2762. The symbolism of a horse as something related to the intellect actually comes from representations in the other life. Horses often appear in the world of spirits there, in great variety, as do horseback riders. Whenever they appear, they symbolize some aspect of the intellect. (Representations like this are always presenting themselves to spirits.)
The representation of a horse as some facet of the intellect causes the spirits and angels present with us to see immediately, when horses are mentioned in the Word, that the intellect is the theme.
For the same reason, some spirits from another planet, when they have acquired understanding and wisdom and are being taken up from the world of spirits into heaven, see horses that appear to be alight with fire. I too saw the horses as the spirits were being raised up. [2] As a result I was able to tell the symbolism of the fiery chariot and the fiery horses appearing to Elisha when Elijah went up into the heavens in a whirlwind. I could also tell the symbolism of the words Elisha then shouted:
My father! My father! The chariots of Israel, and its horsemen! (2 Kings 2:11, 12)
I could also see the symbolism of the same words spoken to Elisha by Joash, king of Israel, when Elisha died:
My father! My father! The chariots of Israel, and its horsemen! (2 Kings 13:14)
Elijah and Elisha represented the Lord as the Word, as will be mentioned elsewhere, by the Lord's divine mercy. Specifically, the fiery chariot represented teachings about love and charity drawn from the Word, while fiery horses represented teachings about faith drawn from the Word. Teachings about faith are the same thing as an understanding of the Word's depths, or its inner meaning.
[3] You can see that chariots and horses appear among spirits and angels in the heavens from the fact that they were seen by the prophets, such as Zechariah (Zechariah 1:8, 9, 10; 6:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) and others. Not only the prophets saw them but also Elisha's servant, who is spoken of this way in Kings:
Jehovah opened the eyes of Elisha's servant and he saw, and here, the mountain was full of horses, and fiery chariots were all around Elisha! (2 Kings 6:17)
In addition, where the intelligent and wise live in the world of spirits, chariots and horses constantly appear. The reason is that chariots and horses represent attributes of wisdom and understanding, as noted.
People revived from death who are entering the next life see a portrayal of a young adult astride a horse who then dismounts. This symbolizes their need to learn about truth and goodness before they can go to heaven. (See §§187, 188 in the first volume.)
The ancient church was very familiar with the fact that chariots and horses symbolized these things, as can be seen from these words in Job, a book of the ancient church:
God made her forget wisdom and has not imparted a share of understanding to her. As in the time she rose up tall, she mocks the horse and its rider. (Job 39:17, 18, 19)
[4] The symbolism of a horse as an aspect of the intellect spread from the ancient church to the sages of neighboring lands and into Greece. That is why, when the Greeks depicted the sun (which symbolizes love; §§2441, 2495), they took to placing their god of wisdom and understanding in it and assigning him a chariot and four fiery horses. When they portrayed their sea god, they also gave him horses, because the sea symbolizes all branches of knowledge in general (28, 2120). When they wanted to depict the intellect as the source of this knowledge, they imagined a flying horse that used its hoof to break open a spring where the young women embodying the arts and sciences came to live. And the Trojan Horse actually symbolized the wall-razing techniques that came from their intellect.
Certainly, people today (who have taken the practice from those ancient people) often use a flying horse or Pegasus to depict intellectual matters, and a spring to depict scholarly learning. Hardly anyone knows, however, that in a mystical sense a horse symbolizes the intellect, and a spring, truth; still less that these symbols spread from the ancient church to people outside the church.
