’ the proprium that has been given not much life, ‘flesh‘ the proprium that has been given life. ‘The man’ (vir) however means the internal man. And because, as is said in the next verse, the internal man was so coupled to the external man, this proprium previously called ‘woman’ is now called ‘Wife’. ‘By this change’ means that it happened now, because there had been a change of state.

3812. And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. That this signifies conjoined in respect to truths and to goods, is evident from the signification of the words, “thou art my bone and my flesh,” as being conjunction. The ancients had this form of speaking concerning those who were of one house, or of one family, or in some relationship—“my bone and my flesh” (see n. 157); and hence by these words is signified conjunction. The reason why it signifies as to truths and as to goods, is that all spiritual conjunction is effected by these, and all natural conjunction has relation to the same. Moreover, by “bone and flesh” is signified what is man’s own; by “bone,” the own of his understanding, and by “flesh” the own of his will; thus by “bone” is signified what is his own in respect to truth, for this is of the understanding; and by “flesh” is signified what is his own in respect to good, for this is of the will (n. 148, 149).

A ‘girdle’ represents what binds and secures interior things

AC 3540… in order that they might represent the Word as it is in its external form, that is, in the letter, Elijah was girded with a girdle of skin about his loins (2 Kings 1:8); and John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a girdle of skin about his loins (Matthew 3:4). And inasmuch as the skin of man and beast signified external things, which are natural things in their relation to spiritual and celestial ones; and as in the Ancient Church it was customary to speak and write by significatives, therefore also in Job, which is a book of the Ancient Church, “skin” has the same signification, as may be seen from several passages in that book, and also from this: I know my Redeemer, He liveth, and at the last He will arise above the dust, and afterward these shall be encompassed with my skin, and from my flesh I shall see God (Job 19:25-26). To be “encompassed with skin” denotes by the natural, such as man has with him after death (see n. 3539); “from the flesh to see God” is to do so from what is our own, vivified (that this is “flesh” may be seen above, n. 148, 149, 780).

9828. And a belt. That this signifies a general bond in order that all things may look to one end, is evident from the signification of a “belt,” or “girdle,” as being a general bond; for it gathers up, encloses, holds in connection, and secures all the interior things, which without it would be set loose, and would be scattered. That “the belt” denotes a general bond to the intent that all things may look to one end, is because in the spiritual world the end reigns, insomuch that all things there may be called “ends;” for the Lord’s kingdom, which is a spiritual world, is a kingdom of uses, and uses there are ends; thus it is a kingdom of ends… [3] For this reason those things which are in ultimates, and which gather up and enclose, in order that each and all things may be kept together in such a connection, were represented by belts or girdles; which in the spiritual world are nothing else than goods and truths in the ultimates, or in the extremes, and which enclose the interior things.

Freedom is the ability to go against the proprial/natural inclinations

Heaven and Hell 591… the angels in the heavens are all withheld from their proprium, and are kept in the Lord’s proprium, which is Good Itself. But the spirits in the hells are all in their proprium, and everyone’s proprium is nothing but evil; and because it is nothing but evil, it is hell.

HH 594…beneath each society of heaven there is a society of hell corresponding to it from opposition, and from this opposing correspondence equilibrium results; and in consequence of this the Lord unceasingly provides that no infernal society beneath a heavenly society shall gain any preponderance, and as soon as it begins to do so it is restrained by various means, and is reduced to an exact measure of equilibrium. These means are many, only a few of which are to be noted. Some of these means have reference to the stronger presence of the Lord; some to the closer communication and conjunction of one or more societies with others; some to the casting out of superabundant infernal spirits into deserts; some to the transference of certain spirits from one hell to another; some to the reducing of those in the hells to order, and this also is effected in various ways; some to the screening of certain hells under denser and thicker coverings, also letting them down to greater depths; besides other means; and still others that are employed in the heavens above the hells. These things have been said that it may in some measure be perceived that the Lord alone provides that there is an equilibrium everywhere between good and evil, thus between heaven and hell