The Delights of Wisdom Pertaining to Conjugial Love: To Which is Added The Pleasures of Insanity Pertaining To Scortatory LoveSwedenborg, Emanuel
Religion
The Delights of Wisdom Pertaining to Conjugial Love: To Which is Added The Pleasures of Insanity Pertaining To Scortatory Love
Swedenborg, Emanuel
Marriage -- Religious aspects -- New Jerusalem Church; New Jerusalem Church -- Doctrines; Sexual ethics
269. Afterwards we ascended from these hells to the south, where we had
been before, and the angels related there several interesting
particulars respecting concupiscence not visionary or phantastic, in
which all men are born; namely, that while they are in it, they are like
persons infatuated, and yet seem to themselves to be most eminently
wise; and that from this infatuation they are alternately let into the
rational principle which is in their externals; in which state they see,
acknowledge, and confess their insanity; but still they are very
desirous to quit their rational and enter their insane state; and also
do let themselves into it, as into a free and delightful state
succeeding a forced and undelightful one; thus it is concupiscence and
not intelligence that interiorly pleases them. There are three universal
loves which form the constituent principles of every man by creation:
neighbourly love, which also is the love of doing uses; the love of the
world, which also is the love of possessing wealth; and the love of
self, which also is the love of bearing rule over others. Neighbourly
love, or the love of doing uses, is a spiritual love; but the love of
the world, or the love of possessing wealth, is a material love; whereas
the love of self, or the love of bearing rule over others, is a
corporeal love. A man is a man while neighbourly love, or the love of
doing uses, constitutes the head, the love of the world the body, and
the love of self the feet; whereas if the love of the world constitutes
the head, the man is as it were hunched-backed; but when the love of
self constitutes the head, he is like a man standing not on his feet,
but on the palms of his hands with his head downwards and his haunches
upwards. When neighbourly love constitutes the head, and the two other
loves in order constitute the body and feet, the man appears from heaven
of an angelic countenance, with a beautiful rainbow about his head;
whereas if the love of the world constitutes the head, he appears from
heaven of a pale countenance like a corpse, with a yellow circle about
his head; but if the love of self constitutes the head, he appears from
heaven of a dusky countenance, with a white circle about his head.
Hereupon I asked, "What do the circles about the head represent?" they
replied, "They represent intelligence; the white circle about the head
of the dusky countenance represents, that his intelligence is in
externals, or about him, but insanity is in his internals, or in him. A
man also who is of such a quality and character, is wise while in the
body, but insane while in the spirit; and no man is wise in spirit but
from the Lord, as is the case when he is regenerated and created again
or anew by him." As they said this, the earth opened to the left, and
through the opening I saw a devil rising with a white lucid circle
around his head, and I asked him, Who he was? He said, "I am Lucifer,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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