560. Those who were with me saw horses, then said that many such are to be found with them, but they are in the forests, and they fear them greatly. Even though they do no harm, there is nevertheless a certain ingrained fear of them. The cause of this lies in the fact that horses portray knowledge, and that it was personal knowledge, or knowledge [obtained by] the senses, consequently pertaining to the body, self, and the world, that had led the most ancient Church astray and caused the fall - the same thing as is meant by the tree of knowledge, which led them astray [Gen. 3:6]. Herein lies the cause of the fear of horses, and from this it follows that they should not learn sciences, for thus their understanding is darkened and blinded, and thus the loves of self and of the world begin to dominate, which originate from and reign in darkness.