In Swedenborg, months and other measurements of time show spiritual states rather than natural time, so a whole period of particular growth in a person’s life. And as longer-term measurements — more significant than hours or days — they often show the end of one state and the beginning of a new one. The specific state being discussed is dependent on the specific month being described and the nature of other elements of the passage.
Passages from Swedenborg
Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 3814
3814. ‘And he dwelt with him for a full month’ means a new state of life. This is clear from the meaning of ‘dwelling’ as life, dealt with in 1293, 3384, 3613, and from the meaning of ‘a full month’ as a new state. All periods of time mean states, see 1274, 1382, 2625, 2788, 2837, 3254, 3356, 3404, so that years, months, and days mean such. What kind of states are meant however is clear from the numbers attached to them. When however year, month, or day is used in the singular, an entire state is meant, and so the end of the previous state and the beginning of the next, as has also been shown in various places in the explanations. Here therefore ‘month’ means the end of the previous state and the beginning of the next, and so means a new state, as in other places in the Word, as in Isaiah,
At length from month to its month, and from sabbath to sabbath, all flesh will come to bow down before Me, said Jehovah. Isa. 66:23.
In John,
He showed me a pure river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and of the river, on this side and on that, was the tree of life bearing twelve fruits, yielding its fruit each month. Rev. 22:1, 2.
‘Yielding its fruit each month’ stands for a state for ever new as regards the reception of good and the consequent practice of it. In Moses, Count the sons of Levi according to their father’s house and according to their families. Every male a month old and over shall you count. Count every firstborn male of the children of Israel, a month old and over, and take the number of their names. Num. 3:15, 40.
[2] It was because the end of the previous state and the beginning of the next, that is, a new state, was meant by ‘a month’ that they were ordered to count those who were ‘a month old and over’. In the same author,
If you see among captives a beautiful woman, and have a desire for her so that you would take her to yourself for a wife, she shall remove the clothing of her captivity from upon her, and she shall sit in your house and lament her father and her mother for a full month. After that you shall go in to her and know her, and she shall be your wife. Deut. 21:11, 13.
Here ‘a full month’ clearly stands for the end of the previous and the beginning of the next or new state.
Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 935
935. Yielding its fruit according to the month. This symbolically means that the Lord produces the goods in a person in accordance with every state of truth in him.
A month symbolizes a person’s state of life in respect to truth, as will be seen below. To yield fruit means, symbolically, to produce goods. That fruits are goods of love and charity is something we just showed in no. 934 above. Moreover, because it is the Lord who essentially produces these in a person�-�even though the person does them as though of himself, thus apparently, as we said in no. 934 above�-�it follows that the symbolic meaning here is that the Lord produces them inmostly when He is present there.
But we must say how one is to understand the Lord’s producing goods of charity in a person in accordance with every state of truth in him.
Someone who believes that a person does good acceptable to the Lord, good that is called spiritual good, without possessing in him truths from the Word, is much mistaken. Goods without truths are not good, and truths without goods are not true in the person, even though they are true in themselves. For good without truth is like something a person wills without understanding, a volition that is not human, but one like that of an animal, or like that of a robot that an operator causes to function.
On the other hand, volition together with comprehension becomes human in accordance with the state of the intellect by which it finds expression. For the condition of everyone’s life is such that a person’s will can do nothing without the instrumentality of the intellect, nor can the intellect entertain any thought without doing so from the will. The case is the same with goodness and truth, since goodness has to do with the will, and truth with the intellect.
[2] It is apparent from this that the good that the Lord produces in a person accords with the state of truth in him that forms his understanding.
This is what the tree of life yielding its fruit every month symbolizes, because a month symbolizes the state of truth in a person.
All periods of time, such as hours, days, weeks, months, years, and centuries, symbolize states of life, as may be seen in nos. 476, 562. Months symbolize states of life in respect to truths, because months mean times determined by the moon, and the moon symbolizes the truth of the intellect and of faith (nos. 332, 413, 414, 919).
Months have the same meaning in the following:
Blessed of Jehovah is (Joseph’s) land…, with the precious fruits of the sun, and with the precious produce of the months…. (Deuteronomy 33:13, 14)
It shall come to pass that from month to month, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to bow down before (Jehovah)…. (Isaiah 66:23)
Because of the symbolic meaning of a month, which is the same as that of the moon, sacrifices were made at the beginnings of each month or new moon (Numbers 29:1-6, Isaiah 1:14). The Israelites also sounded the trumpets then (Numbers 10:10, Psalm 81:3). And they were commanded to observe the month of Abib, in which they celebrated Passover (Exodus 12:2, Deuteronomy 16:1).
Months symbolize states of truth in a person, and in an opposite sense states of falsity in him, as may also be seen above in Revelation 9:5, 10, 15, 11:2, and 13:5.
A month has the same symbolic meaning here as in Ezekiel 47:12.