6954. 'And it was made into a rod in the palm of his hand' means that at this point the power from the Divine was imparted. This is clear from the meaning of the serpent, which 'was made into a rod', as the sensory level, dealt with above in 6949; and from the meaning of 'a rod' as power in the natural, and of 'the palm of the hand' as inward power - both kinds of power coming from the Divine, dealt with in 6952. The situation is that left to himself a person looks merely downwards, that is, in a worldly and earthly direction, because left on his own he is ruled by evil and falsity. And when that is the direction in which he looks, the sensory level is in control, and things on more internal levels do nothing to oppose it, since they follow the force of the stream and give way to it. The person however who is not left to himself but is aided by the Lord looks upwards, that is, towards heaven and the Lord; and this happens through his being raised up. At the same time as the more internal parts are raised so too is the sensory level raised. But the inferior light on that sensory level then becomes dim because the light of heaven reigns. When this happens goodness and truth flow in from the Lord and are also received; and this is what is meant by 'the power from the Divine was imparted'. None however can be raised in that way except those who have displayed the good of faith and charity in their lives. I have been allowed to know from actual experience about being raised towards more internal things, for I have felt it thousands of times.